According to a new report, the U.S. Department of Justice will take legal action in an effort to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The move is part of a new antitrust lawsuit the DOJ is set to file in New York. The possibility of such legal action has been building for some time, as federal regulators have been investigating Live Nation since 2022.
Bloomberg was the first to report the pending litigation, officially saying that “the US Justice Department and a group of states will sue Live Nation Entertainment Inc. for antitrust violations related to Ticketmaster’s unrivaled control of concert ticket sales.”
Rolling Stone followed with a report of their own, adding that the “suit has been one of the most anticipated potential legal actions in the live music industry.”
What Have Live Nation and Ticketmaster Been Accused Of?
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been under intense scrutiny from fans, regulators and competing companies alike ever since they merged in 2010. Critics have argued that the power wielded by the conglomerate has made it virtually impossible for alternative concert promoters and ticketing companies to compete. Others have accused Live Nation of using their might to artificially inflate concert ticket prices.
READ MORE: Live Nation Nearly Tripled Revenue From 2021 to 2022 as Ticket Prices Stored
Live Nation has consistently pushed back against antitrust allegations, insisting that artists and the venues themselves are often the ones who impact ticket prices.
“Statements to the effect that Live Nation and Ticketmaster ‘keep ticket prices high’ are just flat wrong,” Dan Wall, Live Nation’s Executive Vice President for Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, wrote in an essay earlier this year. “Anyone with a basic understanding of the industry knows this. Those who perpetuate this falsehood are cynical at best. They do a disservice to consumers and to rational political discourse.”
The Rock + Metal Artists Who Have Sold the Most Concert Tickets (Five Million or More)
IMPORTANT:
These concert ticket totals date back to 1981, which is when Pollstar began tracking.
Artists are listed in order of least to most tickets sold with five million tickets being the minimum threshold.
Only three rock artists have sold more than 20 million tickets!
Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita