Washington, D.C. — In response to news that the Department of Justice has opened an antitrust investigation in Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster, the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition released the following statement.

“We are thrilled to see the Department of Justice Antitrust Division investigate Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s ongoing monopoly abuse of fans, artists, venues, and live events professionals,” said the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition. “This is a day of optimism and hope for over 40,000 people who have called on the DOJ to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster, a corporation that has bent and broken the industry to its will since its entities merged in 2010.”

“The Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition is bringing together a diverse array of sports and music fans, artists, unions, and independent venue owners for one common goal: restore competition to the live events marketplace,” the Coalition added. “This is an amazing moment and a crucial first step to achieving that goal.”

Last month, a broad coalition of allies launched #BreakUpTicketmaster, a campaign to urge the Department of Justice to investigate and unwind the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger of 2010 (the genesis of this monopoly). Already, the campaign has over 40,000 people. Tens of thousands of fans, policymakers, and artists have already come out in support of the campaign’s mission.

The coalition includes the American Economic Liberties Project, Artist Rights Alliance, Consumer Federation of America, Demand Progress, Fan Freedom, Fight Corporate Monopolies, Future of Music Coalition, More Perfect Union, Music Workers Alliance, National Consumers League, Sports Fans Coalition, Union of Musicians and Allied Workers, and Voters of Tomorrow.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.