Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion — the largest concert venue in Northwest Arkansas — has switched to Ticketmaster as its official ticketing service.
The venue shared the news this week, noting that all new Walmart AMP 2025 shows will be sold through Ticketmaster, while previously-announced shows will gradually transition to the platform over the coming months. During this transition period, all Walmart AMP ticket sales will be conducted online.
Ticketmaster is taking the reigns from Walmart AMP’s former provider, Tessitura. The Walton Arts Center, which owns the Walmart AMP, will continue using Tessitura.
Tickets previously purchased before January 21 will remain valid and accessible via the Walmart AMP wallet, while tickets purchased after the transition will be available via the Ticketmaster app, the venue said. Find FAQ here.
Peter B. Lane, president and CEO of Walton Arts Center, said that “Ticketmaster has a history of providing a robust ticketing platform for venues experiencing growth like ours.”
“It can scale quickly and help us meet the expanding needs of our community and the touring industry,” Lane said in a statement.
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Local concertgoers are not happy with the change, calling-out the venue for switching to a provider that is under so much scrutiny for alleged monopolistic and anticompetitive practices; the ticketer, whose parent company is Live Nation, has been targeted in an antitrust lawsuit by the Department of Justice and attorney generals from 39 states. Ticketmaster has also been under fire over the past year for its use of dynamic pricing — the infamous ticket practice that increases prices based on demand.
Many took to social media to share their frustration, with some even urging others to boycott the venue and Ticketmaster.
Alongisde Ticketmaster, Live Nation’s presence at new venues have stirred-up controversy this past year. In 2024, Live Nation revealed it acquired The Paramount, a 1,555-capacity venue in downtown Huntington, New York, as well as a new, seasonal, open-air concert venue — heading to Toronto, Ontario in 2025. The venue, dubbed Rogers Stadium, was met with criticism from locals.
Every time Live Nation announces a new venue, concertgoers are quick to share their dismay, citing the entertainment giant’s monopolistic practices. Portland, Oregon — one of the last larger cities in the U.S. that doesn’t have a venue owned by Live Nation — saw complaints from music fans across the city that the conglomerate would ruin Portland’s vibrant indie music scene. Fans also lashed out at the National Capital Commission after announcing it signed an offer to lease an agreement with Live Nation Canada to operate a new live music venue in downtown Ottawa.
A similar situation ensued when Live Nation quietly bought Brooklyn’s Bell House and after news broke that Live Nation would be involved in the return of Vans Warped Tour next year.
