Government Sues to Break Up Live Nation-Ticketmaster
If you’ve ever purchased tickets for a live event, like a concert, a sweeping antitrust lawsuit filed today by the Department of Justice impacts you!
The DOJ has accused Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America.
The result, the DOJ said, is a lack of competition and higher ticket prices for fans.
The lawsuit was filed by the DOJ and 30 state and district attorneys general.
“We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monomonopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators. The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster,”said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The live event industry has been under scrutiny since 2022, after the glitchy on-sale snafu for Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour. Lawmakers even held congressional hearings in January 2023, questioning Live Nation executives about their business practices.
The DOJ’s lawsuit spells out a number of troubling accusations against Live Nation, including:
- The use of long-term contracts to keep venues from choosing rival ticketers
- Blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers
- Threatening venues that they could lose money and fans if they don’t use Ticketmaster
The DOJ argues that the effects are felt by anyone who purchases a ticket for a live event, by paying higher fees, experiencing poor customer service, and navigating harsh restrictions on ticket resales.
Live Nation has denied that it engages in practices that violate antitrust laws.
