Bruce Springsteen Ticket Fiasco Gets THIS Formidable Opponent From Congress

Bruce Springsteen
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Bob Woodruff Foundation

Bruce Springsteen fans are being heard as the highly contentious Ticketmaster Dynamic Pricing Program meets a formidable opponent - New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr.

Fans of the rock icon have been aching on the ceiling-high prices of Bruce Springsteen 2023 Tour tickets, which bolts up to $5,000.

Since the issue emerged, Bruce Springsteen has been mum about the issue, which many find ironic since he has also complained about this in the past.

New Jersey Congress Bill Pascrell Jr vs Ticketmaster

Earlier this week, New Jersey Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. made public a letter demanding answers from Live Nation-owned Ticketing giant Ticketmaster, which he has been a staunch critic of ever since

In the letter, Pascrell addressed the letter to Live Nation Entertainment President and CEO Michael Rapino, asking him to explain further the highly debated "Dynamic Pricing Program" that Bruce Springsteen fans have been fuming over.

"Reforms are desperately needed, and that is why I introduced the BOSS ACT that would bring much needed transparency to the sale, pricing, and distribution of live-event tickets. However, your company could unilaterally enact these consumer-friendly reforms at any time, and because your company controls an overwhelming portion of both the primary and secondary ticketing markets, these reforms would likely become the industry standard overnight," Pascrell said in the letter.

Specifically, Pascrell wanted to know how much of the Bruce Springsteen 2023 tour was exclusively booked by Ticketmaster and the basis of the "industry standard rates" they are comparing the rates from.

New York State Senator James Skoufis pointed out last August that Ticketmaster is a ruling monopoly on the ticketing industry, especially with the 2010 merger with Live Nation, making them a giant force in the live entertainment industry.

Ticketmaster Dynamic Pricing Program

According to the ticketing giant, the "Dynamic Pricing Program" was crafted to "devalue" the secondary trade market that initially benefits from scalpers and ticket resellers.

With the new amped-up Bruce Springsteen ticket prices, instead of the added cost going to the second market, the money will go to the artists themselves.

Accounts that prices for the 2023 Arena Tour going up to $5,000 have been reported. However, Ticketmaster says that only 11% of the tickets sold were part of the Dynamic Pricing Program's Platinum Seats.

As of this writing, Bruce Springsteen remains silent on the issue - which some fans call ironic since, in 2009, he called out the company for redirecting fans to purchase more expensive tickets on a resale website.

Tags
Bruce Springsteen
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics