- Live Nation has been found guilty of running an illegal monopoly
- The case ruled that Live Nation has been overcharging fans by $2 a ticket
- It could result in Live Nation splitting from Ticketmaster
The verdict is in: Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been running an illegal monopoly to assume their reign over live event ticketing competitors. And I, like many music fanatics, am simply thrilled.
Following a lengthy four-day deliberation during a seven-week trial, a Manhattan jury on Wednesday April 15 found Live Nation and its subsidiary site, Ticketmaster, guilty of violating federal and state antitrust laws, in order to suffocate rival sites. Penalties will be decided at a later date, but this could vary from staggering financial charges to the potential break-up of the two companies.
The ruling comes shortly after Live Nation reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), where the company would’ve been required to divest certain parts of the business and cap its venue exclusivity contracts to four years. Though some US states joined the settlement, 33 other state attorneys didn’t, believing that it failed to restore competition among live event ticketing sites.
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During its deliberation, the jury found that Ticketmaster had been overcharging customers by almost $2 per ticket (approximately £1.27) over a few years. Judge Arun Subramanian will decide the total damage penalty owed by Live Nation based on these findings. On top of this, Live Nation has countless exclusivity contracts with venues across the US, another strategy the company has used to seize control over the live events market and eliminate competition.
Speaking with the BBC, Morgan Harper of the American Economic Liberties Project described the verdict as “a historic victory for fans, artists, concert promoters and venue owners who have suffered for decades under the thumb of Ticketmaster’s monopoly”. But Live Nation has been far from silent, also telling the BBC that “the jury’s verdict is not the last word on this matter”.
In addition, Live Nation’s legal representative, David R. Marriott, had quite a bit to say during the closing arguments. “We are fierce competitors,” he said, adding that Live Nation is simply “trying to win the business”.
This verdict marks what could be a victorious conclusion for the live music sector, and comes almost two years after the suit was first filed in 2024 by Biden’s DOJ. The growing frustration from music fans, artists, and venues alike served as the catalyst for bringing Live Nation to court, especially following the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster catastrophe in 2022.
A bright (and inexpensive) future on the horizon
So what does this mean for the future of live music? Well, it all depends on the penalties owed by Live Nation which are yet to be determined.
However, given the extremity of its market dominance tactics, it could be that Live Nation will have to divest an even larger portion of its business compared to what was proposed in the settlement. This could lead to the disbanding of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which, on top of costly court charges, could significantly dampen Live Nation’s dominance in the sector and balance out the competition.
This could also signify a brighter future for ticket pricing, and live music events run by large touring artists may no longer be a ‘luxury product’ — which we saw happen with the Oasis reunion and Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Tour, the latter of which I was forced to skip due to sky-high pricing.
Ultimately, this verdict isn’t just about holding the big names accountable, it’s about making live music a financially-accessible entity for music lovers everywhere.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
