In a move that will primarily affect music but could have ramifications in the sports world, the Department of Justice announced Thursday that it would move forward with a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment.
The lawsuit alleges serious antitrust violations that the government alleges are a consortium trying to dominate the live events industry at the expense of performers, venues and artists. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued the following statement:.
“We allege that Live Nation has resorted to illegal and anti-competitive practices to exert its monopoly control over the U.S. live events industry at the expense of fans, artists, small promoters and venue operators. As a result, fans pay more, artists get fewer concert opportunities, small promoters are shut out and venues have fewer ticketing options. It’s time to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.”
The lawsuit alleges that Ticketmaster and Live Nation lock venues into long-term contracts that prevent them from collaborating with other ticket providers and preventing them from competing on price. It alleges that this is causing harm to consumers.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation have come under fire from Taylor Swift fans as part of Swift’s 2023 sale. era trip. Fans complained of soaring prices, high fees and unfair practices. But this is also what sports fans have endured for years under Ticketmaster.
At the time of writing, tickets are available at Ticketmaster. Celtics Their first home game in Indiana will be against the Pacers. Tickets cost $183 each, but if you buy two tickets there will be a $75+ fee.
Ticketmaster claims that fees are split 50-50 between the company and the venue, but this practice lacks transparency and has always been questionable. There are no limits to the service fees companies can charge, and all live events are effectively locked down, making it impossible for fans to ignore them.
Time will tell how this lawsuit will change the live events industry.
