'Egregiously stonewalled': Senate committee subpoenas Live Nation over failure to comply with inquiry

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on Monday subpoenaed the ticket sales giant Live Nation after waiting months for the company to cooperate with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations' inquiry into its "business practices."

Politico congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett wrote via X (formerly Twitter), "Sen. Blumenthal subpoenas Live Nation over ticket prices/resale practices 'Live Nation has egregiously stonewalled my Subcommittee's inquiry into its abusive consumer practices—making the subpoena necessary.'

In a letter addressed to Live Nation Chief Executive Officer Michael Rapino, Blumenthal writes, "PSI (Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations) first wrote to Live Nation/Ticketmaster on March 24, 2023, seeking documents and information in connection with this inquiry. Despite nearly eight months and extensive efforts to obtain voluntary compliance, Live Nation/Ticketmaster has failed to fully comply with PSI's requests, including refusing to produce certain documents critical to the Subcommittee's inquiry."

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Rolling Stone reports the a company spokesperson said, "Live Nation has voluntarily worked with the Subcommittee from the start, providing extensive information and holding several meetings with staff. In order to provide additional information requested about artist and client compensation and other similarly sensitive matters, we’ve asked for standard confidentiality measures. Thus far the Subcommittee has refused to provide such assurances, but if and when those protections are in place we will provide additional information on these issues."

Additionally, the publication notes, Live Nation has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice "over its dominance in the business," after "the infamous on-sale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which angered thousands of fans who faced long lines and site crashes while they tried getting tickets."

Blumenthal told Rolling Stone, "This subpoena demands that the company promptly comply with our request for documents essential to understand its business practices. American consumers deserve fair ticket prices, without hidden fees or predatory charges. And the American public deserves to know how Ticketmaster's unfair practices may be enabled by its misuse of monopoly power."

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Rolling Stone's report is here (subscription required).