Both the House and Senate will hold hearings on the merger. The Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust will hold its hearing on February 24 and the House Committee on Courts and Competitive policy will hold hearings on February 26, according to the The Star-Ledger

In case you’ve been on a desert island for the past week the world’s largest concert promotion company – Live Nation – recently announced plans to merge with the planet’s largest ticketing service – Ticketmaster.

Antitrust issues were raised as soon as the merger announcement hit the streets. The idea that concert promotion and ticketing would be under the same roof, specifically Live Nation Entertainment – the proposed name for the new company – has raised several questions about the merger’s affect on concert fans and the concert industry.

For fans it’s often about the money. As in ticket prices and service charge amounts. So far, concert goers are not all that optimistic that the merger will result in price breaks for ticket buyers.

Concert industry players have also questioned the merger. Non-Live Nation promoters have expressed concerns about the Ticketmaster side of the equation, including whether Live Nation will be allowed to look at sales data for non-Live Nation events. Promoters outside the Live Nation familly are also questioning Ticketmaster’s foray into third-party ticketing with its acquisition of TicketsNow.

Congressional hearings on the merger also received support from one music fan with friends in high places. U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-New Jersey), the same congressman who criticized Ticketmaster’s handling of the Bruce Springsteen onsale where fans got redirected to TicketsNow, welcomed the hearings.

“The merger, which holds the potential to stifle healthy competition in live music entertainment, has raised the ire of music fans and performers all over the country,” Pascrell said in a statement.

Read the Star-Ledger’s account here.