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The Department of Justice has officially filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

On Thursday, the Justice Department, in collaboration with 30 state and district attorneys generals, claimed the ticketing removing  competition in the live entertainment sector. According to the DOJ, this anticompetitive conduct results in higher costs and fewer choices for U.S. music fans compared to those in other countries.

Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators.” He added that this behavior forces fans to pay more in fees, limits opportunities for artists, squeezes out smaller promoters, and reduces venue options for ticketing services, emphasizing the need to dismantle the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly.

The lawsuit claims that Live Nation and Ticketmaster engage in exclusionary practices to maintain a self-reinforcing business model. They allegedly leverage revenue from ticket sales and sponsorships to secure exclusive promotion deals with artists. Subsequently, they use their dominant position in live content to pressure venues into signing long-term exclusive ticketing agreements.

This legal action follows heightened public scrutiny of the ticketing companies, particularly after Ticketmaster’s system failed during Taylor Swift’s 2022 “Eras Tour” online presale, leaving many fans unable to purchase tickets.