Live Nation, Italian promoters acquitted in Viagogo case

A Milan court has acquitted Live Nation Italy executives and other Italian promoters of all wrongdoing in a secondary ticketing case, which alleged the companies profited from illegally inflating ticket prices.

Live Nation Italy president Roberto De Luca and general director Antonella Lodi have been cleared along with three further defendants: Mimmo D’Alessandro, chief executive of Tuscan promoter D’Alessandro e Galli, Viagogo site administrator Stephen Charles Roest, and Live Nation executive Corrado Rizzotto, formerly chief executive of Milan promoter Vivo Concerti. CTS Eventim acquired both D’Alessandro e Galli and Vivo Concerti last year.

The promoters had been accused of conspiring with controversial secondary ticketing platform, Viagogo, to remove tickets from the market and resell them at inflated prices, spreading “false information to cause an alteration of the market.”

Prosecutor Adriano Scudieri led the two-year investigation into the inflation of ticket sales for events including Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay shows.

“The worst part has been the attempt of some of my competitors to take advantage of the media hype surrounding the investigation and take artists from me”

The suspected inflation would have resulted in revenues from 2011 to 2016 of more than US$1.13 million.

The five defendants were also accused of “fraud against the state” for failing to pay taxes and performance royalties in full.

“Two very difficult years have now come to an end, but I am happy because our group has always worked with integrity,” comments De Luca.

“The worst part has been the attempt of some of my competitors to take advantage of the media hype surrounding the investigation and take artists from me. Luckily, our artists understood the situation and stood by us.”

D’Alessandro adds, “We have always trusted in the course of justice. Truth and justice, as they say, will prevail and the system reaffirmed the dignity of a hard-working group that has been dedicated to the promotion of music to the greatest number of fans possible.”

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