FTC SUES LIVE NATION, TICKETMASTER FOR ALLOWING TICKET BROKERS TO BREAK ITS RULES FOR PROFIT: ‘DIRECTLY INFLATES PRICES’

The FTC has filed a lengthy lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, seeking a permanent injunction against what it describes as years of “systemic unfair and deceptive practices.”⁠

The lawsuit alleges three main categories of unlawful conduct by Live Nation: deceptive, or bait-and-switch ticket pricing; collusion with ticket brokers to evade ticket limits; and what it calls “systematic violations of the BOTS Act.” Each example of unlawful conduct, according to the complaint, directly inflates prices, harms artists’ intent to keep ticket costs affordable and “extracts billions in additional profits for the defendants.”⁠