Trump’s Ticket Price Initiative and Live Nation’s Response
President Trump is currently focused on managing ticket prices, as the issue has become quite pressing in Washington. If you’re just trying to enjoy a concert without being bombarded by fees or needing a loan, you might want to pay attention.
Back in March, Trump signed a Presidential Order directing his administration to look into what’s causing sky-high ticket prices. It was a classic move—attempting to protect both average consumers and the little guy from unscrupulous middlemen.
Specifically, he’s asking the DOJ, FTC, and Treasury to investigate ticket bots and various online scams that make it hard for most people to buy tickets at fair prices.
In response, the DOJ and FTC opened a comment period where people from the industry and the general public can share their thoughts.
However, as this fact-finding process comes to an end, one of the major players in live entertainment seems to be trying to sidestep scrutiny. Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, has proposed government-imposed caps on how much fans can resell tickets for. Sounds reasonable at first glance, but it begs the question: who’s really benefitting here?
Answer: not the consumers. With a market cap exceeding $34 billion and already controlling over 80% of the American ticket market, Live Nation has a history of manipulating the market. They’ve even faced lawsuits from the DOJ and 40 states for punishing venues and promoters that dare to work with competitors.
It seems their strategy is to eliminate artists and redirect shows away from venues that work with rivals, all while claiming to be champions of the consumer. It’s a bit hard to swallow.
These proposed price caps don’t actually benefit honest consumers or curb scammers; instead, they manipulate the resale market, making it harder for fans to find tickets at reasonable prices. After all, not everyone has the luxury of spending hours online to grab tickets the moment they go on sale.
Interestingly, price caps don’t always lower costs. Just look at what happened in France, where the resale of tickets at face value was banned for the Paris Olympics. Hundreds fell victim to scams. Prices didn’t drop; they just made it easier for scammers to thrive.
This playbook mirrors tactics used by big tech that aim to write rules favoring their existence. Live Nation seems to want to eliminate others like SeatGeek and StubHub to increase their dominance from 80% to a staggering 100% market share.
This reflects typical lobbyist behavior—far from what seems consumer-friendly, it’s about consolidating power while leaving everyday Americans feeling trapped. Are the companies that limit consumer options really trying to protect your interests? Or are they simply looking out for their profits?
Trump’s objective wasn’t to bolster a massive monopoly; it was to shield hardworking Americans from these very schemes. The way to address high ticket prices isn’t by giving more power to Live Nation but rather by pushing for a fairer, more competitive market that keeps bots and crooks at bay.
That’s the essence of Trump’s order, and it’s something his administration continues to pursue against this predatory monopoly. Many Americans support breaking such monopolies.