Senator Blackburn Criticizes Ticketmaster’s Response to Abuse of Bots
Senator Marsha Blackburn recently took Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, to task for what she described as “woefully inadequate” responses to claims that company executives ignored the presence of automated bots—bots that have forced customers to pay sky-high fees.
During a Senate hearing on online ticket scalping, Blackburn pointed to an internal email where a Ticketmaster executive seemingly admitted to the company’s shift in policy, acknowledging that they “turned a blind eye” to bots that surpassed ticket purchase limits.
In response, Live Nation executive Dan Wall argued that the email had been “drastically taken out of context,” insisting the company is committed to fighting against bot usage.
However, Blackburn found Wall’s comments unconvincing, stating in an interview that he was well aware of the email’s context. “I think Mr. Wall did Ticketmaster and Live Nation no favors yesterday,” she remarked. She also indicated a willingness to hold executives accountable if it turns out they misled Congress.
The senator, who chaired the hearing, was joined by musician Kid Rock, who expressed frustration that both fans and artists are “screwed” by the current market practices, urging Congress to enforce price limits on resold tickets.
The controversial email surfaced during a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which alleged that the companies profited greatly from bots reselling millions of tickets unlawfully. Speculation suggests fines for the companies could rise into the hundreds of billions of dollars.
In his testimony, Wall maintained that Ticketmaster is making “significant progress” against bots, despite facing “hundreds of millions” of bot attacks daily. He claimed their safeguards are “second to none,” yet Blackburn countered that such explanations come off as “very disrespectful.” She implied that Ticketmaster is prioritizing its business model over addressing these serious issues. “You’d think a local utility could block cyberattacks, so why can’t Ticketmaster?” she questioned, implying the company was not taking the matter seriously.
The senator was set to discuss key lessons from the hearing on the Senate floor and mentioned that there is bipartisan support for capping ticket prices. Blackburn is also backing the MAIN Event Ticketing Act, aimed at reinforcing existing laws against automated ticket sales and requiring Ticketmaster to report successful bot attacks to the FTC.
Ticketmaster is under increasing scrutiny from Congress, largely because it holds a substantial share—up to 70% or 80%—of the major ticket sales market, according to some experts.
In addition, Congress is expanding its investigation into algorithmic pricing beyond just the entertainment sector. A recent investigation accused Instacart of using “dynamic pricing” for grocery deliveries, raising alarms on Capitol Hill.
Blackburn expressed concern about algorithmic pricing practices, calling them “very dangerous” for consumers and committed to finding ways to confront such practices.
She voiced alarm over situations where algorithms modify prices based on factors like a customer’s zip code or purchasing history. “Whether it’s groceries, plane tickets, or sporting event tickets, this kind of behavior is simply unfair and deceptive,” Blackburn concluded.
