Look what you got them to do: all the references to Taylor Swift in the Senate hearing.

Washington. There was no shortage of animosity between senators and ticketing giant Live Nation Entertainment in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, with lawmakers questioning a top executive from Ticketmaster’s parent company about its business practices and last year’s the Taylor Swift concert ticket fiasco. upcoming stadium tour.

The hearings also allowed some senators to prove that they – or maybe their staff – are well versed in the pop star’s discography.

Joe Berchtold, president and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, must have known he was in trouble when he stepped in and quickly faced taunts from senators who wondered if the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger in 2010 was stifling competition. in live events. industry.

“The thing is, Live Nation-Ticketmaster is an 800-pound gorilla,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. “This whole concert ticket system is a mess, a monopolistic mess.”

Describing the impact of Live Nation’s strength and reach, at least one witness has suggested that Live Nation and Ticketmaster should disband and never, ever reunite (like ever).

“The only effective remedy right now is structural: terminating the joint ownership of Ticketmaster and Live Nation,” said Jack Groetzinger, CEO of Ticketmaster competitor SeatGeek. “In order to improve our industry, we must restore competition.”

Amid all the talk about whether Live Nation’s merger with Ticketmaster would harm consumers, some intrepid senators – and one witness – sneaked in a few Swift texts when they had the chance:

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota

  • “Competition policy is very important to me. I believe in capitalism and to have a strong capitalist system you have to have competition you can’t have too much consolidation which unfortunately for this country is like an ode to Taylor Swift I will say we know’Everything is too good.'”

Senator Mike Lee, Republican from Utah

Sal Nuzzo, Senior Vice President, James Madison Institute

  • “In this area, we are arguing that consumer welfare is very well defined and reflects the challenges and challenges in this industry. Those who represent the dominant player in the market claim that their growth has allowed them to innovate and achieve successes that bring great benefits. Several million Taylor Swift fans would respond:That’s why we can’t have nice things.'”

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat from Connecticut

Speaking to reporters outside of the meeting, CBS News Congressional Correspondent Scott McFarlane asked Blumenthal if the Senate could do anything other than bring the head of Live Nation to Congress. He borrowed a line from Swift’s hit “Anti-Hero”: “The ticketmaster should look in the mirror and say:I’m the problem, it’s me.'”

He had the opportunity to repeat his punch during interrogation at the hearing: “The ticket clerk has to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m a problem. It’s me “”.

His comment caused a slight laugh in the audience.

Content Source

News Press Ohio – Latest News:
Columbus Local News || Cleveland Local News || Ohio State News || National News || Money and Economy News || Entertainment News || Tech News || Environment News

Related Articles

Back to top button