The US government is trying to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster

“It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. Live Nation, the self-proclaimed “largest live entertainment company in the world,” drew antitrust scrutiny when it merged with ticketing giant Ticketmaster in 2010. In 2019, the DOJ and Live Nation agreed to update and extend the 2010 consent decree they entered when the government allowed the merger to go through without a challenge. The DOJ’s antitrust investigation into Live Nation was reportedly opened shortly after this incident, according to The New York Times. In the complaint, the DOJ details several methods that Live Nation-Ticketmaster allegedly used to lock up the market.