Pearl Jam had never been more popular than in early 1994. Armed with that sense of invincibility, the Seattle band set out to take on a giant of the concert industry.
In a bold move, Pearl Jam accused Ticketmaster of creating a monopoly after they gobbled up their main competitor, Ticketron, in 1991. This allowed Ticketmaster to rack up whatever it wanted in additional service fees, which Pearl Jam claimed was raising the price of concerts. The group wanted to charge no more than $18.50 for tickets in 1994, with service fees of no more than $1.80. Ticketmaster resisted, saying they needed at least $2 in fees simply to cover costs.
Eddie Vedder and company weren’t just paying lip service: They hired the Manhattan-based law firm Sullivan and Cromwell, and on May 6, 1994, they filed an official complaint with the Department of Justice, leading to the bassist’s testimony. Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard before Congress.
Fred Rosen, CEO of Ticketmaster, responded: “If Pearl Jam wants to play for free, we’d be happy to distribute their free tickets.” Elsewhere, Time magazine referred to the legal battle centered on antitrust laws as “The Holy War of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
Pearl Jam ended up skipping a summer tour as the battle raged. That was no small feat, considering the great reception the group’s two most recent albums (1991’s Ten and 1993’s Vs.) had received. They tried, almost in vain, to book tickets at places that were not associated with Ticketmaster.
“Our band, which is determined to keep ticket prices low, will always be in conflict with Ticketmaster,” Gossard said.
However, it was in vain. The federal investigation was eventually dropped. The worst part, actually, was that Pearl Jam was finally forced to book parts of their upcoming tour with (you guessed it) Ticketmaster.
What exactly has changed decades later? Bit. Ticketmaster, in fact, grew even more when it merged with event promoter Live Nation in 2010, becoming Live Nation Entertainment.
The dispute led to a moment of levity when Vedder inducted Neil Young into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. A party planner put Pearl Jam’s table next to Ticketmaster’s at the ceremony, leading to Vedder joked: “I predict a food fight at the end of the night. I would recommend classy people leave or join! Maybe we should join in, while we have them here!
