Zach Bryan’s new live album could be a late entry into the album title of the year.
The singer dropped, “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster,” on Sunday. Along with the release came a statement from Bryan posted to social media in which exclaimed “a massive issue with fair ticket prices to live shows lately.”
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“I’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.
Bryan’s post never referred to Ticketmaster by name except in the title of the new album, though he tagged the company in a separate Instagram post displaying the track listing for All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.
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Ticketmaster has faced a lot of bad press and criticism in 2022 starting in July when Bruce Springsteen fans were angered over ticket prices for his upcoming tour. Ticketmaster’s use of the “dynamic pricing” system saw some tickets selling for up to $5,000 each.
Earlier in December, Taylor Swift fans sued Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. over the recent blunders during the sale of her Eras Tour tickets, claiming they violated anti-trust laws.
A presale event in mid-November crashed the site and left many fans without tickets; the planned general sale for the stadium tour was subsequently scrapped because the dominant ticketing giant had run out of tickets. The debacle has even led several state attorneys general to open investigations.
Some have pointed out that Ticketmaster’s practices could lead to political involvement, which Bryan hinted around in his statement when he criticized their lack of action while “huge monopolies sit there stealing money from working class people.”
A songwriter “trying to make ‘relatable music for the working class man or woman’ should pride themself on fighting for the people who listen to the words they’re singing,” he added.
Bryan enjoyed a one-two punch atop Apple Music’s country chart on Monday morning (Dec. 26): The 24-track “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster,” a recording of his Nov. 3 show at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, is at No. 1, followed by his 2022 major label debut, “American Heartbreak.”
Bryan said he would announce a tour soon.
