The lawsuit is expected to allege that the entertainment conglomerate leveraged its sprawling footprint – as a concert promoter,ticket seller and venue owner – to block rivals in ways that lessened consumer choice and resulted in rising prices for consumers,the sources said.
Federal officials plan to file the case in a New York federal court alongside dozens of state attorneys-general,one of the sources said. The move would cap a probe that first registered vast public interest after Ticketmaster mishandled sales in 2022 for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour,sparking widespread outcry.
The Justice Department declined to comment. Live Nation did not respond to a request for comment.
The US lawsuit would count among the most significant competition cases brought under President Joe Biden,who entered office on a pledge to aggressively enforce the nation’s antitrust laws.
Over the past three years,federal regulators have brought similarly sweeping anti-monopoly charges against tech giants including Apple,Amazon and Google,while challenging a number of mergers,including the recently proposed combination of Kroger and Albertsons,two grocery chains.
“We have reached a turning point in antitrust enforcement … not just because we as enforcers believe it’s important,but because the public is demanding it,” Jonathan Kanter,the Justice Department’s top antitrust official,said during an event withThe Washington Post this month.
Biden has argued that increased corporate consolidation corresponds with rising consumer prices throughout the economy,including in ticket sales,where the White House has blasted Live Nation and its peers for imposing and raising “junk fees” on concertgoers.
It was the US government’s blessing in 2010 that allowed Live Nation to acquire Ticketmaster,creating an entertainment juggernaut that now promotes concerts,manages artists,owns performance venues,and sells and resells tickets for concerts,sports games and other widely attended events.
Last year,the company estimated it sold 620 million tickets globally,making it the “largest live entertainment company in the world.”
But the Justice Department granted its original green light only conditionally under the Obama administration:It barred Live Nation from retaliating against venues – and denying them tours or other shows – that choose not to use its Ticketmaster platform. The company ultimately violated that order repeatedly,federal officials later alleged under president Donald Trump,resulting in a new,extended agreement to monitor Live Nation in 2019.
The Washington Post
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