DOJ Files Antitrust Lawsuit Seeking To Breakup Live Nation And Ticketmaster

The Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. 29 states and the District of Columbia are also listed as plaintiffs in the filing. The DOJ cites Live Nation’s dynamic pricing, resale policies, and its exclusive ticketing partnership with Ticketmaster, which controls nearly 80% of primary ticket sales in the U.S. Dan Wall, Live Nation’s Executive VP of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, hits back against the charges. Wall claims that this lawsuit won’t do anything to keep ticket prices down, and is the result of “intense political pressure on DOJ to file a lawsuit, and a long-term lobbying campaign from rivals and ticket brokers seeking government protection for themselves. It is also absurd to claim that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are wielding monopoly power.” (Consequence of Sound)