WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell addressed concerns over Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s dominance in the live music industry during a Senate Committee hearing.
She emphasized issues with contract clauses that restrict artists from performing at competing venues, which she believes stifles competition and inflates prices.
“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,” Sen . Cantwell said. ““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.”
David Weingarden, an independent venue operator, explained the challenges posed by radius clauses in contracts. “With some of these bigger festivals, 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,” he said.
Kid Rock, also known as Robert Ritchie, provided his perspective, also acknowledging the complexities of radius clauses and their impact on artists’ decisions.
He voiced strong criticism of the merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which occurred in 2010 and expressed concerns about the effects of this merger on the concert marketplace.
The hearing can be watched here.
