Andy Vanosdale’s Post

If you're a music fan, you know all too well just how difficult and expensive it can be to purchase concert tickets nowadays. But an impending antitrust lawsuit by the DOJ against Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment seeks to promote competition and provide consumers with relief. While the lawsuit will target anti-competitive practices, true relief for fans may require stricter regulation of secondary ticket markets, as seen in Europe. 🎟️🛡️ Check out my blog to learn how this development could reshape the concert ticketing landscape! #Ticketmaster #DOJ #Concerts #ConsumerProtection

FINE-ill-fee. (Finally) SUMone calculated the endgame. Blame the customer - patient. Arrogant argument from Live Nation - you can't FIX the (price fixing) process. Never mind steering, bait and switch, price fixing, tying, price gouging. And colluding. Why don't I tag along and throw my name in the hat (third party contracted or not)? This incites scalping.  Fee EnterSurprise (Free Enterprise) and incorporates Surprise Billing. What's at Stakeholder for the Payment Processors? What is a Cyber-Ring? (siphoning financial gain for ill gotten goods embezzling commerce from legitimate vendors).   Then add on (reported by concert customers) double ticket price Junk Fees for what purpose? Financial Gain who has nothing to 'due' with facilitating any event function. This CAPTIVE payment process usurps other vendors' hotels, restaurants, gas, and tax revenue. So it is not about the Music Artist (or doctor) at all. It's about the Scam Artist taking advantage and profiting from SUMthing that is none of their business. 

“Following the US government’s explosive lawsuit against Live Nation last week, a class action has been filed with the New York courts potentially on behalf of millions of American ticket buyers. Like the government’s litigation, the class action lawsuit accuses Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary of anticompetitive conduct. Although the impact of Live Nation’s dominance on the ticket resale sector seems to be of particular concern. “Over the past three decades”, the new lawsuit states, “Live Nation and Ticketmaster collectively built empires in several key markets within the live concert and event economy”. The merger of the companies, in 2010, then created “a vertically integrated monopoly and juggernaut trust”. As with the government’s legal action, the class action sets out Live Nation’s dominant position in tour promotion, venue management, and both primary and secondary ticketing across the American market. The allegation is that it exploits its dominance in the various different strands of live music to force venues into exclusivity deals, and to prevent rival ticketing companies and ticket brokers from selling tickets to many major shows, even when Live Nation itself isn’t the promoter. And where Live Nation is the promoter and the primary ticket seller, it also seeks to restrict the flow of tickets to rival resale platforms.” #LiveNation #Ticketmaster #Live #DOJ #Legal #Fans #Touring #Talent #Artists #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

"U.S. Calls for Breakup of Ticketmaster Owner Accused of violating antitrust laws, Live Nation Entertainment faces a fight that could reshape the multibillion-dollar live music industry. The Justice Department on Thursday sued Live Nation Entertainment, the concert giant that owns Ticketmaster, asking a court to break up the company over claims it illegally maintained a monopoly in the live entertainment industry." ..."the government accuses Live Nation of leveraging its sprawling empire to dominate the industry by locking venues into exclusive ticketing contracts, pressuring artists to use its services and threatening its rivals with financial retribution. Those tactics, the government argues, have resulted in higher ticket prices for consumers and have stifled innovation and competition throughout the industry. The suit asks the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to order “the divestiture of, at minimum, Ticketmaster,” and to prevent Live Nation from engaging in anticompetitive practices." #Capitalism requires free and fair competitive markets & prices. And it demands #Accountability & #Justice for #Anticompetitive practices. I am really starting to like these folks at the Justice department, seems like they are quite busy! #Corruption #WhiteCollarCrime #TicketMaster #LiveNation #ArcOfJustice #BendItLikeBeckham

Yesterday, alongside the United States Department of Justice and a bipartisan coalition of 29 state AGs, my office filed a lawsuit against Live Nation for creating an anticompetitive monopoly over the live entertainment industry that has illegally increased ticket prices for District residents and concertgoers nationwide. Home to 20+ music venues, the District has a vibrant and thriving live entertainment scene that is vital to our local economy and culture. Live Nation controls almost every important part of the live entertainment industry at District venues—most notably ticketing and artists. Live Nation owns Ticketmaster, which is the exclusive ticketer to nearly all sizable venues in DC. Its monopoly over concert promotions has eliminated competition and choice for venues and artists, allowing it to impose higher fees on District fans who want to enjoy live shows. Live Nation's monopoly not only raises costs for concertgoers but has harmed every part of the fan ticketing experience—from buying a ticket to showtimes—because the industry is not competitive. My office will always fight to hold companies accountable for anticompetitive and illegal conduct, and to ensure a fair market that promotes innovation and choice in every industry. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ewYsGmRQ

You know what’s more thrilling than seeing someone hold the crown? Witnessing the lengths the world will go to take it from them. The latest law suit against Live Nation Entertainment Inc and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster LLC, where an astounding number of states (30 state and district attorneys generals to be precise) have joined forces to challenge the dominance of the two entities in the live entertainment industry is a story worth telling. Among others, the multi state coalition of Arizona, California, New York, and Texas spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Justice have united to dismantle the monopolistic practices of Live Nation and Ticketmaster in the areas of artist management, venue operations, and ticket sales.      •  The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York states how Live Nation and Ticketmaster have more than 400 artists on their client list and control around 60% of concert promotions at major venues across the U.S., with Ticketmaster handling 80% of ticket sales for these venues.      •  The lawsuit details various anti-competitive strategies, such as long-term exclusive agreements with venues that prevent competition and the acquisition of competitors to eliminate threats.      •  Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s practices have included using financial threats and inducements to ensure venues and artists align with their services, thereby locking out competitors.      •  These monopolistic and anti-competitive behaviors have led to higher fees for fans and fewer choices for both fans and artists.      •  The lawsuit points out that the fees in the U.S. are significantly higher compared to other parts of the world due to the lack of competition.      •  Live Nation has also been accused of retaliating against venues and artists that do not comply with their terms, which includes steering concerts away from venues that opt for different ticketing services. The plaintiffs seek several remedies to address Live Nation’s monopolistic behavior including a decree that -: Live Nation’s actions in maintaining its monopoly in primary ticketing services and concert promotions are illegal; Nullifying long-term exclusive primary ticketing contracts that unreasonably restrain trade; Prohibiting Live Nation from tying artists’ use of their venues to the purchase of promotional services; Ordering the divestiture of Ticketmaster and other assets to restore competitive conditions; Ending Live Nation’s; and Enjoining Live Nation from engaging in further anti-competitive practices. This story is a fit example of how 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦. So, no matter how powerful a bully may seem, they are never invincible. #law #antitrust #competition #livenation #ticketmaster

AEG CEO Jay Marciano Calls Live Nation A Monopoly, Predicts DOJ Victory in Lawsuit https://ift.tt/Dex5FaN AEG chairman/CEO Jay Marciano says Live Nation acts like a monopoly and agrees with the U.S. Department of Justice’s effort to break the concert giant and Ticketmaster up, according to an email Marciano sent out to employees on Friday (May 31). In the memo, the executive accuses the company of “preventing other businesses from competing” and “leaving consumers to suffer the consequences.” In the two-page email, Marciano said the lawsuit was an important milestone for addressing alleged monopolistic behavior in the concert business, noting “the entire ecosystem of our industry” is at stake as the case winds its way through the U.S. legal system. Related To Understand Live Nation's Real Antitrust Issue, Look to Microsoft 05/31/2024 “Notwithstanding its claims about its profit margins or its market share, it is a monopoly, and it uses its monopoly power to impose its will on the live entertainment business,” wrote Marciano of Live Nation, later writing, “We strongly believe that DOJ’s lawsuit will succeed and ultimately bring sweeping changes.” Billboard obtained a copy of the email, which can be read in full below. An AEG spokesman did not respond to a request for comment regarding the letter. Live Nation had not responded to a request for comment at press time. From: Office of Jay Marciano No doubt all of you are closely following the ongoing media coverage in the wake of the Department of Justice lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. As I mentioned in my note from last week, we spent the last few days carefully reviewing the DOJ filing, as well as Live Nation’s subsequent response to the complaint. AEG has long maintained that Ticketmaster has a monopoly in the U.S. ticketing marketplace and uses that monopoly power to subsidize Live Nation’s content businesses, preventing other businesses from competing in those areas and leaving consumers to suffer the consequences. This lawsuit is not simply DOJ suing to break up a monopoly; at stake is the entire ecosystem of our industry, one that has long suffered from a badly broken ticketing model. As you know, the cornerstone of Live Nation’s monopoly is Ticketmaster’s exclusive ticketing contracts with the vast majority of major concert venues in the United States. These agreements block competition and innovation and result in higher ticketing fees, denying artists the ability to choose who will ticket their shows and how much their fans should pay. Following the DOJ filing, Live Nation issued several public comments in service of its ongoing strategy to maintain its dominance – unfairly blaming others for industry problems they have created, making false and misleading statements, and dismissing the significance of the case. Artists, venues, and brokers are not responsible for the broken live entertainment business model in this country – that res...

The US government did not mince words yesterday: Live Nation and Ticketmaster need to split. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and 30 state and district attorneys general sued Live Nation, which refers to itself as the “largest live entertainment company in the world,” lodging a 120-page complaint that it purposefully stifles competition, hurts consumers, and unfairly jacks up ticket prices. The suit alleges that Live Nation threatened to retaliate against venues that didn’t use its ticketing service and that artists who don’t use Live Nation’s tour promo services can’t perform at any of its venues. The DOJ said the company controls over 70% of ticket sales at major concert venues in the country. Plus, Live Nation controls 265 venues in North America and 60 of the top 100 amphitheaters in the US. “This is a travesty!” Cried the Justice Department, which allowed the merger to happen 14 years ago. Industry pros had begged the DOJ to prevent Live Nation from buying Ticketmaster, warning of the same concerns the DOJ now cites in seeking to break them up. Then came Taylor Swift… The Eras Tour’s ticket-buying process was such a mess that a bipartisan group of senators brought Live Nation execs to Capitol Hill last year to grill them on the company’s practices. The DOJ’s investigation was announced shortly after the Swiftie debacle, though the agency claimed it had already been investigating the company. Live Nation called the lawsuit “baseless.” In a company blog post, an executive claimed that the suit ignores price factors like artists’ popularity and scalpers. The post also says that Live Nation’s net profit margin was only 1.4% last year, too low to indicate a monopoly. A long road ahead…the whole thing is expected to take years to move through the courts, especially since the suit requests a jury trial (which is unusual for this type of case).—MM https://lnkd.in/eesSYA8b

Dusting off my ticketing hat, here's what you should know about Live Nation Entertainment / Ticketmaster getting sued by the government: * The government created this. In 2009, the Justice Department approved a merger that led to...exactly what they're saying happened now. That wasn't really all that long ago, and it was pretty obvious at the time where this would go. The DOJ knew this, made a stern face at both companies and made them promise not to misbehave if they approved the deal. * Breaking up TM and LN won't affect consumers the way you might imagine it will. Neither fees nor ticket prices are driven by TM/LN's "monopoly" power. I could write a whole piece about that, but I've already written that piece a half dozen times over the years so...pass. * A breakup would create changes inside the industry. Some new opportunities will shake loose for smaller competitors. Independent venues might have a little more leverage. The market for paying acts will change in some ways that are a little hard to foresee. * The two parts of the organization probably should be broken up. No good can come of the biggest promoter and one of the biggest venue owners and the biggest ticketing system living under the same roof. If the breakup happens, expect Ticketmaster to grow faster and be more profitable on its own. I'll let you figure that one out yourself. Let's see what happens. https://lnkd.in/gFs2F_BD

Live Nation break up with Ticketmaster could be the first step towards more innovation in the ticketing industry 🔖 The U.S. Department of Justice filed a competition lawsuit against entertainment giant Live Nation, alleging that the company holds a "monopoly" over the U.S. entertainment market. The lawsuit reportedly focuses on Ticketmaster's practice of using exclusive ticketing contracts with venues, which critics argue stifles competition, limits customer choice, and drives up prices. This comes along with the new legislation in the US, UK, and Australia requiring event ticket sellers to display the total ticket price upfront, including all fees. This may compel ticketing companies to lower some of their fees to remain competitive, eventually resulting in revenue losses. In response, these companies will need to explore new ways to differentiate themselves and secure new deals. One strategy is to offer promoters and clients resale platforms, allowing them to control both primary and secondary markets and capture extra revenue that currently goes to unauthorized resellers. However, in light of the recent case, implementing this approach may prove challenging. Controlling both markets can lead to unethical practices, such as placing a percentage of tickets directly on the secondary market to capitalize on higher earnings. This may raise red flags to regulators who might try to stop such behavior. This could open the door for 3rd party white-label resale platforms who could cover the functionality for the ticketing companies while seamlessly integrating. However, to really fully stop illegal reselling, providers would need to use technology that substitutes classic tokens which can be easily exchanged. Biometrics could give a helping hand. The vision would be to link 1 face with exactly 1 ticket, disabling bots and companies like Viagogo from buying thousands of tickets. Having this would bring the added value and necessary differentiation for the ticketing firms. What about the collaborative outcome? ✅Fans would benefit from fair market prices ✅More genuine transactions would occur on the primary ticket market ✅Fans would have the flexibility to free their tickets ✅Every transaction would be under the control of the ticketing company, reducing fraud ✅Ticketing firms would bring promoters more revenues, making the company a valuable partner So the main idea is for ticketing firms to implement technologies that will make them stand out and deliver unprecedented value to its customers that leads to higher profits. And collaboration with white-label resale platform providers that use biometrics could be that necessary step. #FaceTicket #Reselling #Ticketing #RevenueOptimization