Arizona AG Announces Amended Final Judgement With Live Nation

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich minced no words when announcing the Amended Final Judgment that he and other AGs as well as the Department of Justice had reached with Live Nation related to multiple violations of a 2010 consent decree it entered as part of the approval of its merger with Ticketmaster.

“Consumers looking to purchase tickets to concerts or live events are facing increasing sticker shock with little to not alternative to Ticketmaster,” he said in a release posted to the azag.gov website. “We must take all necessary steps to enforce the 2010 consent decree and ensure competition to protect consumers from excessive fees and runaway hidden costs.”

The release outlines the “comprehensive injunctive relief” agreed to in the extension of Live Nation’s consent decree to 2025 following the uncovering of at least six violations of the agreement found in the DOJ’s investigation.

1. An injunction against Live Nation from further violations;
2. Disciplinary action for future violations that may result in conviction for contempt of court and imprisonment or fine;
3. Extension of the Consent Judgment to July 30, 2025;
4. Appointment by the Court of a Monitoring Trustee paid for by Live Nation;
5. Appointment by Live Nation of an Antitrust Compliance Officer;
6. Live Nation must provide a copy of the Amended Final Judgment to relevant employees;
7. Live Nation must conduct semi-annual compliance training for the first year followed by annual compliance training the remaining years;
8. Live Nation must provide a copy of the Amended Final Judgment to every actual or potential customer, and at the beginning of any negotiation related to ticketing service; and
9. Live Nation must establish a whistleblower protection policy.

While the updated and extended consent decree adds teeth to the existing agreement that the entertainment giant not use threats or tie bringing acts to venues with those venues’ being a client of its Ticketmaster subsidiary, it made no changes to what many believe are increasingly anti-competitive practices related to ticket resale, including usage of transfer-restricted mobile-only systems designed to lock consumers to the company’s owned resale platforms at the expense of competitors.

The Amended Final Judgement was filed Friday night, according to the press release, and should be entered by the judge “in the near future.”