Last week the US Justice Department settled its antitrust lawsuit against concert promoter Live Nation and ticket broker Ticketmaster, which merged back in 2010 and were accused of anti-competitive practices. For many observers, the settlement was surprising and disappointing. Although Joe Biden's administration filed the lawsuit in 2024, the Federal Trade Commission has continued to investigate Live Nation since Donald Trump returned to office, a move spurred on by Trump ally Kid Rock.
The artist born Bob Ritchie has routinely railed against Live Nation and Ticketmaster in recent years. In a video posted online last year, he called on political adversaries Pearl Jam, who famously battled with Ticketmaster in the '90s, to throw their support behind the government's antitrust efforts. This year he testified about Live Nation and Ticketmaster's "cartel" before the Senate. So he was not pleased to learn the DOJ had decided to settle.
A New York Times guest essay about the settlement by former Rolling Stone editor Noah Shachtman includes a few quotes from Kid Rock. The rap-rocker-turned-country-singer says that although he's had a hand in the government's dealings with regard to Live Nation, he wasn't involved in the settlement, and he doesn't agree with it. "I don’t understand why they would negotiate a settlement," Rock said. "Why not just let it see its course? Let’s see what 12 people decide."
Good question, Kid Rock! He's probably extra steamed in light of the newly released internal messages in which Live Nation employees gloated about ripping off their customers, including one Slack message that referred to Kid Rock's VIP ticket buyers as "stupid." The rep continued, "I almost feel bad taking advantage of them," before his coworker replied, "I have VIP parking up to $250 lol."
