NIVA calls on DoJ, FTC to break Live Nation into four companies
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has called on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) to break Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary into four separate companies.
NIVA’s strongly worded call to divide Live Nation into distinct ticketing, promotion, advertising/sponsorship, and artist management companies was filed after the two federal agencies jointly requested public input on “unfair practices in the live entertainment marketplace.”
A lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice and 39 state Attorney Generals alleging that Live Nation engaged in monopolistic practices is scheduled to begin in March 2026.
‘Two Major Threats To Live Music’
The DoJ and FTC submission identifies what NIVA says are two major “threats” the live music ecosystem: Live Nation’s “vertically integrated monopoly” and “the unregulated secondary ticketing market.” It also offers remedies it says are designed to “restore competition, protect consumers, and support independent venues, promoters, and festivals.”
The just released NIVA State Of Live report showed that 64% of the independent US stages surveyed were not profitable last year.
“The current system is rigged against fans, artists, and independent stages,” said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA. “This is a defining moment. We’re urging the federal government to deliver real structural change – not more settlements, not more consent decrees, but decisive action to break up Live Nation and rein in the deceptive practices that dominate ticket resale.”
NIVA’s letter to the DoJ and FTC calls for:
- Structural divestiture of Live Nation into four separate companies: ticketing, promotion, advertising/sponsorship, and artist management.
- Creation of a $500 million annual Venue and Promoter Rebuilding Fund paid for by remnants of Live Nation post-breakup to support small and mid-sized independent venues, festivals, and promoters.
- Establishment of a federal oversight board to monitor unfair practices and enforce post-divestiture conduct.
- A nationwide ban on speculative ticket listings, including so-called “concierge” or “procurement” services that allow fake tickets by another name.
- A federal price cap on ticket resale, ensuring tickets cannot be resold for more than 10% above face value.
- Prohibiting resale before the public onsale, which undermines fan-first distribution and inflates prices.
NIVA is also calling on the FTC and DOJ to investigate resale platforms and crack down on deceptive websites, predatory chargebacks, and enforce the BOTS Act. The comments are sharply critical of provisions in the proposed TICKET Act that would permit speculative ticket sales using“fake ticket loopholes” and “buy now, pray later” models.
“Independent stages are infrastructure,” Parker added. “If we don’t fix this now, it won’t just be a cultural loss – it will be a failure of public policy.”
NIVA’s full comments to the DoJ and FTC are available here.
Bruce Houghton
