Federal jury concludes that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated an illegal monopoly that took advantage of fans and artists

A federal jury found Wednesday that Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster operated as an illegal monopoly in the live events market, violating federal and state antitrust laws.

After four days of deliberations, the verdict could transform the country's concert industry. Possible measures include forced separation of the two companies and the payment of significant damages.

Prosecutors target Live Nation and Ticket Master for anti-competitive practices

Prosecutors from several states, led by California attorney general, Rob Bonta argued that the company engaged in anti-competitive practices that harmed artists, concert venues and, especially, fans. According to the jury, these behaviors resulted in an average overcharge of $1.72 per ticket sold between May 2020 and 2024.

"For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power," stated the attorney general of New York, Letitia James.

Bonta hailed the outcome as a historic victory, "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."

Judge Arun Subramaniam will now be tasked with setting the exact amount of economic damages and establishing corrective measures to prevent future ticketing abuses.

Neither Live Nation nor Ticketmaster would comment on the verdict, although the company has the right to appeal.