A Manhattan federal jury has found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary hold a harmful monopoly over large concert venues, dealing the entertainment giant a significant legal defeat. The verdict, reached after four days of deliberation, followed a lawsuit brought by dozens of US states that accused the company of stifling competition in the ticketing industry.
The case, initially led by the US Department of Justice, alleged that Live Nation used its dominant position to block venues from using multiple ticket sellers and retaliated against those that did. The jury ruled that Ticketmaster had overcharged buyers by $1.72 per ticket, with the judge still to decide the final amount of damages. Live Nation has said it plans to appeal, insisting that its success is not a violation of antitrust law.
According to the states' attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, Ticketmaster controls 86% of the market for concerts and 73% when sports events are included. The company, which merged with Live Nation in 2010, generates more than $22bn in annual revenue. Its practices have long drawn criticism, with Pearl Jam filing an anti-monopoly complaint against Ticketmaster in the 1990s.
The trial featured testimony from Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who blamed a cyber-attack for the 2022 Taylor Swift ticket fiasco. It also exposed internal messages from executive Benjamin Baker, who called some prices “outrageous”, referred to customers as “so stupid”, and boasted about “robbing them blind, baby”. Baker later apologised, describing the messages as “very immature and unacceptable”.
During the trial, the Trump administration announced a settlement with Live Nation on behalf of the federal government, creating a $280m fund for participating states and capping service fees at some amphitheaters. However, more than 30 states pressed on with the case, arguing that the settlement did not go far enough. Separately, the Federal Trade Commission required Ticketmaster to disclose fees upfront, though a Guardian investigation found that Ticketmaster raised other fees to offset the lost revenue.
