Cantwell Questions Kid Rock, Other Witnesses on Live Nation’s and Ticketmaster’s Monopoly on Ticket Prices, Live Music Industry

Cantwell Questions Kid Rock, Other Witnesses on Live Nation's and Ticketmaster's Monopoly on Ticket Prices, Live Music Industry

Live Nation contracts can block artists from playing rival venues "If Brandi Carlile wants to play the Gorge, right, and she makes an agreement to play the Gorge, but Brandi Carlile also wants to go to Walla Walla and have an event, she should be allowed to go. Because otherwise, you're just price gouging," says Cantwell

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, questioned a panel of artists and live entertainment industry executives including Robert Ritchie, a.k.a. "Kid Rock", about the effects of the monopoly power that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have over the live music industry.

During a hearing of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy, Sen. Cantwell criticized contract clauses that prohibit artists from playing in rival venues.

"We have lots of venues that are in the five to seven thousand seat range, created by lots of outdoor sites, Tribes - we have 29 Tribes, they're creating venues," said Sen. Cantwell. "There's lots of opportunities for people to go, but not if someone's shutting the market down because they control 80% of the market."

"If Brandi Carlile wants to play the Gorge, and she makes an agreement to play at the Gorge, but Brandi Carlile also wants to go to Walla Walla and have an event, she should be allowed to go. Because otherwise, you're just price gouging. You're not giving the artist the flexibility."

Sen. Cantwell also questioned David Weingarden, an independent operator of concert venues in Colorado, about these types of contracts: "Do we need to see the contracts to show that these kind of manipulative practices are actually being deployed that curtail artists from signing up in your venues?"

"With some of these bigger festivals that are playing in LA or in other places, they make these incredibly massive radius clauses that no artist can play anywhere within the western half of the United States for a specific period of time," said Weingarden. "I do think that with radius clauses, when you're talking about different artists and playing in the same market and whatnot, I do think that there's some discussion that needs to be had around announcements so you're not cannibalizing the different ticket sales. But when we're talking about the fact that somebody can't play in Colorado because they're playing at a festival in Los Angeles or something like that, those are definitely more egregious."

Video of her Q&A can be viewed HERE.

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