Their monopoly has allowed them to corner the market in almost every way, harming fans and artists.
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE), today, launched a campaign to highlight the impacts of the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly on fans. As part of the campaign, CASE unveiled a new website Ticketmaster Exposed, a watchdog dedicated to providing the public and policymakers with factual, well-researched information on the company’s questionable practices, systemic failures, and the broader impacts of their monopoly on venues, artists and fans, that isn’t being talked about.
“Fans want to see their favorite team or artist at a reasonable price, but the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly is making that virtually impossible,” said Gerard Scimeca, chairman of CASE. “They run the venues, artists, and tickets – and fans pay the price. For more than a decade, the federal government has told them to knock it off – they’ve refused. It’s past time for fans, artists, and lawmakers to say enough is enough: End this monopoly once and for all.”
Ticketmaster Exposed will feature details of Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s long, well-documented history of distorting the free market, undermining competition, and harming consumers. It’s clear the company uses its dominant position in the industry – including primary ticketing, artist management, venue ownership, concert promotion, and resale – to limit ticket availability and increase costs to consumers.
“With Live Nation using threats to prop up its dominance, there’s no free market,” Scimeca continued. “By shining a light on the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly we hope to establish a path forward for a more competitive market that helps fans enjoy the live shows and events they want.”
The campaign’s launch comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) amended complaint in its civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. Attorneys General from thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia have joined the DOJ lawsuit, to date.
CASE will also collect and feature fan stories on the new website, empowering consumers to make their voices heard and directly challenge the stranglehold of the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly.
The fight against monopolistic practices in the live event ticketing industry is just getting started and CASE remains committed to championing consumer rights and fostering a fair, competitive market.
###Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE) is a 501(c)(4), non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to the singular cause of promoting consumer interests through the advancement of free-market principles. CASE advocates on behalf of consumers, both on the state and federal level by analyzing economic date and trends, researching public policy, and weighing demographic information in order to best promote free-market policies that lead to a stronger economy benefiting all consumers.