Live Nation Entertainment has taken exclusive control in the ticketing industry with its subsidiary Ticketmaster, allowing the pair to act as venue operators, promoters, and a ticket marketplace simultaneously. Now, a state lawmaker in California is aiming to give fans more choices when purchasing tickets online.
The Assembly bill was introduced by California State Representative Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), Politico reported. Wicks said the bill would not only lift restrictions on reselling tickets, but also give fans the ability to browse tickets from various companies — not just Ticketmaster — similar to the operation of sites like Kayak or Hotels.com.
The bill is directed towards Live Nation and Ticketmaster, specifically after Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour fiasco. During the “Cruel Summer” singer’s tour presale, fans faced error codes, hours-long queues, and exorbitant ticket prices, while millions of Swifties left the sale empty-handed. The incident, now known as “The Great War,” sparked an investigation into Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s 2010 merger by the Department of Justice.
“We want to make sure that we have competition and choice for consumers so we don’t end up with situations like the Taylor Swift concerts — like ‘Lord of the Flies’ attempts to get tickets,” Wicks told the publication.
| READ: Live Nation Highlights Stranglehold on Industry With Record-Breaking 2023 Earnings |
While Wicks is among one of the more powerful lawmakers in Sacramento — focusing on various public health/safety, working families, and homelessness legislation — Live Nation has deep roots in the community. The company, based in Beverly Hills, owns and operates over 20 venues in the Golden State, including Sacramento’s Punch Line Comedy Club and Ace of Spades.
One particular opponent of Wicks’ bill is Live Nation’s executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs Dan Wall. The antitrust czar recently spoke-out about the industry in a Live Nation op-ed dubbed “The Truth About Ticket Prices,” hitting back against assumptions that his company has anything to do with surging ticket prices.
Wall said Wicks’ bill would benefit resellers rather than consumers.
“When we and others who have a true stake in producing events — like artists, teams, and venues — explain the real effect of these bills, and how they mainly promote ticket scalping, legislators figure out on their own that they aren’t good for consumers,” Wall said in a statement.
| READ: Pascrell Shares Explosive Ticketmaster Report Alleging Abuses |
Wicks’ bill follows news of longtime Ticketmaster/Live Nation critic Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) sharing an “explosive” previously suppressed study of the entertainment giant’s business practices, originally filed as part of a lawsuit against Live Nation in 2019. The report, Pascrell says, details “rampant corrupt and abusive practices by the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly.”
“This secret report about the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly exposes yet more evidence of the corruption and abuses of live event ticketing in America,” Congressman Pascrell said. “Whether it is fans of Taylor Swift or countless other performers, the abuses of this monopoly have harmed tens of millions of Americans who are fed up with endless fees and ticket schemes.”
Currently, Pascrell is fighting for the passage of the BOSS and SWIFT Act in an effort to reform the live event ticketing industry on both the primary and secondary sides of the business. He’s not alone, either; Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has been very vocal about Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s partnership,
Fans and artists have also been outspoken regarding the ticketing giant. This week, Kid Rock called the pair a “monopoly” and said he’s urged legislators in Tennessee to reign-in Ticketmaster. Additionally, as a part of Fan Fairness Coalition’s “The Monopoly” campaign, live eventgoers have sent out more than 72,000 letters to Congress, calling for the merger to be broken-up.
