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<\/p>\nA US jury has found concert giant Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster have a harmful monopoly over big concert venues.<\/p>\n
The decision dealt the company a loss in a lawsuit over claims brought by dozens of US states and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n
The Manhattan federal jury deliberated for four days before reaching its decision on Wednesday, local time.<\/p>\n
The closely watched case gave fans the equivalent of a backstage pass to a business that dominates live entertainment in the US, Australia and beyond.<\/p>\n
“It’s a great day for antitrust law,” a jubilant attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, said as he emerged from the courthouse.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the judge told lawyers on both sides to meet with one another “and the United States” to provide a joint letter proposing a schedule for motions and how the remedies phase of the case would occur.<\/p>\n
He told them to deliver it by late next week.<\/p>\n
The trial brought Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino to the witness stand, where he was questioned about matters including the company’s Taylor Swift ticket debacle in 2022, when the Ticketmaster site crashed during a pre-sale event.<\/p>\n
Mr Rapino blamed a cyber attack.<\/p>\n
The proceedings also aired a Live Nation employee’s internal messages to another employee declaring some prices were “outrageous”, calling customers “so stupid”, and boasting that the company was “robbing them blind, baby”.<\/p>\n
The employee, Benjamin Baker, who has since been promoted to a position as a ticketing executive, apologetically testified that the messages were “very immature and unacceptable”.<\/p>\n
Live Nation Entertainment owns, operates, controls booking for or has an equity interest in hundreds of venues in the US.<\/p>\n
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Michael Rapino, chief executive officer and president of Live Nation Entertainment, arrives at Manhattan Federal court. (AP: Adam Gray)<\/p>\n
Its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, is widely considered to be the world’s largest ticket-seller for live events.<\/p>\n
Live Nation later said in a statement that the verdict was “not the last word on this matter”.<\/p>\n
The verdict could cost Live Nation and Ticketmaster hundreds of millions of dollars, just for the $US1.72 per ticket that the jury found Ticketmaster had overcharged consumers in 22 US states.<\/p>\n
In addition, sanctions could result in court orders that they divest themselves of some entities, including venues such as amphitheatres that they own.<\/p>\n
Live Nation accused of being ‘monopolistic bully’<\/p>\n
The civil case, initially led by the US federal government, accused Live Nation of using its reach to smother competition by blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers, for example.<\/p>\n