Urges Congress to respond to consolidation of ticket industry.

AR119

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 119

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Urges Congress to respond to consolidation of ticket
industry.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Assembly
Resolution
urging Congress to act in
response to the consolidation of the ticket sale industry.

Whereas,

New Jersey offers numerous venues for live entertainment and the live
entertainment plays an important role in the identity of the State; and

Whereas,

The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector contributed over $260 billion to
the United States economy in the first three quarters of 2022, with $6.8
billion of that generated in New Jersey; and

Whereas,

Live Nation and Ticketmaster, two of the largest companies in the live
entertainment industry with a significant market share in the ticketing and
concert promotion sectors, merged in 2010 and currently possess an estimated 70
percent of the ticketing market for live event venues; and

Whereas,

The companies have since been the subject of numerous complaints, legal
challenges, and investigations, including by the United States Department of
Justice, related to current practices; and

Whereas,

These practices include the imposition of excessive fees on consumers, surge
pricing and a lack of transparency in the ticketing process, and taking
advantage of its dominant market share to influence competitors and to enter
the ticket resale market; and

Whereas,

These practices have resulted in harm to consumers, who are often unable to
purchase tickets at face value and are forced to pay inflated prices in both
the primary ticket sale market and the resale market; and

Whereas,

Performers and other industry stakeholders are also harmed as a result of the
actions of the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, and may be deprived of
revenue and certain controls over ticket sales; and

Whereas,

The United States Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on January 24,
2023, during which the practices of Live Nation and Ticketmaster were discussed
at length; and

Whereas,

Further action is needed to address the various problems impacting consumers in
New Jersey and in the United States; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� This House respectfully
urges the United States Congress to act in response to the consolidation of the
ticket industry and resolve to address the subsequent various problems
impacting consumers in New Jersey and in the United States.

���� 2.��� Copies of this
resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the
Clerk of the General Assembly to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the
United States Senate; the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States
House of Representatives; and every member of Congress elected from this State.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution urges Congress
to respond to the consolidation of the ticket industry.

���� In 2010, Live Nation
Entertainment, the world�s largest event promoter and venue operator, merged
with Ticketmaster, the world�s largest ticketing platform.� This merger allowed
both companies to become even more powerful, controlling an estimated 70 percent
of the ticketing and live event venue markets.� Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic
disrupted the live entertainment industry, Live Nation reported that it put on
more than 40,000 events around the world and sold 485 million tickets.� The
company also owns more than 300 venues around the world, the most in the
industry.� In the years since the merger with Ticketmaster, Live Nation has
been accused multiple times of abusing its market dominance and bullying
smaller competitors.� In 2019, the United States Department of Justice alleged
that Live Nation �repeatedly violated� the consent decree the company entered
with the federal government at the time of the merger.� These alleged
violations include threatening to withhold tours from performing at competing
venues if those venues did not sign deals with Ticketmaster.�

���� Live entertainment is a
multi-billion dollar industry in the United States, and New Jersey contributes
to that with its dozens of venues hosting a wide variety of shows.� However,
Live Nation�s practices and its dominance of the market make it so the majority
of the profits do not go to performers or independent venue owners.� These
practices also harm consumers by making it difficult to purchase affordable
tickets at initial sales, forcing them to pay inflated prices due to surge
pricing or additional fees, or purchase tickets on resale markets that result
in even higher prices.