NASHVILLE — U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) are calling on Ticketmaster to answer for what they describe as a “bait-and-switch” scheme that has allegedly driven up ticket prices and deceived fans nationwide. Their letter to Live Nation President and CFO Joe Berchtold follows a sweeping lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission and seven state attorneys general, accusing the company of illegal resale tactics and price manipulation.

At the heart of the senators’ concerns is the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (BOTS), a law Blackburn championed in 2016 to curb scalping through automated software. Despite its passage, the lawmakers say Ticketmaster has failed to enforce it, instead enabling brokers to bypass purchasing limits and resell tickets at inflated prices—often on Ticketmaster’s own secondary platform.

“Fans are being gouged at every turn,” the senators wrote, citing evidence that Ticketmaster collects fees during initial sales, again during resale, and once more when fans purchase those resold tickets. Internal reports suggest the company ignored employee warnings and even offered technical support to brokers through a tool called TradeDesk, designed to streamline mass ticket resales.

The letter also revisits Berchtold’s 2023 Senate testimony, where he claimed Ticketmaster was committed to fighting bots and protecting consumers. Blackburn and Luján now say those assurances were misleading, especially in light of the FTC’s findings.

“Consumers deserve transparency and fairness,” the senators concluded, urging Ticketmaster to come clean about its role in enabling scalpers and undermining public trust in the live entertainment industry.

The company has yet to publicly respond. Meanwhile, fans and artists alike are watching closely as Congress and regulators push for answers—and accountability.