Cheaper Tickets to Live Performances Could Be on the Horizon for Oregonians

Oregonians may no longer have to pay hefty prices for tickets to see their favorite artists in performances organized by Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster.

Court Dismissed a Motion by Live Nation and its Subsidiary Ticketmaster

Oregon District Attorney Dan Rayfield yesterday welcomed a court ruling that rejected a motion by the two companies after he joined a coalition of states in a lawsuit accusing Live Nation and Ticketmaster of limiting the ability of artists to perform at different venues and to restrict venues from working with competing ticket vendors.

Oregon DA Says Public is Fed Up with Paying Outrageous Fees

Announcing the victory, Rayfield said the public was ‘fed up’ paying ‘outrageous fees’ to see live performances by their favorite artists, adding that the ruling was a win for consumers and artists.

‘Live Nation and Ticketmaster don’t want to be held accountable for the monopoly they have created.

We are going to fight to make sure Oregonians aren’t faced with these inflated prices, and that artists have control over where they perform,’ said Rayfield in a statement issued by the Oregon Department of Justice.

The coalition lawsuit states that Live Nation and Ticketmaster must return money obtained ‘through illegal or unethical means,’ and asks the court to stop the companies ‘monopolistic behavior harming consumers, artists, and venues.’

The multi-state lawsuit argues that Live Nation’s anticompetitive conduct results in fans paying additional, non-transparent fees.

Their modus operandi causes fans to have limited options when buying tickets, and fewer concert choices.

The suit also notes that artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, and fewer choices to promote their concerts and sell tickets to their shows.

Rayfield joined in the lawsuit with the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.