Senate Targets Ticketmaster With Antitrust Bill

Months after holding a hearing critical of Live Nation and Ticketmaster in the Judiciary Committee, the Senate is taking action against the ticketing giant. Senators Amy Klobuchar, who co-organized that January hearing, and Richard Blumenthal, a key critic, introduced the Unlock Ticketing Markets Act on April 26, which specifically takes aim at the controversial multi-year exclusivity contracts that Ticketmaster often uses with venues. Those contracts were a focal point of the hearing and of criticism against Ticketmaster — which came about after a disastrous sale for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, among other major tours — for allegedly allowing the Live Nation–owned company to become a monopoly. “Without competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences,” Klobuchar said in a statement that did not mention Ticketmaster by name but was clear in its target. A Live Nation representative responded to the bill with a statement to Rolling Stone, calling ticketing “more competitive than ever.” “Ticketmaster wins business because it offers the best product available for venues, and the length of contracts is generally decided by venues and the guaranteed payments they want to help support their expenses,” the representative said.