Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division are holding a press conference Thursday morning in Washington D.C. to announced an antitrust lawsuit targeting Ticketmaster and its parent, Live Nation Entertainment.
The lawsuit is expected to seek to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which many argue has regularly practiced anticompetitive behavior at best, or operated as a monopoly at worst. It has been filed in the Southern District of New York, though the complaint document is not yet available as of 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
FURTHER READING | Department of Justice Filing Antitrust Lawsuit Targeting Live Nation/Ticketmaster
Senator Amy Klobuchar has already spoke out in favor of the antitrust action, issuing a statement late Wednesday after news broke of the imminent lawsuit.
“I have long advocated for robust competition in live events ticketing markets and I called on the Justice Department to investigate the state of competition in the live entertainment industry, including anticompetitive and anti-consumer actions by Live Nation,” Sen. Klobuchar says. “Our hearing last year provided important evidence of the impact of Live Nation’s monopoly on fans, artists, venues, and other ticketing platforms for the Justice Department to use in its case. If the reports are correct, the Justice Department is doing the right thing by bringing this suit against Live Nation. This is about ensuring fair treatment for fans everywhere and reinvigorating competition in ticketing markets.”
