DOJ settles antitrust lawsuit with Live Nation and Ticketmaster; 25 states vow to continue fight
The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster for $280 million. However, the show might not be over yet. (Photo from Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster for $280 million. However, the show might not be over yet.
The deal, which was announced Monday, came days after the jury trial began in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to the New York Law Journal.
The DOJ had been a plaintiff alongside the attorneys general of 25 states and the District of Columbia, accusing Live Nation and Ticketmaster of engaging in monopolistic practices and demanding the breakup of the two entities, which merged in 2010.
Several of those attorneys general vowed not to join the settlement and promised to continue the fight.
According to the New York Law Journal, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming announced that they would press forward with antitrust claims and filed for an immediate mistrial.
The states claimed that the DOJ’s abrupt exit in the middle of trial would cause substantial prejudice to the remaining plaintiffs.
“Today, U.S. DOJ has chosen to settle with Live Nation, but a bipartisan group of attorneys general, including California, have chosen to continue this fight and get a better deal for consumers—the deal Americans nationwide deserve,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
According to the Associated Press, under the terms of the proposed settlement, Live Nation would allow venues to make deals with other ticket providers besides Ticketmaster, and that up to 50% of all tickets could be sold by any ticketing agency at amphitheaters that Live Nation owns, operates or controls.
Ticketmaster would also have to cap its service fees at those amphitheaters at 15% and give up ownership or control of 13 amphitheaters, including venues in Milwaukee; Cincinnati; Syracuse, New York; and Austin, Texas.
A March 9 press release from Live Nation is here.
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