"The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that it is investigating whether Live Nation has been violating a consent decree that it has been required to follow since merging with Ticketmaster nearly a decade ago.
The consent degree forbids Live Nation from keeping concerts and tours from venues that do not use Ticketmaster for ticket services. It also prevents the company from retaliating against venues that engage one of Ticketmaster’s competitors."
...
"Live Nation indicated that those who were demanding an investigation misunderstood the consent degree as well as 'general ticketing industry dynamics.' On September 18th, Michael Rapino, who runs Live Nation, further addressed the issue at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference, which took place in New York.
Rapino insisted that, while the consent decree prevents Live Nation from threatening to block shows at venues that use a different ticketing platform than Ticketmaster, it does not prevent the company from making decisions that make economic sense.
He further said that, if a venue wants to use a ticketing platform other than Ticketmaster, the venue may not make economic sense to his company."
...
"Live Nation indicated that those who were demanding an investigation misunderstood the consent degree as well as 'general ticketing industry dynamics.' On September 18th, Michael Rapino, who runs Live Nation, further addressed the issue at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference, which took place in New York.
Rapino insisted that, while the consent decree prevents Live Nation from threatening to block shows at venues that use a different ticketing platform than Ticketmaster, it does not prevent the company from making decisions that make economic sense.
He further said that, if a venue wants to use a ticketing platform other than Ticketmaster, the venue may not make economic sense to his company."
-- https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/09/19/live-nation-inve...