WASHINGTON Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster is being sent a subpoena for documents regarding ticket pricing, fees and secondary sales, a U.S. Senate panel said on Monday.

Ticketmaster, which has been criticized for hardball tactics and high prices for decades, took a new round of rhetorical beatings about this time last year after botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour.

"Live Nation has egregiously stonewalled my Subcommittee’s inquiry into its abusive consumer practices — making the subpoena necessary," Senator Richard Blumenthal, chair of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and a Democrat, said in a statement.

The subpoena would require the company to turn over internal documents and communications related to ticket prices, annual financial data regarding fees, the ticket resale business as well as its relationship with artists and venues.

Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)