Kid Rock Testifies Against Ticketing Giants in US Senate

Kid Rock brought his trademark blunt talk to Capitol Hill this week, criticising the US ticketing industry and urging lawmakers to take action on unfair practices that hurt both fans and artists.

The Detroit-born rocker, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee during the 'Fees Rolled on All Summer Long: Examining the Live Entertainment Industry' hearing. His remarks zeroed in on the market dominance of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which he described as a failed experiment that has left fans overpaying and independent venues struggling, per Variety.

He said he's in a "unique position" to testify, because “unlike most of my peers, I am beholden to no one - no record companies, no managers, no corporate endorsements or deals. To put it plainly, I ain’t scared to speak out on these issues like many artists, managers and agents are for fear of biting the hand that feeds them.”

At the heart of his critique was the 2010 merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Rock argued the deal has stifled competition and driven ticket prices sky‑high, forcing many consumers into inflated resale markets with little transparency or choice. He told lawmakers that the company’s leaders once promised the merger would benefit artists and fans - a promise he says fell flat.

In 2009, Congress was told under oath that merging Live Nation and Ticketmaster would benefit artists and fans,” said Rock. “The CEO of Live Nation called the merger an experiment, and promised it would increase competition and lower costs.”

He continued, “Needless to say, that experiment has failed miserably. Independent venues have been crushed. Artists have lost leverage. Fans are paying more than ever, and getting blamed for it. Should Ticketmaster and Live Nation be broken up? Probably. Would that alone fix things? Not sure it would. But I am sure of this: no artist should be forced to sell their tickets without a say in who sells them and how they are sold.”

Rock also highlighted the role of automated scalping bots and the secondary resale market in pushing prices beyond what artists originally set. He echoed long‑standing frustrations felt by touring musicians who see little benefit when tickets are resold at huge mark‑ups.

During the hearing, Rock called for a series of reforms, including a cap on resale prices, greater transparency around ticket fees, and giving artists more say in who gets to sell tickets for their shows.