Public Knowledge Praises Department of Justice Antitrust Lawsuit to Break Up Live Nation/Ticketmaster Monopoly

The U.S. Department of Justice, along with 30 state and district attorneys general, today filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster for monopolization and competition in the live entertainment industry.

Nearly 15 years ago, the Department of Justice approved the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, combining the world’s largest concert promoter – a major venue operator and artist manager – with the world’s largest ticket provider. The Justice Department approved the merger on the condition that Ticketmaster refrain from retaliating against venues that choose not to use its platform to sell tickets. Unfortunately, the conglomerate abused its excessive market power and repeatedly violated the order, leading to a new, expanded monitoring agreement in 2019. The lawsuit follows years of public knowledge efforts calling on the Department of Justice to stop Live Nation/Ticketmaster’s anticompetitive conduct.

The following information can be attributed to Elise Phillips, Policy Advisor at Public Knowledge:

“We applaud the Department of Justice for filing a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment and its wholly owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster, after years of public and regulatory scrutiny. This lawsuit follows a 2019 investigation that uncovered Live Nation’s abuse of monopoly power to displace lower-tier venues and artists – in direct violation of terms imposed during its 2010 acquisition of Ticketmaster.

“The Department of Justice makes a strong case in this lawsuit, highlighting the various tactics Live Nation Entertainment uses to further strengthen its monopoly position in the live entertainment market. For example, the complaint alleged that the conglomerate retaliated against potential competitors; at-risk sites that partner with existing rivals; and used contracts containing restrictive provisions to prevent artists and venues from working with anyone other than Ticketmaster.

“Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been charging consumers exorbitant fees for years and using their market power to force venues and other promoters to do business with them just to survive. They control 80 percent of ticket sales and have exclusive traffic agreements that cover 70 percent of ticket sales. These anti-competitive dynamics result in higher fees, fewer touring opportunities, and even fewer market choices for consumers.

“This lawsuit is an important step toward restoring competition in the live entertainment market. However, there is still much to do. We are imploring lawmakers to strengthen our antitrust and consumer protection laws to prevent platforms like Ticketmaster from engaging in this type of anticompetitive behavior in the future and to ensure that fans can pay a fair price for events.

Read our article “More must be done to stop the Ticketmaster monopoly” for more information on the anticompetitive behavior of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests or to be added to the public knowledge press list at [email protected] or 405-249-9435.