Sept 19 (Askume) – Live Nation Entertainment (LYV.N) has asked a federal judge in New York to dismiss multiple claims by the state that the live events promoter harmed audiences by stifling competition with its ticketing unit, Ticketmaster.
Live Nation is seeking to dismiss parts of a lawsuit filed in May by the US Justice Department and a coalition of states. Prosecutors are seeking to dissolve Live Nation, accusing concert promoters and Ticketmaster of illegally raising the prices of concert tickets and harming artists.
Last month, several states joined the lawsuit, bringing the total to 39 states and the District of Columbia. Two-thirds of them also filed claims for treble damages on behalf of event attendees in their states .
Live Nation late Wednesday moved to dismiss the claims, saying it used threats, retaliation and long-term contracts to prevent concert venues from using rival ticketing services that “have little to do with consumers or the ticket prices they pay.”
“Their claims appear to be based on the assumption that as marginal costs decline, locations will respond by unreasonably lowering consumer prices rather than earning incremental profits,” the company said.
Live Nation also urged US District Judge Arun Subramanian of Manhattan to dismiss charges that the company shut out artists by using its concert promotion service to book venues it owned, a practice not required by law to allow rival concert organisers to rent its open-air theatres.
(This story has been corrected in paragraph 4 to show the date requested by Live Nation was Wednesday, not Thursday)
