Live Nation Heads to Court

Live Nation's decade-plus run as the dominant force in live music is about to face its biggest test yet. As the New York Times reports, a federal jury trial opens Monday in Manhattan that could reshape how concerts are booked, promoted, and ticketed in the US—and determine whether the Ticketmaster parent has been illegally muscling out rivals. The Justice Department and attorneys general from 39 states and DC say Live Nation has built intertwined monopolies in touring, venues, and ticketing, using its clout to pressure arenas and amphitheaters into exclusive Ticketmaster deals and to push artists to use Live Nation as promoter. The DOJ gave the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger a greenlight in 2010.

The company, which put on 55,000 events and sold 646 million tickets last year, calls the case thin and denies steering shows away from venues that defect. A judge has already tossed some of the government's claims, narrowing the trial to what one antitrust scholar calls prosecutors' "strongest" arguments. Live Nation insists that a breakup is effectively off the table; the government hasn't conceded that. CEO Michael Rapino is expected to testify in a trial likely to stretch for a month or more. Billboard notes that Kid Rock, who has been railing on the industry's status quo, is one of the few musicians cited as a potential witness.