Former New Jersey club promoter Tommy Dorfman, whose antitrust suit against Live Nation has lingered for nearly 15 years, urged regulators to “split [Live Nation] into as many pieces as possible” during a Capitol Forum conference call this month.
Dorfman, now chief executive of Juice Entertainment and RD Enterprises, told listeners that Live Nation’s 2010 intervention at the Meadowlands “wiped me out” after he secured a decade-long deal to stage an electronic dance-music festival at the State Fair. According to Dorfman, company executives threatened to withhold Ticketmaster services and touring access for any artist who performed at his event unless he agreed to cede 50 percent of the festival. He refused.
“They said they would block all my talent, block all my ticketing,” Dorfman recalled, likening the tactics to a “shotgun marriage.”
‘Ticketmaster is the enforcer’
Dorfman described Ticketmaster as the “enforcer” of what he called an illegal rebate scheme. He alleged that Live Nation demands kickbacks from vendors and venues—costs that are then rolled into ticket prices—while keeping a second, private set of books that shows healthy profits.
These claims were detailed in a report attached to the Juice Entertainment lawsuit – later shared by the late Congressman and Ticketmaster critic Bill Pascrell as “explosive” evidence of the company’s problematic practices.
FURTHER READING: Pascrell shares “Explosive” Ticketmaster report from Juice lawsuit alleging abuses
Many such claims come together as part of the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit filed in May 2024, which accuses Live Nation and Ticketmaster of monopolizing multiple segments of the live-event industry and seeks divestiture of “significant assets.”
Dorfman argues that regional promotion, ticketing, and venue-management divisions should all be separated to restore competition at the local level.
Dorfman’s own litigation, which survived summary-judgment review on liability, has yet to receive a trial date. He claims Live Nation’s ability to “delay, delay, delay” benefits the company because key witnesses age out of testifying. “The only way Live Nation beats me is if my witnesses die,” he said.
Despite originally seeking monetary damages and reinstatement of his festival, Dorfman now says his priority is structural relief: “I feel like I have a moral obligation to stop them from ripping off fans.”
Dorfman’s remarks land amid unprecedented scrutiny of ticket prices and fees. Average prices for top tours rose to $135.92 in 2024—up 42 percent from 2019—driven in part by dynamic pricing and venue rebates that critics say flourish under Live Nation’s vertically integrated model.
He contends that artists are forced to raise prices to offset Live Nation-imposed costs, while smaller promoters and venues are squeezed out. “If you’re an independent promoter, don’t even look at them,” he said. “You’re done.”
The Justice Department case is expected to move into discovery later this year. Dorfman said he has provided recordings, emails and text messages that, in his view, corroborate coercive tactics dating back to 2010. He also called on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s team to dig deeper into alleged rebate kickbacks, which he labeled “the Enron of the entertainment industry.”
FURTHER READING: Juice Entertainment Alleges Live Nation Engaged in Fraud, Monopolistic Behavior in DOJ Letter
For now, Dorfman is still waiting for his own day in court, but he told listeners he welcomes the spotlight: “I’ve been quiet for 14 years. Now it’s a moral duty to the fans.”
