''United States, et al. v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC'' is an

antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

lawsuit brought by the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

(DOJ) and twenty-nine states and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, against entertainment company

Live Nation Entertainment Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...

and its subsidiary

Ticketmaster Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entert ...

, following the

Taylor Swift–Ticketmaster controversy The American ticket sales platform Ticketmaster and the parent company Live Nation Entertainment received widespread public criticism and political scrutiny over blunders in selling tickets to the United States leg of the Eras Tour (2023), the s ...

in 2022. Filed on May 23, 2024, the lawsuit alleges that Live Nation has a monopoly on the live event sector. The case was filed before the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a United States district court, federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York (state), New York ...

. If successful, Live Nation Entertainment may be forced to sell Ticketmaster.

Background

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

'' reported that the lawsuit followed "years of backlash from consumers, rivals and lawmakers against Ticketmaster and its parent company."

Initial merger (2010)

In 2009,

Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...

and

announced plans to merge to become the present-day company

. At the time, Ticketmaster had been dominant in ticket sales for over twenty years. Documents obtained by the DOJ found that Live Nation’s entry into the ticketing market in December 2008 posed a threat to Ticketmaster's market share, and the merger effort was announced two months later. The merger announcement received criticism from artists including

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

and several consumer groups. The DOJ ultimately permitted the merger to proceed, with both parties being required to sign a 10-year consent decree. The agreement was intended to prevent the company from engaging in anti-competitive behavior, including retaliation against independent venues.

Scrutiny since 2010

Following the merger, Live Nation's Ticketmaster faced allegations that it engaged in anti-competitive behavior that violated the 2010 consent decree. In 2019, the DOJ probed the company over allegations that Live Nation leveraged its dominance in concert touring to coerce venues into signing contracts with Ticketmaster. In December 2019, the DOJ announced that Live Nation Entertainment agreed to amend and strengthen the consent decree. Following the

in 2022, congressional lawmakers urged antitrust action against Ticketmaster. In November 2022, it was reported that the DOJ was conducting an antitrust probe into Ticketmaster's compliance with the 2019 agreement. ''

'' reported in July 2023 that the DOJ's probe into Ticketmaster had progressed, and that a formal antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation was possible.

Lawsuit developments

On May 23, 2024, the Department of Justice formally announced its antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, accusing the company of illegally monopolizing the live event market. During a news conference, Attorney General

Merrick Garland Merrick Brian Garland (born November 13, 1952) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since March 2021 as the 86th United States attorney general. He previously served as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of ...

stated "It is time to break it up" in reference to the company. The DOJ's legal team includes over a dozen attorneys under the leadership of

Jonathan Kanter Jonathan Seth Kanter (born July 30, 1973) is an American antitrust attorney who has served as assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division since November 16, 2021. Prior to this, Kanter worked as an antitrust ...

, the

Assistant Attorney General Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general. The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and ...

for the

Antitrust Division The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice that enforces U.S. antitrust law. It has exclusive jurisdiction over U.S. federal criminal antitrust prosecutions. It also has jurisdic ...

. The DOJ was joined in the lawsuit by twenty-nine state attorneys general and the

attorney general for the District of Columbia The Attorney General for the District of Columbia is the chief legal officer of the District of Columbia. While attorneys general previously were appointed by the mayor, District of Columbia voters approved a charter amendment in 2010 that ...

. The DOJ and states are pursuing a

jury trial A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a Trial, legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or Question of law, findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or Judicial panel, panel of judges makes all decisions. ...

in the case.

Related cases

Commentators have noted that the lawsuit follows a number of high-profile antitrust lawsuits launched under the Biden administration, including against

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

, and

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

. Additionally, on May 24, 2024, a day after the DOJ case was filed, a consumer case seeking $5 billion in damages from Live Nation Entertainment on potentially millions of individuals who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster was filed.

Reference

{{Reflist 2024 in United States case law Live Nation Entertainment United States antitrust case law United States District Court for the Southern District of New York cases