Ticketmaster Handed Subpoenas

Ryan Nakashima

LOS ANGELES -- Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc.(TKTM Quote) has informed hundreds of ticket brokers it will hand over details of their dealings on its ticket-resale subsidiary TicketsNow, as it also copes with a separate antitrust probe into its proposed merger with concert promoter Live Nation Inc.(LYV Quote)

Ticketmaster told brokers in an email Friday that the company has received "a number of subpoenas and demands for sworn information" from a list of agencies, including the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Competition Bureau.

"We are taking steps to protect the confidentiality of these materials once produced but feel we are required to provide these materials in response to lawful demands," Ticketmaster said in the email, adding it would respond by next Friday.

Specifically, Ticketmaster said it is required to send information regarding the resale of tickets to Bruce Springsteen concerts on May 21 and 23, the names and contact information of all ticket brokers that TicketsNow does business with, and copies of the broker contracts with the site.

Lawmakers, fans, and Springsteen himself expressed outrage over ticket handling for the May shows in New Jersey, saying Ticketmaster redirected customers from its main site to TicketsNow, where higher-priced tickets were on sale, despite cheaper face-value ones being available.