LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� The chorus against Ticketmaster's contentious concert pricing practices is growing, numbering among them Zach Bryan and friends.
The country music artist dropped a live album, 鈥淎ll My Homies Hate Ticketmaster,鈥� on Sunday. With it came a statement in which he decried 鈥渁 massive issue with fair ticket prices to live shows lately.鈥�
鈥淚've decided to play a limited number of headline shows next year to which I've done all I can to make prices as cheap as possible and to prove to people tickets don't have to cost $450 to see a good and honest show," Bryan wrote, cautioning that he didn't have control of ticket prices for festivals he'll play.
The statement doesn't mention Ticketmaster by name except in the new album title, though he tagged the company post displaying the track listing. A message seeking comment from Ticketmaster was not immediately returned.
Ticketmaster has faced a slew of bad press and scrutiny in recent weeks, notably around the botched rollout of tickets for superstar Taylor Swift's upcoming Eras Tour.
A presale event in mid-November crashed the site and left many fans without tickets; the planned general sale for the stadium tour because the dominant ticketing giant had run out of tickets. The debacle has even led
Ticketmaster Mexico is also in hot water over where thousands were left in the cold thanks to fake tickets. Mexico's consumer protection agency announced an investigation, but Ticketmaster Mexico denied the December concert was oversold and instead blamed false tickets bought through unofficial channels and 鈥渢emporary interruptions in the ticket reading system, which unfortunately momentarily impeded recognition of legitimate tickets.鈥�
Experts say the frustration over Ticketmaster's practices which Bryan alluded to in his statement when criticizing inaction while 鈥渉uge monopolies sit there stealing money from working class people."
A songwriter 鈥渢rying to make 鈥榬elatable music for the working class man or woman鈥� should pride themself on fighting for the people who listen to the words they're singing,鈥� he added.
As of Monday morning, Bryan enjoyed a one-two punch atop Apple Music's country chart: The 24-track 鈥淎ll My Homies Hate Ticketmaster,鈥� a recording of his Nov. 3 show at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre, is at No. 1,
Bryan said he would announce a tour soon.
The Associated Press
