Live Nation is facing antitrust court over its alleged monopoly on live music

The US Department of Justice will reportedly file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, this week.

New York Times reports that the US Department of Justice will file the lawsuit as early as Thursday, with sources revealing that it will focus on Live Nation’s alleged conduct in illegally maintaining a monopoly in the live music industry.

This includes arguments that Live Nation is using its ownership of Ticketmaster, which has exclusive ticketing agreements with concert venues. Live Nation is also said to have strengthened its ability to maintain a monopoly by raising prices and fees for consumers, despite its alleged dominance over touring and venue management.

The lawsuit was first revealed in a report entitled “Wall Street” daily in April, which claimed Live Nation now controls more than 80 percent of U.S. live music ticket sales since merging with Ticketmaster in 2010. Live Nation rejected the allegations in a statement from its chief corporate officer, Dan Wall, who argued that the company has more competition than ever.

CNN reports that if the lawsuit is successful, it could pave the way for effective changes in the live events market. Live Nation has not yet made a public statement on the latest reports.

Last February, in its year-end report, Live Nation announced its best year ever – 2023, citing skyrocketing concert attendance and ticket sales. Ticketmaster sold 620 million tickets, an increase of 13% compared to the previous year. Its revenue increased 32 percent to almost $3 billion.

This isn’t the first antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation. In 2022, a class-action lawsuit filed by a group of plaintiffs – allegedly including “hundreds of thousands, if not millions” of customers – alleged that Live Nation is a “monster (that) must be stopped.” It was thrown out in February 2023 by a federal appeals court after it ruled that the buyers waived their right to sue.

In December 2022, Taylor Swift fans in the US sued Ticketmaster on allegations of fraud, price fixing and antitrust violations during the pre-sale of tickets for The Eras Tour by “verified fans”. The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit withdrew a year later, filing a motion with the court stating that both parties “agreed to continue ongoing settlement talks through mediation.”