U.S. senator questions Ticketmaster after Taylor Swift sales complaints - Reuters

LOS ANGELES, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Ticketmaster faced caller questions from a Democratic U.S. legislator implicit its income practices connected Thursday, 2 days aft Taylor Swift fans complained astir website outages and agelong waits to bargain tickets to her upcoming U.S. tour.

In the missive to Ticketmaster genitor Live Nation Entertainment Inc (LYV.N), Senator Amy Klobuchar voiced "serious interest astir the authorities of contention successful the ticketing manufacture and its harmful interaction connected consumers."

"Ticketmaster’s powerfulness successful the superior summons marketplace insulates it from the competitory pressures that typically propulsion companies to innovate and amended their services," added Klobuchar, who is seat of a Senate subcommittee connected antitrust issues. "That tin effect successful the types of melodramatic work failures we saw this week, wherever consumers are the ones that wage the price."

On Tuesday, Swift fans swarmed the Ticketmaster website and encountered agelong hold times, with galore incapable to bargain tickets. Ticketmaster said the circuit generated unprecedented request and it worked rapidly to hole problems.

In her letter, Klobuchar asked Live Nation Chief Executive Michael Rapino to reply a fistful of questions, including however overmuch the institution had spent to upgrade exertion to grip request surges, and what percent of high-profile circuit tickets were reserved for presales.

Ticketmaster did not instantly respond to requests for remark connected Klobuchar's letter.

Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged successful a 2010 woody approved by the Justice Department. The authorities tin situation a completed merger but seldom does so. Klobuchar, successful her letter, said she had been skeptical of the operation astatine the time.

Ticketmaster has angered artists and fans for decades. In the mid-1990s, the grunge set Pearl Jam decided to circuit without utilizing Ticketmaster but recovered it excessively unwieldy and returned to the work aft 14 months.

Reporting by Lisa Richwine. Editing by Gerry Doyle

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