
photo by John Sonderman
From the Office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, will pay $9.9 million to resolve allegations that it misled customers about ticket prices, charged deceptive fees, and used illegal pressure tactics to get fans to buy tickets for a decade.
Since the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) began its investigation, Live Nation has changed its practices to provide customers information about the total ticket cost up front, and it also now shares more information about the purpose of fees and how they are shared among the companies receiving them. Live Nation has agreed to maintain these changes, in addition to making a monetary settlement payment.
This settlement resolves a consumer protection investigation that is separate from OAG’s antitrust case against Live Nation for illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry.
“For at least a decade, Live Nation and Ticketmaster boosted profits by charging predatory, hidden fees — taking advantage of DC residents buying tickets for their favorite artist or team and pricing others out entirely,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “With this settlement, we’re putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of DC fans and ensuring that the price fans see when they first start shopping for tickets is the price they actually pay.”
An OAG investigation into Live Nation’s practices uncovered evidence that the company misled consumers in multiple ways, in violation of the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act, including evidence that Live Nation: (more…)