Movement to unwind anticompetitive merger not fading away.
Politico reports DOJ suit is coming.
Following its ten-month investigation, the United States
Department of Justice appears on the verge of filing an antitrust
suit against Live Nation, parent of Ticketmaster, for abusing its
power in the ticketing and live music markets.
According to Politico, which cites three sources familiar with
the matter, the DOJ could file suit as soon as this fall and, as
part of its relief, will ask the court to unwind the 2010 merger of
Live Nation (the event promoter) and Ticketmaster (the ticket
seller).
If brought, the DOJ's suit would be met with praise from a
broad spectrum of groups. Competitors, legislators, consumer
advocates, artists, and concertgoers have consistently and
categorically criticized the entertainment behemoth since the
merger. And the “boos” only got louder after
Ticketmaster notoriously botched the presale for Taylor
Swift's tour this past November.
