Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.

In 2009, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, a concert promotion firm and ticketing company, reached an agreement to merge. The new company received regulatory approval and was named Live Nation Entertainment. Michael Rapino, then CEO of Live Nation, became the new company's CEO, while Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff was named executive chairman.

The merger was approved first in Norway and Turkey in 2009. The United Kingdom's Competition Commission provisionally ruled against the merger, but reversed its decision on December 22, 2009.

The merger was opposed in the U.S. by some regulators, artists, fans, and competing firms, who argued it would reduce competition in the industry and increase ticket costs. Rock musician Bruce Springsteen was a vocal opponent of the merger at the time.

On January 25, 2010, the U.S. Justice Department approved the merger pending certain conditions. Ticketmaster had to sell ownership of its self-ticketing company, Paciolan, and license its software to Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which would allow it to compete "head-to-head" with Ticketmaster for business. AEG was given the option after five years to buy the software, replace it with something else, or partner with another ticketing company. Additionally, Live Nation Entertainment was placed under a 10-year court order prohibiting it from retaliating against venues that chose to accept competing ticket contracts. Over the following years, the company expanded its technological and digital distribution infrastructure. In June 2026, Live Nation integrated its Ticketmaster ticketing system directly into Spotify through a new "Reserved" ticketing feature on the streaming platform, aimed at adapting distribution channels to digital artist-to-fan interactions.