Jury selection for the antitrust case against Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, began Monday, March 2, 2026. Opening statements are scheduled to start on Tuesday with an expected six-week duration.
The Case for Antitrust
The lawsuit was filed by the Justice Department and several state attorneys general in 2024. The complaint alleges Live Nation has a monopoly in the live concert industry in the areas of concert ticketing, booking, venues, and promotions.
The complaint accuses the company of “anticompetitive conduct” that causes fans to pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, and venues have limited choices for ticketing services.
For years, Ticketmaster has been the target of scrutiny by music fans who were frustrated with buying tickets from the platform.
Live Nation manages over 400 musical artists and either owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America. The lawsuit states that through Ticketmaster, it controls 80 percent of major concert venues’ ticketing and a growing share of the resale market.
“Through interconnected agreements associated with Live Nation’s various roles as ticketer, promoter, artist manager, and venue owner, Live Nation has created a feedback loop that pushes ticketing and ancillary fees higher while allowing Live Nation to be on all sides of numerous transactions and thereby double-dip from the pockets of fans, artists, and venues.”
Cry for Ticketing Reform
Ticketing reform attempts span decades. Pearl Jam pushed the issue 30 years ago when members testified before Congress. The band said Ticketmaster refused to lower the price of concert tickets and fees. A year later, the case was dismissed, and the dominance of Ticketmaster persisted.
In 2022, presale queues for Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour caused the site to crash, and Ticketmaster canceled the sale. Swift herself referred to the fiasco as “excruciating” to watch.
In January 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the dominance of Ticketmaster in the industry. The bipartisan hearing asked if the control Ticketmaster retains unfarily hurt customers, and even Senators make references to Swift.
Additionally, Swifties brought their own lawsuits against Ticketmaster in December 2022. One class-action suit was dropped at the end of 2023, while another filed by 355 individual ticket buyers still awaits trial.
Live Nation Response
Live Nation Entertainment asserts it is not a monopoly and told NBC News the lawsuit “won’t solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees, and access to in-demand shows.”
“Calling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment, such as the fact that the bulk of service fees go to venues, and that competition has steadily eroded Ticketmaster’s market share and profit margin,” stated the company.
Some Expected Testimonies
Some potential witnesses for the trial include: Kid Rock, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, Minnesota Timberwolves CEO Matthew Caldwell, Mumford & Sons Ben Lovett, and Live Nation Entertainment CEO Michael Rapino.
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster for allegations of illegal and deceptive business practices that caused consumers to pay “significantly more” than the face value of a ticket.
Seven states joined the FTC’s lawsuit, including Florida, Colorado, Tennessee, Nebraska, Utah, Illinois, and Virginia.
Sources:
NBC News: DOJ takes Live Nation-Ticketmaster to court for antitrust trial
Law360: Livbe Nation Tells Jury It’s A ‘Fierce’ But Legal Competitor
NPR: The Live Nation Trial could reshape the music industry. Here’s what you need to know
Featured Image Courtesy of Marce Grez’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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