Live Nation executives are among the five Italian promoters that have been accused of conspiring with Viagogo to “remove tickets from the market” and resell them at inflated prices.
Live Nation Italia’s MD Roberto De Luca and director general Antonella Lodi were both due to appear at a preliminary court hearing in Milan on November 13, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa.
Former Vivo Concerti executive, Corrado Rizzotto, and now head of Indipendente Concerti, also appeared, alongside Di and Gi’s Domenico d’Allesandro and Charles Roest of Viagogo.
The five defendants, the report says, were accused of “fraud against the state” for not having paid taxes and performance royalties in full, in what has been described as “insider trading.”
In addition, the newspaper claims, the five promoters have been accused of selling tickets at inflated prices and spreading “false information causing an alteration of the market,” following an investigation that began two years ago.
An official close to the case told Audience magazine that the prosecution relates to an alleged agreement between the promoters and Viagogo.
“We believe that some concert organisers in Italy – Live Nation, D’Alessandro and Galli [Di & Gi] – have signed an agreement with Viagogo to remove tickets from the official market and sell them on the secondary market,” said the source.
“So, for example, they avoided paying all the rights due for public performances and they have profited more, to the detriment of consumers.”
The case is expected to conclude in January 2019.
Image: Martin Fisch
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