Ticketmaster-owner Live Nation ran a monopoly and overcharged fans, jury finds

The lawsuit said the firm's practices had led to higher ticket prices and worse service for customers. Fans overcharged by $1.72 each by 'monopoly' Ticketmaster-owner Live Nation Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Ticketmaster apologised to Swifties after its system was overwhelmed by demand from those buying tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras tour. Taylor Swift performing during her Eras tour. Fans overcharged by $1.72 each by 'monopoly' Ticketmaster owner Live Nation, the entertainment giant which owns Ticketmaster, has been illegally operating as a monopoly and overcharging fans, a federal jury has found. The verdict followed four days of deliberations in a seven-week trial in New York City that could have a major impact on the music industry. The concert venue and music festival owner could be forced to divest parts of its business or even split from Ticketmaster, an outcome former Attorney General Merrick Garland called for when he filed the lawsuit in May 2024. The US Department of Justice's legal action said the firm's practices had kept out competitors, and led to higher ticket prices and worse service for customers. As well as the potential remedies, which will be decided by Arun Subramanian, the judge in charge of the case, Live Nation could face a financial penalty. The jury found Ticketmaster had overcharged customers by $1.72 (£1.27) on each ticket sold, with the figure to be used as the basis of the damages. Live Nation argued throughout the trial that it is not a monopoly and competes "fiercely" with rivals in the entertainment space with sports teams, concert promoters and other venue operators. In March, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that it had reached a settlement with both companies in the case. Despite anger from Judge Subramanian over the suddenness of the settlement, which came just as the trial was set to begin, the DOJ withdrew from the case, as did the states of Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Three dozen states' Attorneys General continued pursuing the case to trial, including California's Rob Bonta. Despite what Bonta called "dwindling antitrust enforcement", he said Wednesday's 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," Bonta added. Earlier this week, a group of Democratic senators criticised the DOJ settlement. In a letter, the senators said the settlement "fails to restore competition and protect fans, artists, and independent venues" and leaves Live Nation and Ticketmaster in control of prices for live events. "There is credible evidence that Ticketmaster controls more than 70% of all major concert venues with exclusive ticketing contracts, and Live Nation controls 80% of the major concert amphitheaters market," the letter said. Calls from fans and lawmakers to probe Live Nation's dominance of the live music industry grew louder in the aftermath of Taylor Swift's 2022 Eras Tour. The company's system was overwhelmed by demand, forcing Ticketmaster to eventually apologise to Swift and her fans during a US Senate hearing. Live Nation is a giant of live music and sports. In 2025, it organised more than 55,000 concerts worldwide, drawing 159 million attendees. Live Nation's shares fell by more than 6% after the verdict was announced. The company has been approached for comment.