Ticketmaster is a perennial target for lawmakers, regulators and music fans, and the latest wave of criticism centered last fall on the botched sale of concert tickets for Taylor Swift. But the Swift debacle is unrelated to the DOJ’s investigation, which began in earnest last summer, according to the people.
Live Nation executives were told early on that the investigation is largely focused on the Ticketmaster side of the business, and the DOJ has asked questions on topics including prohibitions on reselling tickets and exclusive deals with venues to only use Ticketmaster, according to a separate person with knowledge of the matter. The DOJ has also asked questions about contracts for artist tours, that person said.
in recent years and is now significantly less than the 80% alleged by the DOJ in its 2010 case against the initial deal that merged Ticketmaster and Live Nation. It says companies including SeatGeek, AEG and Paciolan are chipping away at its dominance, and the company estimates it controls just half of the market if sporting events are factored in, that separate person said.The company maintains it’s still early on in the process.
While the investigation has gained steam in recent months, Live Nation has been under federal oversight since 2010 after it merged with Ticketmaster. As part of a settlement with the government that allowed the deal to close, the companies agreed to sell off some ticketing assets, license its ticketing software and not force venues to use Ticketmaster. That settlement expired in 2020.
Live Nation settled with the DOJ again in late 2019 over violations of the earlier agreement. The DOJ accused the company of using its dominant position in the live music industry to force artists and venues to use both its ticketing and concert promotion services. As part of the new agreement, the company agreed to extend court oversight via an independent compliance monitor through 2025.