Department of Justice Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Break Up Live Nation and Ticketmaster

The Ministry of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company Living Nation AND Ticket sales manager on Thursday in federal court in Manhattan. The filing also names 29 states and the District of Columbia as plaintiffs. The Justice Department cites Live Nation’s dynamic pricing and resale policies and its exclusive ticketing partnership with Ticketmaster, which controls nearly 80% of primary U.S. ticket sales. Dan Wall, Live Nation’s executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs, denies the allegations. Wall argues that this lawsuit will do nothing to keep ticket prices low and is the result of “intense political pressure on the Department of Justice to file the lawsuit, as well as a long-term lobbying campaign by competitors and ticket brokers seeking government protection for myself. It is also absurd to claim that Live Nation and Ticketmaster exercise monopoly power.” (Consequences of sound)