Live Nation Entertainment Inc
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Feb 21, 2025.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.
FY2024 · Filed Feb 21, 2025
LYV$175.25-3.3%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-K
Period ended 2023-12-31; filed 2024-02-22.
0001335258-24-000017
Item 1A. RISK FACTORSCurrent report: 10-K
Period ended 2024-12-31; filed 2025-02-21.
0001335258-25-000028
Item 1A. RISK FACTORSThe baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.
Compared 160 previous paragraphs and 160 current paragraphs.
146 unchanged; 11 reworded; 3 added; 3 removed; 0 previous and 0 current paragraphs rearranged.
Tables are not compared: 1 previous and 2 current tables excluded. Dates, whitespace, punctuation and numbering changes are ignored; changes to financial figures remain significant.
A changed paragraph is not evidence that risk increased or decreased. An unchanged paragraph does not establish that risk stayed the same.
Added paragraphs (3)
Current report
•competition may impact our ability to earn attractive returns on our investments.
Current report
The U.S. Department of Justice and the attorneys general of certain states have sued us alleging violations of various federal and state laws pertaining to antitrust, competition, unlawful or unfair business practices, restraint of trade, and other causes of action. An unfavorable outcome in this matter could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Current report
In May 2024, we were sued by state and federal authorities for alleged violations of various laws pertaining to antitrust, competition, unlawful or unfair business practices, restraint of trade, and other causes of action, with various forms of relief requested for the alleged violations, including without limitation the divestiture of Ticketmaster by the Company, cancellation of certain ticketing contracts, enjoining the Company from engaging in anticompetitive practices, monetary damages, and other forms of relief. While this litigation is at its early stages and we believe that we have substantial defenses to the claims asserted in the matter, due to the nature of the allegations and the potential remedies being sought, an unfavorable outcome in this matter could have a material adverse impact on our business and operating results.
Removed paragraphs (3)
Previous report
In addition, given our substantial operations in the U.K. and the E.U., risks and uncertainties remain as a result of the new trading agreement between the U.K. and the E.U. following the U.K.’s exit from the European Union. The U.K. has agreed to “third country” trading status in a new E.U.-U.K. Trade and Cooperation Agreement which sets out arrangements in areas such as tariff-free trade in goods. The level of economic integration that existed while the U.K. was an E.U. Member State has lessened with some additional bureaucracy and cost with customs formalities, VAT, excise duties and ATA carnets for goods moved between the U.K. and the E.U. A review of the U.K.-E.U. Trade and Cooperation Agreement is due to start in May 2026.
Previous report
These risks and uncertainties include some regulatory uncertainty for data protection. It has been confirmed that the U.K. ICO will not be able to act as the single authority for E.U. multinationals; this means that E.U. multinationals will often have two regulators; one for U.K. activities and one for the rest of the E.U. where cross-border processing takes place. Live Nation has been assigned a new lead authority based on its cross-border processing, so it continues to have a main point of contact for the E.U. In addition, the U.K. is now not part of the E.U. for purposes of data transfers. The GDPR principle that data cannot leave the E.U. (to the U.K. in this case) now applies, however the U.K. has been granted adequacy by the E.U., allowing data to continue to flow to the U.K. Live Nation has already documented data flows to identify where U.K. flows occur and have contractual templates prepared. We have incorporated the U.K.’s International Data Transfer Agreement into any transfer from the U.K. and will continue to monitor whether the U.K. will implement an adequacy system, as proposed by the U.K. government’s data reform package, so we are prepared to comply with any transfer limitation obligations under the U.K. regime.
Previous report
In connection with the merger we also entered into a consent agreement with the Canadian Commissioner of Competition (the “Canadian Consent Agreement”), which had the effect of imposing essentially the same terms as the Final Judgment on our business in Canada. The various terms of the Canadian Consent Agreement expired on or before July 2020.
Reworded paragraphs (11)
Previous wording
In the secondary ticket sales market, we have restrictions on our business that are not faced by our competitors, imposed as a result of agreements entered into with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Attorneys General of several individual states, and various international governing bodies. These restrictions include: a requirement to clearly and conspicuously disclose on any primary ticketing website where a link or redirect to a resale website owned or controlled by us is posted, that the link is directing the user to a resale website and that ticket prices often exceed the ticket’s original price; and a requirement to make certain clear and conspicuous disclosures and in certain instances disclose when a ticket being offered for resale is not “in-hand” as well as a requirement to monitor and enforce the compliance of third parties offering tickets on our websites with such disclosure requirements. There are certain state laws that now ban such speculative ticket listings, and the New York Attorney General has in the past brought lawsuits against resale companies for these practices.
Current wording
In the secondary ticket sales market, we have restrictions on our business that are not faced by our competitors, imposed as a result of agreements entered into with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Attorneys General of several individual states, and various international governing bodies. These restrictions include: a requirement to clearly and conspicuously disclose on any primary ticketing website where a link or redirect to a resale website owned or controlled by us is posted, that the link is directing the user to a resale website and that ticket prices often exceed the ticket’s original price; and a requirement to make certain clear and conspicuous disclosures and in certain instances disclose when a ticket being offered for resale is not “in-hand” as well as a requirement to monitor and enforce the compliance of third parties offering tickets on our websites with such disclosure requirements. There are certain state laws that now ban such speculative ticket listings, and the New York Attorney General has in the past brought lawsuits against resale companies for these practices; we do not, however, allow the use of such speculative ticketing practices on our websites.
Previous wording
•desirable sites for live music venues may be unavailable or costly; and
Current wording
•desirable sites for live music venues may be unavailable or costly;
Previous wording
•the attractiveness of our venue locations may deteriorate over time.
Current wording
•the attractiveness of our current venues may deteriorate over time; and
Previous wording
On November 5, 2021, the Astroworld music festival was held in Houston, Texas. During the course of the festival, ten members of the audience sustained fatal injuries and others suffered non-fatal injuries. Following these events, hundreds of civil lawsuits have been filed against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and related entities, asserting insufficient crowd control and other theories, seeking compensatory and punitive damages. These events were the subject of an inquiry we received from the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform. We may incur material liabilities from the 2021 Astroworld event, for which it is currently expected liability insurance can provide sufficient coverage, but at this time there are no assurances of such adequacy of coverage. In addition, this could negatively impact our business, including our ability to obtain reasonably priced insurance coverage for future events, costs of operating security at events and other cost and commercial ramifications. These effects could have a material impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows.
Current wording
On November 5, 2021, the Astroworld music festival was held in Houston, Texas. During the course of the festival, ten members of the audience sustained fatal injuries and others suffered non-fatal injuries. Following these events, hundreds of civil lawsuits were filed against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and related entities, asserting insufficient crowd control and other theories, seeking compensatory and punitive damages. These events were the subject of an inquiry we received from the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform. As of December 31, 2024, all wrongful death lawsuits have been resolved, and nearly all claims alleging personal injury have been settled. We incurred losses in excess of our insurance recovery in connection with those settlements.
Previous wording
Live Nation as a tour sponsor will continue to use temporary worker routes into the U.K. now including E.U. and European Economic Area musicians and crew on the sponsor’s license. For tours in Europe, U.K. musicians’ working arrangements will be subject to individual E.U. member states and bilateral agreements reached with the U.K. Government. In the majority of member states the working arrangements will be similar, such as in France and Germany. In others, there may be new requirements for the sponsor. Starting in mid-2025 a European visa-waiver system (ETIAS – European Travel Information and Authorization System) will be required for visitors from 60 visa-exempt countries to enter 30 European countries for a short stay. All United States citizens travelling to the E.U. will need to register with ETIAS. In the U.K. an Electronic Travel Authorization scheme (ETA) is now in operation for visitors from Qatar. From February 22, 2024, it will be required for passport holders from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. By the end of 2024, ETAs will be a worldwide requirement for visitors who do not need a visa for short stays to the U.K.
Current wording
Given our substantial operations as a tour sponsor in the U.K. and E.U., we face risks and uncertainties relating to travel into and out of these jurisdictions for touring artists and supporting personnel. A European visa-waiver system (ETIAS – European Travel Information and Authorization System) will be required for visitors from 60 visa-exempt countries to enter 30 European countries for a short stay, expected to come into force mid-2025. All United States citizens travelling to the E.U. will need to register with ETIAS. In the U.K. an Electronic Travel Authorization scheme (ETA) is now in operation. All visitors who do not need a visa for short stays to the U.K. must apply for an ETA.
Previous wording
From time to time, federal, state and local authorities and/or consumers commence investigations, inquiries or litigation with respect to our compliance with applicable consumer protection, advertising, unfair business practice, antitrust (and similar or related laws) and other laws. Our businesses have historically cooperated with authorities in connection with these investigations and have satisfactorily resolved each such material investigation, inquiry or litigation. We are currently subject to agreements with the States of New Jersey, Maryland, Nevada, and Illinois and the FTC which govern, and in certain cases place limitations on, our ticketing resale practices. Our competitors in the secondary ticket sales market are not, to our knowledge, bound by such limitations (other than as a result of laws that apply equally to all secondary ticket sellers) and as a result, we may be at a competitive disadvantage. From time to time, other states, Canadian provinces and the federal government have commenced investigations or inquiries related to other aspects of our ticketing business, including a now-settled suit brought by the Canadian Competition Bureau relating to alleged deceptive marketing practices. In addition, in January 2020, we agreed with the United States Department of Justice to extend the duration of the consent decree we entered into in connection with our merger with Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC, which places certain restraints on our business (see the risk factor entitled “We agreed with the United States Department of Justice to extend and clarify the court-imposed final judgment to which we became subject in connection with the merger of Live Nation, Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC, which places certain restrictions and obligations on us which could negatively impact our business” below). We have incurred legal expenses in connection with the defense of governmental investigations and litigation in the past and may be required to incur additional expenses in the future regarding such investigations and litigation. In the case of antitrust (and similar or related) matters, any adverse outcome could limit or prevent us from engaging in the ticketing business generally (or in a particular segment thereof) or subject us to potential damage assessments, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Current wording
From time to time, federal, state and local authorities and/or consumers commence investigations, inquiries or litigation with respect to our compliance with applicable consumer protection, advertising, unfair business practice, antitrust (and similar or related laws) and other laws. Our businesses have historically cooperated with authorities in connection with these investigations and have satisfactorily resolved each such material investigation, inquiry or litigation. We are currently subject to agreements with the States of New Jersey, Maryland, Nevada, Illinois, and North Carolina and the FTC which govern, and in certain cases place limitations on, our ticketing resale practices. Our competitors in the secondary ticket sales market are not, to our knowledge, bound by such limitations (other than as a result of laws that apply equally to all secondary ticket sellers) and as a result, we may be at a competitive disadvantage. From time to time, other states, Canadian provinces and the federal government have commenced investigations or inquiries related to other aspects of our ticketing business, including a now-settled suit brought by the Canadian Competition Bureau relating to alleged deceptive marketing practices. In addition, in January 2020, we agreed with the United States Department of Justice to extend the duration of the consent decree we entered into in connection with our merger with Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC, which places certain restraints on our business (see the risk factor entitled “We agreed with the United States Department of Justice to extend and clarify the court-imposed final judgment to which we became subject in connection with the merger of Live Nation, Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC, which places certain restrictions and obligations on us which could negatively impact our business” below). We have incurred legal expenses in connection with the defense of governmental investigations and litigation in the past and may be required to incur additional expenses in the future regarding such investigations and litigation. In the case of antitrust (and similar or related) matters, any adverse outcome could limit or prevent us from engaging in the ticketing business generally (or in a particular segment thereof) or subject us to potential damage assessments, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Previous wording
We may be adversely affected by the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks or disease epidemics, including any resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current wording
We may be adversely affected by the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks or disease epidemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previous wording
Because we own assets overseas and derive revenue from our international operations, we may incur currency translation losses or gains due to changes in the values of foreign currencies relative to the United States Dollar. We cannot predict the effect of exchange rate fluctuations upon future operating results. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our international operations accounted for approximately 37% of our revenue. We cannot predict the future relationship between the United States Dollar and the currencies used by our international businesses, principally the British Pound, Euro, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar and Mexican Peso. We experienced foreign exchange rate operating income of $29.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and foreign exchange operating losses of $39.8 million and $9.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, which impacted our operating income (loss). See Item 7A.—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.
Current wording
Because we own assets overseas and derive revenue from our international operations, we may incur currency translation losses or gains due to changes in the values of foreign currencies relative to the United States Dollar. We cannot predict the effect of exchange rate fluctuations upon future operating results. For the year ended December 31, 2024, our international operations accounted for approximately 38% of our revenue. We cannot predict the future relationship between the United States Dollar and the currencies used by our international businesses, principally the British Pound, Euro, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar and Mexican Peso. We experienced foreign exchange rate operating income of $29.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and foreign exchange operating losses of $52.4 million and $39.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2022, respectively, which impacted our operating income (loss). See Item 7A.—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.
Previous wording
We currently secure insurance programs to address our various risks with terms, conditions and costs that management deems appropriate for our business. However, heightened concerns and challenges regarding property, casualty, business interruption, contingency and other insurance coverage have resulted from terrorist and other security incidents along with varying weather-related conditions, pandemics and other incidents. Any such events that are of a massive scale causing significant losses to insurance providers could negatively impact the insurance marketplace, and as a result, we may experience increased difficulty obtaining sufficiently high policy limits of coverage at a cost we believe to be reasonable, including coverage for acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, weather-related damage and disruptions and other perils associated with our operations, including communicable diseases and/or pandemics, artist illnesses and/or inability to perform, and other general casualty matters. We have experienced a significant increase in our cost to obtain appropriate insurance over the past several years, though it is difficult to gauge the portion of this increase that is due to conditions in the insurance marketplace generally versus that attributable to our claims history for the mass casualty, cybersecurity, the global COVID-19 pandemic, event cancellations, and other incidents that we have faced. We have a material investment in property and equipment at each of our venues, which are generally located near major cities and which hold events typically attended by a large number of fans. We also have a significant investment in technology, including our ticketing systems. At December 31, 2023, we had property and equipment with a net book value of $2.1 billion. We cannot guarantee that future increases in insurance costs and difficulties obtaining high policy limits will not adversely impact our profitability, thereby possibly impacting our operating results and growth.
Current wording
We currently secure insurance programs to address our various insurable risks with terms, conditions and costs that management deems appropriate for our business. However, heightened concerns and challenges regarding property, casualty, business interruption, contingency and other insurance coverage have resulted from terrorist and other security incidents along with varying weather-related conditions, pandemics and other incidents. Any such events that are of a massive scale causing significant losses to insurance providers could negatively impact the insurance marketplace, and as a result, we may experience increased difficulty obtaining sufficiently high policy limits of coverage at a cost we believe to be reasonable, including coverage for acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, weather-related damage and disruptions and other perils associated with our operations, including communicable diseases and/or pandemics, artist illnesses and/or inability to perform, and other general casualty matters. We have experienced a significant increase in our cost to obtain insurance over the past several years, though it is difficult to gauge the portion of this increase that is due to conditions in the insurance marketplace generally versus that attributable to our claims history for the mass casualty, cybersecurity, the global COVID-19 pandemic, event cancellations, and other incidents that we have faced. We have a material investment in property and equipment at each of our venues, which are generally located near major cities and which hold events typically attended by a large number of fans. We also have a significant investment in technology, including our ticketing systems. At December 31, 2024, we had property and equipment with a net book value of $2.4 billion. We cannot guarantee that future increases in insurance costs and difficulties obtaining high policy limits will not adversely impact our profitability, thereby possibly impacting our operating results and growth.
Previous wording
The stagehands at some of our venues and other employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Our union agreements typically have a term of three years and thus regularly expire and require negotiation in the ordinary course of our business. Upon the expiration of any of our collective bargaining agreements, however, we may be unable to negotiate new collective bargaining agreements on terms favorable to us, and our business operations may be interrupted as a result of labor disputes or difficulties and delays in the process of renegotiating our collective bargaining agreements. In addition, our business operations at one or more of our facilities may also be interrupted as a result of labor disputes by outside unions attempting to unionize a venue even though we do not have unionized labor at that venue currently. A work stoppage at one or more of our owned or operated venues or at our promoted events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot predict the effect that a potential work stoppage would have on our business.
Current wording
The stagehands at some of our venues and other employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Our union agreements typically have a term of three years and thus regularly expire and require negotiation in the ordinary course of our business. Upon the expiration of any of our collective bargaining agreements, however, we may be unable to negotiate new collective bargaining agreements on terms favorable to us, and our business operations may be interrupted as a result of labor disputes or difficulties and delays in the process of renegotiating our collective bargaining agreements. In addition, our business operations at one or more of our facilities may also be interrupted as a result of labor disputes by outside unions attempting to unionize a venue even though we do not have unionized labor at that venue currently. We have also been threatened with picketing from time to time. A work stoppage or picketing at one or more of our owned or operated venues or at our promoted events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot predict the effect that a potential work stoppage or picketing would have on our business.
Previous wording
As of December 31, 2023, our total indebtedness, excluding unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs of $49.7 million, was $6.6 billion. Our available borrowing capacity under the revolving portion of our senior secured credit facility at that date was $898.4 million, with outstanding letters of credit of $31.6 million. We may also incur significant additional indebtedness in the future.
Current wording
As of December 31, 2024, our total indebtedness, excluding unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs of $53.3 million, was $6.5 billion. Our available borrowing capacity under the revolving portion of our senior secured credit facility at that date was $1.68 billion, with outstanding letters of credit of $20.9 million. We may also incur significant additional indebtedness in the future.