Inside the controversial rise of Live Nation – as DOJ sues Ticketmaster’s parent company that has endured recent clashes with Taylor Swift fans

Ticketmaster has been sued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) due to alleged antitrust violations by the ticket operator’s parent company, Live Nation Entertainment.

Prosecutors are expected to challenge the company’s business practices following the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation to form Live Nation Entertainment in 2010, according to CNN.

The lawsuit is expected to allege that the business has unfairly marginalized competitors and weakened customer choice to help increase the company’s pricing brackets for event and concert tickets.

It comes after an investigation by the DOJ that began in 2022, which examined both Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

Founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, Live Nation promotes, operates and manages ticket sales for live events across the globe.

Jay Z performs at Made In America Music Festival, in Philadelphia, USA, on September 3 2017. Jay-Z has had disputes with Live Nation over the management of his Made in America Festival including disagreements over venue changes and logistical decisions that impacted the festival’s organization and success.
It also owns and operates entertainment venues and manages the careers of music artists.

The original Live Nation company was founded in 1996 by Robert F. X. Sillerman as SFX Entertainment, before being sold to Clear Channel Communications for $4.4 billion in 2000.

The brand has grown enormously since it was first founded in the late 1990s, as Live Nation Entertainment generated a total of $22.75billion in 2023, according to financial statistics website Statista.

Following news of the anticipated lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, here is a look some of the most controversial incidents involving the company – including a debacle over Taylor Swift tickets.

Being forced to cancel Taylor Swift public ticket sale due to demand

Tickets for the US leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras in 2023 sold so rapidly that the general public never even had a chance to buy them, causing fury among the singer’s fans.

Ticketmaster canceled the public sale on November 17 2022, which was originally due to occur a day later due to ‘extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory’.

The announcement came after it had already sold over two million tickets in pre-sales for various different select groups.

‘While it’s impossible for everyone to get tickets to these shows, we know we can do more to improve the experience and that’s what we’re focused on,’ the company said at the time.

Many fans shared their frustrations online, with one person writing in a scathing post on X, formerly Twitter: ‘F**k you, Ticketmaster. I was about to check out my tickets for Taylor Swift and you glitched and sent me to the very back of the queue and now I’ll probably never get tickets.’

‘I HAD 17 PEOPLE AHEAD OF ME IN QUEUE AND TICKETMASTER BOOTED ME OUT OF QUEUE IM GONNA SCREAM I HAVE TO WAIT FOR 2000 + PEOPLE AGAIN AHHH WTF,’ added another user.

‘Ticketmaster – I had Taylor Swift tickets IN my cart – I got a different error. Five times. And then I got kicked out for trying too many times? Come on,’ another angry fan fumed.