Live Nation's antitrust trial will resume on Monday, with attorneys general from more than 20 states having withdrawn their motion for a mistrial after declining to reach a settlement with Live Nation. About half the number of states that initially joined the federal government's lawsuit are pressing ahead, as several states settled in the wake of the federal government's agreement with the company.
The Justice Department announced Monday that it has tentatively settled its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment, striking a deal to ultimately lower ticket prices for consumers and end an illegal monopoly over live events in America. The settlement does not break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, but instead targets how they operate in the ticketing market, requiring Ticketmaster to open parts of its platform to rival ticketing companies.
The decision to continue highlights a fracture in the antitrust coalition. Seven states, all with Republican attorneys general, were joining the Justice Department in settling with the live music giant. New York state was joined in its decision to continue pursuing claims by attorneys general in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the Justice Department deal fails to address the monopoly at the centre of the case and stated her attorney general colleagues and she have a strong case against Live Nation and will continue their lawsuit to protect consumers and restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry.
The scale of Live Nation's reach
Live Nation controls at least 80% of primary ticketing at major concert venues and maintains a 70% market share in large amphitheatre promotions, becoming the largest promoter of national amphitheatre tours and reaping billions of dollars in additional fees forced onto ticket buyers. The case was brought under President Joe Biden's administration in 2024, accusing Live Nation of using threats, retaliation and other tactics to suffocate the competition by controlling virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing.
The Justice Department said the company uses long-term contracts to keep venues from choosing rival ticketers, blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers and threatening venues that they could lose money and fans if they don't choose Ticketmaster.
Concerns about the federal deal
Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, said the $280 million settlement fund represented about four days of Live Nation's 2025 revenue, noting they could potentially make it back by Friday. Service fees would be capped at 15% of face value, and Live Nation would divest 13 exclusive booking agreements with amphitheatres nationwide.
Several of the states involved in the suit and Democratic lawmakers say that consumers are being shortchanged by the settlement, with the federal judge telling the parties that the surprise disclosure of the settlement showed disrespect for the court, the jury and the entire process.
Some state actions could seek tougher remedies, including potentially forcing a split between ticketing and concert promotion, reflecting calls from lawmakers who doubt anything less will restore real competition in the live events market.