Federal Jury Rules Live Nation and Ticketmaster Hold Illegal Ticketing Monopoly

A federal jury in Manhattan found on April 15, 2026, that Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster illegally monopolized the live events and ticketing markets, handing a sweeping victory to a coalition of 33 states and Washington, D.C., that pressed the case after the U.S. Department of Justice settled mid-trial. The jury deliberated for four days before delivering its verdict, finding that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintained a monopoly over ticketing services at major concert venues and that Live Nation held a monopoly over large concert amphitheatres used by artists. Jurors also found that Live Nation illegally made use of its amphitheatres conditional on artists using its promotion services. The jury determined that Ticketmaster overcharged fans by 1.72 (USD per ticket) — amount Ticketmaster overcharged fans per ticket, a figure that will serve as the basis for calculating total monetary damages. Live Nation Entertainment shares closed down 6.3 percent on the day of the verdict, while rivals Vivid Seats and StubHub rose 9.3 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.

DOJ settled, but states fought on and won The case traces its origins to a 2024 lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and more than three dozen state attorneys general, accusing Live Nation of using its market reach to suppress competition by blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers and retaliating against those that did. The trial began on March 2, 2026, but a week in, the Trump administration announced it was settling its claims, agreeing to stop pursuing a breakup of the company. Only six states joined that settlement, which required Live Nation to open ticketing at 13 amphitheatres to other vendors and barred retaliation against venues that declined to use Ticketmaster. The remaining coalition of 33 states and Washington, D.C., continued the trial independently, ultimately securing the jury verdict. New York Attorney General Letitia James welcomed the outcome.

„A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process” — Letitia James via The Irish Times

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes was more pointed about the federal government's withdrawal.

„The Trump administration gave up and wanted to let these companies off easy. But we kept fighting for every Arizonan who was overcharged by this illegal monopoly, and we won” — Kris Mayes via Ars Technica

Ticketmaster was established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010 to form the current entertainment conglomerate. The company's dominance drew public attention in 2022 when Taylor Swift fans faced hours-long online queues for tickets to her Eras tour. Grunge rock band Pearl Jam battled Ticketmaster in the 1990s and filed an antitrust complaint with the Justice Department, which declined to bring a case at the time. According to attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who represented the states, Live Nation controls 86 percent of the market for concerts and 73 percent of the overall market when sports events are included. The company reported over $22 billion in yearly revenue, and $25.2 billion in revenue in 2025 according to Ars Technica.

Internal Slack messages revealed employees boasting about overcharging Among the more damaging evidence presented during the seven-week trial were internal Slack messages between Live Nation employees that surfaced in court. Ben Baker, now head of ticketing for Venue Nation, and Jeff Weinhold, now a senior director in the ticketing department, exchanged messages about raising prices on parking. In one exchange, Baker wrote that he "almost felt bad" taking advantage of customers, adding laughter. In a later conversation, also about parking prices, Baker wrote: „Robbing them blind baby” — Ben Baker via TechCrunch Live Nation argued the remarks were "off-the-cuff banter, not policy, decision-making, or facts of consequence." The jury's findings nonetheless endorsed the states' central argument that the company's conduct harmed consumers across the country.

Judge to weigh remedies ranging from fines to forced Ticketmaster sale The verdict covers only liability, meaning U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian will now determine remedies in a separate proceeding. Live Nation has said it plans to appeal the ruling and estimated that damages it would owe are less than $350 million, stating it believes the ultimate outcome "will not be materially different" than the DOJ settlement. The company set aside $280 million to settle with the states. State attorneys general have signaled they will seek the forced divestiture of Ticketmaster, arguing that controlling both ticketing and artist promotion gives Live Nation an anticompetitive edge. Judge Subramanian could alternatively require the company to sell certain amphitheatres rather than Ticketmaster itself, or impose behavioral remedies such as limits on exclusive ticketing contracts or caps on fees. Forced corporate breakups have become rare in the modern U.S. court system — no major American company has been successfully broken up through antitrust litigation since the AT&T case more than four decades ago, according to The New York Times — though the possibility remains on the table in this case.

Live Nation: -6.3, StubHub: +3.5, Vivid Seats: +9.3

Live Nation antitrust case — key events: — ; — ; — ; — ; —