The Justice Department is preparing to file charges against Live Nation as early as next month. [non-paywalled link], an antitrust challenge could trigger major changes at the biggest concert promotion and ticket sales company. WSJ: The agency will file an antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster's parent company in the coming weeks, accusing the nation's largest concert promoter of using its dominance to undermine the competition to sell tickets to live events, according to people familiar with the matter. They say they are preparing to file a lawsuit.
It was not possible to know the specific claims made by the ministry. The federal government has stopped trying to block Live Nation's 2010 partnership with Ticketmaster. Since then, the company has faced accusations from lawmakers, regulators and state attorneys general of exorbitant ticket prices, defective customer service and anti-competitive practices. Critics of the merger say the company should be broken up because it stifles competition in the ticketing industry. Live Nation's size and influence in concert promotion, ticket sales and venues is at the center of a Justice Department investigation that began in 2022. In November 2022, the investigation gained momentum after Ticketmaster crashed during fan pre-sales for Taylor Swift's Elas Tour.
