DOJ reaches settlement with Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation over illegal monopoly
The settlement comes as the DOJ and Live Nation Entertainment were set to dismantle the monopoly the DOJ said was squelching competition and driving up prices for fans.(Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, over an alleged illegal monopoly of live music events in the U.S.
The DOJ has announced the settlement that involves multiple states. Seat Geek and StubHub will also be involved. There will be 13 amphitheaters divested from Live Nation. The company may no longer tie amphitheaters and require artists to utilize other parts of the business. Ticketmaster must offer to allow venues to strike a non-exclusive agreement.
The backstory:
Ticketmaster, which was established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010, is the world’s largest ticket seller across live music, sports, theater and more.
The settlement comes as the DOJ and Live Nation Entertainment were set to dismantle the monopoly the DOJ said was squelching competition and driving up prices for fans.
The lawsuit, filed in 2024, alleged the companies have dominated the industry by suffocating competitors and controlling everything from concert promotion to ticketing.
The DOJ accused Live Nation of engaging in a slew of practices that have allowed it to maintain a stranglehold over the live music scene and said the company uses long-term contracts to keep venues from choosing rival ticketers, blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers and threatening venues that they could lose money and fans if they don’t choose Ticketmaster.
The terms of the settlement have not been released, but Politico reports, the agreement requires the concert giant to pay roughly $200 million in damages to participating states and submit to sweeping structural reforms targeting its long-criticized control of ticketing, venues and artist promotion. In addition, Ticketmaster would have to allow access to its technology platform to competing ticketing companies, allowing third-party sellers such as SeatGeek and Eventbrite to list tickets directly through its system.
Attorneys general for 39 states and plus Washington, D.C., also have claims against Live Nation.
Tickets to Taylor Swift's illustrious Eras Tour in the United States were nearly impossible to acquire. Went the tour went on sale, it broke records on Ticketmaster. | Getty Images
The antitrust lawsuit followed a controversy when Ticketmaster's website crashed during a pre-sale event for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in November 2022, which resulted in scalpers purchasing a significant number of tickets that were later sold at large markups on the secondary market.
The Source: This article includes information from The Associated Press, Reuters, and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Orlando.