Jason Miyares
RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jason Miyares today joined the Department of Justice and a bipartisan 30-state coalition in filing a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster LLC, for violating antitrust laws through a range of anticompetitive practices in an effort to control the live entertainment industry.
“Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s stronghold over the live entertainment industry has harmed artists, venues, and small businesses, leaving consumers with less choice and exorbitant fees,” said Attorney General Miyares. “Virginia consumers and businesses deserve a free marketplace for products, services, and ideas – and breaking up Ticketmaster and Live Nation will allow for competition and innovation to return to the live entertainment industry.”
The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally obtained and preserved their monopoly power in much of the live entertainment industry through control of ticketing and venues. Ticketmaster is the largest primary ticketing company in the country, multiple times the size of its closest competitor, and Live Nation owns or controls a substantial number of venues.
The coalition alleges that Live Nation has maintained its anticompetitive monopoly in ticketing markets by locking up venues through restrictive long-term, exclusive agreements and threats that venues will lose access to Live Nation-controlled tours and artists if they sign with a rival ticketer. The coalition further alleges that Live Nation leverages its extensive network of amphitheaters to force artists to select Live Nation as a promoter instead of its rivals, maintaining its promotions monopoly. As a result, Live Nation’s conduct has harmed fans through higher fees, lack of transparency, fewer consumer choices, and stifling innovation. In addition to a divestiture of Ticketmaster, the lawsuit seeks civil penalties for Virginia and other relief.
Virginia is joined in this lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, by the U.S. Department of Justice, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
