WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly launched a criminal antitrust probe of major U.S. concert companies including Live Nation and AEG over the cancellation of concerts in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Bloomberg, who first broke the story, the probe is examining whether the live events companies illegally colluded to establish refund policies and deals with artists for concerts that were impacted by public gathering restrictions during the pandemic.
Reuters reported that Live Nation confirmed the existence of the probe but denied any collusion.
“It is not illegal for artist agents, promoters and ticketing companies to work together to solve the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic,” Dan Wall, Live Nation’s Executive Vice President for Corporate and Regulatory Affairs told Reuters.
“While Live Nation contributed to this industry effort in good faith, we set our own unique policies and refund terms to support fans and artists. We did not collude with AEG or anyone else. We are proud of our leadership during those trying times, and if any charges result from this investigation, we will defend them vigorously,” he added.
A spokesperson for AEG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
