Attorneys normal from about two dozen states are searching for treble damages in opposition to Dwell Nation Leisure and its ticket-selling unit, Ticketmaster, for allegedly monopolizing markets throughout the stay live performance trade in an up to date model of a lawsuit initially filed in Could.
The Justice Division and several other states sued three months ago to break up Live Nation, arguing the live performance promoter and Ticketmaster illegally inflated concert ticket prices and damage artists like Taylor Swift.
Some states had sought damages underneath state regulation within the unique lawsuit. By including claims underneath the federal anti-monopoly regulation, states can search 3 times the financial damages.
On Monday, 10 states joined the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court docket, and 26 states and the District of Columbia added claims for treble damages on behalf of their residents.
New York Legal professional Normal Letitia James stated in an announcement that her workplace is searching for damages for what state residents have been overcharged by Dwell Nation and Ticketmaster.
“It’s time for a brand new period the place followers, venues, and artists usually are not taken benefit of by large firms that run the world of stay occasions,” she stated.
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont joined the lawsuit, boosting the full to 39 states and the District of Columbia.
The lawsuit says Dwell Nation instantly manages greater than 400 musical artists and controls round 60% of live performance promotions at main venues. In response to the grievance, Dwell Nation owns or controls greater than 265 live performance venues in North America, and thru Ticketmaster controls roughly 80% or extra of massive venues’ main ticketing for live shows.
A Dwell Nation spokesperson stated the lawsuit “nonetheless received’t resolve the problems followers care about regarding ticket costs, service charges, and entry to in-demand reveals.”
“We stay up for sharing extra info because the case progresses,” the spokesperson stated.
The DOJ stated in court docket papers that the “huge scope” of Dwell Nation and Ticketmaster allowed them to “insert themselves on the middle and the perimeters of nearly each facet of the stay music ecosystem.”
In 2010, the Justice Division accepted Ticketmaster’s controversial merger with Dwell Nation, with circumstances supposed to cease the mixed firm from harming competitors.
In 2020, a court docket prolonged a lot of the DOJ’s oversight of the merger to 2025 as a result of, the division stated, Ticketmaster retaliated in opposition to stadiums and arenas that opted to make use of different ticketing firms.
The Justice Division stated that since its final case, Dwell Nation has engaged in additional anticompetitive exercise.
