A New York jury found on Wednesday that Live Nation and Ticketmaster held a harmful monopoly over big concert venues, capping a four-day deliberation in a closely watched ticketmaster lawsuit that could cost the companies hundreds of millions of dollars. The case, brought by dozens of states, now moves into a remedies phase that could force changes to how the companies do business.
Jeffrey Kessler, who argued for the states, said, “It is time to hold them accountable,” while also calling the company a “monopolistic bully.” The jury also found that Ticketmaster overcharged consumers by $1.72 per ticket in 22 states, and the companies could face additional penalties. A judge told lawyers for both sides and the United States to work together on a joint letter proposing a schedule for motions and for how the remedies phase should proceed, with that filing due by late next week.
The verdict lands on a company that has long dominated live-event ticketing. Ticketmaster was established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010. Live Nation Entertainment owns, operates, controls booking for or has an equity interest in hundreds of venues, and Ticketmaster is widely considered the world’s largest ticket-seller for live events. Jeffrey Kessler told the court the company controls 86 percent of the concert market and 73 percent of the overall market when sporting events are included.
Live Nation said it is not a monopoly. Company lawyer David Marriott argued that artists, sports teams and venues decide prices and ticketing practices, adding, “Success is not against the antitrust laws in the United States.”
The lawsuit grew out of a fight that has shadowed the company for decades. Pearl Jam filed an antimonopoly complaint with the Justice Department in the 1990s, but the department declined to bring a case then. The current action was brought during Joe Biden’s administration by the Justice Department, joined by dozens of states, accusing Live Nation of using its reach to smother competition by blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers.
Days into the trial, Donald Trump’s administration settled the federal government’s claims, leaving more than 30 states to press ahead. That settlement included a cap on service fees at some amphitheatres and some new ticket-selling options for promoters and venues, potentially opening the door to Ticketmaster competitors such as SeatGeek or AXS. It did not force Live Nation to split from Ticketmaster, and only a handful of states joined it.
The judge’s next order sets up the fight that now matters most. Court-ordered remedies could include divestitures of some entities, including amphitheatres the companies own, while penalties could add to the bill. For Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the verdict is not the end of the case. It is the point where the price of control may finally be measured in public.