Rocker Kid Rock tore into the concert ticketing industry Wednesday, accusing Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary of operating as a monopoly that hurts fans, artists and independent venues.
The Grammy-nominated singer, whose real name is Robert Ritchie Jr., was one of four witnesses testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing titled "Fees Rolled on All Summer Long: Examining the Live Entertainment Industry."
Lawmakers focused on rising ticket prices, service fees, resale practices, automated ticket-buying bots, and speculative ticket pricing.
Kid Rock argued that Ticketmaster's merger with Live Nation has failed consumers.
"Independent venues have been crushed. Artists have lost leverage. Fans are paying more than ever and getting blamed for it," he said in his opening statement. "This wasn't an experiment. It was a monopoly dressed up as innovation."
Live Nation has become a dominant force in the live entertainment business, controlling ticketing through Ticketmaster while also owning or operating venues and promoting tours.
The company is currently facing an antitrust lawsuit brought by the Justice Department and a bipartisan coalition of 40 state attorneys general, alleging monopolistic behavior.
A federal judge has allowed key claims to move forward, and Live Nation has filed a summary judgment motion seeking to dismiss the case before trial.
Live Nation Executive Vice President of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Dan Wall pushed back hard on monopoly claims during the hearing.
Wall said federal regulators estimate Live Nation's market share at less than 50%, arguing that figure makes it impossible for the company to qualify as a monopoly under antitrust law. He said Live Nation expects to prevail in court.
Automated ticket-buying bots were a major focus of the hearing. Senators said scalpers use the software to buy large blocks of tickets within seconds of sales opening, leaving fans shut out and forcing them into resale markets where prices are often sharply inflated.
Federal law already bans ticket bots, but Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said enforcement has been weak.
In an interview ahead of the hearing, Blackburn accused Live Nation of failing to cooperate fully with regulators.
"They've refused to admit there's a problem and refused to address the problem," she told Axios.
Wall countered that Live Nation invests heavily in anti-bot technology and does more than anyone else in the industry to combat automated purchases. He testified the company supports a complete ban on ticket bots.
Another point of rare agreement emerged during the hearing: all four witnesses backed banning speculative ticket pricing. The practice involves sellers listing tickets they do not yet own, betting they can obtain them later.
Critics say it inflates prices, misleads consumers, and adds uncertainty to the market.
Kid Rock also called for a 10% cap on resale prices, subpoenas of artist contracts to uncover "fraud and abuse" and giving artists the authority to choose who sells their tickets.
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