10 states join DOJ lawsuit against Ticketmaster, Live Nation
10 more states are joining the Department of Justice’s anti-trust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
Fox – Seattle
- Live Nation Entertainment has settled with the U.S. Justice Department over claims it illegally dominated the live-events industry.
- Under the proposed settlement, Live Nation will sell up to 13 amphitheaters and is barred from retaliating against venues that use other ticketing services.
- New York and 24 other states have rejected the settlement, calling it insufficient. But Iowa, said to be one of the states accepting the settlement, denied there is one.
Live Nation Entertainment has settled with the U.S. Justice Department in the middle of a trial on claims the Ticketmaster owner illegally dominated key parts of the live-events industry, the department says.
The Monday, March 9, deal hands a win to Live Nation, which has faced criticism from fans and lawmakers over ticket prices and access. It also allows the Justice Department to avoid what could have been a long court fight and deliver what it calls quicker benefits for fans and artists.
New York and 24 other states, along with Washington, D.C., have said the settlement falls short, and plan to press ahead with the trial of the case, which began last week. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian expressed frustration about the settlement, which apparently had been reached Thursday but wasn’t disclosed until Monday, and the New York Times reported some of the states said they would ask for a mistrial.
Court documents indicated Iowa, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and South Dakota would join the settlement. But Jennifer Green, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s communications director, reached by phone, said there was no settlement.
Live Nation will sell off up to 13 amphitheaters under the proposed settlement, and be barred from retaliating against venues that decline to use Ticketmaster to issue tickets, among other provisions intended to give artists and venues more choices, a senior justice official said.
Shares of the California-based company were up about 6% on Monday.
Live Nation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The proposed agreement will bar Ticketmaster from requiring artists to use its concert promotion services if they perform at the outdoor amphitheaters it owns, the senior justice official said.
Ticketmaster also will be required to introduce a standalone product enabling third-party ticket-selling platforms such as SeatGeek and StubHub to plug into its technology, the official said. Live Nation could pay up to $280 million to settle state claims under the deal, the official said.
The settlement will require the judge’s approval to be finalized, after the public has a chance to submit comments.
Some in the live events industry were critical of the deal.
“Live Nation’s reported settlement amount ― $280 million ― is the equivalent of four days of their 2025 revenue, which means they could potentially make it back by this Friday,” said National Independent Venue Association Executive Director Stephen Parker.
Ahmed Nimale, a former Live Nation executive who now runs ticketing provider TIX, said the deal is not enough to curb Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s dominance, since venues are financially dependent on upfront payments that discourage switching.
“When a single company has a billion-dollar balance sheet, it also controls the leverage that shapes pricing, fees, and access,” he said.
States to continue their lawsuit
Fans and politicians had intensified calls to examine Live Nation’s 2010 acquisition of Ticketmaster after the company subjected Taylor Swift fans to hours-long online queues while charging exorbitant prices for tickets to her 2022 Eras tour.
The U.S. Justice Department and more than two dozen states sued to break up Live Nation in May 2024, calling for a sale of Ticketmaster and alleging the companies illegally inflated concert ticket prices and harmed artists.
An attorney for Live Nation said in court that the company is seeking a broader, global resolution of related state-level antitrust claims.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said she would not join the settlement, which she said “fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case, and would benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers.”
Other states continuing in the case include Colorado and Arizona. Texas also has concerns with the Justice Department deal, an attorney for the states said in court.
Subramanian, the judge, paused the trial to give the states time to prepare to continue without the Justice Department, which had taken the lead in the case. Jurors were told to return March 16.
Subramanian questioned why the department and Live Nation had allowed the trial to proceed last Friday after signing the settlement on Thursday.
“It shows absolute disrespect for the court, for the jury, for this entire process, and it is entirely unacceptable,” Subramanian said.
An attorney for the department said she was not aware of the settlement on Friday.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.desmoinesregister.com ’
