US Senate committee holds hearing on Ticketmaster operations
A US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee met for a hearing about Ticketmaster on Tuesday. The decision to convene came after public pressure mounted, calling for lawmakers to get to the bottom of the ticket giant’s well-publicised failures for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming Eras Tour. As reported, record wait times and website crashes led to tickets sold suspiciously – and very quickly – before resurfacing on touting websites for sums as high as $22,700 (£19,100) each.
During the hearing – chaired by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee – the panel heard testimonies from a host of industry figures and asked questions about ticket sales, resale markets, and Ticketmaster’s impact on live music. Pressing questions were also asked about their monopolisation of the market, a potentially existential issue for the industry.
Throughout the meeting, Klobuchar maintained that the hearing was bipartisan. This stance was supported when other senators, such as Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn, joined her and Lee in probing into Ticketmaster’s operation.
Joe Berchtold, the president of Live Nation Entertainment, also spoke at the inquest. The company merged with Ticketmaster in 2010. He apologised for the Eras Tour disaster, claiming that bots were to blame for the issues caused. He said at one point: “We apologise to the fans. We apologise to Ms. Swift. We need to do better and we will do better”. Pointedly, he maintained that the venues and not Ticketmaster set additional charges when it came to ticket fees.
Of the bipartisan nature of the hearing, Klobuchar asserted that it was held to raise public awareness as well as uncover information that will help both sides of the House take legislative steps to halt Ticketmaster’s monopoly. She said at the conclusion: “The solutions are there for the taking”.
Ticketmaster is facing two lawsuits from Taylor Swift fans, accusing them of misrepresentation, fraud and more. In addition, The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into Live Nation’s behaviour. Reportedly, it was opened before the Eras tour fiasco.
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