Ticketmaster owner Live Nation has maintained an illegal monopoly over the live event and ticketing markets, according to a bombshell verdict announced in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The jurors determined that Live Nation, led by CEO Michael Rapino, illegally leveraged its ownership of major concert venues to benefit its own tour promotion business. Concertgoers paid an extra $1.72 per ticket as a direct result of Live Nation\u2019s anti-competitive practices, the jury found, according to Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n US District Judge\u00a0Arun Subramanian\u00a0will decide on what penalties Live Nation will need to pay as a result of the verdict, as well as appropriate remedies \u2013 including a potential breakup of the business.<\/p>\n Live Nation faces a potential breakup. REUTERS<\/p>\n The ruling appeared to cap years of fan and artist complaints about Live Nation, which controls 42 of the top 50 amphitheater venues in the US, and Ticketmaster, which sells tickets. Artists long accused Live Nation of forcing them to work with it if they wanted to play at its venues. And fans raged at high concert prices they blamed on Ticketmaster\u2019s market control.<\/p>\n The spats go back decades<\/a>, with Pearl Jam accusing Ticketmaster of punishing the grunge act for its criticism in 1994.<\/p>\n The jury\u2019s decision followed a six-week trial that proceeded to court even after President Trump\u2019s Justice Department struck a controversial settlement with the entertainment giant. A coalition of 33 states, including New York and California, opted to continue the case.<\/p>\n Lawmakers have sought for years to rein in Live Nation, which presided over the infamous ticketing fiasco for Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras Tour.<\/a> Ticketmaster sparked a furor in 2022 when it cancelled a general public sale of Swift tickets after seeing \u201chistorically unprecedented\u201d demand at its presale events \u2014 prompting a lawsuit from disappointed fans who alleged Ticketmaster \u201ctacitly encourages\u201d scalpers.<\/p>\n The states are seeking up to $700 million in damages, as well as penalties for violations of state-level antitrust laws, according to Bloomberg.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a historic and\u00a0resounding victory for artists, fans, and the venues that support them,\u201d California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.<\/p>\n Live Nation\u2019s stock closed down more than 6%. Meanwhile, shares of industry rival StubHub jumped 3.5% and Vivid Seats was up 9%.<\/p>\n Live Nation did not immediately return a request for comment. The company has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and is expected to appeal the ruling.<\/p>\n Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, arrives to the courthouse in New York City, March 10, 2026. REUTERS<\/p>\n Court records that surfaced during the trial included Slack messages in which Live Nation employee Ben Baker admitted to turning a blind eye<\/a> when brokers were buying up big blocks of tickets, saying, \u201cnormally I\u2019d look other way.\u201d<\/p>\n