Beyonce Fans Call-Out Ticketmaster After Warning of ‘Speculative’ Tickets
Beyonce just took home three Grammy Awards for her 2024 record Cowboy Carter and announced a subsequent tour this year. Ahead of the on-sale next week, Ticketmaster warned Beyonce fans of “speculative” tickets sold on resale sites — but fans were quick to point out the ticketing giant’s own infamous practices.
“Do not trust anyone trying to sell you tickets before they go on sale beginning Tuesday, 2/11,” Ticketmaster wrote in a post on X. “These are scammers trying to sell you fake tickets.”
The ticketer pointed to their own blog on “how to spot and protect yourself from speculative tickets and shared a graphic that read: “no tickets have been sold yet for Beyonce.”
Do not trust anyone trying to sell you tickets before they go on sale beginning Tuesday, 2/11. These are scammers trying to sell you fake tickets.
Read our blog on how to spot and protect yourself from speculative tickets: https://t.co/3vrCpPc9N3 pic.twitter.com/QGSlZkasbs
— Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) February 3, 2025
Speculative tickets — a practice often used by resale sites — are offered for sale though they are not yet in the seller’s possession.
While Ticketmaster was attempting to point the blame on the resale market for this practice, their post was flooded with comments from fans calling-out their own deceptive practices, including dynamic pricing, price gouging, and hidden fees. Many even called them “the real scammers.”
ok so revoke tickets on secondary sites, void barcodes and resell them at face value for all concerts. people buy tickets this way because of you, knowing they’ll have to buy at resale anyway and then they’re out a ton of money. the entirety of the venues for jhope are on resale
— ovaries before brovaries (@yoongmeatnik) February 3, 2025
I KNOW YALL AINT TALKING pic.twitter.com/TmgSrJCIee
— 𝕻𝖍𝖆𝖙𝖇𝖔𝖎🖤 (@ManiC2013) February 3, 2025
Are YOU going to fix the RIDICULOUS dynamic pricing to make the experience like other countries??
— X (@Xandr1205) February 4, 2025
the fact that YOU are the real scammers pic.twitter.com/LgBRvpUZmu
— anthony (@lizziesjuul) February 4, 2025
Y’all worry about price gouging in the extra fees! pic.twitter.com/pnBrjnUpSA
— ✨♉️ Kahreem ♉️✨ (@Kahreem_) February 3, 2025
Dynamic pricing is more corrupt than this and you know it
— murgs (@rcmda3) February 3, 2025
You tell us to not get scammed but in reality you’re the real scammers
— Christy Carter (@ChristyM_Carter) February 3, 2025
The call is coming from inside the house.
— unfriendly black person (@Greg_D93) February 3, 2025
You are the scammers though 😂
1. Withhold seats only to mark them up later
2. Privilege ticket brokers over buyers by allowing their IPs to the front of the queue
3. Sell platinum tix with no benefits which is just in-house scalpingNone of these efforts help buyers.
— CHAE 🎀 (@_CHAE_XO) February 3, 2025
Ticketmaster has received backlash over the past year due to its use of dynamic pricing, a ticketing practice that increases prices based on demand. The phrase was even shortlisted by the Oxford Dictionary for Oxford Word of the Year 2024. While its supporters argue that such practices discourage “scalping” by making it harder for people to turn a profit by reselling tickets, it has drawn extreme backlash from fans, who often feel ripped off.
| READ: Ticketmaster Rejects Parliament’s Invitation to Discuss Dynamic Pricing Used for Oasis Tour |
Alongside fans, some artists have called-out the practice; both Iron Maiden and The Cure said they opted-out of the use of dynamic pricing on tour.
“We didn’t allow dynamic pricing because it’s a scam and would disappear if every artist said, ‘I don’t want that,’” Robert Smith of The Cure said. “But most artists hide behind management. ‘Oh, we didn’t know,’ they say. They all know. If they say they do not, they’re either f***ing stupid or lying. It’s just driven by greed.”
Ticketmaster has also been targeted in an antitrust lawsuit alongside its parent company Live Nation. The suit, brought forth by the Department of Justice and 39 states, aims to break-up the pair, citing monopolistic and anticompetitive practices. A trial date is set for 2026.
