Public Knowledge’s Post

Great analysis from Jason Powers here. Another striking development here is the number of monopolization cases that the government has filed and litigated in the last two years. For good or ill, the government is seriously contesting the acquisition and maintenance of market power in allegedly concentrated industries.

Michael A. Carrier: "In part I of this series, I outlined the evidence the government gathered to support its lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolizing the live entertainment market. In part II, I assess the merits of the lawsuit and discuss four elements that reveal the complaint’s strength: 1) long-recognized anticompetitive harms, 2) weak procompetitive justifications, 3) a clear remedy, and 4) support from multiple antitrust perspectives." https://lnkd.in/gnX39yDg

What’s better than poking a bear? Poking two bears at once! MBW reported earlier this week on an internal memo by Jay Marciano, the boss of live firm AEG Presents. In it he claimed that “Ticketmaster has a monopoly in the US ticketing marketplace and uses that monopoly power to subsidize Live Nation’s content businesses” and predicted that the US Department of Justice will win its antitrust lawsuit against the companies. Now that report has drawn a sharp response from Live Nation’s EVP of corporate and regulatory affairs Dan Wall. “This is why antitrust protects competition, not competitors trying to use the courts to advance their own interests. AEG supports this case – indeed, begged DOJ to file it – because it doesn’t want to pay artists market rates or convince venues to adopt its second-rate ticketing system exclusively,” claimed Wall. Read The Full Story Here: https://lnkd.in/dg43ZTbb #TicketingWars #LiveNation #AEGPresents #musically #musicnews #readmore

US Antitrust Law: Sherman Act, 1890 - Section 1 and 2 : § 1 of the Sherman Act states that contracts that limit trade are illegal, whereas § 2 states that every person who attempts to monopolize, or attempts to monopolize, any part of trade, is guilty of a misdemeanor. The US Government, and dozens of states, sued Live Nation Entertainment, a multinational entertainment company, in an antitrust suit Thursday, alleging they monopolized the live entertainment space, harming artists, venues, and concertgoers. The US Government alleges that Live Nation violated § 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, an 1890 US antitrust law that prescribes the rules of free competition and prohibits unfair monopolies. #competitionlaw #antitrustlaw https://lnkd.in/gt4Pxe4R

Several US states and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are getting ready to sue Live Nation Entertainment, which is the parent company of Ticketmaster, for violating antitrust laws. The lawsuit is expected to be filed on May 23 in the Southern District of New York. The legal action is a result of concerns having been raised about Live Nation’s alleged control over the concert ticketing industry and its possible breaches of antitrust statutes, reported Bloomberg. The lawsuit may go so far as to force Live Nation to split up following complaints that it has had an overwhelming market position since merging with Ticketmaster in 2010. According to estimations, the company holds about 70% of all ticketing for live events with this percentage allegedly being even higher in Las Vegas. The 2010 merger was allowed during President Obama’s tenure with Live Nation banned from penalizing venues that opted for alternative ticketing platforms. Read the full article ➡ https://lnkd.in/dzGtZ-gn #legal #usa #doj #gambling #gamblingnews #casino #lawsuit

DOJ to Sue Live Nation Entertainment for Antitrust Violations The US Justice Department, along with a coalition of states, is set to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment Inc., the parent company of Ticketmaster. This significant legal action will challenge Live Nation's dominance over concert ticket sales. 🔺 Why This Matters: Live Nation, the largest concert promoter in the US, merged with Ticketmaster in 2010. The merger was conditionally approved by the Obama administration, with Live Nation promising not to retaliate against venues that chose other ticketing services. However, subsequent investigations revealed repeated violations of this agreement. 🔺Key Developments: - In 2019, under the Trump administration, a modified settlement was reached, which included external monitoring of Live Nation’s practices. - The Biden administration reopened the probe in 2022 due to ongoing concerns about compliance. - The issue gained widespread attention after Ticketmaster's handling of Taylor Swift's ticket sales, highlighting the impact of monopolistic practices on consumers. 🔺 What’s Next: The lawsuit, expected to be filed in the Southern District of New York, may seek remedies including the potential breakup of Live Nation. This action is part of a broader push by the Biden administration to enforce antitrust laws and promote competition. This move underscores the administration's commitment to curbing monopolistic behaviour and protecting consumer interests. As this case unfolds, it could reshape the landscape of the entertainment and ticketing industry. Bloomberg News. (2024, May 22). Justice Department to seek breakup of Live Nation-Ticketmaster. Bloomberg. Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/deyiZi-G. Bloomberg News #TicketingIndustry #DOJ #Livenation

Another story about the Justice Department and potential antitrust violations involving Live Nation that inexplicably mentions the Taylor Swift onsale fiasco from November of 2022. The setup of that tour was the exact opposite of a monopoly. The artist management/promoter was a separate entity from the venues, which were separate entities from the primary market ticketing companies, which did not offer resale for the tour. I'm not a lawyer or an antitrust expert but it seems like this is silly if in fact it's the main reason for the Federal government to bring legal action against Live Nation. Or is this just lazy reporting and mentioning Taylor Swift is simply just clickbate? I'm curious as to what my other ticketing and live event peeps have to say about this. Are you in favor of the Justice Department breaking up Live Nation, or just telling them to put a stop to certain business practices? If you would like to see the company broken up, what division specifically would you like to see separated? Let me know in the comments. https://lnkd.in/g-V6z5Cx

The Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Blog's Week In Review is available at https://lnkd.in/eXkAX3vX #nysba #easlnysba #entertainmentlaw #artlaw #sportlaw #medialaw

Ticketmaster and Live Nation are finally "facing the music" as the U.S. Department of Justice and 30 state attorneys general file antitrust charges against them. Learn more about the case and what is at stake in this Perkins Coie LLP Update. #Ticketmaster #LiveNation #Antitrust #AntitrustLaw

Consider centralization (Monitoring)Prime Contractors especially, Kansas City Missouri, JE Dunn, Turner Construction, McCown Gordon. Difficulty in accessing procurement opportunities, restrictive bid specifications, excessive experience requirements, and overly burdensome insurance and/or bonding requirements, for example, might be addressed by KCMO without resorting to the use of race or gender in its decision-making. Effective remedies include unbundling of contracts into smaller units, providing technical support, and developing programs to address issues of financing, bonding, and insurance important to all small and emerging businesses.77 Further, governments have a duty to ferret out and punish discrimination against minorities and women by their contractors, staff.