The Department of Justice will continue its antitrust trial against Ticketmaster and Live Nation. As told by MixMag’s Megan Townsend with resources from AP News, 32 states have rejected the settlement offers. The trial, which began in 2024, looks into splitting up the two companies. Per Townsend, the 2010 merger resulted in the companies controlling tickets in about 80% of United States venues. In consequence, prices skyrocketed for fans, and artists have been forced to work with Live Nation. According to MixMag, when looking into the lawsuit, the DOJ explains that Live Nation’s patented technology, SafeTix, is being used to control competition, and not to prevent fraudulent screenshots. Moreover, 9 states then joined the lawsuit to split up the companies and try to restore competition, in the benefit of fans and artists alike. Townsend explains that just last week, the Department of Justice reached a tentative settlement. If the settlement had succeeded, it would’ve pushed Ticketmaster to reserve 50% of tickets for other ticketing servers. Furthermore, it would’ve capped off service fees at 15%. Lastly, Live Nation would’ve given away control over 13 properties in Texas, New York, and Milwaukee. Although seven states had joined the settlement, including Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, 32 others refused the terms. Mix Mag continued that the opposing states stated the DOJ did not secure a fair deal in the fans’ best interest. Now, the trial continues as private messages between two Live Nation regional ticketing directors became available to the public. The messages read out loud that the directors were comfortable to “rob fans blind”, while upcharging for services such as parking. In the messages presented by Bloomberg, the Live Nation employees continued to call buyers “stupid” since they could charge for ancillary fees.Live Nation Antitrust Case Continues After States Reject Settlement
SafeTix As Gatekeeper
Thrown-off Settlement