Court Filing Reveals Contact Between Trump and Live Nation CEO
A court filing has revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino in February, weeks before the U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary in a long-running antitrust case.
According to the filing, submitted by Live Nation`s legal team, Trump and Rapino discussed the antitrust lawsuit but did not address the "substantive terms" of any potential settlement.
The filing also states that White House lawyers participated in several meetings, videoconferences, phone calls and written communications between Live Nation and the Department of Justice during February and March.
The Justice Department announced a settlement shortly after the trial began in March. However, most of the participating U.S. states declined to join the agreement, arguing that it did not go far enough to address Live Nation`s position in the live entertainment and ticketing markets.
The case proceeded, and several weeks later a jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster had maintained a monopoly that harmed concertgoers and sports fans. Among its findings, the jury concluded that Ticketmaster`s practices resulted in consumers in 22 states paying an average of an additional $1.72 per ticket. The court will determine any resulting remedies.
The federal settlement included a cap on certain service fees at amphitheatres and introduced additional ticket-selling options that could allow promoters and venues to work with alternative ticketing providers, including SeatGeek and AXS, although such changes would not be mandatory.
The White House declined to comment on the disclosure, referring questions to the Department of Justice, which had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
Live Nation has previously stated that the jury`s verdict "is not the last word on this matter."