Ticketmaster Under Scrutiny: Live Nation Defends Policies Amid FTC Lawsuit
In a recent development, Live Nation has responded to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit with a pointed letter to US senators, defending its subsidiary Ticketmaster against allegations of collusion with ticket brokers. The letter, penned by Dan Wall, Live Nation’s EVP of corporate and regulatory affairs, disputes claims that the company engages in practices detrimental to consumers and artists. Wall criticizes the lawsuit for presenting a “distorted view of the facts and the law” while announcing new measures to address longstanding criticism of Ticketmaster’s operations.
Among the key changes is the decision to limit everyone, including brokers, to a single Ticketmaster account, which aims to reduce the proliferation of unauthorized broker accounts. Wall insists that all concert tickets distributed by Ticketmaster are now openly available to fans, with no secret transfers occurring with brokers. Additionally, Ticketmaster is removing ticket management features from its TradeDesk platform, acknowledging that defending such features has caused reputational harm exceeding their value.
The company is also tackling automated bot activity, claiming to have blocked 8.7 billion bot actions in April 2025 alone, and routinely stopping over 99% of fraudulent account sign-up attempts. Despite these efforts, critics, including the National Independent Talent Association and the National Independent Venue Association, call for more stringent measures, urging Ticketmaster to cap resale prices at the original ticket value to prevent scalping practices that disadvantage artists and fans alike.
As Live Nation and Ticketmaster gear up for continued legal battles, the letter serves as a blueprint for their defense strategy in the FTC case, addressing industry-wide concerns about fairness and transparency in the ticketing ecosystem. As this unfolds, the responses from Senators Marsha Blackburn and Ben Ray Luján, who raised initial questions, remain to be seen. This situation highlights the ongoing dialogue between major ticketing platforms and regulatory bodies to ensure consumer interests remain safeguarded amidst evolving industry practices.
