Ticketmaster Queue Claims Questioned After Kanye West Sales
Ticketmaster’s online queue system is under fire again after an X post alleged that eye-catching queue numbers can misrepresent actual demand, with bots inflating the line while large blocks of tickets remain available. The criticism was sparked by this week’s on-sale for Kanye West’s LA show, which the post said saw massive queue figures despite thousands of seats still unsold.
Kanye has been heavily criticized in recent years for his antisemetic remarks, despite a recent apology. West has not performed live in years.
In his post, Scott Friedman wrote that the “queue system is wrecked” and argued that Live Nation should treat it as a top priority fix, claiming that “over a million” appeared in the queue while “thousands of tickets remain unsold after the added show.”
Mr. Friedman also alleged that bots are hitting Ticketmaster “from countries throughout the globe,” and called on the US Federal Trade Commission to prosecute bad actors rather than “just talking tough.” He further claimed Ticketmaster and resale exchanges understand how bot users operate and know who many of them are, while criticising industry groups he said are publicly anti-bot but have members who use such tools.
Complaints about on-sale transparency and pricing schemes have continued to follow Live Nation and its ticketing arm, especially as scrutiny grows over how systems communicate scarcity and availability. The broader conversation has also extended to resale platforms and regulation, including Alternative Nation’s coverage of criticism aimed at a StubHub co-funder after a Live Nation settlement.
While Ticketmaster has long argued that queues are designed to manage traffic and provide fair access, the post highlights a persistent concern for fans: even when a sale appears to be overwhelmed by demand, the actual inventory picture may be far more complicated, particularly if bots and scripted activity are distorting the numbers.
The @Ticketmaster queue system is wrecked and to me this is the biggest issue @LiveNation needs to fix.
The @kanyewest shows were a perfect example this week that queue numbers don’t reflect actual demand. Over a million in the queue and still thousands of tickets remain unsold…
— Scott Friedman 🎟️ (@ScottFriedman3) March 13, 2026
