The Backlash Against Ticketmaster Continues As Tennessee Titans Announce They’re Ditching The Ticketing Giant For SeatGeek

Nissan Stadium
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I guess the Tennessee Titans are my homies now…

Ticketmaster has found themselves in a ton of hot water lately, getting backlash after botched onsales for major tours like Taylor Swift, Tyler Childers and Beyonce.

And country superstar Zach Bryan has been leading the charge against the ticketing giant, publicly spurning Ticketmaster not only with the title of his latest album, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster, but also using competitor AXS to sell tickets to his upcoming tour.

The controversy over Ticketmaster’s fees and business practices led to executives being dragged in front of Congress for a contentious hearing that may have been the only time in recent memory that both Democrats and Republicans were united.

And amidst the continuing fallout from the controversy, Ticketmaster has lost yet another major partner, as the Tennessee Titans have announced that they’ll be replacing Ticketmaster as the official ticketing partner of Nissan Stadium, and will be making the switch to SeatGeek starting with the 2023 football season.

Now obviously losing an NFL team is a big deal. But the partnership between the Titans and SeatGeek has bigger implications: Nissan Stadium also hosts major concerts (like an upcoming stop on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour), and the Titans are in the early stages of replacing Nissan with a brand new, indoor stadium with the hopes of attracting more concerts and major sporting events like the Super Bowl and the World Cup.

And I don’t think it can be overstated how much of a blow it is for Ticketmaster to lose the biggest venue in the live music capital of the world. For Ticketmaster to lose its stranglehold over the ticketing market in a city with so much power when it comes to the touring industry seems like a major crack in the armor for the ticketing giant’s monopoly.

Speaking about the switch, Titans Chief Revenue Officer explained that they were looking for a company who would evolve with the changing nature of live event ticketing – something Ticketmaster has been criticized for being slow to do:

“We’re in the business of making memories, and live events have an incredible capacity to bring people together and mark those special moments in time.

When looking for a new ticketing partner, we knew we needed a like-minded team that looked beyond the technology of today − a partner that could evolve alongside us, create innovative products for today’s fans, but also for generations to come. We are confident SeatGeek will provide our fans with a superior live event experience that perfectly exemplifies the spirit of Tennessee.”

And SeatGeek is clearly excited to land a major partner in the center of the live events industry:

“Nashville is an extraordinary city, filled with some of the country’s most passionate sports and music fans, and we’re thrilled to be part of its culture. The Titans and venue staff at Nissan Stadium are looking years into the future, implementing state-of-the-art technology that will impact the live event experience for today’s fans and the fans of tomorrow.

With our comprehensive customer database and fan-first features, we’re excited to help the Titans usher in the next generation of football fanatics and concert-goers, exceeding the expectations of fans stepping off Broadway and into the stadium.”

Gonna be interesting to see if more and more venues start to look for alternatives to Ticketmaster as the backlash continues to grow.

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