A report set to be released by a tech trade group accuses Live Nation Entertainment Inc., the parent company of Ticketmaster, of backing bills in state legislatures that protect its market dominance “under the guise of consumer protection.”
The group, Chamber of Progress, says the trend is likely to continue in 2025, with event ticketing bills anticipated in half a dozen or more states.
“Legislators must remain vigilant against proposals from Live Nation that may appear consumer friendly but ultimately serve as pretexts for maintaining their monopoly over the ticketing industry,” the report says.
Live Nation, the world’s largest concert and event promoter, called the report “a myth propagated by the scalping industry that tickets are the buyer’s personal property.” The company also noted that Chamber of Progress’s corporate partners include ticket resellers StubHub and Vivid Seats.
Chamber of Progress, which describes itself as a center-left tech policy coalition, says its corporate partners don’t have a vote or veto over the positions it takes.
Fan frustration over ticket bots, price and fee transparency, rapidly sold out shows, and ticket transfer restrictions have fueled a state legislation surge, especially after Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Ticketing legislation was introduced in more than 20 states this year, with bills being passed in at least six, according to tracking by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Read more: Taylor Swift tour spurs ticket sales reforms
The Chamber of Progress report says Live Nation has sought to leverage ticketing reform efforts in state legislatures by supporting provisions that “limit resale competition” and “reduce consumer choice.”
Pluribus News viewed the report prior to its official release.
The report is being released seven months after the U.S. Department of Justice and 29 states plus Washington, D.C., sued Live Nation, alleging it operates a live event and venue monopoly that harms consumers. Since then 10 more states have joined the antitrust lawsuit. The company denies the allegations.
Read more: DOJ and 29 states sue Live Nation, Ticketmaster for alleged monopolistic practices
The 21-page report, “Live Nation’s State Legislative Strategy to Protect Its Monopoly: How Ticketmaster’s Owner Lobbies to Restrict Competition,” warns lawmakers to “avoid undermining” the lawsuit by passing ticketing laws favorable to Live Nation.
One example given in the report is an Arizona law passed this year that bans the use of bots to purchase tickets for events “in excess of the posted limit for an online ticket sale.” It also prohibits buying tickets from multiple IP or email addresses.
Live Nation praised the new law as an “important consumer reform.” The report says the law limits legitimate resellers and gives Live Nation more “control over the ticketing landscape.”
The Chamber of Progress report also pointed to a Massachusetts economic development law that Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed last month that included provisions to make it easier for primary ticket sellers to block the resale or transfer of tickets. Consumer groups, including the National Consumers League, had urged Healey to veto the ticketing language.
“Giving Live Nation-Ticketmaster permission to further monopolize live events in Massachusetts is not in the interest of the fans who power the industry,” John Breyault, vice president of public policy telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League, said at the time.
Other examples include a 2023 Colorado bill backed by Live Nation that would have barred the unauthorized resale of tickets, while also enacting new consumer protections. Gov. Jared Polis (D) vetoed the bill saying he was “concerned that this legislation strengthens an existing entity with too much market power.” Polis signed a revised version of the legislation this year that has been called “the most pro-consumer ticketing law in the country.” The Chamber of Progress supported it.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed a bill this year that requires additional ticket price disclosures as well as prohibits speculative ticket sales and places new limits on ticket resellers.
Chamber of Progress calls the secondary ticket market the “only true source of competition” for Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster. The report urges state lawmakers to pass “resale freedom laws” that give purchasers ownership rights of a ticket and that allow them to resell or transfer it to someone else.
The report highlights what it calls “effective resale protection laws” in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington. It says that Illinois, New York and five other states have resale laws that could be strengthened.
“Resale freedom laws ban anti-consumer practices and empower fans to find tickets on the platform of their choice, increasing their chances of securing seats for popular events,” the report says, noting that the resale market saved consumers more than $440 million in 2023.
Live Nation counters that “fan freedom” laws empower scalpers at the expense of fans. The company has called for laws that allow artists to decide resale rules, outlaw speculative ticket sales, crack down on the use of ticket bots and resale sites, and mandate all-in pricing that shows buyers the full cost of a ticket, including fees.
“Concert tickets are licenses, similar to airline tickets, that grant the fan permission to attend the show — not to make a business off the artist’s back,” Live Nation said in its statement to Pluribus News. “That’s why we are unapologetic about standing up for the rights of artists to decide whether and on what terms resale should be allowed.”
Dan Wall, Live Nation’s executive vice president for corporate and regulatory affairs, characterized the ticket resale industry as a “Napster-like ticket model” and “gigantic rip off” that he said often doubles the price of a ticket with no resulting benefit for the artist.
“We’re the only major company in the industry that is trying to take the sides of the artists and the fans,” Wall said.