WASHINGTON — The Senate’s subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy brought in the singer Kid Rock and representatives of the ticketing industry to debate the resale ticket market and the unfair practices of bot ticket purchasing. 

Chair Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said, “The artist-fan connection is the foundation of the industry, but the ticketing industry has exploited this connection.”

Kid Rock entered the hearing wearing a cowboy hat, fur coat and sunglasses. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)From left to right: Kid Rock, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs for Live Nation, Dan Wall, Executive Director of Ticket Policy Forum, Brian Berry, and Co-Founder of the Colorado Independent Venue Association, David Weingarden gave statements during the hearing. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)Subcommittee Chair Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. who sponsored the Main Event Ticketing Act, questioned the witnesses on how to fix pricing issues for fans. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)Wall, the Executive Vice President of Live Nation who owns TicketMaster stated that Live Nation is “fighting back with the most sophisticated defenses out there, including most recently, identity verification.” (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)David Weingarden, the Co-Founder of the Colorado Independent Venue Association, represented the perspective of independent venues, highlighting the issues they face when false tickets are sold to fans. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)As Wall answered senators’ questions, Kid Rock expressed derision at his responses. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)Berry, the executive director of the Ticket Policy Forum, which represents the top online ticket marketplaces, argued against price caps on resales. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)Weingarden unfurled a long list of costs venues take on when scalpers sell tickets, including the artists’ touring costs and venue loss of food and merch sales when purchased tickets end up unsold. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tx, appeared at the hearing halfway through to question the witnesses on ticket prices. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)The Senators seemed united in their belief that the ticketing industry needs to target unfair prices and resale markets to benefit fans. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)Weingarden impressed upon the Senators the difference in ticket prices between the ones his venue sells versus the tickets fans buy from scalpers for three times the cost. (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)Kid Rock called for increased artistic control over who gets to sell tickets to their concerts, a price cap on ticket resales, and penalties for ticket scalpers.  (Cayla Labgold-Carroll/MNS)