Ticketmaster is frequently blamed for high concert prices and let's be clear, it's awful. But Vox's Whizy Kim says it's not the only culprit. She looks at the other reasons going to gigs got so pricey, and one surprising way things could be improved.
The U.S. Justice Department and a group of state attorneys general are expected to announce an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation as soon as Thursday, ABC reports. Details of the suit are unclear but it follows a two-year investigation into whether the company created a monopoly over the concert ticket market. Here's more.
Update: The DOJ has filed this suit. “We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “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. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”
Nine of 10 wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the Astroworld disaster have been settled on the eve of the trial. Families were seeking to hold accountable rapper Travis Scott and companies with roles at the festival, including Live Nation and Apple. One case is still pending: That of the youngest victim, nine-year-old Ezra Blount. Here's more from Houston Landing
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Live Nation Offering $25 Tickets For IRON MAIDEN, KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, CREED & More
Rob Zombie, Sum 41, Halestorm, and more!
#LiveNation#TicketMaster#Antitrust#Monopolies: "It's been a minute since Ticketmaster was last in the news, so let's recap. Ticketmaster bought out most of its ticketing rivals, then merged with Live Nation, the country's largest concert promoter, and bought out many of the country's largest music, stage, and sports venues. They used this iron grip on the entire supply chain for performances and events to pile innumerable junk fees on every ticket sold, while drastically eroding the wages of the creative workers they nominally represented. They created a secret secondary market for tickets and worked with ticket-touts to help them run bots that bought every ticket within an instant of the opening of ticket sales, then ran an auction marketplace that made them gigantic fees on every re-sold ticket – fees the performers were not entitled to share in.
The Ticketmaster/Live Nation/venue octopus is nearly impossible to escape. Independent venues can't book Live Nation acts unless they use Ticketmaster for their tickets. Acts can't get into the large venues owned by Ticketmaster unless they sign up to have Live Nation book their tour. And when Ticketmaster buys a venue, it creams off the most successful acts, starving competing venues of blockbuster shows. They also illegally colluded with their vendors to jack up the price of concerts across the board:"
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US Department Of Justice Reportedly Preparing To Sue Live Nation Over Breaking Antitrust Laws
Not exactly surprising, given how things have gone.
The Department of Justice is planning to sue Ticketmaster's owner, Live Nation, for antitrust violations, and could file suit as soon as next month, Axios reports.
More legal issues for Live Nation: The international concert conglomerate is arguing that they and Astroworld co-organizer Travis Scott should not be held responsible for planning failures before the 2021 tragedy in which 10 people died. The first lawsuit stemming from the disaster, a case brought by the parents of 23-year-old Madison Dubiski, will go to trial on May 6. Its outcome could be a bellwether for hundreds more lawsuits relating to Astroworld. Live Nation and Scott say that if they are forced to go to trial, they should be allowed to attempt to shift blame for poor crowd management to the Houston Police Department and Houston Fire Department. Here's more from Houston Landing.
10 young Travis Scott fans suffered fatal injuries at the Astroworld music festival in Houston in 2021. Houston Landing reports that organizers misinterpreted the Texas fire code requirements for "breathing room," ignored the way visual obstructions might change concertgoers' behavior, and failed to act appropriately when things began to get out of control on the day. “I would pull the plug but that’s just me,” security worker Reece Wheeler wrote from the festival command center, in a message made public last year. “Someone’s going to end up dead.”
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Bad Religion & Social Distortion (playing 'Mommy's Little Monster') announce co-headlining tour
43 years after playing our first ever live show with Social Distortion, were finally going to tour together!, says Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley.
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Live Nation's On The Road Again Program Boosts Minimum Wage For Over 5,000 Employees
"By increasing minimum wages we're helping staff get an even stronger start as they begin their journey in life."
T-Swift arriving to take a stand for her fans