AEG & SeatGeek Slam Live Nation’s ‘Feeble’ DOJ Settlement: ‘Divestiture Is Needed’
In a public comment, AEG says live music won't have meaningful competition "as long as Ticketmaster remains vertically integrated with Live Nation."
Rivals AEG and SeatGeek have publicly criticized the Department of Justice's settlement with Live Nation in their antitrust trial. They argue that the proposed business changes are insufficient to address Live Nation's market dominance and propose a total breakup of the company. AEG, a major Live Nation competitor and concert promoter, believes that Ticketmaster's vertical integration with Live Nation prevents venues from choosing alternative ticketing services.
SeatGeek, a ticketing company, also opposes the settlement, stating that Live Nation has a history of reneging on promises to break up its monopolistic practices. The trial has revealed that Live Nation may have an incentive to pressure venues into exclusive agreements with Ticketmaster, and both AEG and SeatGeek question the company's ability to enforce non-exclusive contracts.
They also have concerns about the requirement for Ticketmaster to lend its technology to other ticketers, fearing it would further entrench Ticketmaster's dominance. Despite these criticisms, Live Nation maintains that the settlement adequately addresses the issues and provides meaningful relief for consumers.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
