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Friday, March 13, 2026
Report: Live Nation, DOJ Strike Deal Settling Antitrust Case and Avoiding Ticketmaster Break-up
TicketNews: Live Nation and the U.S. Department of Justice have reportedly reached a settlement that would end the government’s blockbuster antitrust case against the concert giant — a deal that appears to stop short of the forced Live Nation–Ticketmaster breakup many critics had hoped for.
3 comments:
Maxwell Hamilton
said...
Of course they did a settlement, because nothing good can ever come from a government that is apparently designed for the people. It's so frustrating because these settlements are the exact thing that just leads to more negative impact and nothing settling. It was the same situation with all of the massive media companies a few years ago, settlements settlements. Nothing actually came from any of these hearings. Even after there was countless amounts of proof that most of these companies had been either intentionally or not leaking, or selling personal information from their users to advertisment firms and databases. It really seems like the right to privacy has virtually disappeared from our digital lives. With more and more control going to private entities and companies. I really hope that future investigations into ticketmaster lead to real consquecnes that actually benefit the people that have actually been impacted by their predatory practices instead of a single settlement that grants the government more money.
How surprising is it that a government which has shown time and time again that they value the interests of corporations and billionaires over the average American’s needs, would come to a decision that actively perpetuates the economic capital of the average consumer’s desire to have easier access to an aspect of mainstream art? While the settlement describes the supposed new policies Ticketmaster must adhere to, I can’t help but think that these are just words with little actionable meaning. The ticketing industry practices for mainstream artists have become absolutely abhorrent, and while the argument can be made that this is a net positive to encourage people to indulge in smaller artists, it doesn’t change the issue of accessibility in the first place. While there is some positive speculation that all states may not adhere to this settlement, like the article says, this still causes it to be a partial resolution rather than a global issue. I hope that the public backlash can be conducive enough to make a difference in this case going forward.
This doesn’t surprise me at all unfortunately. Greed has become so integral to the economy, politics, and our society as a whole that nothing good can be expected from our DOJ in these cases. $200M is consequential to Live Nation, and it shows executives that if they want to keep doing the wrong things for their own benefit, all they’ll lose are small amounts of money in their eyes. This is the unsurprising precedent our administration sets, filling their own pockets and the others that are already overflowing. Until something changes in the regard of people in power, I have no hope that live ticketing will become better any time soon. Where I do have hope is in the people. It has always been evident in history that the power belongs to the people and how they act or believe. If they refuse to accept the conditions they’re given, with enough time, effort, and people, things have a much better opportunity to change. I hope this will combine well with an administration that isn’t founded on greed.
3 comments:
Of course they did a settlement, because nothing good can ever come from a government that is apparently designed for the people. It's so frustrating because these settlements are the exact thing that just leads to more negative impact and nothing settling. It was the same situation with all of the massive media companies a few years ago, settlements settlements. Nothing actually came from any of these hearings. Even after there was countless amounts of proof that most of these companies had been either intentionally or not leaking, or selling personal information from their users to advertisment firms and databases. It really seems like the right to privacy has virtually disappeared from our digital lives. With more and more control going to private entities and companies. I really hope that future investigations into ticketmaster lead to real consquecnes that actually benefit the people that have actually been impacted by their predatory practices instead of a single settlement that grants the government more money.
How surprising is it that a government which has shown time and time again that they value the interests of corporations and billionaires over the average American’s needs, would come to a decision that actively perpetuates the economic capital of the average consumer’s desire to have easier access to an aspect of mainstream art? While the settlement describes the supposed new policies Ticketmaster must adhere to, I can’t help but think that these are just words with little actionable meaning. The ticketing industry practices for mainstream artists have become absolutely abhorrent, and while the argument can be made that this is a net positive to encourage people to indulge in smaller artists, it doesn’t change the issue of accessibility in the first place. While there is some positive speculation that all states may not adhere to this settlement, like the article says, this still causes it to be a partial resolution rather than a global issue. I hope that the public backlash can be conducive enough to make a difference in this case going forward.
This doesn’t surprise me at all unfortunately. Greed has become so integral to the economy, politics, and our society as a whole that nothing good can be expected from our DOJ in these cases. $200M is consequential to Live Nation, and it shows executives that if they want to keep doing the wrong things for their own benefit, all they’ll lose are small amounts of money in their eyes. This is the unsurprising precedent our administration sets, filling their own pockets and the others that are already overflowing. Until something changes in the regard of people in power, I have no hope that live ticketing will become better any time soon. Where I do have hope is in the people. It has always been evident in history that the power belongs to the people and how they act or believe. If they refuse to accept the conditions they’re given, with enough time, effort, and people, things have a much better opportunity to change. I hope this will combine well with an administration that isn’t founded on greed.
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