Pascrell Slams “Greedy” Ticketmaster Over Springsteen Fiasco

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. has long been a foe of Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster, and spared no fury at the latest controversy the entertainment and ticketing giant has generated – massive outrage over sky-high ticket prices for beloved New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 tour dates.

The Congressman called out the company’s “greedy ticket monopoly” in a scathing press release issued in the wake of widespread negative coverage spawned by the ticket prices being charged by the band, which leveraged “dynamic” and “platinum” pricing that saw tickets going for as high as $5,000 per seat from the box office in some instances.

“When Yogi Berra said it’s déjà vu all over again, he could have easily been talking about Ticketmaster and another unwelcome surprise for Springsteen fans,” said Rep. Pascrell. “After the long hiatus, we are all excited that Bruce is going back in tour. But Americans have the right to enjoy some live entertainment without getting ripped off. Ticketmaster sees popular events as an opportunity to soak regular Americans. My colleagues and I are hearing from irate customers who are fed up, and the New Jersey and New York dates aren’t even on sale yet. Fans should know exactly what they are getting into before getting involved with an always high stress concert ticket sale. And I hope that these policies and prices are reconsidered, or at least better publicized to fans, before the bulk of the concert dates go on sale next week.

“The fact is that multi-billion dollar live events ticket marketplace cries out for reform. The BOSS ACT legislation I have previously introduced would bring much needed transparency to sale, pricing and distribution of live event tickets. I have been working closely with my colleagues and stakeholders on revising our legislation and expect to reintroduce the improved bill shortly. I was first alerted to Ticketmaster’s shenanigans over a decade ago when Ticketmaster surreptitiously directed Springsteen fans to buy tickets for jacked up prices on their ticket reselling site. And the countless issues since they continue to remind us that the unholy Ticketmaster-Live Nation union should be broken up by the DOJ and FTC once and for all.”

Rep. Pascrell has long sought to bring reform to the ticketing world, calling regularly for the Live Nation/Ticketmaster giant at the center of the industry to be broken up by federal regulators. In March, he asked the FTC and DOJ to overturn the approval of the merger that brought the promotional and ticketing giants together back in 2010. He is the principal sponsor of the BOSS Act – an acronym for “Better Online/Secondary Sales” derived from Springsteen’s nickname – which he says he hopes to see reintroduced in Congress this year.

The full press release from Pascrell is available at his website.