Stephen Parker, head of the National Independent Venue Association, urged structural remedies including a full Live Nation-Ticketmaster breakup following the April jury verdict finding the companies liable for monopolization and unlawful tying. He argued past behavioral fixes failed and called for promotion caps, artist management divestitures, and a long-term firewall.
A federal jury in Manhattan ruled against Live Nation and Ticketmaster on April 15 after a six-week antitrust trial, finding them liable for monopolizing primary ticketing at major venues, amphitheaters, and tying promotion services to venues and ticketing. Live Nation plans to appeal.
In an op-ed published May 1, Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), outlined aggressive structural remedies for the ongoing remedies phase before Judge Arun Subramanian. Parker, representing independent venues, promoters, and festivals, dismissed monetary damages—like the jury's $1.72 per-ticket overcharge finding—as insufficient to restore competition.
He proposed: 1) Separating Ticketmaster from Live Nation; 2) Capping Live Nation promotion at 50% of any artist's tour; 3) Divesting artist management businesses; 4) A 15-year 'commercial firewall' to block reconsolidation.
Parker highlighted repeated violations of the ineffective 2010 DOJ consent decree from the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger. He cited testimony from John Abbamondi, former CEO of Barclays Center's operator, who described pressure from Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino after threatening to switch from Ticketmaster—illustrating how tour control locks in venues.
These steps, Parker argued, would enable artists to independently select managers, promoters, and venues, fostering competition. The remedies phase continues amid Live Nation's appeal plans.
