Jury Finds Live Nation, Ticketmaster Liable For Monopoly Practices And Overcharging Fans

“A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process."

After a five-week antitrust trial, a jury in New York found that Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, illegally maintained monopoly power in the ticketing market.

In the initial lawsuit in 2024, the Justice Department and several state attorneys general claimed that Live Nation monopolized the industry by controlling ticketing, concert booking, venues, and promotions.

The lawsuit alleged that the company’s practices resulted in fans paying higher fees, left artists with fewer touring options, and coerced venues into using Ticketmaster. The jury found that Ticketmaster overcharged concertgoers by $1.72 per ticket.

“This is a fantastic outcome for the American people,” Omeed A. Assefi, the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, said in a statement obtained by NBC News. “DOJ and some states settled their case and got instant relief. The remaining states received a liability finding and will now move on to the next phase of a remedies trial. Everyone but Live Nation wins with this scenario.”

New York Attorney General Letitia applauded the jury’s decision.

“A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process,” James said in a statement.

Live Nation said it will appeal the decision.

The company noted that the $1.72 per ticket “applies to those sold at 257 venues, which represent about 20 percent of total tickets. The company claims these overcharges applied to purchases by fans (excluding brokers) in certain states over the past five years.

The company saw its stock drop approximately 6.3 percent following the April 15 ruling.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a separate case against Ticketmaster, alleging deceptive ticket resale practices.