‘Tis The Season

Mark your calendar: January is coming to a close and, according to all the press, the Department of Justice is going to make its determination on the Live Nation / Ticketmaster Entertainment merger before the month is out.

Although CTS Eventim is challenging the merger in Europe, and one recent report said Live Nation was considering selling venues to competitor AEG in what some consider to be a concession, neither situation means the merger is in dire straits.

As Wall Street began the week with a soft bounce followed by an equal decline, Ticketmaster and Live Nation stock prices had each risen more than 10 percent at press time since opening bell.