Ticketmaster was founded in 1976 by two Arizona State University staffers with the initial goal of selling hardware for ticketing systems, laying the foundation for its future ticketing services.

In January 1977, Electronic Light Orchestra's tour became the highest-grossing tour of the year, marking the first sale by Ticketmaster, a company that would revolutionize the ticketing industry.

In 1978, Ticketmaster expanded beyond North America and launched its first overseas operations, marking a significant milestone in its global reach.

In 1981, Ticketmaster came under the control of Burton Kanter, a Chicago tax attorney with connections to various celebrities and underworld figures. Kanter recruited Fredric Rosen to operate the firm, who successfully took on Ticketron by forming exclusive alliances with rock concert promoters.

In 1982, investor Jay Pritzker, owner of Hyatt hotels, bought Ticketmaster for $4 million and appointed Fred Rosen as the CEO. Rosen focused on the concert industry and introduced innovative strategies to attract venues and promoters.

In 1988, 17 concert promoters founded the NACPA, which was later accused of colluding with Ticketmaster to fix service fees. The association aimed to centralize control in their respective territories by brokering exclusive contracts with Ticketmaster.

In 1990, D.C. sports mogul Abe Pollin teamed up with Carlyle Group to buy Ticketron, with plans to revitalize it. However, Ticketron was eventually sold to Ticketmaster, marking a significant development in the concert business industry.

In 1991, Ticketmaster bought what remained of the old giant, marking a significant acquisition for the company.

In 1992, Moviefone launched a competing service with backing from a British company, only to later discover that the British company had conspired with Ticketmaster to sabotage their efforts. Despite Ticketmaster denying involvement, Moviefone eventually won a $22.7 million settlement in arbitration.

In 1993, Paul Allen acquired a controlling stake in Ticketmaster for about $300 million, leading to a change in the company's fate.

In June 1994, a hearing was held where witnesses described Ticketmaster as an all-powerful gatekeeper with exclusive contracts and high service charges. The hearing revealed how Ticketmaster controlled ticket prices and distribution, leading to allegations of restricting access to popular culture.

The Justice Department announced the closure of its antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster's contracting practices. The investigation was terminated, but the department stated it would continue to monitor developments in the ticketing industry.

In November 1996, Ticketmaster sold its first online ticket for a Seattle Mariners game. This marked the beginning of Ticketmaster's venture into e-commerce, redefining consumer convenience and opening up a new market.

In April 11, 1997, the Supreme Court dissolved Ticketmaster's illegal monopoly, marking the third dissolution of a monopoly in modern history. This decision came after a series of legal battles and accusations of bribery.

By March 1998, Ticketmaster was processing 75,000 online ticket transactions daily and earning $7.5 million monthly. This success highlighted the significant impact of e-commerce on Ticketmaster's business.

In 1999, Ticketmaster faced a lawsuit over alleged monopoly on ticket distribution, which reached the Supreme Court.

In 2000, Ticketmaster sold more than 83 million tickets worldwide, totaling $3.2 billion in sales for its clients.

In 2001, Ticketmaster continued to expand internationally, adopting its technology in various leading organizations.

In 2002, Ticketmaster explored 'dynamic pricing' to address issues caused by scalpers and to sell difficult seats more effectively.

In 2003, a class action lawsuit was filed against Ticketmaster for not fully disclosing UPS and order processing fees added to tickets sold online. The case settlement in 2015 resulted in Ticketmaster issuing vouchers and discount codes to fans who purchased tickets online between 1999 and 2013.

In 2005, Ticketmaster went defunct after filing for bankruptcy two years earlier. This marked the end of the company's operations following a significant loss of wealth.

In September 2006, Ticketmaster President Sean Moriarty disclosed to NPR that Ticketmaster had influenced several states to pass laws restricting the ticket resale market to authorized companies. Despite concerns from economists about potential negative impacts on competition, Moriarty emphasized the necessity of curbing corrupt scalpers and counterfeit tickets.

On February 10, 2007, Ticketmaster announced the terms of its merger with Live Nation, a move that could significantly increase its market share in the concert business.

In January 2008, Ticketmaster made significant acquisitions, including Paciolan Inc., a developer of ticketing system applications, the UK-based secondary ticket marketplace Getmein.com, and the U.S.-based ticket reseller TicketsNow for $265 million. These acquisitions expanded Ticketmaster's presence in the ticketing industry.

In February 2009, Ticketmaster and Live Nation agreed to merge, creating Live Nation Entertainment. The merger was approved by the U.S. Justice Department in January 2010, with conditions including the sale of Paciolan and software licensing to AEG. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino assumed leadership of the new entity.

In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entertainment. This merger combined the ticket sales and distribution services of Ticketmaster with the live entertainment and event promotion capabilities of Live Nation.

Ticketmaster introduced dynamic ticket pricing in 2011 to combat scalping and return lost revenue to the music industry, allowing prices to fluctuate based on market demand.

In May 2013, Ticketmaster agreed to a settlement of up to $23 million for enrolling customers in a rewards program that charged $9 per month. Customers took an average of eight months to cancel their enrollment, generating $85 million in fees for Ticketmaster. Approximately 1.12 million customers were eligible for refunds of up to $30.

In 2015, Ticketmaster expanded its portfolio by acquiring Front Gate Tickets, a music festival ticketing service, and Universe, a DIY ticketing platform. These acquisitions strengthened Ticketmaster's presence in the live event ticketing industry.

In June 2016, Live Nation Entertainment agreed to a $45 million settlement with customers who were wrongfully charged for Ticketmaster tickets purchased between October 21, 1999, and February 27, 2013. The settlement offered closure to the customers without admitting any wrongdoing.

In 2017, Ticketmaster sued Prestige Entertainment and others for using online bots to buy event tickets, alleging a violation of copyright acts and anti-scalping laws. However, Prestige Entertainment retaliated by accusing Ticketmaster of the same crime.

In June 2018, Ticketmaster notified 40,000 U.K. customers of a hack due to malicious software on a third-party customer support product, potentially compromising data of customers who purchased tickets between February and June 2018.

In September 2018, the Toronto Star reported that Ticketmaster was allegedly not enforcing ticket limit rules on its resale platform, TradeDesk. Ticketmaster refuted the claims but stated it would review its resale policies. Subsequently, a class action lawsuit was filed against Ticketmaster by a group of customers.

In June 2019, Ticketmaster was fined $4.5 million by Canada's Competition Bureau for exceeding advertised costs by more than 20%. Ticketmaster also signed a consent agreement to ensure compliance with Canadian advertising laws.

In July 2019, a report by Billboard uncovered Live Nation's strategy, Ticketmaster's parent company, to circumvent the primary market by directly placing certain tickets on resale sites. This practice bypassed normal sales channels, preventing fans from purchasing tickets at face value.

In November 2020, Ticketmaster revealed plans to check the COVID-19 vaccination status of ticket buyers before granting access to events in 2021.

In December 2020, Ticketmaster agreed to pay a $10 million fine after being charged with illegally accessing a competitor's computer systems. Ticketmaster used stolen information to gain a competitive advantage, leading to a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Concerts resumed in 2021 after a challenging period during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Ticketmaster implementing strategies like dynamic pricing to aid in the industry's recovery.

On November 15, 2022, Ticketmaster's official website crashed due to unprecedented demand during the pre-sale of tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in the US. Millions of fans attempting to purchase tickets faced server issues, leading to a halt in the pre-sale.

Following the website crash, Ticketmaster rescheduled the remaining ticket onsales, including the Capital One onsale, to November 16, 2022, due to technical issues experienced during the initial pre-sale.

Ticketmaster canceled the general sale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour due to extraordinarily high demands and insufficient ticket inventory. Fans who couldn't secure tickets during previous sales were left disappointed by the announcement.

On November 18, 2022, the federal Department of Justice began an investigation into Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster following consumer complaints and investigations initiated by state Attorney Generals, including Tennessee and North Carolina, regarding consumer rights violations.

Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee reveal that a U.S. Senate antitrust panel will conduct a hearing to address the lack of competition in the ticketing industry, particularly focusing on Ticketmaster. The decision follows Ticketmaster's website failure during the Eras Tour, highlighting issues like high fees and site disruptions.

More than two dozen Taylor Swift fans filed a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, accusing them of violating state laws and engaging in anticompetitive practices by exclusively using Ticketmaster for ticket sales at inflated prices.

During Bad Bunny's first concert of his World's Hottest Tour in Mexico City, an unprecedented number of tickets were cancelled, leading to criticism towards Ticketmaster for confiscating and destroying tickets, causing inconvenience to attendees who were denied entry.

Some Taylor Swift fans received emails offering them a second opportunity to purchase Eras tickets, bringing a positive development after the ticketing controversy.

Ticketmaster still has 170,000 tickets available for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. The company plans to sell these tickets to fans who previously received emails in the next four weeks.

American country singer Zach Bryan criticized Ticketmaster for his Burn Burn Burn tour (2023) by implementing non-transferrable tickets to prevent scalping, later releasing a live album titled All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.

U.S. Senators have scheduled a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to address the lack of competition in the ticketing industry. The hearing is set for January 24, 2023.

A Senate judiciary committee hearing titled 'That's the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment' was held to address dissatisfaction over the 2010 consent decree governing the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Ticketmaster's monopolistic practices and lack of transparency were questioned by senators.

During the opening night of her Eras Tour in Glendale, California, Taylor Swift subtly alluded to the Ticketmaster issues. She expressed gratitude to the audience for their effort to attend the show.

Taylor Swift fans had their first day in court as part of the Live Nation lawsuit, with some plaintiffs attending the hearing in L.A. to share their Ticketmaster experiences. The lawsuit aims to address the monopoly of Ticketmaster in ticket sales and hopes to bring down ticket prices.

Ticketmaster faced criticism for the handling of tickets for the Coronation Concert of Charles III and Camilla. Many recipients of spare tickets were misled by an email, causing inconvenience and frustration.

The ticket-buying process for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour resulted in chaos, with fans facing issues such as Verified Fan codes not working and losing tickets during the checkout process.

In April 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department planned to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation. The lawsuit aimed to address concerns related to monopolistic practices and anticompetitive behavior in the live entertainment industry.