Jury finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly and overcharged fans
By Kara Scannell, CNN
(CNN) — A jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly in its dominance of the live events and ticketing industry, validating complaints that the industry giant was stifling competition and driving up fees for fans.
The verdict was reached following a lengthy trial in New York federal court that included testimony from top executives in the music and entertainment industries. Jurors began deliberating on Friday.
But fans won’t see ticket prices or fees tacked onto their bills drop anytime soon. Judge Arun Subramanian will now hold second trial to decide what remedies are warranted, including whether to grant the states’ request to break up the company or make other structural changes such as ordering the sale of businesses.
“It will be an earthquake in the industry in terms of people’s perception in feeling validated,” said Scott Grzenczyk, a lawyer with law firm Girard Sharp.
“There’s big difference between people complaining about Goliath and getting a jury verdict that Goliath was a monopolist and doing something wrong,” he added.
Justice Department settled earlier
The Justice Department and 39 state attorneys general, including California and New York, and Washington, DC, sued Live Nation in 2024 alleging its combination with Ticketmaster and control of “virtually every aspect of the live music ecosystem” have harmed fans, artists, and venues.
During the second week of trial, in a move that surprised even the judge, the Justice Department reached a secret settlement with Live Nation. A handful of states signed onto the deal, but more than two dozen proceeded to trial.
That settlement was agreed to just weeks after DOJ leadership pushed out Gail Slater, the antitrust division head known to advocate for her aggressive approach to the cases she oversaw.
In a social media post after the verdict, Slater congratulated the “mighty State AG coalition that stood behind this case.”
“You made antitrust history today. You fought the good fight, you finished the race, and you kept the faith,” Slater wrote.
Under the DOJ deal, Live Nation agreed to allow competitors, like SeatGeek or StubHub, to offer tickets to its events, cap ticketing service fees at 15%, and divest exclusive booking agreements with 13 amphitheaters. The deal includes a $280 million settlement fund for state damages claims for the handful of states that signed onto the deal.
“In the face of dwindling antitrust enforcement by the Trump administration, this verdict shows just how far states can go to protect our residents from big corporations that are using their power to illegally raise prices and rip off Americans,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of today’s outcome — and especially proud of our coalition made up of red and blue states alike who understood we needed to come together to protect our consumers, businesses, and state economies from Live Nation’s illegal conduct.”
The jury found Ticketmaster overcharged states by $1.72 per ticket, about what the states had estimated. The jury was not asked to decide a total damages or penalty amount – that will ultimately be decided by the judge.
“The courts won’t order injunctive relief to make tickets $3 less expensive per ticket,” Grzenczyk said, adding the remedies will be aimed at changing conduct in the industry to make it more competitive.
“Even once those remedies are in place it can take quite a while for consumers to see the effects of them,” he added.
The DOJ settlement requires the judge’s approval.
This story has been updated with additional reactions.
CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.
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