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A federal jury has found concert promoter Live Nation unlawfully monopolised ticketing markets, in a verdict that could have sweeping effects for the US live music business.
A jury in New York on Wednesday held Live Nation illegally maintained a monopoly that harmed competition among venues, ticketing services and other concert promoters.
The decision comes after Live Nation last month reached a preliminary settlement with the US Department of Justice less than a week after the trial began, in a deal that stopped short of breaking up the company.
Some US states joined in the settlement reached by the justice department. But 33 other state attorneys-general refused to sign the agreement, arguing it benefited Live Nation, and continued their fight in court.
“This is a landmark victory in our ongoing work to protect our economy and New Yorkers’ wallets from harmful monopolies,” Letitia James, the New York state attorney-general, said in a statement.
The trial will now enter a second phase, which will determine penalties for the company.
Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2024, during Joe Biden’s presidency, the DoJ sued Live Nation, accusing it of operating a monopoly that “suffocates its competition” in the live entertainment industry. The government sought to break up the company, alleging it illegally dominated the market for ticketing and concert promotion, using “exclusionary conduct” to wield an outsized influence over the majority of live concert venues across the US.
The lawsuit came amid growing discontent among fans, rivals, artists and US lawmakers, who have accused Live Nation of abusing its market power by charging exorbitant fees and retaliating against venues that choose to work with rivals. It followed a fiasco during ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2022, when the website of its subsidiary Ticketmaster was overwhelmed by massive demand.
The justice department under Donald Trump continued pursuing the case. But the White House in February pushed out Gail Slater, the agency’s top antitrust enforcer, who had pledged to continue much of the Biden-era crackdown on corporate consolidation. Meanwhile, Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former campaign manager, has served as an adviser to Live Nation.
The DoJ’s March settlement with Live Nation was the first big antitrust resolution reached by the DoJ following Slater’s departure, which critics warned could reinforce a pivot away from tough enforcement.
Lina Khan, the former chair of the US Federal Trade Commission appointed by Biden, said in a post on X that Wednesday’s verdict was “a key first step towards ending Live Nation’s monopolistic control and securing real relief for those it harmed”.
“Congratulations to the state attorneys-general who kept litigating the case after the Trump DOJ settled cheaply and bailed,” she added.
The court in February played a recording of a phone call in which Live Nation chief executive Michael Rapino threatened to divert concerts from New York’s Barclays Center if the venue switched to a rival ticketing service.
Additional reporting by Anna Nicolaou
