SDNY COURTHOUSE, USA, March 13 –
As Live Nation tries to
fend off monopolist charges in US Federal court in New
York, its CEO is bragging online about expanding - toward
monopoly - in other countries.
Inner City Press has been covering the
trial of the US Department of Justice, and now that they
are settling, perhaps more that two dozen states, against
Live Nation and Ticketmaster. On Tuesday,
March 9 I was live streaming a stand-up on the sidewalk
outside the U.S. District Court for the Southern District
of New York courthouse when Michael Rapino walked
out.
"Will you be staying for the
negotiations" with the states this week, I asked
him.
"Yes," Rapino said, rushing east on
Worth Street with another man, perhaps a bodyguard.
Rapino is busy. Including on X, where
even during the trial he has posted about Live Nations
deals in other countries, most recently Live Nation's
pending deal in France. I perused Rapino's X feed
and found, in less than the last year:
"Live Nation in Milan" Italy (MR 3
Feb 2026), South Korea (2 Feb), Bizarro Peru (22 Jan),
@ParisLaDefArena (France, 6 Jan), Movistar Arena Chile (11
Dec 2025), Thailand premier venue 10 Dec 25, Ticketmaster
in UK, ostensibly banning secondary markups on its UK
marketplace (17 Nov 25), Metronome Prague reveals Live
Nation partnership (that's funny, reveals like would have
liked to keep secret), Czechia 7 Oct 25, Lima Music Arena
(Peru) 2 Oct 25, Cardiff (25 Aug 25), New Zealand /
partnering with Team Event on Electric Avenue (30 July 25)
- FRANCE — Paris
La Défense Arena (Jan. 6, 2026) Live Nation signed an
agreement to acquire
Paris La Défense Arena — Europe's largest indoor venue
— from Ovalto, promising
major upgrades and more year-round events. Completion
is subject to approval by
the French Competition Authority. Live Nation Newsroom
— So the French
regulator is already in the loop on this one. Live Nation's
American antitrust case was
proceeding to trial when Rapino blithely posted this.
ITALY —
Milan/ForumNet (Feb. 3–4, 2026) Live Nation
agreed to acquire ForumNet Group from Bastogi, with
Milan's Unipol Forum
(capacity 15,800) at the heart of the deal, along with
Teatro Repower and
open-air Carroponte Coliseum The transaction is
expected to complete in April
2026. Estimated
value: ~$106 million. SOUTH KOREA —
Goyang Arena + Busan (Feb. 2, 2026) Live
Nation was selected as the preferred bidder for the
stalled 18,000-cap Goyang
Arena project in Seoul, part of the K-Culture Valley
project first announced in
2016. Separately, Live Nation and Busan Metropolitan
City announced a
partnership to develop a 20,000-capacity arena and
multi-cultural entertainment
complex in South Korea's second most populous city. PERU — Lima Music
Arena + "Bizarro" (Oct. 2,
2025 + Jan. 22, 2026) Two Peru entries on Rapino's X
feed. The Lima Music Arena
deal is a newer venue acquisition. The "Bizarro Peru"
reference (Jan.
22) seems to be a nod to Live Nation's acquisition of
Bizarro/Fildelitas. CHILE — Movistar
Arena Santiago (Dec. 11–12, 2025)
Live Nation became a majority stakeholder in Movistar
Arena Santiago through a
partnership with BeLive Entertainment Group. The
15,000-capacity venue hosts
more than 170 shows a year and is one of South
America's busiest arenas. THAILAND — Impact
Arena Bangkok (Dec. 10, 2025) Live
Nation took over operations of Impact Arena, working
alongside founding
developer Bangkok Land, introducing modern production
infrastructure, premium
seating, and enhanced hospitality. UK —
Ticketmaster "banning" resale markups (Nov. 17, 2025)
MR tweeted this
as a win. Worth noting: the UK's CMA has been the most
aggressive Live Nation
watcher in Europe — and the "ban" is largely
self-policed. The CMA is
actively interested in ticketing. CZECHIA — Metronome
Prague (Oct. 6–7, 2025) Metronome
Prague joined forces with Live Nation Czech Republic
in a partnership claimed
to "transform Prague into the heart of the European
music scene." Live
Nation Czech Republic's Ondřej Pojzl acknowledged:
"For several years,
there's been an internal wish for our Czech branch to
co-organize a major
festival." Prague Morning — i.e., they wanted this for
a while and the
"reveal" was indeed somewhat reluctant-feeling. WALES/CARDIFF (Aug.
25, 2025) Cardiff Council and the
consortium comprising Live Nation and Robertson
Property announced financial
close on a new 16,500-capacity Cardiff arena. Cardiff
Music City Opening
planned for 2028. Live Nation already runs the
existing Motorpoint Arena
Cardiff and co-promotes the Blackweir Live concert
series in the city. Substack
Fair Finance Watch dossier:
Fair Finance Watch, long active in antitrust enforcement in the US, is working with Global Reinvestment Watch on this, having already begun with a filing with the Autorité de la concurrence in France. Watch this site.
