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10 U.S. States Join DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Against Live Nation

The lawsuit against Live Nation was refiled by the DOJ with 10 morel U.S. states on board. It includes new claims regarding its Ticketmaster merger.

The U.S. Department of Justice has refiled its historic anti-trust lawsuit against concert promoter Live Nation, with 10 additional states joining the effort to break up the company more than a decade after its 2010 merger with Ticketmaster. “The lawsuit still won’t solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees, and access to in-demand shows. As the building manager’s main representative, OVG is supposed to manage the competitive process for selecting a venue’s ticketing contract, but the complaint alleges that OVG is obligated to “advocate for exclusive agreements with Ticketmaster for more than 100 venues Oak View Group manages” — which the lawsuit claims essentially “locks those venues into long-term exclusive Ticketmaster agreements.” The agreement, the government argues, unfairly prevents third-party competitors from entering the ticketing space while compensating OVG with a substantial “incentive payment” from Live Nation plus significant annual payments.

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