The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a group of states are planning to sue Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, accusing it of illegally maintaining a monopoly in the live entertainment industry. The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation has fortified its power through Ticketmaster’s exclusive ticketing contracts with concert venues, as well as the company’s dominance over concert tours and other businesses like venue management.
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been under investigation since at least 2022 over claims that the entertainment giant is abusing its power. The DOJ is in the final stages of preparing an antitrust suit that could come as soon as this month. The exact timing of any case is still in flux and could slip into June or later.
The exact claims in the potential lawsuit couldn’t be learned, but the Justice Department has focused in part on prohibitions on reselling tickets and exclusive deals with venues to only use Ticketmaster. A case would add to the embattled company’s myriad policy and legal battles, and if successful, could potentially lead to a breakup of the company.
Ticketmaster is the largest ticketing company in the U.S. However, it says that its market share has fallen in recent years and is now significantly less than the 80 percent alleged by the DOJ in its 2010 case against the initial deal that merged Ticketmaster and Live Nation. It says companies including SeatGeek, AEG and Paciolan are chipping away at its dominance, and the company estimates it controls just half of the market if sporting events are factored in.
Read more: www.nytimes.com