WASHINGTON, D.C.-The federal government filed a lawsuit to break up Live Nation on May 23, alleging monopolistic practices.
“It is time to break up Live Nation,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release announcing the lawsuit.
According to NBC News, the Justice Department filed the lawsuit against the parent company of Ticketmaster on the grounds that the ticket seller’s practices hurt consumers and broke federal antitrust laws through its control of the live events industry.
Among the allegations in the new lawsuit are that Live Nation tamped down on competition through threats of retaliation and signed long-term deals with venues that prevented them from using other management companies
“The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services,” Attorney General Garland said in his release.
Attorneys General for 29 states, as well as the District of Columbia joined the lawsuit that was filed in New York.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010 and control an estimated 70 percent of the ticketing and live-event venues market, according to NBC’s report.
