The US Department of Justice has wrangled up a giant intimidating posse as it seeks to take on Live Nation-Ticketmaster in a massive antitrust lawsuit. The lawsuit that was filed in May accuses the ticketing giant of being a monopoly. Since it was filed, 10 additional states have hopped on, bringing the total estate involved in the suit to 39 plus the District of Columbia
The complaint says that ever since Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010, their control of a massive chunk of the live music retail space has stifled competition, harming venues, artists, and music fans. The Live Nation side of the business primarily promotes and produces live music events, while Ticketmaster sells tickets for various entertainment events. Allegedly, when it comes to major venues, Live Nation controls around 60% of concert promotions while Ticketmaster controls around 80% of primary ticketing.
The suit alleges that Live Nation-Ticketmaster uses exclusivity agreements with venues to muscle out competition and force them to use Ticketmaster—your run-of-the-mill strong-armed monopolistic tactics, leading to higher prices and a worse experience for people who just want to watch a live show.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and other state AGs are trying to get treble damages imposed, which are a penalty under federal law that triples the amount of damages awarded to a plaintiff in a case. So they’re not just trying to tamp down on Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s dominance. They’re trying to topple a giant.
There’s no telling what the ticket industry will look like if Live Nation-Ticketmaster is ultimately deemed a monopoly. But it is nice to know that the DOJ is actually taking steps to protect us from the hell we all have to go through basically every time we want to see a show.
The post The DOJ Is Coming for Live Nation-Ticketmaster and Its Alleged Monopoly appeared first on VICE.
The post The DOJ Is Coming for Live Nation-Ticketmaster and Its Alleged Monopoly appeared first on VICE.
