DOJ Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Ticketmaster, Live Nation

The Department of Justice and 30 state and district attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment

Key Quotes: Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators. The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster.” 

Live Nation’s Response: Live Nation refuted the monopoly allegations, stating, “Calling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment, such as the fact that the bulk of service fees go to venues, and that competition has steadily eroded Ticketmaster’s market share and profit margin,” adding, “We will defend against these baseless allegations, use this opportunity to shed light on the industry, and continue to push for reforms that truly protect consumers and artists.”  

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum referenced an incident in 2022 where the Ticketmaster website crashed as users attempted to purchase tickets to Taylor Swift’s tour. This incident was noted as the catalyst for the investigation that led to the lawsuit.