Pitchfork recently reported that the Department of Justice may be filing an alleged antitrust lawsuit against the entertainment company Live Nation. The complications of ticket sales during the Taylor Swift Eras Tour left fans upset enough to push back.
Ticket prices are rising and with that, customer service complaints are rising as well. The lawsuit is addressing an investigation conducted by the Department of Justice on Live Nation and their alleged monopoly on live event ticket sales. Live Nation includes the brand Ticketmaster, and both of those companies account for a vast majority of sports, music, and many other live event ticket sales. The Department of Justice has since conducted an investigation about whether or not Live Nation and Ticketmaster have allegedly undermined competition in the live music industry. There were also claims of alleged high fees, allegedly flawed customer service and allegedly unfair dominance in the marketplace for live entertainment-based events.
In response to the claims, Live Nation’s head of corporate affairs Dan Wall stated “If you have to hone in on one slice of the market in order to allege a monopoly, then there isn’t one.”
Ticketmaster and Live Nation deny the allegations, saying they are not a Monopoly. This lawsuit is only one of many public outcries against the current state of ticket sales.