by Kid Rock has publicly challenged Pearl Jam and other artists to join the fight against Ticketmaster. He called out those who remain silent on the company’s practices in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter).
The musician expressed strong criticism of Ticketmaster’s business practices. He urged fellow artists to speak up about the ticketing giant’s treatment of both fans and performers.
“They r*ped us for f*cking years! F*ck ’em! [I] hope they all go down,” he said. “But really, what I hope for is that we can fix ticketing for the fans. By the way, they’ve been f*cking the artists, too, but I’m kind of second that equation. I want the fans to be able to go to a show at the prices I set for my ticket, and most artists do.”
Kid Rock then directed his criticism toward artists who he believes won’t take a stand against the company.
“We’ll see if any other artists get on board by the way with the lawsuit and their management, if they want to talk and tell them about the bullsh*t that’s going on for decades,” he continued. “A lot of them will p*ss out — straight up p*ssies. All these outlaw country singers, they’ll be a bunch of f*cking pussies when they should they should speak up for their fans.”
He specifically called out Pearl Jam. He referenced the band’s previous attempts to challenge Ticketmaster’s monopoly in the 1990s.
“Let’s see if Pearl Jam steps up. They wanted to fix ticketing years ago. … So, calling your bluff right now. Let’s see what happens,” he said.
Kid Rock’s challenge comes as the Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster in 2025. This marks a significant escalation in the fight against the ticketing giant’s alleged monopolistic practices.
Loudwire reported that the FTC lawsuit alleges Live Nation and Ticketmaster engaged in deceptive and anti-competitive practices in the ticketing market. The allegations include tacit coordination with brokers to buy and resell large numbers of event tickets at inflated prices, as well as misleading pricing tactics that hide extra fees from consumers.
The current controversy echoes a longer history of ticketing disputes in the music industry. Pearl Jam famously battled Ticketmaster in the 1990s, attempting to challenge the company’s monopoly over concert ticketing. More recently, the bot-driven ticket sales problems during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour brought renewed attention to the systemic issues plaguing the live entertainment ticketing market.
The PRP noted that Kid Rock has urged Pearl Jam and other artists to support the FTC’s lawsuit despite their obvious political differences. This signals a potential coalition forming among artists from various backgrounds to challenge Ticketmaster’s dominance and advocate for fairer ticketing conditions.
The challenge comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Ticketmaster’s business practices and market dominance in the live entertainment industry. It potentially builds on decades of artist activism against unfair ticketing practices.
