Live Nation

DOJ to Seek 'Major Concessions' on Live Nation-Ticketmaster

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 16, 2009 - 8:06am.
Washington - The U.S. Justice Dept. is providing "stiff resistance" to the proposed $1.5 billion merger of concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM), and will require "major concessions" from the companies if it is to approve any deal, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing several people familiar with the situation. One source said there are elements of the deal in its current form that would prompt the Justice Dept. to sue to block it from happening.

U.K. Regulators Oppose Ticketmaster-Live Nation Merger

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 8, 2009 - 9:15am.
London - The U.K. Competition Commission has come out in opposition to the proposed $1.5 billion merger of concert promotion giant Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM), saying it would hamper competition in the U.K. market and lead to higher prices. Specifically, the Commission said in its preliminary report that the deal would "severely inhibit" the ability of Germany-based rival CTS Eventim to enter the U.K. market.

Twones Debuts Streaming Music Service Aggregator

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 17, 2009 - 11:39am.
Amsterdam - Twones has launched a private beta of its music site update aggregation service, which lets users compile lists of the tracks they listen to on disparate services, create playlists and share with friends. The Firefox plug-in aggregates listening information from nearly 30 music sites, including imeem, Last.fm, Blip.fm, iTunes, Pitchfork.tv, Hype Machine, YouTube, iLike, Muxtape, MySpace and Songza. CNET News.com notes that Twones has received financial backing from the Netherlands-based arm of concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV).

WSJ: Ticketmaster, Scalpers Explored Deal to Sink Live Nation

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 28, 2009 - 9:41am.
New York - Current Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM) CEO Irving Azoff met with a group of leading ticket brokers in 2007 in a bid to try to corner the market for secondary tickets, just as rival Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) announced plans to develop its own ticketing service independent of Ticketmaster, The Wall Street Journal reported. Azoff was still heading his Front Line Entertainment management firm -- in which Ticketmaster had a stake -- when he met with six large ticket brokers, and an offer was made for Ticketmaster to acquire them for as much as $25 million each.

Congressman Urges Antitrust Veto of Live Nation-Ticketmaster

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 10, 2009 - 11:10am.
Washington - Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) asked his fellow Congressmen to join him in urging the Justice Department's antitrust division to block the proposed $1.5 billion merger of live event giants Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM), saying it will lead to higher ticket prices for consumers, Wired.com reported. "This merger violates both horizontal and vertical anti-trust principles, and will undoubtedly lead to higher ticket prices for the average fan," wrote Pascrell.

Live Nation to Offer $24.99 Lawn Seats on Wednesday

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 15, 2009 - 11:54am.
Los Angeles - Further expanding its "no convenience fees" summer concert ticket sales promotion, Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) said on Monday that it will offer "all-in" $24.99 lawn seat tickets to events at all of its amphitheaters on Wednesday. The website-only promotion will apply to Live Nation-ticketed amphitheaters, and users will pay "no additional fees of any kind" over the listed $24.99 price point.

Live Nation Expands 'No Service Fee Wednesday' Promotion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 8, 2009 - 1:49pm.
Los Angeles - Concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) announced on Monday that it will extend its "No Service Fee Wednesday" ticket promotion to all shows and all tickets on June 10, expanding beyond the select concerts and lawn-seats-only offer from last week. The company said it saw a 500% spike in lawn seat sales last Wednesday.

Live Nation to Waive Ticket "Service Fees" on Wednesdays

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 1, 2009 - 10:19am.
Los Angeles - Concert promoter and venue owner Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), whose proposed $1.5 billion merger with Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM) is under antitrust review, announced on Monday that it will eliminate "convenience" fees normally charged for tickets to some of its events on Wednesdays this summer. Beginning on June 3, no service fees will be charged on tickets purchased on Wednesdays for LiveNation.com-ticketed amphitheater shows by artists including Aerosmith, Coldplay, the Killers, Depeche Mode, Phish, the Dead and Jane's Addiction.

(RED), Live Nation Team on AIDS Charity Concerts

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2009 - 12:34pm.
Los Angeles - AIDS in Africa charity (RED) said on Monday that it partnered with event promoter Live Nation on a slate of 26 concerts that will raise money and awareness for the charity. The (RED)NIGHTS concert series will take place at Live Nation clubs across the country, and feature artists including Santigold, Gomez and Fall Out Boy.

Live Nation Sees 23% Drop in Concert Attendance in Q1

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 8, 2009 - 9:47am.
Los Angeles - Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), the concert promotion giant awaiting antitrust approval of its proposed $2.5 billion merger with Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM), said this week that attendance at its North American events was down 22.6% in the first quarter, compared to a year ago, while reporting a loss of $102.7 million, or $1.29 a share.

Justice Dept. Seeks More Info on Live Nation-Ticketmaster Deal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 20, 2009 - 7:18am.
Los Angeles - Concert promotion giant Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster Entertainment (NASD: TKTM) announced on Friday that they have each received an "expected" second request from the U.S. Justice Department, for additional information regarding their proposed $2.5 billion merger.

Azoff-managed Artists Lobby Congress for Ticketmaster Merger

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 12, 2009 - 12:49pm.
Los Angeles - In letters to Congress expressing their support for the proposed merger of concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM), several high-profile artists neglected to mention that they are represented or co-managed by Irving Azoff, the founder of Front Line Management who also recently became CEO of Ticketmaster, Hypebot reported. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins -- who also testified before Congress this week on the Performance Rights Act -- as well as Eddie Van Halen, Seal, and several members of Journey all sent letters advocating for regulatory approval of the merger. However, neither Ticketmaster nor the artists themselves denoted the connection between the musicians and the company, according to Hypebot.

Live Blog From House Hearing on Ticketmaster-Live Nation

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2009 - 12:39pm.
Washington - The Chicago Sun-Times provided live blog coverage from yesterday's hearing on the proposed Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy. Among the highlights was Chairman Hank Johnson's (D-Ga.) revelation that Ticketmaster is again allegedly shunting customers looking to purchase face value tickets on Ticketmaster.com to its TicketsNow secondary ticketing auction site -- this time for Leonard Cohen concerts as opposed to Bruce Springsteen. "There is a risk that ticket prices will increase and consumers will be harmed by this merger," Johnson said.

Lawmakers Grill CEOs on Ticketmaster-Live Nation Merger

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 25, 2009 - 8:48am.
Washington - Senate Judiciary Committee members sounded skeptical on Tuesday at a hearing on potential antitrust issues raised by the proposed $2.5 billion merger of ticketing giant Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM) and concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV). Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota questioned Ticketmaster head Irving Azoff and Live Nation's Michael Rapino about the likelihood of ticket prices falling after a merger. "Nothing about this merger is going to force them to lower prices," testified David Balto, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress think tank's Action Fund.

Congress to Probe Ticketmaster-Live Nation Deal Next Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 20, 2009 - 10:27am.
Washington - Congress will hold two hearings next week to discuss the proposed $2.5 billion merger of concert promotion giant Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM), the world's largest ticketing provider. The Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on antitrust issues will hold a hearing on Tuesday, while the House Subcommittee on Courts and Competitive Policy will discuss the issue next Thursday.

Shareholder Suit Claims Ticketmaster Took Lousy Merger Terms

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 17, 2009 - 11:42am.
Los Angeles - Shareholders of Ticketmaster Entertainment (NASD: TKTM) have filed a class action suit against the company, alleging that Ticketmaster agreed to unfavorable terms in its proposed $2.5 billion merger with concert promotion giant Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), the Los Angeles Business Journal reported.

Justice Dept. to Investigate Live Nation-Ticketmaster Merger

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 11, 2009 - 12:52pm.
Washington - The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday announced its intention to investigate the proposed $2.5 billion merger of concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster Entertainment (NASD: TKTM), the Associated Press reports. The Justice Department previously investigated Ticketmaster during the '90s for its predominant position in the market for live event ticketing.

Live Nation, Ticketmaster Propose $2.5 Billion Merger

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 10, 2009 - 9:21am.
Los Angeles - Confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal last week, concert promotion giant Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) and Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM) on Tuesday announced plans to merge, in an all-stock transaction valued at $2.5 billion. If approved by federal regulators, the deal would create the world's largest live entertainment company, Live Nation Entertainment, which "will have the tools to expand access, improve transparency and deliver artists and fans more choice -- driving greater attendance at live events and bringing more value to all major constituents in the industry," the companies said.

WSJ: Live Nation, Ticketmaster in Advanced Merger Talks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 4, 2009 - 10:17am.
Los Angeles - Concert giant Ticketmaster (NASD: TKTM) is close to a negotiating an merger deal with concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) -- which is preparing to launch its own rival ticketing service -- the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. While the companies' respective boards have not yet approved the deal, it is expected to not include an exchange of cash, and could be announced as early as next week. The Journal noted that the deal may very well raise antitrust concerns at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), given the companies' positions in the music business.

Blockbuster Stores to Sell Live Nation Concert Tickets

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 2, 2008 - 11:03am.

Dallas - Video rental giant Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) announced on Tuesday that it has signed a three-year deal with concert promoter and venue owner Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), to serve as the exclusive physical retail ticketing outlet for the company's new in-house ticketing company. Under the agreement, Live Nation will sell tickets to concerts and other events at approximately 500 Blockbuster company-owned stores "in strategically chosen markets across the country that mirror Live Nation's concert venue platform footprint."