Recommendations of the Editorial team
This guest post was written by Letitia James and Jonathan Skrmetti, the attorneys general of New York and Tennessee, respectively. Both were instrumental in the recent antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which ended last week with a jury finding the company guilty of operating a monopoly. New York and Tennessee were also among 33 states and Washington DC that continued the case after the Justice Department settled with Live Nation during the ongoing trial.
Last month, Live Nation customers learned that management loves to “rip them off like idiots.” Behind closed doors, these managers bragged about “fleeting” customers in any way they could – like charging “$50 for a parking spot on the lawn.” and demanded “60 dollars for a place on the meadow a little closer.”
Their CEO led by example. He forbade visitors from bringing lawn chairs to an outdoor venue – for their own safety, he claimed – and then made millions renting those same chairs to them.
This came as no surprise to many Americans. It confirmed what they had long known from their own experience.
Anyone who has tried to buy a concert ticket in recent years knows the feeling. You log into an unreliable platform early, wait in a digital queue, finally get a spot – and then watch the price skyrocket due to a flood of mysterious fees. Service Fees. Convenience fees. Processing fees. Location Fees. When you get to the checkout, the amount has doubled.
For decades, fans have said the system was rigged. Artists complained about excessive fees. Venue operators faced Live Nation’s intimidation tactics. In functioning markets, companies that behave this way don’t survive for long. The market for live events is broken.
The Attorney General’s lawsuit
That’s why we’ve built a coalition of 40 state attorneys general to sue Live Nation and Ticketmaster for maintaining illegal monopolies in the live events industry. Our lawsuit proved that they manipulated the market in their favor. They tied venues to exclusive contracts, pushed competitors out of the industry, and limited artists’ choices about where they could perform.
Last week a jury found her right.
After a five-week trial, our coalition proved that Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s illegal monopoly is driving up prices and harming fans, artists and venues across the country.
The verdict was clear: we won on all counts.
More than a bad experience
This case was never about a single overcharge or frustrating checkout experience. It was about how a single company seized control of nearly every aspect of the live events business — from promoting shows to owning venues to selling tickets — and then used that power to fleece consumers.
The result: higher prices, fewer alternatives and a worse experience for fans, artists and venues alike.
The evidence was overwhelming. The jury found that fans were paying too much for tickets as a direct result of this monopoly.
Artists and fans have been sounding the alarm for decades. Back in 1994, Pearl Jam accused Ticketmaster of using its market power to block competition and punish those who questioned its pricing. Recently, fans have faced astronomical prices, system failures and a lack of real alternatives when purchasing tickets to major tours – from Taylor Swift to Beyoncé and BTS to Bruce Springsteen and Harry Styles.
A turning point for the industry
So far little has changed.
This ruling is a turning point for the live events industry and for every American who has felt powerless in the face of rising ticket prices. It confirms that no company, no matter how powerful, is above the law. And it proves that consistent antitrust enforcement works.
This was a bipartisan effort led by attorneys general from across the country and from all political camps – because this is not a question of party affiliation. Fair markets are the foundation of our economy. Competition drives innovation, lowers prices and gives consumers real choice. When companies break these rules, it is our job to intervene.
We will fix this broken system. In the coming months we will be asking the court to order measures that will restore competition and bring real relief to fans. This includes financial consequences for the company – and, more importantly, the breakup of Live Nation’s monopoly.
The end of an era
We fight for a live events market where fans come first, where artists have true freedom of choice and where buying tickets is not a race against your wallet. The only way to get there is through real competition.
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have held fans hostage for far too long. This era is now coming to an end.
