Attorney General Brown Joins Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against Live Nation

BALTIMOR – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a bipartisan coalition of 30 states in filing an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., owner of Ticketmaster, alleging that the company illegally monopolized the live streaming entertainment industry.

“When the world’s largest live entertainment company illegally takes control of ticket sales, artist management and promotion, and seat selection, it’s the fans who suffer the most.” said Attorney General Brown. “This unlawful behavior drives up prices, leaves fans with poor customer service and limits people’s access to live entertainment.”

Live Nation is the exclusive ticket reseller for almost all major concert venues in the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia region, including the Fillmore in Silver Spring, Pier 6 in Baltimore, Maryland Stadium in College Park and Maryland Hall in Annapolis. In the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Department of Justice and the coalition states allege that Live Nation:

Maintained its monopoly on the ticketing market through exclusive contracts and by threatening that venues would lose access to Live Nation-controlled tours and artists if they signed with a competing ticket seller;
It uses its monopoly power to force artists who want to perform in large amphitheaters to choose Live Nation as their concert organizer; AND
It has harmed fans in many ways, including charging higher fees and limiting consumer choice.

The lawsuit asks the court to restore competition in the live entertainment industry by:

Prohibiting Live Nation from engaging in unlawful anti-competitive practices;
Ordering Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster – meaning it will no longer own Ticketmaster; AND
Provide redress to all victims, including Marylanders, harmed by Live Nation’s anti-competitive program.

In joining the Justice Department’s complaint, Attorney General Brown is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina , Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Maryland OAG Antitrust Enforcement Activities

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has a long history of holding companies accountable for antitrust violations that harm Marylanders. Last year, OAG opposed the anticompetitive mergers of Kroger and Albertsons and JetBlue and Spirit, partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to focus on reducing anticompetitive barriers in food and agricultural supply chains, and brought a lawsuit against Amazon to stop its anti-competitive conduct on online markets and resolved antitrust cases against Google in connection with the misconduct of the Play Store and against Indivior Inc. in connection with thwarting competition in the market for Suboxone, a drug for opioid addiction.

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