Ever since Taylor Swift announced her career-spanning "The Eras" tour, Swifties all over the country have been very active on social media voicing out their anticipation for the arena-filling tour next year.
After the controversial rollout of presale tickets last week, Fans of Taylor Swift bugged Ticketmaster relentlessly for the poor service they had experienced during the purchase process.
Ticketmaster is by far the biggest and holds the majority of the concerts done in the United States, in coordination with Live Nation as the sole provider of music events in the country.
The two companies' merger marked their monopoly in the live music events industry in the United States, angering music fans as they had no other alternative but the two.
Taylor Swift's Ticketmaster issue wasn't something new in the industry, as many fans have voiced it out on social media in the past few years, and yet it hasn't taken more action.
With Taylor Swift's impact on the music industry and her ever-loyal fans' loud voice, the Ticketmaster issue has pounded the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives as congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez echoed the sentiments of the fans in calling out the merger of Livenation and Ticketmaster.
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To this effect, a handful of Swifties has now directed their energy toward taking charge of the situation as Pennsylvania and Tenessee state government investigations have been announced, probing the complaints issued by the fandom. (via Billboard)
For New York-based professional community organizer Stephanie Aly, fandoms are an untapped force in organizing and mobilizing fandoms for social progress.
"Fandoms are natural organizers," she said in a statement. "If you find the right issues and you activate them and engage them, then you can effect real change."
According to Billboard, Aly, among many other professionals, has "joined forces" to target Ticketmaster, launching "Vigilante Legal" in petitioning attorney generals to launch a similar attack. With Swifties from the law, public relations, and cybersecurity industries joining the force.
For Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics Associate Director Jean Sinzdak, the movement is "fascinating," noting that it is "certainly an opportunity to engage people politically."
Last week, reports that the Justice Department has been investigating Live Nation Entertainment, including Ticketmaster, even before the Taylor Swift tickets issue. Deadline noted that the recent fiasco further intensified the probe against the company.
