Does Ticketmaster have a stranglehold on concert ticketing — or is it just ‘bringing joy’?
TL;DR
The US Justice Department and state attorneys argue that Live Nation-Ticketmaster holds a monopoly in concert ticketing, using its power to coerce venues and stifle competition, raising concerns about industry fairness.
In a downtown Manhattan courtroom on Monday, lawyers for the US Justice Department and 40 state and district attorneys general warned a jury that the concert industry was being squeezed by a monopolist: Live Nation-Tickemaster. After amassing dominance over ticketing and artists' use of large amphitheaters, lead DOJ counsel David Dahlquist alleged, Live Nation constructed a "flywheel" of power that forced venue customers to stay within its ecosystem. It threatened or retaliated against them when they considered leaving. To even attempt to win business, Dahlquist said, ticketing rivals needed to offer "retaliation insurance" to venues worried …