Ticketmaster

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Ticketmaster is a global ticketing and event-commerce brand owned by Live Nation Entertainment.

Last updated October 29, 2026

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First read: Oct 29, 2026
Latest read: Nov 4, 2026

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Overview

Ticketmaster is a major ticket sales, distribution, and event-commerce brand serving venues, artists, promoters, sports organizations, and fans. It was founded in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1976 by Peter Gadwa, Albert Leffler, Gordon Gunn III, and Jerry Nelson. The company initially licensed computerized ticketing software and sold related hardware; its first reported concert transaction involved Electric Light Orchestra at the University of New Mexico. Under Fred Rosen, who became chief executive in 1982, Ticketmaster moved its base to Los Angeles, invested heavily in computerized ticketing, and expanded through venue relationships in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It later broadened into publishing, travel, ticket resale, artist management, and online ticketing. Ticketmaster became a market leader through acquisitions and corporate changes. It acquired rival Ticketron in 1991, and in 1993 Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen acquired a majority stake. USA Networks, later InterActiveCorp, acquired control in 1998, when Ticketmaster merged with CitySearch and adopted the Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch name. The company acquired TicketWeb in 2000, Paciolan, Getmein.com, and TicketsNow in 2008, and was spun off by IAC later that year. Following the acquisition of Front Line Management, the business was renamed Ticketmaster Entertainment, with Irving Azoff becoming chief executive. In 2009, Ticketmaster agreed to combine with concert promoter Live Nation. The transaction was completed in 2010 after review by the United States Department of Justice and became Live Nation Entertainment. Ticketmaster continued as a distinct operating brand within the combined company, while Live Nation remained focused principally on event promotion and venue operations. The merger included conditions intended to protect venues that used competing ticketing providers, including the divestiture of Paciolan and software licensing arrangements. Those conditions later became the subject of enforcement actions and an extension of the related consent decree. Ticketmaster sells primary tickets made available by its clients and also operates ticket resale services. Clients generally determine event availability, face-value pricing, ticket limits, and many event policies, while Ticketmaster processes transactions, distributes tickets digitally or through fulfillment facilities, and provides tools for venue and promoter management. The business earns revenue from service, facility, delivery, order-processing, and resale-related fees. It also owns or operates services including TicketWeb, a self-service platform oriented toward independent venues and smaller event organizers. The brand has expanded through Front Gate Tickets, Universe, Two Toasters, Strobe Labs, UPGRADED, and Taiwan-based Tixcraft. Its technology portfolio covers online sales, mobile ticketing, digital transfers, venue box-office systems, fan marketing, ticket resale, and event access control. Ticketmaster has promoted measures against automated ticket-buying bots and has experimented with verified identity, demand-based pricing, digital tickets, and health-status verification during the COVID-19 period. Ticketmaster is also one of the most controversial companies in live entertainment. Musicians, consumers, regulators, lawmakers, venues, and competing ticketing firms have criticized its fees, market power, resale practices, service reliability, and relationship with Live Nation. The company faced intense criticism after the November 2022 presale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which experienced exceptionally high demand and technical failures. The episode contributed to a federal antitrust investigation, a United States Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2023, and a May 2024 antitrust lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice and participating states against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster remains an active international ticketing brand within Live Nation Entertainme…

History

Ticketmaster began in Phoenix in 1976 as a provider of computerized ticketing software and hardware. Its early business was primarily technological: it supplied systems that allowed venues and event organizers to manage inventory and sell admission more efficiently than paper-based methods. The company gained an early association with live music through a concert by Electric Light Orchestra at the University of New Mexico. Fred Rosen's appointment as chief executive in 1982 marked a major strategic shift. He relocated the company to Los Angeles, closer to the promoters, venues, artists, and entertainment businesses that formed its core customer base. Ticketmaster invested in computerization and secured venue contracts, including with the Los Angeles Forum. By the middle of the decade it had expanded beyond the United States into Canada and Europe. The company later experimented with adjacent businesses such as publishing and travel and acquired Ticketron in 1991, reinforcing its position as a leading ticketing intermediary. Ownership changed several times. Paul Allen acquired an 80 percent stake in 1993. USA Networks, later known as InterActiveCorp, took a majority position in 1998. That year Ticketmaster combined with CitySearch and became Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch. IAC later repurchased remaining shares and ultimately spun the ticketing business out in 2008. During this period, Ticketmaster acquired TicketWeb, Paciolan, Getmein.com, and TicketsNow. These transactions expanded the company across self-service ticketing, institutional ticketing software, United Kingdom resale, and United States secondary sales. The 2008 purchase of Front Line Management broadened Ticketmaster's relationship with the artist business. Front Line's chief executive Irving Azoff became chief executive of the restructured company, which adopted the Ticketmaster Entertainment name. In February 2009, Ticketmaster agreed to merge with Live Nation, one of the world's leading concert promoters. The transaction closed in 2010 as Live Nation Entertainment after Department of Justice review. The settlement required the sale of Paciolan, licensing arrangements for ticketing software, and restrictions intended to prevent retaliation against venues that selected rival ticketing providers. Ticketmaster and Live Nation retained separate brand identities but operated under common ownership. During the 2010s, Ticketmaster built a broader event-commerce portfolio. Front Gate Tickets added festival expertise, Universe provided self-service event creation and ticket sales, Two Toasters contributed mobile development capabilities, and later acquisitions added social-fan marketing, digital ticket conversion, and Asian-market reach. Ticketmaster also expanded resale, which became an increasingly important part of its business. Digital tickets, mobile access, identity verification, ticket transfer, and data-driven pricing became central to the customer experience. The company has repeatedly faced criticism over service fees, ticket transparency, primary-market allocation, resale, automated buying, and its relationship with Live Nation's promotion and venue businesses. The 2009 Springsteen incident highlighted concerns that Ticketmaster could direct customers from its primary marketplace to an affiliated resale service. Later reporting and litigation focused on allegations that professional resellers were able to exploit Ticketmaster systems or policies. Ticketmaster has defended its resale operations as a way to provide a safer and more transparent alternative to unauthorized markets and has supported the federal BOTS Act against automated ticket purchasing. Regulatory pressure intensified after the 2022 Taylor Swift Eras Tour presale, when high demand and technical failures prevented many customers from completing purchases. The episode prompted a federal investigation, congressional scrutiny, and ultimately a 2024 antitrust action by the Department of Justice and participating states. Ticketmaster remains active as Live Nation Entertainment's principal ticketing brand, combining consumer ticket sales with software, venue services, resale, marketing, and digital admission infrastructure.

2024
Federal antitrust lawsuit is filed
[2]Justice Department sues Live Nation, alleging monopolizationjustice.gov
The DOJ and states sue Live Nation and Ticketmaster, alleging unlawful monopolization in concert promotion and ticketing.
2020
Tixcraft joins the Ticketmaster group
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
Ticketmaster acquires Taiwan-based Tixcraft as part of its Asian expansion.
2015
Festival and self-service expansion
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
The company acquires Front Gate Tickets, Universe, and Two Toasters.
2010
Live Nation merger closes
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
Ticketmaster becomes a principal operating brand of Live Nation Entertainment following antitrust-related conditions imposed by the DOJ.
2008
Ticketmaster Entertainment is formed
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
IAC spins off Ticketmaster, and the company acquires Front Line Management before adopting the Ticketmaster Entertainment name.
2000
TicketWeb is acquired
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
Ticketmaster adds an online and telephone ticketing service focused on smaller and independent event operators.
1998
Ticketmaster merges with CitySearch
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
The combined company adopts the Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch name under USA Networks.
1993
Paul Allen acquires a majority stake
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen acquires an 80 percent interest in Ticketmaster.
1991
Ticketron is acquired
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
The acquisition strengthens Ticketmaster's position in North American ticket distribution.
1982
Fred Rosen becomes chief executive
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
Rosen relocates the business to Los Angeles and accelerates venue contracting and computerized ticketing expansion.
1976
Ticketmaster is founded
[1]Ticketmasteren.wikipedia.org
Peter Gadwa, Albert Leffler, Gordon Gunn III, and Jerry Nelson establish the company in Phoenix as a computerized ticketing technology business.

Products and positioning

A large-scale, technology-enabled ticketing infrastructure provider connecting live-event organizers with audiences across primary sales, digital access, resale, venue operations, and fan marketing. Its scale and integration with Live Nation provide broad event coverage, while also exposing the brand to recurring criticism about concentration, fees, transparency, and conflicts between primary and secondary ticket markets.

Primary ticket sales
Ticketmaster primary ticketing
The core marketplace sells tickets made available by artists, venues, promoters, sports organizations, and other clients. Ticketmaster supports inventory management, online checkout, payment processing, digital delivery, event access, and customer account services.
Secondary ticketing
Ticketmaster Resale
Ticketmaster's resale service allows eligible ticket holders and professional sellers to list tickets through an affiliated marketplace. The service is positioned as a controlled alternative to unauthorized resale and applies transaction fees to resale activity.
Self-service ticketing · 2000
TicketWeb
TicketWeb provides ticketing tools for independent venues and smaller organizers, including event setup, online sales, box-office functions, and customer management.
Self-service event platform
Universe
Universe is a do-it-yourself event ticketing platform acquired by Ticketmaster to support organizers that need event creation, registration, ticket sales, and audience-management tools.
Festival ticketing
Front Gate Tickets
Front Gate Tickets supplies ticketing and access services for music festivals and other large events, extending Ticketmaster's capabilities beyond conventional venue sales.

Controversies

2024
DOJ antitrust lawsuit
The Department of Justice and participating states alleged that Live Nation and Ticketmaster maintained unlawful monopoly power through conduct that restricted competition and harmed consumers.
Source
2022
Taylor Swift Eras Tour presale failure
A combination of extraordinary demand, website failures, and limited availability during the presale generated widespread consumer criticism and renewed debate over Ticketmaster's market power.
Source
2022
Fan sues The Forum and others over crowd-surge injuries
A woman who attended a 2019 Harry Styles concert sued The Forum, show promoters and ticketing services, alleging she was seriously injured in a crowd surge and that the defendants failed to provide adequate security and crowd-control resources.
Source
2020
Rage Against the Machine charity ticket prices draw criticism
In February 2020, Rage Against the Machine faced criticism from some fans over a charity-ticket scheme. According to reports, those fans said the tickets remained expensive and questioned whether the scheme was merely a marketing activity. The reports also stated that fans directed criticism at Ticketmaster. The coverage did not specify the ticket prices, the charity involved, or any response from the band or Ticketmaster.
Source
2020
Ticketmaster pays $10m criminal fine over competitor-system intrusions
Ticketmaster paid a $10m criminal fine after the US Department of Justice said the company had used passwords unlawfully retained by a former competitor employee to access the competitor's computer systems as part of a scheme to choke off its business. The company said the matter was resolved.
Source
2018
Resale-platform enforcement allegations
Reporting and a customer class action alleged that Ticketmaster's resale systems did not adequately enforce ticket limits and could facilitate professional scalping. Ticketmaster denied allowing scalpers priority access and said it would review its policies.
Source
2013
Rewards-program enrollment settlement
Ticketmaster agreed to provide up to $23 million in customer relief following allegations that people were enrolled in a recurring-fee rewards program without sufficient disclosure.
Source
2009
Springsteen TicketsNow redirection controversy
Customers seeking Bruce Springsteen tickets were directed toward Ticketmaster-owned TicketsNow after primary inventory sold out, creating concerns about an affiliated resale conflict. Ticketmaster apologized and removed the link for those events.
Source

2016Support for the BOTS Act
United States
Ticketmaster publicly supported federal legislation prohibiting automated software from purchasing large quantities of tickets for resale. The position framed the company as an opponent of bot-driven inventory capture.
Outcome. The BOTS Act became federal law in 2016.
Source

Brand decisions

2022
Expand demand-based pricing experimentsOther
Background
Ticketmaster and event clients faced pressure over secondary-market markups and the distribution of high-demand tickets.
Action taken
The company experimented with pricing that changes according to demand, presenting it as a way for artists and clients to capture revenue otherwise generated by resale.
Aftermath
Dynamic pricing became part of the continuing public debate over affordability and transparency in live events.
Source
2016
Support anti-bot legislationStrategy
Background
Automated ticket-buying systems were widely blamed for diverting tickets to secondary-market sellers.
Action taken
Ticketmaster supported the Better Online Ticket Sales Act and later sued a broker accused of using bots to obtain Hamilton tickets.
Aftermath
The BOTS Act became federal law, although disputes over resale and access continued.
Source
2009
Agree to merge with Live NationM&A
Background
Ticketmaster sought to combine its ticketing infrastructure with Live Nation's concert promotion and venue businesses.
Action taken
The companies entered into a merger agreement, later completing the transaction after DOJ review.
Aftermath
Live Nation Entertainment was created, with Ticketmaster continuing as a distinct brand under the new parent.
Source

Recent events

2022-02-16
Snapchat and Ticketmaster partner on live-event discovery[7]Snapchat 与 Ticketmaster 合作推出现场活动发现功能businessghana.com
Snapchat announced a partnership with Ticketmaster to offer users live-event discovery through Snapchat’s Snap Map and an in-app Mini, with ticket purchases redirected to Ticketmaster’s website. The feature was rolling out in 21 countries.
Unconfirmed
Fan sues The Forum and others over crowd-surge injuries[6]Fan sues The Forum and others over crowd-surge injuriesdailymail.com
Reported: 2022-01-06
A woman who attended a 2019 Harry Styles concert sued The Forum, show promoters and ticketing services, alleging she was seriously injured in a crowd surge and that the defendants failed to provide adequate security and crowd-control resources.
Unconfirmed
AWS network outage affects services in Northern Virginia[8]AWS网络中断影响北弗吉尼亚地区服务crn.com
Amazon Web Services reported that an outage affected its Northern Virginia (US-East-1) region and disrupted services including ConnectWise, Netflix, Disney+, Ticketmaster and Flickr. AWS said it disabled the scaling activities that triggered the issue and outlined remediation measures; it also apologized to customers.
2021-07-26
Allegiant announces partnership with Live Nation venues and Ticketmaster[9]Allegiant宣布与Live Nation场馆及Ticketmaster合作prnewswire.com
Reported: 2021-07-26
Allegiant announced a multi-year strategic partnership with select Live Nation venues, Ticketmaster and music festivals to provide customers access to live entertainment experiences and travel packages across the United States.
2021-02-10
Ticketmaster launches global livestream ticketing service[10]Ticketmaster推出全球直播票务服务musicbusinessworldwide.com
Reported: 2021-02-10
Ticketmaster launched a new global livestream ticketing service, expanding its platform to offer artists a global ticketing service for virtual events.
Unconfirmed
Ticketmaster agrees to $10 million criminal fine over competitor data access[5]Ticketmaster pays $10m criminal fine over competitor-system intrusionsbreitbart.com
Reported: 2020-12-31
Ticketmaster agreed to pay a $10 million criminal fine after its employees unlawfully accessed a competitor's computer data. A Ticketmaster spokesperson said the company terminated two employees in 2017 and that their conduct violated company policies.
2020-12-31
Ticketmaster pays $10m criminal fine over competitor-system intrusions[4]Ticketmaster pays $10m criminal fine over competitor-system intrusionsbbc.co.uk
Reported: 2020-12-31
Ticketmaster paid a $10m criminal fine after the US Department of Justice said it had used passwords unlawfully retained by a former competitor employee to access the competitor's computer systems as part of a scheme to choke off its business. The company said the matter was resolved.
2020-12-19
Seattle Sounders FC names Ticketmaster its official ticketing partner[11]西雅图海湾者足球俱乐部宣布Ticketmaster成为官方票务合作伙伴soundersfc.com
Reported: 2020-12-19
Seattle Sounders FC announced that Ticketmaster would become its official ticketing partner beginning in 2021, replacing SeatGeek as its primary and resale ticketing platform. The partnership includes digital ticketing technologies and contactless entry and payment solutions.
Unconfirmed
Ticketmaster acquires Rival[12]Ticketmaster收购Rivalsiliconrepublic.com
Reported: 2020-04-16
According to Billboard, Ticketmaster acquired Rival, a digital ticketing platform, including its technology and team. The report said the acquisition did not include Rival's founder Nathan Hubbard.
2020-03
US Department of Justice approves Ticketmaster's acquisition of Rival[12]Ticketmaster收购Rivalsiliconrepublic.com
Reported: 2020-04-16
The US Department of Justice reportedly approved Ticketmaster's acquisition of Rival in March 2020 after investigating whether Live Nation was breaching its consent decree with competition regulators.

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