Live Nation’s alleged monopolistic practices stem further than Australia; the entertainment giant is currently the subject of an antitrust lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice and 39 states, as well as the District of Columbia. The suit, which alleges anticompetitive behavior by Live Nation and Ticketmaster, aims to break-up the pair.
Don McLean performing at Live Nation's Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane | Photo by Parism550, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Law Firm Considers Class Action Against Live Nation, Ticketmaster for Aussie Fans
A law firm is considering launching a class action lawsuit against entertainment giant Live Nation and its ticketing subsidiary Ticketmaster on behalf of Australian music fans for the use of the infamous practice known as “dynamic pricing.”
According to ABC News, Gordon Legal partner James Naughton said his firm has been contacted by numerous concertgoers regarding Live Nation’s “dynamic pricing model and their ticketing model.”
“People feel like they don’t get … any idea about what the price of the tickets are until they go into a queue, which can take a significant amount of time to wait in,” Naughton said. “And then they’re given a very short period of time to decide whether to purchase the ticket or not.”
Naughton said the firm is examining whether or not Live Nation and Ticketmaster engaged in “deceptive, misleading or unconscionable conduct,” and if any consumer protection laws were broken.
The practice of dynamic pricing is not new – though its use has been more rare abroad than in the United States. While its supporters argue that such practices discourage “scalping” by making it harder for people to turn a profit by reselling tickets, it has drawn extreme backlash from fans, who often feel ripped off by the very bands they are trying to see.
Over the past year, fans across all genres have been victims of dynamic pricing; from Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter to Sleep Token and Green Day, fans have lashed-out at Ticketmaster.
| READ: Live Nation Targeted in Explosive Investigation Alleging Market Manipulation |
The looming class actions suit follows an explosive investigation by ABC’s Four Corners, which aims to shed light on the Live Nation’s alleged market manipulation and impact on Australia’s music scene. The investigation, “Four Corners: Music For Sale,” aired on Monday; the report follows an investigation by reporter Avani Dias, who has been speaking to industry insiders and musicians regarding Live Nation’s market domination.
