As we have stated many times in the past, Live
Nation takes its responsibilities under the antitrust laws seriously and does
not engage in behaviors that could justify antitrust litigation, let alone
orders that would require it to alter fundamental business practices.
The concert promotion business is highly
competitive, with artist management in control of selecting their
promoting team. The demand for live entertainment continues to grow, and
there are more promoters than ever working with artists to help them connect
with fans through live shows. The Department of Justice itself recognized the
competitive nature of the concert promotion business at the time of the Live
Nation-Ticketmaster merger. That dynamic has not changed.
Ticketmaster has a significant share of the
primary ticketing services market because of the large gap that exists between
the quality of the Ticketmaster system and the next best primary ticketing
system. The market is increasingly competitive nonetheless, with rivals
making aggressive offers to venues. That Ticketmaster continues to be the
leader in such an environment is a testament to the platform and those who
operate it, not to any anticompetitive business practices. 5 years ago tickets
were paper, now you scan in with your phone, and can transfer tickets to your
friend with one tap. We innovate and invest in our technology more than any
other ticketing company, and we will continue to do so.
Secondary ticketing is extremely competitive,
with Ticketmaster competing with StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid and many
others. No serious argument can be made that Ticketmaster has the kind of
market position in secondary ticketing that supports antitrust claims.
For the past 12 years Live Nation has operated
under a Consent Decree that among other things seeks to prevent anticompetitive
leveraging of Live Nation promoted content to advantage Ticketmaster.
Pursuant to the Amended Decree voluntarily entered in 2020, Live Nation’s
compliance is monitored by a former federal judge. There never has been
and is not now any evidence of systemic violations of the Consent Decree.
It remains against Live Nation policy to threaten venues that they won’t get
Live Nation shows if they do not use Ticketmaster, and Live Nation does not
re-route content as retaliation for a lost ticketing deal.
Ticketmaster is also the most transparent and
fan-friendly ticketing system in the United States. Ticketmaster does not
set or control ticket prices, strongly advocates for all-in pricing so
that fans are not surprised by what tickets really cost, and is the undisputed
market leader in ticket security and fighting bots. Ticketmaster also
does not embrace deceptive and questionable secondary ticketing practices
prevalent on rival sites such as speculative ticketing.
We are proud of the work we do across both
concerts and ticketing, and will continue working to improve and support the
live events industry.
