(New York, NY) – Opening statements took place in New York City Tuesday in the long-awaited Live Nation-Ticketmaster trial. It’s a landmark antitrust trial with the Justice Department and 39 states claiming the world’s largest ticket provider has jacked up prices of concerts, sports and theater. At issue is Ticketmaster’s 2010 merger with Live Nation, the largest owner of arenas and the biggest concert promoter in the world. The DOJ claims that merger created an illegal monopoly that crushes competition and inflates ticket prices.
The lawsuit is an attempt to break up that monopoly. Witnesses expected to testify include Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Kid Rock, Drake’s manager Adel Nur and several other company executives, promoters and venue owners.
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