There is no wrong time to make aTaylor Swiftsong reference.
On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee gathered at Capitol Hill to discuss Swift’spresale ticket fiascoin November, which ultimately left millions of fans unable to purchase a ticket for her upcoming Eras tour. During the nearly three-hour hearing, senators took the opportunity to slip song references into their arguments.
During closing remarks, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee doubled down on the importance of the hearing and quoted Swift’s song “Karma.”
“I have to throw out, in deference to my daughter Eliza, one moreTaylor Swiftquote,” Lee said. “Karma is a relaxing thought, aren’t you envious for you it’s not?”
Earlier in the hearing, he referred to the idea of limits on ticket transfers as a “nightmare dressed like a daydream” à la “Blank Space.” He also used “You Belong with Me” in his opening statement.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar opened her remarks with an “All Too Well” reference, while U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal asked Live Nation’s president Joe Berchtold to look in the mirror and say “I’m the problem, it’s me.”
Song references aside, Berchtold soon testified before the committee.
“As we said after the onsale, and I reiterate today: We apologize to the fans,” Berchtold said. “We apologize to Ms. Swift. We need to do better and we will do better.”
Taylor Swift.Gotham/WireImage
Ticketmaster was “hit with three times the amount of bot traffic than we had ever experienced,” he said, amid the “unprecedented demand forTaylor Swifttickets.”
He added of the bot activity: “[It] required us to slow down and even pause our sales. This is what led to a terrible consumer experience that we deeply regret.”
The committee also debated possible action, including making tickets non-transferable to reduce scalping and requiring more transparency in ticket fees. Some also suggested it’s necessary to split Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which merged in 2010.
Klobuchar argued that Ticketmaster’s ticket prices have gotten so high that shows are too expensive for fans. She said ticket fees are now an average of 27% of the ticket cost and can climb as high as 75%.
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Meanwhile, Berchtold said the ticketing industry wants lawmakers to focus on ticket scalping and prohibit fraudulent practices. He also agreed that the industry should be more transparent about fees.
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy suggested legislation that would make tickets non-transferable and suggested major artists like Swift should demand fee caps.
“Not every kid can afford $500 to go seeTaylor Swift,” he said.
The justice department is still investigating Live Nation after the ticket fiasco.
source: people.com
