Live Nation and Ticketmaster were found guilty of monopoly and overcharging for tickets by a federal jury in New York.
After several weeks of triala federal jury in New York delivered its verdict: Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster were found guilty of monopolizing the market and overcharging for tickets. Live Nation announced to appeal any unfavorable decision, while 33 American states are simply demanding the dismantling of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The verdict is in
A federal jury in Manhattan returned its judgement : Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster were found guilty of monopole illegal and overcharging of tickets put on sale. The jury concluded that: Ticketmaster illegally holds a monopoly on the large concert hall ticketing market » and that « Live Nation has a monopoly on the market for large amphitheaters used by artists “. For her part, Letitia James, Attorney General of New York, declared: “ Live Nation illegally requires artists who use the amphitheaters it owns to also use its own event promotion services. Fans paid excessive prices for concert tickets at major venues across the country ».
The jury found that consumers were overcharged an average of $1.72 per ticket due to a lack of competition. According to CNN, some evidence presented during the trial showed that a Live Nation regional manager bragged about exploiting ticket buyers and ” strip », especially with additional costs.
According to the Associated Press, this verdict could cost Live Nation and Ticketmaster hundreds of millions of dollars just for the overcharging $1.72 per ticket. For information, Live Nation achieved a turnover of $25.2 billion in 2025. For its part, the entertainment giant indicated in a communiqué that « the jury’s verdict is not final in this case » and that he “ will appeal any unfavorable decision (…).».
A possible separation of Live Nation and Ticketmaster
This verdict is the culmination of a procedure launched under the Biden administration, following the chaotic sale of tickets for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour”. The Department of Justice (DOJ) then opened an investigation into Ticketmaster’s monopolistic practices.
In early March 2026, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice announced an out-of-court settlement with Live Nation, providing compensation to six states. However, a coalition of 33 states, deeming this agreement insufficient, decided to continue the legal fight. Today, this coalition is calling for the separation of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It remains to be seen whether this option has a chance of succeeding, which would have an impact on Europe.
And if this affair mainly concerns the United States, France is experiencing similar problems. An investigation into deceptive commercial practices targets the AXS ticket office following the sale of tickets for Celine Dion’s 2026 tour.
👉🏻 Follow tech news in real time: add 01net to your sources on Google, and subscribe to our WhatsApp channel.
Source :
The Verge
