If Ticketmaster is a greedy capitalist, so is Taylor Swift

In America, it has been a disillusioning few weeks for music fans. Though her “Swifties” are far too loyal to blame her, Taylor Swift helped botch the sale of a 52-night stadium tour by trying to sell more concert tickets in one go than had ever been done before. Bruce Springsteen, acknowledging that he had upset fans by selling tickets at prices as high as $5,000, offered no remorse. “If there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back,” he gruffly told Rolling Stone. Bob Dylan, who sold 900 “hand-signed” copies of his new book for $599 apiece, was forced to admit that he used a writing machine for the signature instead.

Mr Dylan has long lavished disdain on his devotees. But few have a better reputation with fans than T.S. and the Boss. Reading reactions to the dynamic-pricing system used by Mr Springsteen for his next tour is like a reprise of the great rock’n’roll swindle. “Bruce has replaced the scalper,” laments Lori S., a fan since the 1970s, on Backstreets, the website for Springsteen aficionados.