美国国家公共电台 NPR--Senate panel hearing will look into Ticketmaster's dominance in live entertainment

Senate panel hearing will look into Ticketmaster's dominance in live entertainment

Transcript¹

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota about Tuesday's hearing that will focus on the problems surrounding Ticketmaster's dominance in the ticketing industry.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

A hearing on Capitol Hill today will look at whether entertainment giant Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, has a monopoly on the ticketing industry. It comes after botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift's tour left millions of her fans with no tickets, and it highlighted the lack of alternatives. Leading the effort to regulate the concert ticket industry is Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. She chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights. Senator, welcome.

AMY KLOBUCHAR: Well, thanks, Leila. Great to be on.

FADEL: So let's start - if you could just lay out why you think Live Nation has too much power.

KLOBUCHAR: First, they have 70% of the major ticketing, major concerts. That's a monopoly. Secondly², they also control the promotion³ of these events. And third, they own a whole bunch of big venues⁴ in competition with the small, independent venues. And even with the independent venues they don't own, they often get into three-, five-, seven-year contracts so that no competitors can be involved. So that is a trio of problems that leads to two things. One is what you've seen. It's not just Taylor Swift. It's Bad Bunny, BTS, Bruce Springsteen, Harry⁵ Styles. All of these artists have had issues with ticketing because there's no incentive⁶ when you're a monopoly. Secondly, fees, hidden fees - one recent government study found 27% of the ticket price was fees that you can't even figure out what they are from this company.

FADEL: Now, this is a problem, though, that goes back almost 30 years, even before the merger⁷ of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Members of the band Pearl Jam testified before Congress in 1994 about similar issues. So what's different this time? What can you and your colleagues at the Senate actually do?

KLOBUCHAR: You are correct, Leila. Pearl Jam, Pixies, many bands have tried to take this on. What's different right now is that this isn't a singular problem. We've seen consolidation⁸ in 75% of the industries in this country, and people are catching⁹ on. Taylor Swift fans sure caught on.

FADEL: Yeah.

KLOBUCHAR: So I will get whatever allies I have to take on this case. What is in front of us now are solutions and a newly involved Congress - done some stuff but not enough. One, we just passed more merger fees for - to help the antitrust enforcers, whether it's for tech lawsuits¹⁰ or cases with the ticket industry. And they're reportedly looking at this, the Justice Department. Secondly, these hearings, they give the public a chance to see what's going on, and they create under oath evidence for the investigation¹¹ that is presumably occurring. And third, and just as importantly, my colleagues get educated. And then from there, we can do bills specific on ticketing. There are Republicans interested in this right now on fees, on the fact that they try to lock in on these multiyear contracts. All of those things are ripe for legislation.

FADEL: Now, you've outlined your concerns in a letter to the CEO of Live Nation. How has Live Nation responded? How has the CEO responded?

KLOBUCHAR: Live Nation did write us back with some of the answers. And then I also spoke¹² with the witness, the president of Live Nation, last week in preparation for this hearing. I believe there are so many questions that I'm going to have and other members are going to have that's really about these fees. It's about how you can have these breakdowns¹³. They said there was a cyberattack, but not all these artists involve cyberattacks, and these fees don't involve cyberattacks. So I think there are going to be many arguments that are going to be made and good questions asked about why do you have to have a seven-year contract and why these venues are afraid to not use Ticketmaster Live Nation? Why? Because if they don't use them, then they're afraid they're not going to get the top acts that they promote. That's the truth. And we have a competitor, a smaller one, albeit¹⁴ much smaller, that is going to testify about what's really going on.

FADEL: Now - but a company doesn't just cede¹⁵ power when it has it. I mean, what can actually...

KLOBUCHAR: Really?

FADEL: ...Be done (laughter) so that there is competition in this industry.

KLOBUCHAR: Right. Well, that's why you have the Justice Department because they - in the past, when you look at what's happened, when they've taken on these big cases - and there's been a paucity¹⁶ of it in recent decades, but now we're seeing a change because the Biden administration has made this a huge priority. When they take these on, they have all kinds of tools. They can do everything from beefing up a consent decree that this company now operates under to implementing¹⁷ it and make sure that there's severe penalties to breaking up a company. Look what happened with AT&T. We saw lower long-distance rates, and we saw the cellphone industry take off after that company was divided, to the point where a former chair said it was actually better for the company because they finally competed. Competition is good. Our markets and our economy are based on competition. If you don't have competition, you have things happen like what happened with the Taylor Swift concert because there is nowhere else to turn.

FADEL: Really quickly, in the few seconds we have left, how important were Taylor Swift fans in getting to this day? You mentioned you'll take any allies you can get.

KLOBUCHAR: They were very aggressive. But I will say we have been hearing this and pushing on this for years. We had a hearing just a few years ago. Senator Blumenthal and I have been involved in this issue. And Senator Lee, conservative Republican, is also very interested. So this has been going on for a while. But let's just say that I take now, as I said, any of them. And when they put their concerns to music on videos, on social media, it does help.

FADEL: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, thank you so much for speaking with us.

KLOBUCHAR: Thank you, Leila.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

3 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

4 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

5 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

6 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

7 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

8 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

9 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

10 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 breakdowns   

n.分解( breakdown的名词复数 )；衰竭；（车辆或机器的）损坏；统计分析

参考例句：

• Her old car was unreliable, so the trip was plagued by breakdowns. 她的旧车老不听使唤，一路上总是出故障。 来自辞典例句
• How do we prevent these continual breakdowns? 我们如何防止这些一再出现的故障？ 来自辞典例句

14 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

15 cede   

v.割让，放弃

参考例句：

• The debater refused to cede the point to her opponent.辩论者拒绝向她的对手放弃其主张。
• Not because I'm proud.In fact,in front of you I cede all my pride.这不是因为骄傲，事实上我在你面前毫无骄傲可言。

16 paucity   

n.小量，缺乏

参考例句：

• The paucity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果缺乏是由于干旱造成的。
• The results are often unsatisfactory because of the paucity of cells.因细胞稀少，结果常令人不满意。

17 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句