Ticketmaster and Live Nation, the gigantic corporations that merged in 2010 and now dominate the US ticketing and live events industry, have been widely hated for years. Recently, the US government has been turning up the heat on them. The Taylor Swift ticketing fiasco had senators quoting song lyrics during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January, and a month ago the companies agreed to "all-in" pricing at a White House meeting, meaning they'll no longer charge hidden fees not listed as part of the purchase price. Now the Justice Department is sharpening its knives.
Politico reports that the DOJ intends to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster before the end of the year, as affirmed by three sources with knowledge of the matter. According to those sources, the lawsuit is not 100% guaranteed to move forward. Prosecutors will already be busy this fall with cases against Google and the JetBlue-Spirit merger scheduled for September and October respectively, and they're finishing up investigations into companies including Apple, Visa, and Adobe. But if filed, an antitrust case against Live Nation could lead to the breakup of the company — bad news for the company's president, Joe Berchtold, pictured above.
