The Justice Department files a lawsuit against Live Nation over its 2010 purchase of Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster, Live Nation DOJ Lawsuit Overview:

• Who: The U.S. Department of Justice and 30 state and district attorneys have filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
• Why: The lawsuit alleged that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have an unfair monopoly on the live event ticket market and can charge uncompetitive prices and fees.
• Where: Live Nation’s lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York.

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The U.S. Department of Justice and 30 state and district attorneys have filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, alleging that the companies have an unfair monopoly on the live event ticketing market and can charge uncompetitive prices and fees.

The lawsuit was filed just over a month after the report found that DOJ lawsuit it was close.

The lawsuit says the unlawful monopoly limits ticketing innovation and forces customers to use outdated technology by paying more for tickets than fans in other countries.

“We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopoly control over the live events industry in the United States at the expense of fans, artists, smaller promoters and venue operators,” the attorney general said. Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “As a result, fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play shows, smaller promoters are squeezed out and venues have less real choice in ticketing services. It is time to part ways with Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”

Live Nation, Ticketmaster monopoly blocks competition, lawsuits

The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are using their monopoly to exclude competitors from the arena, amphitheater and live concert hall market.

The companies collect fees and revenue from concert fans and sponsors, use the funds to provide artists with exclusive promotional deals, and then use live content to sign long-term exclusive ticketing agreements with venues, according to a Justice Department lawsuit. .

“Our fight against corporate misconduct includes an intense focus on anti-competitive behavior that harms consumers, workers and businesses of all kinds,” says Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco in press release from the Department of Justice. “Today’s complaint alleges that Live Nation-Ticketmaster engaged in anti-competitive conduct in order to assert its dominance in the live concert market and serve as a gatekeeper for the entire industry.”

Do you think Live Nation has unfair control over event ticket costs? Let us know in the comments.

The DOJ Ticketmaster and Live Nation lawsuit Is United States of America et al. v. Live Nation Entertainment Inc. et al., Case No. 1:24-cv-03973, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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