US competition regulators are concerned that a merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation may reduce competition for tickets to live events at large venues.

The US justice department is likely to decide within two months whether to oppose a merger of the two companies, the largest in live music, according to a source. The companies agreed in February to combine to create an entity with about $6 billion in annual sales.

The UK’s competition regulator ruled against the proposed combination yesterday. – (Bloomberg)