The Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger has harmed artists and consumers, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said on Newsmax Thursday.
She called the company's practices "deceptive and abusive" and urged stronger scrutiny as lawmakers weigh reforms to the live event industry.
Speaking to "Newsline" after chairing a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on Wednesday featuring musician Kid Rock, Blackburn said the 2010 Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger has produced higher ticket prices and diminished control for entertainers.
"The merger has been a failure. Everyone admits that," Blackburn said.
"We had a panel of four people yesterday, and three of the four said this was a disaster," she added. "Only Live Nation-Ticketmaster felt like it was working."
Blackburn said artists have been sidelined by the company's vertically integrated structure, and she said scalpers and automated "bots" can scoop up tickets and drive up resale costs.
"Here is what has happened: You have this vertical integration, and then you have the entertainer that is kind of pushed to the side," Blackburn explained.
"They no longer control what their tickets are going to be sold for because Live Nation allows these bots and scalpers to buy up these tickets and increase the price one, two, three, 400%," she added.
The price escalation has been extreme in some cases, said Blackburn, citing reports of dramatic markups.
"Seventy times the price was the height of some of the Taylor Swift tickets," Blackburn said.
Oversight falls under the Federal Trade Commission, said the senator, who noted that legal action is already underway.
"This is a deceptive and abusive practice, and it is under the jurisdiction of the FTC," Blackburn said. "There are two lawsuits that are lodged against Live Nation-Ticketmaster right now looking at these deceptive practices."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX :
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.