Complaint alleges coordination with brokers, deceptive pricing, and inflated resale fees
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the attorneys general of seven states have sued Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, alleging they enabled ticket brokers to bypass purchase limits and acquire large numbers of tickets for resale at higher prices, which violates the FTC Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales Act.. The complaint also accused the companies of advertising misleading ticket prices by hiding mandatory fees until late in the purchasing process—driving up consumer costs by billions of dollars between 2019 and 2024.
Ticketmaster, which controls a large share of both primary and secondary ticket sales, allegedly profited by charging additional fees on resale tickets obtained through these practices.
“American live entertainment… should be accessible to all of us. It should not cost an arm and a leg to take the family to a baseball game or attend your favorite musician’s show,” said FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson.
Ticketmaster executives acknowledged that brokers routinely used multiple accounts to exceed ticket limits and that the company provided them with software tools to manage large-scale resales.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Chairman Ferguson and members of the FTC as they seek to ensure businesses comply with federal laws and regulations.
- For U.S. officials to be discerning as they endeavor to protect U.S. consumers.
Sources: Federal Trade Commission, AP News
