The web of litigation around Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and the companies’ alleged monopoly is getting more complicated — but it could be good news for concertgoers who are sick of dynamic pricing and inexplicable service fees.
The Department of Justice and 40 state attorneys general sued Live Nation, owner of Ticketmaster, in 2024 for alleged monopolistic practices. The two companies had merged in 2010 to form an entertainment giant that came to control the majority of ticket sales and venue bookings in the country, which made it more difficult for other companies to compete, according to the lawsuit. Without meaningful competition, customers had no choice but to accept Live Nation’s dubious pricing models, which critics say benefit the company’s bottom line, rather than artists.
Last month, the DOJ tentatively settled with Live Nation, while a separate state-level trial was already underway. But 34 of the attorneys general pressed forward, and on Wednesday, a federal jury found that Live Nation had been operating as an illegal monopoly.
During the widely followed trial, Slack messages surfaced between two Live Nation employees: Ben Baker, now head of ticketing for Venue Nation, and Jeff Weinhold, now a senior director in the ticketing department.
“These people are so stupid,” Baker said in a conversation about raising prices on parking. “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them BAHAHAHAHAHA.”
In a later conversation, also about parking prices, Baker said, “Robbing them blind baby.”
Live Nation argued that these remarks represented “off-the-cuff banter, not policy, decision-making, or facts of consequence.”
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As part of the DOJ settlement, Live Nation is supposed to pay a $280 million fine and divest at least 13 of its venues, requiring those venues to accept bookings from competing promoters. But given the jury’s separate finding on Wednesday that Live Nation operated as an illegal monopoly, the consequences might end up being more severe.
What happens next isn’t clear. Judge Arun Subramanian still has to determine remedies at a later date. But the possibility of breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster remains on the table.