Live Nation’s CFO Says DOJ Probe Could Affect Past Settlements

Joe Berchtold, President and CFO of Live Nation, suggested that the Department of Justice is conducting an investigation into the company, per Hollywood Reporter.

At the Morgan Stanley investor conference on Wednesday, Berchtold was asked to provide any comments regarding the DOJ investigation into Live Nation and Ticketmaster. This was following a November 2022 report by The New York Times that the DOJ had launched an antitrust inquiry.

Read more: Live Nation Antitrust Federal Lawsuit Is Thrown Out

At the Morgan Stanley investor conference on Wednesday, Berchtold was asked to provide any comments regarding the DOJ investigation into Live Nation and Ticketmaster. This was following a November 2022 report by The New York Times that the DOJ had launched an antitrust inquiry.

“We have a binding agreement with the DOJ as it relates to any perceived deeds in the past, much as you have individual settlements. So there has never been a situation where the DOJ has come and attempted to retrade a settlement,” Berchtold said.

“So A.) There are legal questions about whether or not they could retrade a settlement and B.) It would have a chilling impact on their ability to ever do settlements again,” he continued.

Berchtold continued to address the assertion, which many lawmakers made in a recent hearing, that the combination of Ticketmaster andLive Nation constitutes a monopoly.