Live Nation, Ticketmaster to face class action over alleged pricing violations
A judge ruled Live Nation and Ticketmaster must face a class action lawsuit alleging they overcharged customers for tickets since 2010.Summary
A federal judge in California has allowed a class action lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster to proceed, representing millions of Americans who claim they were overcharged for concert tickets. The lawsuit alleges the companies monopolized ticketing services, leading to artificially high prices in violation of antitrust law, seeking damages for over 400 million tickets purchased since 2010. Live Nation argued against class certification, stating individualized issues with venue-specific fees made a single trial impossible, and claimed venues, not Ticketmaster, set the fees. However, the judge disagreed, and the Supreme Court previously declined to move the case to private arbitration.
This ruling comes as Live Nation also faces an antitrust action filed by the U.S. Justice Department and a group of states regarding its ticketing practices. Both Live Nation and Ticketmaster have denied any wrongdoing in both cases. The outcome of this class action could have significant implications for the ticketing industry and potentially lead to changes in how concert tickets are priced and sold.
(Source：The Globe and Mail)