On March 15, Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota wrote to the U.S Justice Department, urging officials to investigate Live Nation for potential anti-competitive actions. The firm has been under scrutiny since the controversial acquisition of TicketMaster in 2010. Upon the purchase, Live Nation agreed not to engage in retailing against venues that do not use its TicketMaster service for every event.
The two lawmakers involved in antitrust legislation requested the department assess Live Nation's compliance with the agreement. They wrote to the head of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, Jonothan Kanter, exclaiming, "As live events continue to open up, American consumers are confronting skyrocketing ticket prices, opaque terms, and exorbitant fees. Yet live entertainment markets, especially ticket markets, are dominated by one corporation, Live Nation, which cemented its dominance through its 2010 merger with Ticketmaster."
Lawmakers also noted that Live Nation had an "aggressive acquisition strategy" that included a purchase of a competing ticketing startup called Rival. "We are deeply concerned that the Department's past enforcement and negotiated remedies in this industry have failed to adequately foster and protect competition in live entertainment and ticketing markets," they wrote.
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