AI Generated Image
Court filing reveals President Trump spoke to Live Nation CEO before antitrust case was settled
AP News • • business
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump personally spoke with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino in February regarding the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, though no substantive settlement terms were discussed.
- White House lawyers participated in various communications between Live Nation and the Justice Department during February and March, shortly before the Justice Department abruptly settled the lawsuit.
- The settlement, announced just days into the March trial, was criticized by most states for not sufficiently limiting Live Nation's dominance in concert venues and ticketing, leading several states to continue the trial.
- A jury later ruled that Live Nation held a monopoly that resulted in higher ticket prices for consumers in 22 states, with potential financial restitution ordered by the judge.
- The federal settlement imposed some service fee caps and allowed new ticket-selling options that could enable competition, but Live Nation maintains that the jury verdict is not the final resolution of the case.
