The FTC sues Ticketmaster for allegedly colluding with resellers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and seven states have sued Ticketmaster owner Live Nation, accusing the company of knowingly allowing brokers to bulk-buy tickets and resell them at a significant markup on its own second-hand market. The FTC claims Ticketmaster was aware of this practice and even offered tech support to brokers through its TradeDesk app, designed to consolidate and manage tickets purchased through multiple Ticketmaster accounts. The lawsuit also alleges that Ticketmaster failed to implement third-party identity verification tools that could have prevented the bulk purchases, as the company believed these tools would be "too effective." Additionally, the FTC accused Ticketmaster of engaging in deceptive pricing, claiming that the company intentionally presented customers with a lower price upfront to increase ticket sales. The FTC has accused Live Nation of violating the FTC Act's ban on deceptive practices and the BOTS Act, which prohibits the use of bots or other software to obtain more tickets than is legally allowed.