By Brian Berry
On May 23, the DOJ and 30 state attorneys general sued Live Nation/Ticketmaster to make right the merger approval wrong that was made in 2010. Americans now appreciate how pervasive the monopolistic abuses are, the data the company harvests about fans, and the throttling powers Ticketmaster has on its competing ticket sellers. I am proud of our work to help launch of the BreakUp Ticketmaster campaign, which delivered more than 100,000 fans demanding action of the Justice Department.
Live music is my fuel. Last year I attended more than 50 shows and being present when AC/DC took the stage for the first time in 8 years was a gift! Being on stage in front of 15,000 fans recently with an internationally acclaimed rock band and looking out at the crowd reminded me of why our ticketing policy work at Vision360 Partners is so important. Bit by bit we are improving the market that connects those fans with the shows and games they love. We have worked with professional sports leagues, with Broadway theater producers, and in the ticketing side of the live events industry since 2016. I serve as Advocacy Director of Protect Ticket Rights and Vision360 has been working hard to also launch and manage the Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights and its coalition of national and state consumer protection advocates, to advance meaningful reforms at the state and federal levels. We are making progress!
In true David vs. Goliath form, we have beaten back special interest legislation cleverly shrouded in consumer benefit that hides handouts and advantages to Ticketmaster and its venue and music artist partners (to be sure, not all venues and artists and their proxies are to blame). We convinced a governor to veto a bad bill last year and pass a better bill this year that will soon become law and improve the ticket buying experience for fans in the state. We de-fanged anticompetitive bills in several states in 2024 and in the U.S. Senate. Despite challenges from a well-resourced set of adversaries, we passed an entirely pro-consumer bill out of the House of Representatives this year on a 388-24 bipartisan basis! We are proud to work with a coalition that trusts in our advice and strategy, and we benefit from having the facts and fans at the core of our many successes. Whether it’s earned media, digital advocacy, grassroots mobilization, coalition building, or government relations, we’ve laid it all on the table.
The fight is far from over, but this fan is fortunate to be a public affairs pro backed by a team that won’t rest until the job gets done. Our clients are seriously fortunate that as a private company we answer to them and not shareholders. This week is a week to celebrate, before we get back to the campaign trail to fix what is broken in ticketing.