Rocker Kid Rock tore into the concert ticketing industry Wednesday, accusing Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary of operating as a monopoly that hurts fans, artists, and independent venues.

The Grammy-nominated singer, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, was one of four witnesses testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing titled “Fees Rolled on All Summer Long: Examining the Live Entertainment Industry.”

Lawmakers focused on rising ticket prices, service fees, resale practices, automated ticket-buying bots, and speculative ticket pricing.

The Senate hearing comes at a critical moment for Live Nation, which faces a major federal trial for violating key promises after the Justice Department approved its merger with Ticketmaster, creating the nation’s ticketing company for live events.

In 2024, the DOJ and a bipartisan coalition of 40 state attorneys general filed suit alleging monopolistic behavior.

The federal complaint argued that Live Nation is a monopoly engaging in monopolistic, anticompetitive actions.

The suit noted that Live Nation’s subsidiary Ticketmaster controls 80% or more of major U.S. concert and sports venues’ primary ticketing.

The complaint alleges Live Nation illegally monopolized major parts of the live events ecosystem and entered into exclusive contracts that lock venues into long-term deals with Ticketmaster, hurting competition.

The DOJ’s antitrust division, led by Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, has been strong in promoting Trump administration policies that increase competition and lower prices for consumers.

Kid Rock told senators that Ticketmaster’s merger with Live Nation has failed consumers.

“Independent venues have been crushed. Artists have lost leverage,” he said in his opening statement.

“Fans are paying more than ever and getting blamed for it. This wasn’t an experiment — it was a monopoly dressed up as innovation.”

Live Nation has become a dominant force in the live entertainment business, controlling ticketing through Ticketmaster while also owning or operating venues and promoting tours.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who chaired the hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy, said the situation is “cheating consumers, circumventing safeguards, and undermining trust.”

Live Nation Executive Vice President of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Dan Wall pushed back hard on monopoly claims during the hearing.

Wall said federal regulators estimate Live Nation’s market share at less than 50%, arguing that the marketplace for tickets should be broader than major sporting and concert events.

He said Live Nation expects to prevail in court.

“Well, the merger has been a failure. Everyone admits that,” Blackburn told Newsmax’s “Newsline” on Thursday.

“We had a panel of four people yesterday. Three of the four said this was a disaster,” she continued.

“Only Live Nation-Ticketmaster felt like it was working.”

Automated ticket-buying bots were also a major focus of the hearing.

Senators said scalpers use the software to buy large blocks of tickets within seconds of sales opening, leaving fans shut out and forcing them into resale markets where prices are often sharply inflated.

Federal law already bans ticket bots, but Blackburn said enforcement has been weak.

In an interview ahead of the hearing, Blackburn accused Live Nation of failing to cooperate fully with regulators.

“They’ve refused to admit there’s a problem and refused to address the problem,” she told Axios.

Kid Rock also called for a 10% cap on resale prices, subpoenas of artist contracts to uncover “fraud and abuse,” and giving artists the authority to choose who sells their tickets.