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Photo: Associated Press, via Chicago Sun-Times

Independent

Jerry Mickelson

CEO and President, Jam Productions

Co-founder, CEO and president of Jam Productions, a Chicago-based independent concert promoter operating since 1972.

Last updated 2026-09-16

In short

Jerry Mickelson is CEO and President at Jam Productions. Leads one of the country's largest surviving self-funded independent promoters and is among the most visible advocates for antitrust action against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. Jerry Mickelson is CEO and president of Jam Productions, the Chicago-based concert promotion company he co-founded in 1972, a title confirmed by his own 2023 Senate testimony and by the National Independent Venue Association's current member directory [2](https://portal.nivassoc.org/directory/Details/jam-productions-1625366).

Quick facts

Current role
CEO and President
Organisation
Jam Productions
Primary category
Independent
Known for
Jam Productions; Senate Judiciary Committee testimony; Chicago concert market; Live Nation-Ticketmaster antitrust advocacy

Executive summary

Jerry Mickelson is CEO and president of Jam Productions, the Chicago-based concert promotion company he co-founded in 1972, a title confirmed by his own 2023 Senate testimony and by the National Independent Venue Association's current member directory [2](https://portal.nivassoc.org/directory/Details/jam-productions-1625366).

He has become one of the most consistent public critics of the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in January 2023 and appearing again in May 2026 at a bicameral congressional forum examining the Department of Justice's settlement with Live Nation [4](https://www.nivassoc.org/statements/2026/tom-degeorge-and-jerry-mickelson-to-address-live-nation-ticketmaster-monopoly-at-bicameral-spotlight-forum).

Jam Productions has remained self-funded and independent through five decades of industry consolidation, which is the basis on which trade press and Congress have repeatedly sought his perspective on competitive harm in ticketing and promotion.

Why Jerry Mickelson matters in live music

Mickelson's public testimony has directly shaped congressional and Department of Justice scrutiny of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, including the DOJ's 2024 antitrust suit, which national coverage linked to warnings he had made publicly for more than a decade.

As an operator who has stayed independent since 1972, his continued advocacy provides a documented, on-the-record account of how a regional independent promoter experiences competition from an integrated national company.

Career record

  1. 1972Co-founded Jam Productions in Chicago at age 20, according to his own Senate testimony.
  2. 2023Testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on ticketing competition, identified in his testimony as CEO and president of Jam Productions, LLC.
  3. 2026Addressed a bicameral congressional forum on the Live Nation-Ticketmaster settlement alongside other NIVA members.

Sphere of influence

Levels are categorical — Core, Major, Significant, Limited — and each is stated with the evidence it rests on. No numeric score is published, because none would be defensible.

Independent promotion
Major
Leads a self-funded independent promoter operating in Chicago and the Midwest since 1972.
Ticketing antitrust policy
Major
Has testified twice before Congress on Live Nation-Ticketmaster competition issues, most recently in May 2026.

Entity relationships

Current

Timeline

  1. 1972Co-founded Jam Productions.
  2. 2023-01-24Testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on ticketing-market competition.
  3. 2024-05-23Publicly welcomed the Department of Justice's antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, citing Jam's own experience being shut out of markets.
  4. 2026-05-18Addressed a bicameral congressional spotlight forum on the Live Nation-Ticketmaster settlement.

Related Live Index research and records

References and sources