The DOJ settled with Live Nation-Ticketmaster on Monday, dropping its most consequential demand: a forced breakup of the entertainment monopoly.
What the government got instead is a 15 percent cap on Ticketmaster service fees at Live Nation-owned amphitheaters and a transparency pledge giving artists visibility into their own ticket sales. Industry insiders who spoke to The Verge called the concessions unsatisfying and baffling. The structural power Live Nation holds over venues, artists, and ticketing remains intact.
The full piece is worth reading for what those insiders actually expected, why the DOJ blinked, and whether any of these concessions survive contact with Live Nation's market position.
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