DOJ, FTC open inquiry into the concert industry

The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission person announced a nationalist enquiry into the unrecorded euphony industry’s concern practices and issues facing consumers.

The enquiry comes a period aft an enforcement bid from President Trump — issued connected the proposal of Kid Rock — to combat summons scalpers, and ordered the authorities to question remark from stakeholders crossed the euphony industry. The bid asked for a study from some national agencies successful six months’ time.

The DOJ said successful its announcement that “The Executive Order directs the Attorney General and the FTC to ‘ensure that contention laws are appropriately enforced successful the performance and amusement industry.’ The Executive Order besides directs the FTC to ‘rigorously enforce the Better Online Tickets Sales Act.’ The Executive Order besides directs the Attorney General, with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the FTC, to taxable a study that identifies ‘recommendations for regulations oregon authorities indispensable to support consumers’ successful the industry.”

“The agencies truthful question accusation from the nationalist astir unfair and anti-competitive behaviour and practices successful the unrecorded performance and amusement industry,” it continued.

In a statement, Asst. Atty. Gen. Abigail Slater, of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, said, “Competitive unrecorded amusement markets should present worth to artists and fans alike. We volition proceed to intimately analyse this marketplace and look for opportunities wherever vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws tin pb to accrued contention that makes tickets much affordable for fans portion offering fairer compensation for artists.”

FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson added, “Many Americans consciousness similar they are being priced retired of unrecorded amusement by scalpers, bots, and different unfair and deceptive practices. Now their voices are being heard. President Trump has sent a wide connection that atrocious actors who exploit fans and distort the marketplace volition not beryllium tolerated. The FTC is arrogant to assistance present connected that committedness and reconstruct just and competitory markets that payment mean Americans.”

The nationalist volition person 2 months to taxable remark astir their experiences successful the unrecorded euphony marketplace to Regulations.gov.

The quality comes astir a twelvemonth aft the DOJ and 40 states announced a sweeping antitrust suit against Live Nation that accused the performance elephantine of acting arsenic a monopoly, abusing the vertically-integrated operation of its merger with Ticketmaster. The suit seeks to interruption up the company.

“It is besides absurd to assertion that Live Nation and Ticketmaster wield monopoly power,” wrote Dan Wall, Live Nation Entertainment’s enforcement vice president for firm and regulatory affairs, astatine the clip of the suit. “DOJ is not helping consumers with their existent problems. This is wherefore the authorities has ne'er been little fashionable — due to the fact that they unreal they are fixing your problems erstwhile alternatively they are pandering to a constrictive acceptable of governmental interests.”

The cardinal questions of however to remedy precocious resale summons prices, scalping and anti-competitive practices astatine performance giants similar Live Nation are complex. Yet portion the DOJ’s suit began nether the Biden administration, this announcement suggests those regulatory efforts volition proceed successful immoderate manner nether President Trump.