Jury rules against Live Nation, Ticketmaster

Cities illegal concert monopoly

By: Chris Jordan
Asbury Park Press
USA today Network - New Jersey

..... Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally maintained a monopoly over the concert industry, a jury decided on Wednesday April 15, [2026] in Manhattan federal court, according to Reuters and other news outlets.
..... The jury began deliberating April 10, [2026] after five weeks of trial that featured testimony form dozens of witnesses. The trial pitted more than 30 states against Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, after the concert giant settled with the U.S. Department of Justice.
..... That deal did not call for the breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
..... Remedies and overall damages will be decided at a later time by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
..... New Jersey was on of the states that remained on the case. Live Nation operates the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, which is owned by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
..... "Today's [04/15/2026] landmark jury verdict in our case against Live Nation confirms what we have said since the start of our case: For far tool along, Live Nation has illegally profited form tits monopoly at the expense of hardworking New Jerseyans," said New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport in a statement on April 16. [2026]
..... "Live Nation's illegal, anti-competitive practices have caused immense damage in our state, exploiting consumers by driving up the price of tickets and making it harder for fans to see their favorite artists," she added.
..... The suit alleged Live Nation relied on "unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States," said former U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland at the time of the filing in 2024. The Trump DOJ stayed on the suit until the March 2 [2026] settlement in New York City.
..... In the Department of Justice settlement, Live Nation was fiend $280 million; bad to divest exclusive booking agreements with 13 amphitheaters across the country; had to open access to promoters in amphitheaters it owns or operates; and put a 15% cap on service fees for tickets to events at the amphitheaters.
..... More scrutiny about the deal the ticket giant made in the federal case was called for by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts.
..... They called for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to evoke the Tunney Act to look at the DOJ-Live Nation deal.
..... "The facts surrounding the settlement also point toward a deal made in response to political pressure rather than the public interest," said the senators in a statement April 15. [2026] "this settlement appears to be part of a larger pattern of Justice Department officials reportedly overruling antitrust enforcement for political reasons."

..... Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. contact him at cjordan@app.com.

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