(New York) The American Department of Justice on Thursday sued the live entertainment giant Live Nation Entertainment, which it accuses of anti-competitive practices in the organization of concerts as well as ticketing via its subsidiary Ticketmaster.
Live Nation’s methods “allow it to exercise monopolistic control over the live entertainment industry in the United States,” said Justice Minister Merrick Garland, quoted in a press release published Thursday.
“The result is that fans pay higher fees, artists have fewer opportunities to perform, smaller promoters are kept out, and venues have fewer ticketing choices,” he said. he continued.
Live Nation Entertainment is the entity created from the merger between concert promoter Live Nation and Ticketmaster in 2010.
The largest player in live entertainment in the world, the group achieved, in 2023, a turnover of 22.7 billion dollars.
It says it organized more than 50,000 events last year, which attracted more than 145 million spectators.
Live Nation owns, manages, is a shareholder in or has exclusive contracts with 373 venues worldwide, according to its annual report.
For Deputy Minister Lisa Monaco, this company seeks, illegally, to “cement its domination of the concert market and behave like the guardian of an entire industry”.
The government accuses the group in particular of having threatened competitors in the promotion of concerts, but also venues that worked with rivals of Live Nation, according to the summons filed in federal court in Manhattan.
Also denounced as anti-competitive are the numerous exclusivity contracts that Live Nation has negotiated with venues and stadiums, which require them to use Ticketmaster for ticketing.
The Department of Justice also mentions the obligation for artists to use promotion and ticketing services when they perform in a venue controlled by Live Nation.
The company argued that there was no basis for the lawsuit, which it said was the result of “intense political pressure and a lobbying campaign by rivals and ticket resellers.” .
“The world is better thanks to this merger (between Live Nation and Ticketmaster), not worse,” insisted the group in a press release.