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☆ U.S. senator questions Ticketmaster after Taylor Swift sales complaints
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Ticketmaster faced new questions from a Democratic U.S. senator over its sales practices on Thursday, two days after Taylor Swift fans complained about website outages and long waits to buy tickets to her upcoming U.S. tour. In the letter to Ticketmaster parent Live Nation Entertainment Inc (LYV.N), Senator Amy Klobuchar voiced "serious concern about the state of competition in the ticketing industry and its harmful impact on consumers." On Tuesday, Swift fans swarmed the Ticketmaster website and encountered long wait times, with many unable to buy tickets. Ticketmaster said the tour generated unprecedented demand and it worked quickly to fix problems. Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in a 2010 deal approved by the Justice Department.

☆ Ticketmaster expected 1.5 million 'verified' Taylor Swift fans on the site but 14 million people were trying to get tickets, Live Nation chairman says: 'We could have filled 900 stadiums'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ticketmaster was only supposed to be opened to 1.5 million "verified" Taylor Swift fans for presale. Live Nation's chairman said 14 million people tried to get tickets, and could've filled 900 stadiums. "Despite all the challenges and the breakdowns, we did sell over 2 million tickets that day," Live Nation's Greg Maffei said. However, among the 14 million fans were bots, "which are not supposed to be there," Maffei said. Maffei said Ticketmaster attempted to build "capacity for peak demand," but Swift's ticket sales "exceeded every expectation."

☆ Taylor Swift resale ticket prices soar past $28,000 amid fan frenzy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Presales began on Tuesday and brought millions of people to the Ticketmaster website, causing periodic outages and long online wait times. "The Eras Tour" is Swift's first since 2018, and it is not unusual for websites to encounter problems for hot shows or products such as collectible sneakers or video game consoles. A new round of Swift ticket presales, for Capital One credit card holders, proceeded on Wednesday with fewer complaints on social media. Some fans said wait times stretched past three hours in online queues, and many left empty-handed when ticket allotments sold out. She has promised hits from albums spanning her career on the "Eras" tour.

☆ Taylor Swift tour ticket fiasco leads to calls for Ticketmaster and Live Nation to break up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Taylor Swift accepts an award onstage during the MTV Europe Music Awards 2022 held at PSD Bank Dome on November 13, 2022 in Duesseldorf, Germany. Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010, has faced longstanding criticisms about its size and power in the entertainment industry. People amplified their complaints this week when tickets for Swift tickets went on presale on Ticketmaster's website. "Eras" tour tickets are priced from $49 to $450, with VIP packages starting at $199 and reaching $899. "The [Taylor Swift] portal is not going well for many Swifties," Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., wrote in a tweet Tuesday.

☆ Ticketmaster extends presale period for Taylor Swift 'Eras' tour to deal with 'unprecedented demand'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ticketmaster has extended presales for tickets to Swift's upcoming "Eras" tour after fans flocked to the site, causing site disruptions and slow queues. The ticket seller took to social media to update fans about the intermittent issues its site was currently facing. "There has been historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up to buy tickets for the TaylorSwiftTix Presale," the company said. "Eras" tour tickets are priced from $49 to $450, with VIP packages starting at $199 and reaching $899. Ticketmaster has rescheduled a number of ticket queues in order to deal with demand, including West Coast venues and Capital One onsale.

☆ High interest rates bring winter gloom to Canada's housing market
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Julie Gordon | Megan Rowling | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A for sale sign is displayed outside a home in Toronto, Ontario in Toronto, Ontario, Canada December 13, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File PhotoOTTAWA, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Canada's housing market has gone cold, with buyers sidelined by soaring borrowing costs and sellers holding off listing in hopes of a spring rally, while higher interest rates mean prices need to fall more before any rebound materializes, experts say. "We do have quite a bit of fundamental demand still out there ... but the market just can't clear at current prices because of where interest rates have gone," said Robert Kavcic, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. Variable rate mortgages - home loans in which the interest rate fluctuates based on market conditions - have more than tripled since March, with strict stress tests making qualification even tougher. "If investors aren't interested in buying condos, the whole market starts to slow down," he said.

☆ Alibaba's Singles Day shopping event set to end with subdued sales and no fanfare
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Casey Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A delivery worker sorts parcels at a makeshift logistics station ahead of Alibaba's Singles' Day shopping festival, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China, November 10, 2022. The Singles Day shopping festival, which despite its name has evolved into a multi-week event, is a key barometer of Chinese retail demand. But Citi predicts rival e-commerce giant JD.com (9618.HK), which also holds a Singles Day shopping event, to fare somewhat better as it is strong in consumer electronics and home appliance offerings which are expected to remain popular. Singles Day has also had contend with the absence of one its two live-streaming mega sales gurus, Viya, who has been offline since being fined for tax evasion. "Alibaba has tried to make (the event) less about just dropping prices," said Mark Tanner, chief executive of Shanghai-based consultancy, China Skinny.

☆ Some Taylor Swift fans are signing up for Capital One credit cards in the hopes of getting tickets to her first tour since 2018
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Taylor Swift just announced a 2023 stadium tour. Some fans are signing up for Capital One credit cards to get early access to tickets. Swift has partnered with Capital One since 2019, so some fans applied for cards even earlier for access to exclusive merch. Others sent an influx of credit card applications on November 1. Taylor Swift and Capital One first teamed up in 2019 for a multi-year deal ahead of the release of her album Lover.

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☆ Peloton Row, the company's much-hyped rowing machine, has finally hit the market for the handsome sum of $3,195
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Peloton Row costs $3,195, with orders expected to ship in early December. The Peloton Row is now available for presale at $3,195, with orders expected to ship in early December. There are already rowers available for shoppers to try out at 18 of Peloton's retail stores across the US. In February, the company announced huge cost-cutting measures, including cutting about 20% of its workforce and scrapping plans to build its own factory. The company announced further rounds of layoffs in July and August, totaling around 1,400 workers.

☆ Connected-fitness company Ergatta is bringing its rowers to the UK
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Connected-fitness company Ergatta is bringing its rowers to the UK and Ireland. Ergatta CEO and cofounder Tom Aulet told Insider that the company is instead targeting competitive people who would prefer a gamified approach to instructor sessions. Ergatta previously told Insider that business boomed so much during the pandemic that the company sold out of its luxury rowers multiple times. He said there was big demand for Ergatta's rowers, with the company fielding inbound calls every week. WaterRower CEO Peter King said in a press release that Ergatta's rower "quickly" became one of its best-selling products in the US.

Many credit card issuers offer access to presale, preferred seating, and VIP ticket offers. American Express cardsWith most American Express cards, you're eligible to buy presale tickets through the American Express Entertainment program. You look at presales, American Express Seating and American Express Preferred Seating. Notable mention: Chase credit cardsYour Chase card can't technically get you access to presale ticket offers, but Chase credit and debit cardmembers are eligible to take advantage of Chase Preferred Seating at events. And, for select events, Chase may invite everyone who's purchased a Chase Preferred Seat to enjoy a pre-event reception at a Chase Lounge.

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