The only show in town: Fans have little choice but to dance to Ticketmaster's tune

Since its merger with events and venue firm Live Nation, Ticketmaster has become a near-monopoly, with pricing policies that have left many fans frustrated, writes Niamh Hennessy

Penny Harrison and her son Parker rally against the live entertainment ticket industry outside the US Capitol in Washington D.C. last January. Picture: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

If you're a Coldplay fan, chances are you're one of the thousands of people left stuck in a never-ending, frustrating, and eventually disappointing online queue this week for tickets for their Dublin gigs.

Excitement that one of the world's biggest bands was finally coming to Dublin soon turned to outrage with online platforms and airwaves full of stories of fans spending hours in a Ticketmaster virtual line only to be kicked off at the last minute.