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Ticketmaster's Taylor Swift Ticketing Fiasco Might Have Just Led To A Lawsuit From The DOJ
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Photo by Ashok Kumar / TAS24 / Getty Images for TAS Rights ManagementThe Department of Justice is preparing to file an antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The lawsuit could reportedly come as early as next month and will target the company's alleged monopoly in the live ticketing industry.
Live Nation drew antitrust scrutiny when it merged with Ticketmaster in 2010. But those concerns boiled over in November 2022 when a Ticketmaster crash blocked thousands of Taylor Swift fans from purchasing tickets for the Eras Tour due to "unprecedented demand." The DOJ opened an investigation into Live Nation shortly after, The New York Times reported.
Lawmakers also levied heavy criticism against the ticketing company, with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) calling Live Nation's business practices the "definition of monopoly." Although President Joe Biden announced last year that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have promised to get rid of hidden ticketing fees at checkout, Senator Klobuchar argued that the companies still aren't doing enough.
"Ticketmaster has more competition today than it has ever had, and the deal terms with venues show it has nothing close to monopoly power," a Ticketmaster spokesperson told the Journal. In 2019, the Justice Department blocked Live Nation from coercing venues into using Ticketmaster and also extended its 2010 consent decree to ensure the companies comply. Ticketmaster didn't immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment.
If this lawsuit pans out, it would mark yet another landmark antitrust lawsuit in the US, in addition to the DOJ's ongoing case against Apple.
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Taylor Swift Cancelled All Tour Dates In What She Called 'Racist Florida'?
In late April 2024, a post went viral on Facebook, claiming that "Taylor Swift won't be performing in what she calls 'racist Florida.' Her manager is miffed."
As of this writing, the post gained over 3,500 reactions and 3,000 comments. "We don't want her in Florida," one Facebook user commented, while another added "Florida is definitely blessed."
(Facebook page Reagan Was Right)
The pinned comment linked to an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times with the title "Taylor Swift Cancels All Tour Dates in 'Racist' Florida." It read:
Musical artist Taylor Swift is flying at the height of her fame right now. With a top ten album destroying the charts across the country and a sold-out tour winding daily throughout giant arenas everywhere, she's really running the proverbial table.
Except for the unfortunate population of the state of Florida, who's table apparently doesn't come with any cues, chalk, or Mike's Hard Lemonade.
Swift has completely cancelled all of her touring dates in Florida after the announcement by governor Ron DeSantis that African American studies, a course tracing the history and current events regarding black people, be removed from curriculums. It's a fairly astounding show of pure racism and ignorance by the modern GOP.
Assistant governor Joe Barron explained DeSantis' reasoning behind the cancellation on the popular Florida morning show Wake Up And Smell the Meth.
"The thing is, DeSantis really doesn't like black people at all. They're his least favorite of all the colors. He feels that in a perfect world, they wouldn't even be in a University setting in the first place. I mean, do you need to hear a reason? It speaks for itself. Republicans are racist. They just are."
Swift made a brief comment about her tour erasure (...)
"It's absolutely disgusting, but sadly, what I'd expect from DeSantis and his miserable half-dead state of Florida. I mean, it's America's trash heap. Why would I go there? Shitty pizza and metamucil milkshakes?"
However, this was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The rumor originated with a website that describes its output as being satirical in nature.
The website is part of the America's Last Line of Defense network and describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Its disclaimer reads as follows:
Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com is a subsidiary of the "America's Last Line of Defense" network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery, or as Snopes called it before they lost their war on satire: Junk News.
Moreover, the website's "About Us" section informs that:
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.
Did Taylor Swift Go To 2024 Met Gala? Here's The Truth
2024 Met Gala Recap: The Most Viral Moments and Show-Stopping Fashion!
You'll have to wait longer than a fortnight for Taylor Swift's Met Gala return.
The "Cruel Summer" singer skipped this year's event in New York City to prepare for the European leg of her sold-out Eras Tour, E! News confirms.
The fundraiser—which is themed around the Metropolitan Museum of Art's new "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" exhibit, with an official "Garden of Time" dress code—took place on May 6, just three days before Taylor is scheduled to hit the stage at the Paris La Défense Arena in France.
As for her boyfriend Travis Kelce? He appeared to sit it out as well, with TMZ reporting last week that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has RSVP'd "no" on his invitation to the 2024 bash, co-chaired by Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Hemsworth. See all the stars who did step out on the red carpet here—including Taylor's pals Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, Ed Sheeran and Nicki Minaj.
Still, Taylor is very familiar with the Met Gala. After all, she's attended six previous iterations of fashion's biggest night, even co-chairing the 2016 version celebrating the "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" exhibition.
As the Swiftie folklore goes, that was the star-studded gathering where the Grammy winner first saw sparks fly with Joe Alwyn, who she went on to date for six years before their 2023 breakup.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
On her Reputation track "Dress," Taylor appeared to touch on their red carpet looks at the lavish affair, singing, "Flashback when you met me / Your buzzcut and my hair bleached."
And on her Midnights song "Mastermind," she seemingly alluded to having a hand in orchestrating their meeting. "What if I told you none of it was accidental / And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me?" she sang. "I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork / The dominoes cascaded in a line."
Since then, Taylor has not stepped back onto fashion's holy ground. Last year, she also missed out on the Met Gala in order to focus on her Eras Tour in Nashville.
Read on to see photos from inside the 2024 Met Gala:
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Ed Sheeran and Chris Hemsworth
Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Venus Williams and Serena Williams
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kendall Jenner and Gracie Abrams
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kris Jenner, Usher, Rosalía and Kylie Jenner
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Brie Larson and Ariana Grande
Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter
Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Phoebe Dynevor and Simone Ashley
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Gabrielle Union and Taraji P. Henson
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Sydney Sweeney and Colman Domingo
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Hari Nef and Gwendoline Christie
Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Demi Moore and Taika Waititi
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Jaden Smith
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Steven Yeun and Donald Glover
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Lauren Sánchez, Gigi Hadid, Riley Keough and Emily Ratajkowski
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kieran Culkin and Matthew Macfadyen
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Chris Hemsworth and Hugh Jackman
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Sienna Miller and Sam Smith
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Matt Damon and Ed Sheeran
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Jerry Seinfeld and Jeff Goldblum
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Tessa Thompson and Michelle Williams
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Gayle King and Jack Harlow
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Rebecca Ferguson and Ayo Edebiri
Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Cara Delevingne, Stella McCartney and Ed Sheeran
Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Rita Ora, Gracie Abrams and Camila Morrone
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Jeremy Strong and James Corden
Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes
Arturo Holmes/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
photos
View More Photos From Inside Met Gala 2024: All the Candid Photos
Don't miss E!'s Live From E!: 2024 Met Gala red carpet Monday, May 6, starting at 6 p.M. For every must-see moment from fashion's biggest night. And tune in to E! News Tuesday, May 7, at 11 p.M. For a full recap of every jaw-dropping look and all the behind-the-scenes moments.
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