Leifer states, “To access the majority of significant concerts and events in the U.S., consumers must interact with Live Nation directly or indirectly. Live Nation requires venues it promotes to use Ticketmaster as the sole agent for primary ticketing, eliminating competition.”
This exclusive tying of services, according to Leifer, inflates Live Nation’s profits by collecting revenue from both the promotion of events and the sale of tickets. Ticketmaster, controlling over 70% of primary ticket sales for major venues, charges supracompetitive prices, pushing out competitors like SeatGeek and StubHub.
Impact on Secondary Ticketing Market
The lawsuit also claims Ticketmaster’s dominance extends to the secondary ticketing market. By making it difficult to resell tickets purchased from Ticketmaster on other platforms, the company deters potential secondary ticketing agents, allowing it to maintain high prices and harming consumers.
Class Action Details
Leifer seeks to represent two classes of plaintiffs: a nationwide class of end-user buyers of secondary tickets and a state indirect purchaser class covering 26 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Both classes involve consumers who bought secondary tickets from sellers who initially purchased tickets from Ticketmaster or Live Nation affiliates since the 2010 merger.
