Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti told Newsmax on Saturday that the live event ticket market "is broken."
On Thursday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit seeking to break up Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, alleging that it has hurt consumers and violated antitrust laws by exercising control over the live events industry. The DOJ claims Live Nation has exercised predatory practices that have harmed all facets of the industry from fans, to artists and venues.
In a rare bipartisan move across both red and blue states, Skrmetti joined 28 other states and Washington, D.C., in bringing the suit, which seeks to lower prices for fans, open venues to more musicians, and allow competition to enter the marketplace. Skrmetti first brought suit against Ticketmaster in 2022.
"Usually there are a variety of remedies to look at here, but this is such a problem that we're looking at a breakup. That's the most serious remedy there is, but it's appropriate given what's happening in this industry," Skrmetti said during an appearance on "America Right Now."
Skrmetti noted that because live event ticket sales are not "the case of the century," it often takes years for these lawsuits to come together.
"The other issue is that this a powerful industry," he said. "I'm certain you're going to be hearing from folks on the other side who are famous and powerful and talking about how great Ticketmaster and Live Nation are and all the good things that they do."
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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