Kendrick Lamar and SZA fans were furious at their inability to score tickets to the joint tour next year, and while they turned their fury to Ticketmaster, the ticketing giant has pointed the blame — once again — on the resale market.
Tickets to Lamar and SZA’s “Grand National Tour” kicked-off on Wednesday, and thousands took to social media to air their frustrations with Ticketmaster, complaining of long wait times, hour-long queues, and unattainable ticket prices with mind-boggling fees.
The merger of Live Nation and TicketMaster by far the worst thing to ever happen to concerts man
— Oluwamucho (@MuchoTV2) December 4, 2024
Nosebleed tickets for Kendrick and SZA are $350. Ticketmaster, you will crumble.
— NUFF (@nuffsaidny) December 4, 2024
These Kendrick ticket prices are crazy, scary, spooky AND hilarious pic.twitter.com/3taB7Io7py
— paige (@TheelastPAIGE) December 4, 2024
Kendrick and sza are playing with these tickets prices … pic.twitter.com/b1ZwWJWeN8
— J (@jquijada89) December 4, 2024
We need to abolish dynamic pricing because what do you mean you saw your $75 Kendrick ticket go up to $200?!
— αѕн (@a__brantley) December 4, 2024
kendrick and sza’s concert tickets costing more than the prices for beyoncé or taylor’s is actually insane, you announced this shit a day before AND during the holidays and you wanna put prices at 150-300 for UPPER seats?? pic.twitter.com/nrDQQGLvpR
— alex ✵ (@portersluvv) December 4, 2024
$350 for nosebleed sza/kendrick tickets I will be squabbling up in my living room
— ethical hater (@DijahSB) December 4, 2024
Lollll at these Kendrick Lamar x SZA CashApp Presale tour ticket prices. pic.twitter.com/aOdOJO3fTJ
— Aliya Langley (@aliyalangley) December 4, 2024
Something needs to be said/done about live nation and Ticketmaster using dynamic pricing to increase the prices of tickets that have just released. I saw Kendrick tickets go from $40 to $250 on the floor I saw them go from $451 to $1000 a pop.
— Nick W. 💛💜🏁 (@nickwnyc_) December 4, 2024
One fan claimed that Ticketmaster “will let the brokers in with good accounts due to your algorithm [and let them] get all the good or cheap tickets.” Ticketmaster responded to the claim, asserting, “This is false.”
“We never prioritize brokers over fans,” Ticketmaster said in a response, which has now been deleted. “In fact, we have invested more than the rest of the industry combined in developing technology to block bad actors from stealing tickets from fans.”
| READ: Fans Across Country Join New Lawsuit Against Ticketmaster, Live Nation |
Fans’ frustration with Ticketmaster has not been new; over the past year, concertgoers across all genres — from Green Day and Sleep Token to Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo — have complained of Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s system, pointing to dynamic pricing. This infamous ticketing practice causes prices to increase based on demand — a practice that was banned in Australia this year.
Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber called dynamic pricing “racketeering” and “completely wrong.” Oasis revealed they would not use dynamic pricing on the North American leg of their reunion tour, following messy ticket sales in the UK and Ireland. Iron Maiden and The Cure both followed suit, opting-out of dynamic pricing for their tours. The Cure’s Robert Smith said the practice is “driven by greed” and artists are well aware of it, noting, “if they say they do not, they’re either f**king stupid or lying.”
Fans and artists aren’t alone, either. Legislators have called-out Ticketmaster and its parent company, which are now the targets of an antitrust lawsuit brought forth by the Department of Justice and 39 states alongside the District of Columbia. The suit aims to break-up the pair, citing anticompetitive and monopolistic business practices.
