Ticketmaster Global President ‘Categorically Rejects That Venues Don’t Have Choices’ for Ticketers

Ticketmaster's newly appointed global president, Saumil Mehta, has firmly refuted the claim that music venues and sporting facilities are deprived of choices when it comes to selecting a ticketing company. Speaking at the Trapital Summit in Los Angeles, Mehta stated, "At a headline level, I would categorically reject that venues don’t have choices."

He emphasized his extensive experience in negotiating ticketing contracts and highlighted the intense competition venues face during renewal periods. Mehta acknowledged that every renewal process involves scrutiny, as venues compare Ticketmaster with its competitors, considering factors such as financials, product offerings, and services.

He noted that the live entertainment industry in the U.S. operates under an exclusivity model, allowing venues to enter into exclusive contracts with ticketing companies, which ties all artists or teams performing at the venue to using the exclusive ticketer. This model was central to the recent antitrust trial against Live Nation, where a jury concluded that Live Nation engaged in illegal monopoly practices by threatening to withhold concerts from venues that did not sign exclusive contracts with Ticketmaster.

However, Mehta defended Ticketmaster's practices, stating that the company is open to adopting the allocation model used in other countries, such as the U.K., where multiple ticketing companies share event inventory. He also addressed the notion that Live Nation and Ticketmaster dominate the live entertainment market, attributing the long-standing narratives to the industry's history and emphasizing his commitment to driving innovation, competitive product development, and fan-centric solutions.