There is probably one opportunity, and one opportunity only to solve the biggest problem plaguing the live music industry in the United States, and that is the current trial that Live Nation is going through with the United States Justice Department.
Along with dozens of states, the Justice Department was trying to get the company to divest from its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster. The two companies merged in 2010, and were deemed to be a monopoly by regulators, Justice Department officials, and state’s attorney generals.
On February 28th, a jury trial commenced in Manhattan to decide the fate of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. But amid the trial, a backroom settlement deal was struck over the weekend. Reading the elated statements from Live Nation CEO Michael Rappino, and the defeated statements from advocates for the breakup of the company, it seems pretty clear what this outcome means: big business and its ability to persuade the government won out over the interests of the average consumer yet again.
But the fight is not over.
In the deal, Live Nation would make certain concessions. But it’s a far cry from breaking apart from Ticketmaster, or making significant steps to ensure competition in the marketplace, or to protect independent promoters and venues who are the most affected by the Live Nation/Ticketmaster monopoly.
In the deal, Live Nation would divest from its exclusive booking agreements with 13 amphitheaters in the United States, including venues in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Syracuse, New York, and Austin. It would also cap service fees at these venues at 15% of the ticket price. The deal also lets up to 50% of all tickets to be sold through any ticketing marketplace at amphitheaters that Live Nation owns, operates or controls.
The deal also calls for Live Nation to pay $280 million into a settlement fund to pay out civil penalties to the dozens of states who are a party to the lawsuit.
All of this is far short of what most of the states want, not to mention the music consumer who regularly gets squeezed through surge pricing, exorbitant fees, and inequitable and predatory resale markets. This deal would do little to change the live music landscape for either artists or their fans.
Furthermore, the settlement was struck without the knowledge of many of the states that are a party to the lawsuit, let alone their approval. States rejecting the deal include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.
Supposedly there are about ten states that approved the deal, but it is a minority of the parties involved. Even the judge in the case, Arun Subramanian, said that it was “entirely unacceptable” that he wasn’t even informed about the deal as it was being worked out, and a term sheet was authored.
Parties are also balking at the $280 million number as a drop in the bucket. Live Nation made $25.2 billion in total revenue in 2025, a 9% increase over 2024.
“They could potentially make it back by this Friday,” says Stephen Parker, the executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, while pointing out, “The reported settlement does not appear to include any specific and explicit protections for fans, artists, or independent venues and festivals.”
The Attorney General for California, Rob Bonta, who is one of 26 attorney generals rejecting the deal said in a statement,
“Today, U.S. DOJ has chosen to settle with Live Nation, but a bipartisan group of attorneys general, including California, have chosen to continue this fight and get a better deal for consumers—the deal Americans nationwide deserve. Just in the first week of trial, we’ve already heard that Live Nation fully intended to take advantage of fans—and were able to do so because fans had no other place to go. Live Nation has manipulated the market, made itself untouchable by any competitor, and raked in the cash—not because it is better, but because it has acted illegally and created a monopoly.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said, “The case against Ticketmaster is strong, and I am committed to seeing it through. The settlement recently announced by the federal government does not adequately remedy the harm done to Arizona consumers and the live music marketplace,” reads the statement. “Arizona is prepared to continue litigating this case alongside our bipartisan coalition of attorneys general to hold Ticketmaster accountable in court and secure real relief for music fans.”
The states that are reportedly trying to decide whether to accept the deal to remain in the lawsuit include Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.
The good news is that due to the amount of states still wanting to move forward with the trial, it is currently set to resume next week with the remaining states making their case. But it could be more difficult now to see real change through the trial process since multiple states and the United States Justice Department have pulled out.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source savingcountrymusic.com ’
