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Attorney General Josh Stein is suing Live Nation over antitrust claims

Posted on by darion

For immediate publication:
Thursday, May 23, 2024

Contact: Nazneen Ahmed
919-716-0060

The U.S. Department of Justice and a bipartisan group of 30 AGs maintain that Live Nation illegally monopolized the live entertainment industry.

(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein joined the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) and a bipartisan coalition of 30 states in filing an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Ticketmaster LLC, accusing the companies of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry, which drove up the prices of live performances.

“Live Nation uses its monopoly power to force North Carolinians to pay more than they should for live event tickets,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “Tickets to shows are already expensive enough. I will not allow any company to use their monopoly position to charge people even more. That’s why I’m presenting today’s action.”

In the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the USDOJ states that Live Nation:

  • Doing harm to fans by charging higher fees and limiting the amount of information fans have about the final cost of watching a show. Fans’ ticket purchasing experiences – from ticket purchase to show time – are also worse than they would be if the industry were competitive.
  • It maintained its monopoly on ticketing markets by locking venues into restrictive, long-term, exclusive contracts and threatening that venues would lose access to Live Nation-controlled tours and artists if they signed with a competing ticket seller.
  • He used his extensive network of properties to force artists to choose Live Nation as a promoter over their rivals, maintaining a monopoly on promotions.

The lawsuit asks the court to restore competition in the live entertainment industry by:

  • Prohibiting Live Nation from engaging in anti-competitive practices.
  • Ordering Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster.

Attorney General Stein opened an investigation into Ticketmaster in November 2022. A copy of the complaint is available here.

In joining the Justice Department’s complaint, Attorney General Stein is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

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