Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedOctober 2, 1976; 48 years ago (October 2, 1976), in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Founders
  • Albert Leffler
  • Peter Gadwa
  • Gordon Gunn III
  • Jerry Nelson
Headquarters
Beverly Hills, California
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Products
  • Ticketing technology
  • Ticket sales
  • Ticket resales
  • Marketing
  • Distribution of event tickets and information
  • Support of venue renovation
Revenue$11.9 billion in 2019[1]
Number of employees
6,678
ParentLive Nation Entertainment (2010–present)
Websiteticketmaster.com

Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entertainment.[2]

The company's ticket sales are fulfilled digitally or at its two main fulfillment centers located in Charleston, West Virginia, and Pharr, Texas for both primary and secondary markets. Ticketmaster's clients include venues, artists and promoters. Clients control their events and set ticket prices, and Ticketmaster sells tickets that the clients make available to them. Ticketmaster also owns and operates TicketWeb, a ticketing website geared towards independent venues.

Ticketmaster is subject to numerous controversies and lawsuits, alleging violations of various laws. The platform charges a fee on tickets purchased and resold on the platform. The fees from ticket sales can account for a large percentage of overall ticket costs and have received scrutiny from regulators, customers, and musicians. The company has also faced scrutiny from the United States Department of Justice for retaliation against venues violating its 2010 10-year consent decree from the Live Nation merger, which has been extended an additional five years from 2020 through 2025.

Following the widespread criticism of the company's handling of the pre-sale of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in November 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) began a formal investigation into Live Nation Entertainment on the grounds of monopoly, antitrust law and consumer rights violations. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee examined the merger with a hearing in January 2023. On May 23, 2024, the DOJ and a coalition of 29 states formally launched an antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.[3] An additional 10 states joined the lawsuit, bringing the total number of co-plaintiffs to 40.[4]

  1. ^ "Live Nation reports revenue growth in 2019 to $11.5bn". February 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Pelofsky, Jeremy; Adegoke, Yinka (January 25, 2010). "Live Nation, Ticketmaster merge; agree to U.S. terms". Reuters.
  3. ^ Michaels, Dave; Steele, Anne (May 23, 2024). "Justice Department Sues to Break Up Live Nation-Ticketmaster". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "Ten Additional States Join Justice Department's Suit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for Monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert Industry". United States Department of Justice. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024. The department, and its now-expanded group of 40 co-plaintiffs, filed an amended complaint in the Southern District of New York.