A US jury has found that Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, illegally monopolized the ticketing and amphitheater markets in a landmark verdict that could reshape the live entertainment industry.
The jury in Manhattan federal court reached its verdict on Wednesday (April 15) following a six-week trial, according to NBC News.
The jury also found that Live Nation overcharged consumers on tickets sold from May 2020 through 2024, according to a statement from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The verdict is a significant blow to the world’s largest concert promoter and a major victory for the coalition of 34 states that continued the trial after the US Department of Justice reached a settlement with the company in March.
It will now fall to US District Judge Arun Subramanian, who is presiding over the case in the Southern District of New York, to determine the remedy. The states have pushed for a break-up of Live Nation and its ticketing subsidiary Ticketmaster, though the judge could instead opt to impose limits on the company’s business practices.
Reuters noted that Live Nation’s shares were down 6.3% in afternoon trading following the news.
The DOJ sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster in May 2024, joined by attorneys general from dozens of states and the District of Columbia. They accused the company of “monopolization and other unlawful conduct that thwarts competition in markets across the live entertainment industry.”
The trial began on March 2 in Manhattan, but was thrown into chaos a week later when the DOJ announced a settlement with Live Nation that allowed the company to retain ownership of Ticketmaster.
An initial coalition of 27 states and the District of Columbia rejected the deal, with New York Attorney General Letitia James saying the settlement ‘fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case.’ The states filed a motion for a mistrial, accusing the DOJ and Live Nation of ‘gamesmanship’.
Judge Subramanian declined to grant the mistrial but ordered the states to engage in settlement talks with Live Nation. Those talks were ultimately unsuccessful, and the trial continued with a broader coalition of 34 states pressing their claims.
During closing arguments, the states’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler told jurors that Live Nation is a “monopolistic bully” that controls 86% of the ticketing market for major concert venues. Live Nation attorney David Marriott countered that the company’s success reflects the quality of its products and services, not illegal conduct. “We are big. That is not against the laws in the United States,” Marriott told the court.
“This is a historic and resounding victory for artists, fans, and the venues that support them.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta
“The verdict is in! A jury today found Live Nation/Ticketmaster liable for anticompetitive conduct that harmed the music industry and included overcharging consumers. This is a historic and resounding victory for artists, fans, and the venues that support them,” said Attorney General Bonta.
“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. 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 verdict came a day after six US senators filed a letter with Judge Subramanian urging him to use his authority under the Tunney Act to scrutinize and potentially reject the DOJ’s March settlement with Live Nation.
Senators Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal, Mazie Hirono and Peter Welch argued in the letter, which you can read here, that “mere behavioral safeguards like those in the proposed settlement are insufficient to remedy Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s monopoly power.”
The senators also raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding the settlement, citing sworn testimony from fired DOJ deputy Roger Alford that Live Nation lobbyist Mike Davis had threatened then-antitrust chief Gail Slater over a separate case, and later “admitted in sworn testimony that he recommended Ms. Slater’s firing to ‘anyone who would listen.’”
Slater was ousted from her position on February 12, less than a month before the DOJ settled with Live Nation.
The letter urged the court to conduct an independent examination into whether the settlement was “genuinely made in the public interest,” including requiring the parties to submit a complete description of all communications concerning the deal.
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