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Live Nation and Ticketmaster as one company.. maybe?

#1

ncts_dodge_man

ncts_dodge_man

So... maybe this wasn't a good merger, eh DOJ?

From the BBC:


The US Justice Department (DOJ) is set to file a competition lawsuit against entertainment giant Live Nation as early as Thursday, multiple sources familiar with the matter confirmed to the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

Prosecutors are expected to challenge the Ticketmaster parent company's business practices, the sources said.

In many instances, when the DOJ sues over competition issues it seeks to force a firm to split off parts of its business or change how it operates.

The DOJ declined to comment when approached by the BBC. The BBC has also requested comment from Live Nation.

The federal government will be joined in its legal challenge by numerous state attorneys general, said the Washington Post, which first reported the story.

The lawsuit is expected to allege that the business - which puts on concerts, sells tickets and owns venues - has squeezed out competitors and weakened customer choice, which helped to push up prices.

The move comes after an investigation by DOJ's anti-trust division that spanned years. In 2022, CBS News reported that the Justice Department was looking at the company and its Ticketmaster unit.

Live Nation Entertainment was created by the merger in 2010 of US-based events promoter Live Nation and ticket sales and distribution company Ticketmaster.

At the time, the DOJ approved the deal despite concerns that it would create a giant capable of dominating the live entertainment industry.

Live Nation Entertainment has faced growing criticism from fans, lawmakers, artists and competitors.

The company has been accused of having too much influence over live entertainment events in the US and around the world.


#2

Frank

Frank

Good. Tear them apart, piss on the remains and scatter them to the fucking wind.


#3

PatrThom

PatrThom

Oh good, the BBC reported on this.
I saw this story linked from a US site onreddit yesterday, but when I tried to follow the link, the story had been taken down. I sincerely hope that LN/TM is forced to, uh, face the music.

--Patrick


#4

ncts_dodge_man

ncts_dodge_man

No longer a 'is set to' it's now 'officially sued...' - with another article.


#5

Dave

Dave

I have been harping on this one for a while but even though this is a step in the right direction the thing they should ALSO be looking at is how Ticketmaster fakes queues and immediately puts tickets onto their "reselling" platform at double, triple, or higher. You can NOT get tickets easily just logging in when you are supposed to since bots buy them all up and miraculously end up on Ticketmaster's own reselling platforms.


#6

Frank

Frank

I ended up paying 50 dollars for a 25 dollar ticket to wrestling a couple weeks back.

25 dollars in endless fees.


#7

blotsfan

blotsfan

In New York State they’re required to display the post-fee prices by default. It doesn’t make it cheaper but it makes it fee like less of a ripoff.


#8

PatrThom

PatrThom

Less of a surprise, maybe. But no less of a ripoff.

--Patrick


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