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Follow on Google News | Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. merger with Live Nation fair to investors? Investigation AnnouncedTicketmaster & Live Nation Merger Subsequently Ticketmaster faces $410 lawsuit in Canada and US lawsuit – Critics raised about sales practices – Contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com
By: Shareholders Foundation, Inc. If you are a current investor in Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc or a current shareholder in Live Nation Inc , you have certain options and if you want to stay informed about the deal and the lawsuit in Canada you should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. at Email: mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or phone: (858) 779 – 1554 In addition the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. has set up a poll for Live Nation Inc investors and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc shareholder whether they think the offer is fair. Go to www.ShareholdersFoundation.com The companies estimated the value of the combined business at $2.5 billion and said the deal would help them save about $40 million annually. . The boards of both companies have approved the transaction. But the deal was generating controversy even before it was announced. Addressing antitrust concerns Ticketmaster Chairman Barry Diller said "Ticketmaster does not set prices. Live Nation does not set ticket prices. Artists set the prices," without mentioning the ticket surcharges Ticketmaster relies on for much of its revenue. Assuming it gets approval by antitrust authorities, the companies hope to complete the merger in the second half of the year. However, the merger comes just as Ticketmaster is under fire for recently redirecting people buying tickets to a Bruce Springsteen show from its regular Web site to its reselling subsidiary, TicketsNow. Ticketmaster was hit on Monday with a US lawsuit complaining about the company’s sales practices for redirecting fans, including those trying to buy Springsteen tickets Feb. 2, to TicketsNow.com where the tickets were marked up by hundreds and even thousands of dollars. In the complaint filed Feb. 6 in Los Angeles Federal Court the plaintiff alleges that Ticketmaster gets a 15 per cent cut from TicketsNow, which it owns. “Ticketmaster profits twice as the result of the monopolistic scheme,” so the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages. The “Defendants have illegally bilked event ticket purchasers out of millions of dollars” and the lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop the practice. Springsteen, in a posting on his website, said that “we perceive this as a pure conflict of interest,” and “The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you.” Springsteen recently posted a statement on his Web site saying the merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation could end up "returning us to a near-monopoly situation in music ticketing." Ticketmaster, based in West Hollywood, Calif., issued an apology Feb. 4 for having steered Springsteen fans to TicketsNow and vowed to refund them the price difference between the face value of tickets and those purchased inadvertently through the reseller. On Monday Ticketmaster was now also hit by a $410million lawsuit in Ontario, Canada claiming Ticketmaster made a similar up-selling move in November for a Smashing Pumpkins concert and “conspired to divert tickets to popular events” from its main website to its own ticket auction website, www.TicketsNow.com. The representing plaintiff in the lawsuit also claims that he had recently bought two concert tickets for $533.65 including service charges on TicketsNow.com. The lawyers are claiming that their client would have only had to pay $133.00 for the pair if they were available on Ticketmaster’ Even though the Canadian lawsuit was filed on the same day as a similar American action, the suits are unrelated, according to lawyers. New Jersey's attorney general launched an investigation. If you are a current investor in Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc or a current shareholder in Live Nation Inc you should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. at Charles Schumer, a Democratic senator from New York who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee released a statement Tuesday opposing the merger, calling the Springsteen ticketing debacle a "bait-and-switch" Analysts believe the Ticketmaster- Bill Pascrell Jr., a Democratic representative of New Jersey, called for the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings after news of the potential merger broke. Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, took a balanced view of the deal and said "Music's had a tough time obviously. So to the extent that there can be some efficiencies and you can run a better business, that's something that we have to look at as something pragmatic. On the other hand, the question becomes, `Does this create too much authority and power and control under one roof?'" Live Nation shares fell 30 cents, or 5.7 percent, to $4.99 in afternoon trading Tuesday, while Ticketmaster shares dipped 27 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $6.30. Ticketmaster sells tickets for more than 80 percent of the major arenas and stadiums in the U.S., according to concert tracking firm Pollstar. Live Nation is the world's No. 1 concert promoter and owns more than 140 venues. It has comprehensive rights deals covering the tours of such artists as Madonna, Jay-Z, U2 and Shakira. If you are a current investor in Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc or a current shareholder in Live Nation Inc , you have certain options and if you want to stay informed about the deal and the lawsuit in Canada you should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. at Email: mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or phone: (858) 779 – 1554 In addition the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. has set up a poll for Live Nation Inc investors and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc shareholder whether they think the offer is fair. Go to www.ShareholdersFoundation.com You can also contact us at: Shareholders Foundation, Inc. Trevor Allen 3111 Camino Del Rio North - Suite 423 - 92108 San Diego Tel:+1-(858)- Fax:+1-(858)- Mail@ShareholdersFoundation.com www.ShareholdersFoundation.com ____________________________________________________________ # # # Advertising. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is an investor advocacy group. We do research related to shareholder issues and inform investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock market. At Shareholders Foundation, Inc. we are in contact with a large number of shareholders. We believe that together we can combine the interests of many investors, and use the size of our interest as leverage against the giant corporations. We offer help, support, and assistance for every shareholder. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. Any statements made in press releases, emails or over the phone by any member or personnel employed by Shareholders Foundation, Inc. or by third parties related to the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is provided for research and guidance purposes only and are not legal advices. The information is provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon. End
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