Live Nation’s Odyssey Through Past Administrations Won’t Help Now

Anyone trying to score tickets to Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour is familiar with the political backlash following Ticketmaster’s inability to handle “unprecedented” demand for the concert series. The Department of Justice swiftly opened an investigation, and 18 months later, Live Nation and Ticketmaster are finally facing the music.To understand the government’s case and what’s at stake, it is important to trace the troubled history between the Antitrust Division, Live Nation, Ticketmaster, artists, venues, promoters, and fans across the last three presidential terms.The DOJ’s case against Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster has been building for three presidential terms stretching back to the Obama administration’s sign-off on the merger. But other administrations’ decisions not to stop or undo the deal doesn’t undermine the government’s case now, or mean a break-up is off the table. The DOJ Antitrust Division and 30 state attorneys general filed sprawling antitrust charges again...