Ticketmaster is one of the largest ticket sales and distribution companies in the world. They sell tickets for concerts, sporting events, theater shows, and more. With their dominant position in the ticket marketplace, Ticketmaster has significant influence in the live entertainment industry.
One way Ticketmaster exerts this influence is through lobbying – efforts to influence government policy and regulations. Lobbying can take many forms, from direct meetings with legislators to donations to political campaigns. For a major company like Ticketmaster, lobbying is an important tool to protect and advance their business interests.
Ticketmaster’s lobbying efforts
According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Ticketmaster has spent over $600,000 on federal lobbying efforts each year over the past decade. The table below shows Ticketmaster’s lobbying expenditures from 2011 to 2020:
Year | Lobbying Expenditures |
---|---|
2011 | $640,000 |
2012 | $640,000 |
2013 | $680,000 |
2014 | $600,000 |
2015 | $640,000 |
2016 | $600,000 |
2017 | $610,000 |
2018 | $640,000 |
2019 | $620,000 |
2020 | $660,000 |
As the table shows, Ticketmaster’s lobbying expenditures have remained quite steady, ranging from $600,000 to $680,000 per year. They have spent a total of over $6.5 million on lobbying over the past decade.
Who does Ticketmaster lobby?
Ticketmaster focuses its lobbying efforts primarily on the federal government. According to their lobbying disclosure forms, they lobby Congress as well as a number of federal agencies, including:
- Department of Justice
- Federal Trade Commission
- Copyright Office
- Patent and Trademark Office
In addition to directly lobbying the government, Ticketmaster is also a member of several trade organizations and industry groups that lobby on behalf of their members. These include the National Association of Ticket Brokers, the Entertainment Merchants Association, and the National Association of Recording Merchandisers.
What does Ticketmaster lobby on?
Ticketmaster lobbies on a wide variety of issues that impact their business model and bottom line. Some of their major lobbying priorities include:
1. Ticketing regulations and antitrust enforcement
Ticketmaster has significant market share in ticketing services, particularly for major concerts and events. They lobby to prevent increased regulations and antitrust scrutiny of their dominant position. They also lobby against bills that would require more transparency and consumer protections in ticket sales.
2. Copyright and trademark
Ticketmaster lobbies on piracy, bootlegging, and unauthorized secondary ticket sales that infringe on copyrights and trademarks. They support stricter protections for intellectual property rights.
3. Tax issues
Ticket fees and service charges make up a major part of Ticketmaster’s revenue. They lobby on any bills or regulations that could impact the taxes and fees they are able to charge on each ticket sold.
4. Privacy
With their extensive database of customer information used for targeted marketing, Ticketmaster lobbies against increased privacy restrictions or requirements to disclose how they use customer data.
5. Other live entertainment issues
As a major player in live entertainment, Ticketmaster lobbies on a variety of other issues that impact the industry, like licensing regulations, venue policies, and more.
Criticisms of Ticketmaster’s lobbying
Ticketmaster’s aggressive lobbying approach has drawn criticism from some consumer groups and watchdogs. Some of the main criticisms include:
- Lobbying to maintain a virtual monopoly over ticketing services and resist regulations that would increase competition.
- Lobbying against more transparency that would reveal hidden fees and breakdowns of ticket costs to consumers.
- Resisting consumer protection regulations around refunds, exchanges, and other purchase protections.
- Spending substantial sums of money to influence politicians and policy in Ticketmaster’s favor versus consumers’ interests.
These groups argue that Ticketmaster uses its deep pockets and political connections to get policies and legal rulings that maximize profits at the expense of consumers and access. They say stronger regulations are needed to limit Ticketmaster’s anti-competitive practices.
Response from Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster defends its lobbying efforts as appropriate involvement in the political process to educate policymakers:
- They say they work constructively with all parts of government to advocate for the live entertainment industry.
- They denial actively working to block pro-consumer regulations, saying they support “reasonable” consumer protections.
- They argue that the ticket marketplace is already very competitive and does not require major new regulations.
- They say their work to stop ticket fraud and piracy benefits consumers and artists.
Ticketmaster claims it supports common sense policies that allow the ticketing industry to continue thriving and providing great live experiences.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster spends over $600,000 annually on federal lobbying, focusing on regulations, antitrust issues, copyright, taxes, and other live entertainment industry concerns. Their substantial lobbying expenditures and influence have drawn criticism from some consumer groups who argue Ticketmaster uses lobbying to resist pro-consumer policies and transparency. However, Ticketmaster defends its lobbying as appropriate involvement in the political process that benefits artists, clients, and live event audiences.
The debate around Ticketmaster’s lobbying will likely continue as they maintain their dominant position in ticketing. Their ability to spend sizable sums influencing policymakers grants Ticketmaster considerable power in shaping regulations for their industry. Increased public awareness of corporate lobbying practices may lead more scrutiny of whether Ticketmaster acts in the public’s best interest or their own bottom line.
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