(Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into Live Nation is focusing on whether the company uses anticompetitive agreements with venues and artists, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Enforcers in recent weeks sent document retention letters to talent agencies whose touring divisions arrange contracts between artists and promoters like Live Nation, according to the report.
In July, Politico reported that the Justice Department could file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and its unit Ticketmaster by the end of the year.
The Justice Department is probing deals that Live Nation offers artists and venues and restrictions those agreements might include. It is also exploring whether the company’s agreements restrict venues’ ability to work with other promoters or ticket services, according to WSJ.
Live Nation and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this year, U.S. senators slammed Ticketmaster over its handling of ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s concert tour that frustrated fans and generated complaints.
Ticketmaster in November 2022 canceled a planned ticket sale to the general public for Swift’s tour after more than 3.5 billion requests from fans, bots and scalpers overwhelmed its website.
Ticketmaster has previously denied using anti-competitive practices and said it remained under a consent decree with the Justice Department following a 2010 merger, adding that there was no “evidence of systemic violations of the consent decree.”
(Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman)
