Ticketmaster announced that it will ban users from having several accounts after a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accusing collusion with violations of the BOTS Act.
The platform further stated that it will close TradeDesk, its ticket inventory platform which is used by brokers to list tickets on several sites.
Live Nation’s executive VP Dan Wall wrote a letter to Senators, calling the FTC’s accusation “categorically false” and a “conspiracy,” stating Live Nation makes only a little revenue from secondary ticket sales.
Furthermore, Dan addressed that brokers using several accounts, a traditional method, has “gotten out of hand” and is unfair to some artists and fans.
It is pertinent to mention that Ticketmaster will now limit all users to one account, including brokers, and will use the cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and identity verification to implement it.
All resale tickets will need a taxpayer identification number, and additional accounts will be suspended.
TradeDesk, which does not purchase primary tickets but assists brokers manage sales, will be removed because of tarnished reputation.
The FTC suit adds to the current legal troubles for Live Nation, which faces an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice.
The National Independent Venue Association and the critics called the Ticketmaster’s updates “too little, too late” and accused the platform of allowing scalpers, calling for caps on resale prices for artists and fans safety.
