Ticket Sales Merger Under Scrutiny – National Consumers League

Consumers who purchase tickets to concerts, sporting events, and other live entertainment may be interested in what consumer groups fear would result in a monopoly in the industry: a proposed merger between giants Ticketmaster and Live Nation.

Consumer advocates are warning the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division that a merger between Ticketmaster, which already has a major hold on the market, controlling up to 70 or 80 percent of all concert ticket sales, and Live Nation, a new company that appears to have the potential to become Ticketmaster’s only significant competitor, would be a negative for consumers.

A merger, say advocates from National Consumers League, Consumer Federation of America, and Consumer Action, would leave consumers with few options and vulnerable to hikes in ticket prices, service fees, and the negative consequences of monopolies. To read the groups’ letter to DOJ, click here.