Kid Rock has made waves by pledging to revolutionize the music industry, aligning himself with a key member of the incoming White House administration.
The outspoken singer recently dined with Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Attorney General. Posting a photo on X, he captioned it: “What a treat to break bread with our soon to be Attorney General Pam Bondi. I look forward to working with her and the whole administration to help fix the fiasco of buying concert tickets.”
Kid Rock’s frustration with ticketing practices came through in a bold statement. He added, “Gonna open a can of whoop a** on the bots, scalpers, venues, ticketing companies, managers and artists alike who rip off and deceive the public with the horse sht that has gone on for decades and only gotten worse. Whoever in charge that wants to help fix this, get your a** to the table, otherwise, F*ck Around and Find Out. Kid Rock.”
The music industry’s ticketing crisis has been under scrutiny for years, as ticket prices have skyrocketed. After adjusting for inflation, prices now often run two to three times higher than in previous decades. Fans have faced ongoing frustrations, with issues such as exorbitant prices and dubious sales practices dominating headlines. These problems came into sharp focus during Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour,’ where Live Nation and Ticketmaster faced backlash for mismanaging ticket sales.
Ticketmaster’s troubles extended to other tours, including Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 tour, which saw outrage over ‘dynamic pricing.’ Some fans encountered tickets costing as much as $5,000. While Ticketmaster defended these prices as reflective of demand and “industry standards,” Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, claimed the average ticket price hovered around $200—a figure he deemed fair. However, critics argue these explanations do little to justify practices that often leave loyal fans feeling exploited.
The controversy around dynamic pricing reached the Senate, where Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee held hearings to explore whether Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s practices violated antitrust laws. Despite the intense backlash, Ticketmaster pointed to bots and venue-set fees as contributing factors. Joe Berchtold, the company’s president, insisted that service fees are controlled by venues—many of which are owned by Live Nation.
Amid these developments, Kid Rock has stepped up as a vocal critic of the status quo, aiming to rally other influential figures to combat these longstanding issues.
