“It’s Time to Break It Up”

At a press conference Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he has filed a 29-state and District of Columbia antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster based on anticompetitive practices. “It was time to break it up,” Garland said.

Video transcription

This morning, the Department of Justice joined 29 states and the District of Columbia in suing Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

In recent years, Live Nation Ticketmaster’s exorbitant fees and technology glitches have been criticized by fans and artists alike, but we’re not here today because Live Nation Ticketmaster’s behavior is inconvenient or frustrating.

We’re here because we believe this behavior is anti-competitive and illegal.

Our complaint makes clear what happens when a monopolist devotes its resources to strengthening its monopoly position and isolating itself from competition, rather than investing in better products and services.

We allege that Live Nation has illegally monopolized the concert industry markets in the United States for too long.

It’s time to break this down.