Justice Department and States Plan to Sue Live Nation for Monopoly Practices

On Thursday, May 23, the Justice Department and a coalition of states are set to file a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster. The lawsuit accuses the concert giant of unlawfully upholding a monopoly within the live entertainment industry, according to individuals familiar with the matter.

Allegations of Monopoly Maintenance

The government's legal action will assert that Live Nation bolstered its dominance through Ticketmaster's exclusive ticketing agreements with concert venues and its control over concert tours and related sectors like venue management. This purportedly permitted the company to uphold a monopoly, resulting in amplified prices and fees for consumers, while stifling innovation within the ticketing industry.

Furthermore, the lawsuit is expected to claim that tours affiliated with Live Nation were more likely to perform at venues where Ticketmaster held the exclusive ticketing rights. Moreover, Live Nation's artists purportedly favored venues owned by the company, suggesting an anti-competitive bias in the selection of performance locations.

Live Nation's Industry Dominance

Live Nation's colossal influence in the concert realm, spanning concert promotion, ticketing, artist management, and the operation of numerous venues and festivals worldwide, surpasses that of any competing entity in scale and scope. This legal action marks a significant development in the ongoing efforts to address alleged monopolistic practices within the live entertainment sector.