The Department of Justice is suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation, the monolithic ticketing enterprise that merged in 2010, over its alleged industry monopoly that's, which was filed in Manhattan and includes sign-offs from 30 state and district attorneys general, the DOJ declared that it seeks to break up the ticketing monolith's monopoly on the industry.
The behemoth that is Live Nation-Ticketmaster has from the very start been under government antitrust scrutiny given that the two biggest ticketing companies in the US merged into one., with a flurry of suits in 2022 brought by fans of Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen setting the scene for the current era of government skepticism.
In its press release, the agency outlined several ways that Ticketmaster allegedly maintains control over the ticket sales industry, including buying out competitors, successfully threatening financial retaliation against other promotion companies, and threatening and retaliating against venues that work with its rivals. If that sounds
As a result of these alleged tactics, AG Garland said, "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.", the Live Nation-Ticketmaster said that claims that it wields monopoly power over the industry are "absurd" and that there is now more competition than ever before.
"We are another casualty of Administration’s decision to turn over antitrust enforcement to a populist urge that simply rejects how antitrust law works," the statement reads. " Some call this 'Anti-Monopoly', but in reality it is just anti-business.", and this attempt to paint itself as the victim is one of the many reasons why this company's forthcoming comeuppance already feels so sweet.