Beyoncé Fans Slam Ticketmaster Over Dynamic Pricing Amid Grammy Wins

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Beyoncé made headlines at the 2024 Grammy Awards, taking home three trophies for her album *Cowboy Carter*. However, the celebration was overshadowed by a brewing controversy involving Ticketmaster and its ticketing practices ahead of her upcoming tour.

Ticketmaster issued a warning to fans on X (formerly Twitter) ahead of the ticket sale for Beyoncé’s tour, set to begin on Tuesday, Feb. 11. The company cautioned against purchasing “speculative tickets” from resale sites, calling them scams. “Do not trust anyone trying to sell you tickets before they go on sale beginning Tuesday, 2/11,” Ticketmaster wrote. “These are scammers trying to sell you fake tickets.”

Speculative tickets, a common practice in the resale market, are sold by sellers who do not yet possess the tickets. While Ticketmaster aimed to shift blame onto resale platforms, fans quickly turned the spotlight on the ticketing giant itself, accusing it of deceptive practices such as dynamic pricing, hidden fees, and price gouging.

“Dynamic pricing is more corrupt than this and you know it,” one fan tweeted. Another added, “You tell us to not get scammed, but in reality, you’re the real scammers.”

Dynamic pricing, a system that adjusts ticket prices based on demand, has drawn widespread criticism from both fans and artists. Robert Smith of The Cure, who opted out of dynamic pricing for his band’s tour, called the practice “a scam” driven by greed. “If every artist said, ‘I don’t want that,’ it would disappear,” Smith said.

Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, is also under scrutiny. The Department of Justice and 39 states have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company, alleging monopolistic practices. A trial is set for 2026.

In the UK, Ticketmaster faced similar backlash during the Oasis reunion tour ticket sales last summer. Fans reported paying up to £350 per ticket, significantly higher than advertised prices. Andrew Parsons, Ticketmaster UK’s boss, defended the company’s practices, stating that ticket prices were determined by event organizers and not influenced by technology.

As the debate over ticketing practices continues, fans remain frustrated. “The call is coming from inside the house,” one user tweeted, summing up the sentiment that Ticketmaster itself is part of the problem.