WASHINGTON (TNND) — Country rock singer Kid Rock, legally named Robert Ritchie, testified before Congress on Wednesday in which he expressed his concerns over the secondary ticket market driving up costs for consumers.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy convened the hearing titled “Fees Rolled on All Summer Long: Examining the Live Entertainment Industry.” The hearing was centered around examining “live performance ticket sale practices,” which includes using “automated bots to rapidly buy up tickets”and the “fees charged by primary and secondary sellers.”
In his opening testimony Kid Rock claimed that “music fans and artists have been getting screwed for far too long by the ticketing system.”
“And let’s be clear—this is FAR from a new problem,” Kid Rock continued. “Thirty years ago, members of the rock band Pearl Jam sat in these same seats, warning Congress about ticketing abuse. In 2009, Congress was told—under oath—that merging Live Nation and Ticketmaster would benefit artists and fans.”
However, Kid Rock claimed that promises made by Ticketmaster CEO and Live Nation CEO to ensure that ticket prices stay cheap following their merger failed to be kept.
“Independent venues have been crushed,” Kid Rock said.
“Artists have lost leverage. Fans are paying more than ever—and getting blamed for it.”
Kid Rock asserted that artists and performers should have more of a say on how their tickets are sold.
He then went on and called on Congress to open a formal investigation and subpoena the contracts and deals between “artists / promoters / buildings / ticketing companies / agencies and vendors,” asserting they will uncover “mountains of fraud and abuse.”
“It’s no secret this industry is full of greedy snakes and scoundrels,” Kid Rock said. “Too many suits lining their pockets off talent they never had and fans they mislead.”
His testimony comes as the Trump administration has sought to make eliminating price gouging in ticket sales a top priority. In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Treasury Secretary and the Attorney General to oversee tax enforcement on ticket resale activity, and tasks the Federal Trade Commission, in partnership with the Attorney General, with enforcing federal antitrust and competition regulations.
And last year, the TICKET Act, a bipartisan bill which would require the total fees for an event ticket to be displayed upfront. The bill has not yet passed the Senate.
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