US: Delrahim confirms Live Nation Antitrust Investigation

At an antitrust enforcement oversight hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Makan Delrahim—Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division—confirmed that Live Nation is under investigation for alleged anti-competitive behavior and its adherence to a 2010 consent decree.

While he declined to elaborate further, he did confirm that his department was “examining allegations of violations” of the decree, which Live Nation and Ticketmaster agreed to prior to the two companies merging. The decree included Ticketmaster licensing its software to competitors and offload subsidiary Paciolan, among other requirements.

In recent years, allegations have surfaced that Live Nation/Ticketmaster have “flouted” the decree in their business practice as the largest promoter and ticketer in the world. In August, Senators Amy Klobuchar (Democrat – Minnesota) and Richard Blumenthol (Democrat – Connecticut) wrote AAG Delrahim requesting that his office conduct an investigation into the industry and Live Nation Entertainment’s adherence to the consent decree.

Full Content: Ticket News

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