Antitrust lawsuit filed against Live Nation

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), along with Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a bipartisan coalition of 30 states, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. The lawsuit alleged that Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster, illegally monopolized the live entertainment industry. This monopoly is reported to affect ticket sales, artist management, promotion and seat selection, leading to higher prices and limited consumer choices.

The lawsuit claims that Live Nation has exclusive ticketing agreements with nearly all major concert venues in the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia areas, such as the Fillmore in Silver Spring and Maryland Stadium in College Park. These agreements prevent venues from choosing other ticketing services or risk losing access to major tours and artists managed by Live Nation. Additionally, the company is accused of forcing artists to use its promotional services to gain access to the best venues.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeks to eliminate Live Nation’s alleged anticompetitive practices by prohibiting these monopolistic behaviors, requiring Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster, and providing relief to those harmed by its practices.

In support of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Brown is joined by his counterparts from various states, including California, Texas, New York, Florida and Washington, in underscoring nationwide concern about Live Nation’s business tactics. This action is part of Maryland’s broader antitrust enforcement efforts, which in the past have included opposing larger mergers and pursuing lawsuits against other dominant companies, such as Amazon and Google, for similar anticompetitive behavior.