Ticketmaster’s troubled handling of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour prompted California lawmakers to spend months cracking down on the ticketing industry — while they enjoyed thousands of dollars worth of free tickets themselves from interest groups, a POLITICO analysis shows.

As elected officials representing many of the same diverse and hardworking communities of the Central Valley, we share state Sen. Anna Caballero’s commitment to serving our constituents.

As an advocate for small businesses, I know how challenging it is to succeed in today’s economy. It’s even more challenging when entrepreneurs have to face competition that engages in unfair business practices. This is especially the case with Live Nation/Ticketmaster, a monopoly that dominates the live event ticketing industry.

There is a growing contention from Washington D.C. all the way to California that event ticket seller Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation are an illegal monopoly that lawmakers should rein in, and sooner than later.

The company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it discovered an “unauthorized activity within a third-party cloud database,” on May 20 and promptly launched an investigation.

The Department of Justice on Thursday announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster’s Beverly Hills-based parent, Live Nation Entertainment, seeking to break up the company over allegations that it created an illegal monopoly over the live entertainment industry.

The Justice Department and dozens of states and the District of Columbia sued to break up Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation on Thursday alleging that they have illegally monopolized the live music industry harming fans, artists and venues, through a mix of exclusive contracts, self-preferencing, retaliation and acquisitions.

A powerful cadre of industry insiders are seeking to eliminate significant proposed legislation in California by pushing for amendments that would enhance, rather than eliminate, the monopolistic hold that Live Nation Entertainment has on the business, per Politico.

Concert and sporting event ticket prices have exploded since the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, but a new California bill could break up their monopoly. And the 49ers and Warriors are completely against this bill, because they benefit handsomely from that monopoly.

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket sales for live events in California have skyrocketed. A bill seeking to restore competition and finally give fans more choice on the market faces fierce opposition from California’s billion-dollar sports franchises.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks had set out earlier this year to end exclusive relationships between venues and the companies that sell their tickets — hoping that more ticketers would mean more competition and better deals for the fans.

Several backers of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks’ bill to end exclusive control over ticket sales are threatening to pull their support if she accepts a major amendment proposed by the Assembly’s Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection today.

It’s time we confront the broken system that has allowed a monopoly like Ticketmaster and Live Nation to corrupt the entire live event marketplace that leaves everyone without a choice – whether you’re an artist, a venue, or a fan.

The Justice Department is preparing to sue Live Nation as soon as next month, an antitrust challenge that could spur major changes at the biggest name in concert promotion and ticketing.

As president of the California Black Chamber, I have the privilege of advocating for small businesses throughout the state. However, music is my passion and has been my life’s work. For more than four decades, I have worked in the music industry as an artist, as a promoter, and a manager.

California Democratic Assembly member, Buffy Wicks wants to propose a bill that would limit Ticketmaster’s control in the ticket industry. AB 2808 says the company has a monopoly in the ticket space, allowing them to add high fees in addition to ticket prices.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) was joined by community leaders, consumer advocates, fans and musicians on Monday at a Capitol press conference to detail first-in-the-nation legislation to provide competition in buying tickets for concerts and sporting events. 

ABC News reported that Ticketmaster has a lion’s share of ticket sales in concerts, sporting, and many other events in the United States. In 2010, LiveNation and Ticketmaster merged which made them a global leader in ticket sales. Because of this merger, the prices of ticket sales have increased by a large amount within the last decade

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) was joined by community leaders, consumer advocates, fans and musicians on Monday at a Capitol press conference to detail first-in-the-nation legislation to provide competition in buying tickets for concerts and sporting events.

For those in the Legislature’s Democratic supermajority, voting “yes” on a colleague’s bill may come easily. Voting “no,” however, isn’t as straightforward — and that may be why so few Democrats actually do so.

Ticketmaster’s troubled handling of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour prompted California lawmakers to spend months cracking down on the ticketing industry — while they enjoyed thousands of dollars worth of free tickets themselves from interest groups, a POLITICO analysis shows.

As elected officials representing many of the same diverse and hardworking communities of the Central Valley, we share state Sen. Anna Caballero’s commitment to serving our constituents.

As an advocate for small businesses, I know how challenging it is to succeed in today’s economy. It’s even more challenging when entrepreneurs have to face competition that engages in unfair business practices. This is especially the case with Live Nation/Ticketmaster, a monopoly that dominates the live event ticketing industry.

There is a growing contention from Washington D.C. all the way to California that event ticket seller Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation are an illegal monopoly that lawmakers should rein in, and sooner than later.

The company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it discovered an “unauthorized activity within a third-party cloud database,” on May 20 and promptly launched an investigation.

The Department of Justice on Thursday announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster’s Beverly Hills-based parent, Live Nation Entertainment, seeking to break up the company over allegations that it created an illegal monopoly over the live entertainment industry.

The Justice Department and dozens of states and the District of Columbia sued to break up Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation on Thursday alleging that they have illegally monopolized the live music industry harming fans, artists and venues, through a mix of exclusive contracts, self-preferencing, retaliation and acquisitions.

A powerful cadre of industry insiders are seeking to eliminate significant proposed legislation in California by pushing for amendments that would enhance, rather than eliminate, the monopolistic hold that Live Nation Entertainment has on the business, per Politico.

Concert and sporting event ticket prices have exploded since the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, but a new California bill could break up their monopoly. And the 49ers and Warriors are completely against this bill, because they benefit handsomely from that monopoly.

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket sales for live events in California have skyrocketed. A bill seeking to restore competition and finally give fans more choice on the market faces fierce opposition from California’s billion-dollar sports franchises.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks had set out earlier this year to end exclusive relationships between venues and the companies that sell their tickets — hoping that more ticketers would mean more competition and better deals for the fans.

Several backers of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks’ bill to end exclusive control over ticket sales are threatening to pull their support if she accepts a major amendment proposed by the Assembly’s Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection today.

It’s time we confront the broken system that has allowed a monopoly like Ticketmaster and Live Nation to corrupt the entire live event marketplace that leaves everyone without a choice – whether you’re an artist, a venue, or a fan.

The Justice Department is preparing to sue Live Nation as soon as next month, an antitrust challenge that could spur major changes at the biggest name in concert promotion and ticketing.

As president of the California Black Chamber, I have the privilege of advocating for small businesses throughout the state. However, music is my passion and has been my life’s work. For more than four decades, I have worked in the music industry as an artist, as a promoter, and a manager.

California Democratic Assembly member, Buffy Wicks wants to propose a bill that would limit Ticketmaster’s control in the ticket industry. AB 2808 says the company has a monopoly in the ticket space, allowing them to add high fees in addition to ticket prices.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) was joined by community leaders, consumer advocates, fans and musicians on Monday at a Capitol press conference to detail first-in-the-nation legislation to provide competition in buying tickets for concerts and sporting events. 

ABC News reported that Ticketmaster has a lion’s share of ticket sales in concerts, sporting, and many other events in the United States. In 2010, LiveNation and Ticketmaster merged which made them a global leader in ticket sales. Because of this merger, the prices of ticket sales have increased by a large amount within the last decade

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) was joined by community leaders, consumer advocates, fans and musicians on Monday at a Capitol press conference to detail first-in-the-nation legislation to provide competition in buying tickets for concerts and sporting events.

For those in the Legislature’s Democratic supermajority, voting “yes” on a colleague’s bill may come easily. Voting “no,” however, isn’t as straightforward — and that may be why so few Democrats actually do so.