Posted on 05/23/2024 7:39:48 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
U.S. plans antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster parent Live Nation
The Department of Justice and a group of U.S. state attorneys general on Thursday plan to sue ticketing giant Live Nation on antitrust grounds, a source familiar with the DOJ's plans told Axios.
Why it matters: The outcome of the legal battle with one of the largest ticketing and live events companies in the U.S. could fundamentally upend the industry.
Details: The DOJ plans to announce in a midday press conference on Thursday that it is suing Live Nation alongside several states for illegally abusing its monopoly power in live ticketing through its 2010 acquisition of Ticketmaster. It will argue that Live Nation leveraged Ticketmaster's exclusive contracts with concert venues to maintain a monopoly in the live entertainment industry and will recommend that the two companies be separated, the source confirmed to Axios.
The DOJ declined to comment, and Live Nation did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Catch up quick: The DOJ declined to sue to sue to block Live Nation's acquisition of Ticketmaster in 2010, but said the company is not allowed to pressure concert venues to use its ticketing software through a legal order called a consent decree. The 10-year consent decree, Axios reported, was extended for more than five years in 2020, giving the DOJ more power to go after the company for abusing its market dominance.
Between the lines: Live Nation faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups over botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in late 2022. That fiasco highlighted the firm's dominance, although the DOJ was reportedly already investigating the company.
The big picture: The Biden administration has aggressively gone after big businesses, particularly in tech, for antitrust over the past three years, suing suing Apple in March and suing Google multiple times since 2020.
” Having failed to control the price of bread, fedgov now turns its attention to the ticket prices of the circuses. “
Yes !
“It’s gotten to the point that it is almost impossible to se a concert for under $200. I was looking at seeing Styx and Foreigner at the PBC Arts Center and Lawn Seating was about $140 per person, add in Live Nation/Ticket Master fees and Parking you are easily at $200 to sit in the mud with almost no view of the stage. Decent tickets were $180 up. I guess I will be listening to my old albums which will sound better anyway.”
Yep - wasn’t that long ago i could get good seats close to the stage to see big name bands for $150 or less. Now the same seats would be $450 or more. All the bands (or ticket vendors?) now seem to think they are worth what crazy Taylor Swift fans pay. I can afford the prices but won’t pay them. I had $240/ea. tickets to see Aerosmith last November. Steven Tyler blew out his larnyx and they postponed the show. Got a refund because i decided it just wasn’t worth it for mediocre seats (i was working when they went on sale).
Concert promoters, hotels and lodging sites soon will have to disclose extra fees up front
https://apnews.com/article/ftc-junk-fees-rule-hotels-tickets-085606d99f137040e9a86e5b1ac04068
FTC sues Ticketmaster and Live Nation over ticket brokers and fees
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/18/ftc-ticketmaster-live-nation-ticket-brokers
Let me know if you're going to post the Axios story from today.
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