NIVA calls for break up of Live Nation

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) in the US has called for the break up of Live Nation, proposing the business be split up into four companies across ticketing, promotion, advertising and sponsorship, and artist management.

NIVA submitted its formal comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to their joint request for public input on unfair practices in the live entertainment marketplace.

Yesterday (Tuesday), the Sports Fans Coalition also revealed it had made a submission to the joint inquiry.

In its submission, NIVA also called for the creation of a $500m (£368m/€427m) annual venue and promoter rebuilding fund, paid for by the remnant of Live Nation post-breakup to support small and mid-size independent venues, festivals and promoters.

The organisation also tabled the idea of establishing a federal oversight board to monitor unfair practices and enforce post-divestiture conduct. On the topic of resale, NIVA called for a nationwide ban on speculative ticket listings, a federal price cap on ticket resale and the prohibiting of resale before the public onsale.

“The current system is rigged against fans, artists, and independent stages,” said Stephen Parker, executive director of NIVA.

“This is a defining moment. We’re urging the federal government to deliver real structural change – not more settlements, not more consent decrees, but decisive action to break up Live Nation and rein in the deceptive practices that dominate ticket resale.”

Additionally, NIVA has called on the FTC and DOJ to investigate resale platforms and crack down on deceptive websites, predatory chargebacks, and stronger enforcement of the BOTS Act.

The comments also criticise provisions in the proposed TICKET Act that would permit speculative ticket sales under a different name.

“Independent stages are infrastructure. If we don’t fix this now, it won’t just be a cultural loss, it will be a failure of public policy,” added Parker.

Live Nation’s own submission to the inquiry focused on the secondary market. The company proposed a national 20% cap on resale ticket markups and service fees, which it believes would restore fairness for fans and artists.