Industry responds to FTC suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster

The music and tech industries were quick to respond to the FTC suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster alleging widespread misconduct in the live event ticketing.

The Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, which was joined by seven state attorney generals, alleges violations of both the FTC Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act.

Industry responds to FTC suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster

NIVA

“Today’s lawsuit has given credibility to what fans, artists, and independent stages have believed for years: Live Nation and Ticketmaster exploit their dominance not just in concert promotion and primary ticketing, but in the resale market as well,” said  Stephen Parker, Executive Director, National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) “The FTC and seven states now allege that the same company that controls nearly 80% of major concert ticketing has been enabling scalpers to game Ticketmaster’s system, reselling tickets back to fans at massive markups.”

“This is not just bad business; it is deception and abuse of monopoly power,” Parker continued. “We applaud the FTC for bringing this case. It further bolsters the U.S. Department of Justice and 40 state attorneys general antitrust case against Live Nation.”

NITO

The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) signaled their approval in a more measured way.

“Without commenting on the specific charges, NITO applauds the Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to reform an unfair ticketing ecosystem that too often does not serve consumers or artists,” NITO said in a statement. “Changes are needed that address excessive fees, availability of tickets for fans at fair prices and keeping the process aligned with artists interests that benefit their fans.”

Tech Weighs In

“The case put forward against Live Nation highlights a deeper issue in digital marketplaces: when platforms with dominant market share fail to enforce their own rules, it’s consumers who end up paying the price,” said Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN.

“Platforms themselves cannot be passive in this fight,” he continued. “They have a duty to enforce purchase limits, shut down bad-actor accounts, and invest in monitoring technologies that detect suspicious buying patterns before consumers are harmed.”

Bruce Houghton

MORE: FTC sues Live Nation, Ticketmaster Over Deceptive Ticketing