Photo Credit: Heather Bell / USFWS / CC by 2.0
Live Nation hopes to negotiate a swift exit from the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit by appealing to senior officials, a new report reveals.
Live Nation is reportedly looking to negotiate a settlement with the Department of Justice to avoid going to trial, according to a new report by Semafor. The report indicates that Live Nation executives and lobbyists have been trying to appeal to senior DOJ officials ahead of the trial currently set to begin in March.
Some of those discussions, according to Semafor, have “sidelined” antitrust chief Gail Slater, who inherited the Live Nation case from the Biden administration. However, a DOJ spokesperson pushed back against Semafor’s assessment, noting that the report “contains misinformation,” but that Slater is “very much involved” with the overarching Live Nation case.
“This report contains misinformation about an ongoing matter that is confidential, but what can be said is that AAG Slater is very much involved,” said a Justice Department spokesperson. “Anonymous attempts to alter markets or outcomes will not undermine the integrity of this process. This DOJ will always pursue what is in the best interest of the American people.”
But it remains to be seen how much Slater’s influence will ultimately have a say. The Trump administration has challenged her authority in several high-profile antitrust cases, and multiple companies have reportedly avoided an antitrust challenge in the last year by appealing directly to top Trump DOJ officials. To wit, Slater was prevented from axing her own chief of staff last week after Attorney General Pam Bondi intervened.
Regardless, Live Nation’s reported push for a settlement comes amid broader moves to tackle the ticketing industry at the state level. In California, Assemblymember Matt Haney introduced AB 1720 as a measure to cap resale prices at 10% above face value—a move that earned immediate support from Live Nation, which is eager to drive the narrative forward that it’s the secondary market that’s the issue.
