Despite taking a decidedly sharp stance against the secondary ticket market over the past year, Live Nation has begun to list information on its Web site for tickets available on broker sites, TicketNews has learned.

Fans looking for tickets on Live Nation can now see available secondary tickets, including pricing information, on the same pages where face value tickets are located. The secondary ticket data is compiled by ticket search engine company FanSnap. Virtually all artist pages on Live Nation’s site now carry secondary ticket information.

“LiveNation.com shows you tickets that brokers, re-sellers, and fans are offering. We know this isn’t for everyone as many fans don’t like to buy from secondary markets,” the Live Nation Web site states. “We understand, but we want to offer you as many options as we can in one place. Our goal is to get you to the show and deliver the concert experience that’s right for you. Some of these tickets are NOT being sold by the official ticket seller and we do NOT guarantee their authenticity. Please check the OFFICIAL tickets at the top of this page first before deciding to buy.” (See the screen shot below.)

The move by Live Nation, which is in the midst of trying to gain U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approval for its merger with Ticketmaster, would appear to show a major change in philosophy for the concert promotions giant, and it could be part of a concession package Live Nation is preparing for DOJ consideration.

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At various times, however, Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino echoed the sentiments of Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff in blasting the secondary ticket market, and both executives have put a premium on shifting toward paperless ticketing and dynamic pricing as ways of ultimately eliminating the secondary ticket market.

“We’re not going to comment,” Live Nation spokesperson John Vlautin told TicketNews. FanSnap CEO Mike Janes did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment.

The Web site also states that the secondary market tickets in question “may be above actual face value,” and adds the disclaimer: “Tickets sold by brokers, re-sellers, and fans may not be artist-approved, authentic, or official Live Nation concert tickets. Please check the OFFICIAL tickets at the top of this page first before deciding to buy.”

Live Nation claims it is providing the information as a service, and that it is not reselling the tickets itself, but earlier in the year, Ticketmaster found itself in hot water when it linked to its own secondary ticket Web site, TicketsNow, following the release of Bruce Springsteen tickets. The company settled a complaint about it with New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.

(Click the image to enlarge it.)

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