Featured Images: Oasis, BookMyShow
As 2024 draws to a close, TheTicketingBusiness looks back at a selection of the sector’s stories this year…
DOJ takes on entertainment behemoth
In May, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a heavyweight antitrust lawsuit in a bid to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster “and restore competition for the benefit of fans and artists”. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan with 30 state and district attorneys general present. It alleged that Live Nation and Ticketmaster use “anticompetitive conduct” to exercise control over the live events industry at the “cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators”, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland. An additional 10 attorneys general from states across the US then signed on the DOJ’s Live Nation-Ticketmaster suit.
Live Nation rebuffed the lawsuit and argued that the lawsuit would not “reduce ticket prices or service fees” for fans. Additionally, over the following months, Live Nation accused the DOJ of attempting to decree who it should do business with. The drama will continue into 2025…
The Lyte fades
Ticketing marketplace Lyte’s sudden and spectacular downfall in September left a number of events, promoters and ticket-holders in the dark. Lyte’s platform was used by more than 5,700 artist tours, festivals, venues and live events. In 2022, the San Francisco-headquartered business acquired the assets of the UK’s Event Genius and Festicket after they went into administration.
It was then revealed that Lyte’s chief executive and founder had departed the business several weeks before the ticketing marketplace ceased activities.
In the weeks after the news of Lyte’s demise, a fire sale was initiated and suitors were told they had until mid-October to submit an offer. Lyte initiated a General Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) on September 17 through which its assets were transferred to the newly formed Lyte Liquidation LLC. An ABC is a business liquidation device “available to an insolvent debtor as an alternative to formal bankruptcy proceedings”.
In the aftermath of the dramatic developments, festivals were forced to scramble for new ticketing partners or forced to refund customers, while some initiated legal action.
End of an era
Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour ended this month in Vancouver, Canada following 149 shows spanning five continents over nearly two years.
More than 10.1 million tickets were sold for the Eras Tour, which became the first ever to rake in more than $2bn.
The demand for tickets resulted in numerous headlines over the last two years. In 2022, Ticketmaster’s presales for the US leg of the tour faced issues around unprecedented bot attacks and traffic.
Don’t look back in anger
In 2024, another iconic act was at the centre of a scramble for tickets on a global scale.
After years of squabbling between Liam and Noel Gallagher, many a wish came true when Oasis confirmed a reunion tour with dates for the UK and Ireland in 2025.
Would the onsales pass with zero criticism? Of course not!
Fans were particularly unhappy with the use of dynamic pricing, which sees the cost of tickets rise in line with demand – and with Oasis having split up for the last 16 years, there was obviously a lot of demand.
Following the sales, the UK Government said it would look into the use of dynamic pricing in concert ticket sales. This was on top of an already announced ticketing resale consultation.
The UK and Irish competition watchdogs then launched official investigations into Ticketmaster’s Oasis ticket sales.
The band further added dates for North America, Australia and Asia, and confirmed that dynamic pricing would not be used.
Rolling in the Deep
It was also a big year for British singer Adele, who not only continued and rounded-up her residency in Las Vegas, but also held a 10-night stint in the German city of Munich. The residency was held in a bespoke 80,000-capacity open-air venue created at the Munich Messe Arena.
Through Ticketmaster, Adele offered fans the chance to win a ‘lucky dip’ ticket to attend the Munich residency for just €35 – roughly €300 less than tickets were retailing at during the time.
Bowled over
Elsewhere, India’s new Entertainers Cricket League (ECL) announced BookMyShow as its exclusive ticketing partner for the inaugural season.
The social influencer-driven T10 cricket league featured celebrities such as YouTubers Abhishek Malhan and Elvish Yadav. The 96 content creators taking part had more than 700 million followers, and organisers expected a total viewing audience of more than one billion.
Kicking off in September, ECL Season 1 featured 19 matches across 10 days played by six franchises. ESL Season 1 was won by the Haryanvi Hunters.
For the die-hard football fans
In a first for the men’s FIFA World Cup, deposits are being accepted by official hospitality provider On Location for hospitality packages. The fully refundable downpayment will be for ticket-inclusive fan experience packages for the football tournament, which is scheduled for June 11 to July 19 in the US, Canada and Mexico.
It is also the first edition of the FIFA World Cup to be jointly hosted by three nations.
Share this