U.S. Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar brought attention to the “broken ticketing industry” via a recent press release. Klobuchar is one of many vocal speakers showing dissatisfaction about the Live Nation – Ticketmaster merger. Reports show that Klobuchar and Sen. Richard Blumenthal were the first to ask the DOJ to open an investigation into the corporation, stating the overall merger was “bad for consumers”.
“Americans purchase millions of tickets each year and shouldn’t be forced to pay sky-high prices because of corporate greed in a broken ticketing industry.”
In 2010, the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger was approved on the conditions of a consent decree. Since then, there are visible signs that the company is unfairly controlling the ticketing industry. For example, customers face expensive add-on fees, no-transfer rules, and scalpers when purchasing tickets. We’ve all experienced the headaches and nightmares associated with purchasing tickets online. Now, customers are forced to buy directly through them in order to attend many of their favorite events as a result of Ticketmaster’s massive outreach.
Recently, Billboard reported that the DOJ identified five violations under the 2010 decree. It’s stated that Live Nation was using indirect and direct threats in pressuring clients to renew with Ticketmaster. Additionally, the DOJ is investigating Live Nation’s possible excessive control over the ticket resale markets. Moving forward, the DOJ will continue to investigate Live Nation’s violations to their 2010 consent decree.
In all, the DOJ will determine whether the ticketing site ignored its 2010 consent decree. Senator Klobuchar wants the decree extended past its July 2020 expiration. Without it, she believes “Live Nation’s dominance is virtually unchallenged”. Lastly, read Senator Klobuchar’s full statement on the issue here.
