Late last fall, Live Nation representatives said they were excited about rolling out their own ticketing service to replace their contract with Ticketmaster. Instead, Live Nation, the biggest concert promoter in the world, and Ticketmaster, the biggest ticketing company in the world, want to merge their operations into a single company called Live Nation Ticketmaster through a deal in which no cash would change hands.
Some had hoped the expiration of Live Nation's contract with Ticketmaster would result in a reduction of the convenience fees that have made Ticketmaster one of the most reviled brands among music fans. And with Live Nation and Ticketmaster competing, the door might open for smaller companies to join the ticketing fray, causing prices to drop as ticketers and venues competed for audience. (For the record, these convenience fees do not go completely to Ticketmaster, but are split between various parties including artists if their profile is high enough.)
The Journal says one potential sticking point is about who will lead the company, but that could be small potatoes compared to potential antitrust issues with the deal. Neither Ticketmaster nor Live Nation has returned our requests for comment so far, but sources we've canvassed raised the specter of the Federal Trade Commission blocking the deal on antitrust grounds.
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