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The US Department of Justice is expected to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment as soon as possible, according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal, followed by Reuters and others, reported yesterday (Monday) that the US DOJ could file the lawsuit as early as next month. The WSJ cited people familiar with the matter.
In January last year, Live Nation president and chief financial officer Joe Berchtold was lambasted by a panel of lawmakers, and representatives of a rival ticketing operator, promoter, think tank and band during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over competition in the live entertainment industry.
While there has always been criticism since the 2010 merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster under a settlement agreement, it reached a boiling point in 2022 following issues with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour onsales.
Fans were left waiting for hours due to stratospheric demand for tickets. Ticketmaster also blamed bot attacks for the experience, which also led to further onsales being cancelled.
In 2019, the DOJ found that Live Nation had breached its settlement agreement, and forced the group to agree to new terms.
TheTicketingBusiness has contacted Live Nation for comment.
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