By LARRY NEUMEISTER<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A jury has found that concert giant Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had a harmful monopoly over big concert venues, dealing the company a loss in a lawsuit over claims brought by dozens of U.S. states and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n
A Manhattan federal jury deliberated for four days before reaching its decision Wednesday in the closely watched case, which gave fans the equivalent of a backstage pass to a business that dominates live entertainment in the U.S. and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great day for antitrust law,\u201d 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 \u201cand the United States\u201d to provide a joint letter proposing a schedule for motions and how the remedies phase of the case would occur. He told them to deliver it by late next week.<\/p>\n
The trial brought Live Nation\u00a0CEO Michael Rapino to the witness stand<\/a>, where he was questioned about matters including the company\u2019s\u00a0Taylor Swift ticket debacle<\/a>\u00a0in 2022. Rapino blamed a cyberattack.<\/p>\n The proceedings also aired a Live Nation employee\u2019s\u00a0internal messages<\/a>\u00a0to another employee declaring some prices \u201coutrageous,\u201d calling customers \u201cso stupid\u201d and boasting that the company was \u201crobbing them blind, baby.\u201d The employee, Benjamin Baker, who has since been promoted to a position as a ticketing executive,\u00a0apologetically testified<\/a>\u00a0that the messages were \u201cvery immature and unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Live Nation Entertainment owns, operates, controls booking for or has an equity interest in hundreds of venues. Its subsidiary Ticketmaster is widely considered to be the world\u2019s largest ticket-seller for live events. Its lawyers did not immediately comment as they left the courthouse, but said a statement would be issued shortly.<\/p>\n The verdict could cost Live Nation and Ticketmaster hundreds of millions of dollars, just for the $1.72 per ticket that the jury found Ticketmaster had overcharged consumers in 22 states. The companies could also be assessed penalties. In addition, sanctions could result in court orders that they divest themselves of some entities, including venues such as amphitheaters that they own.<\/p>\n The civil case,\u00a0initially led by the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0federal government, accused Live Nation of using its reach to smother competition \u2014 by blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers, for example.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is time to hold them accountable,\u201d Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the states, said in a closing argument, calling Live Nation a \u201cmonopolistic bully\u201d that drove up prices for ticket buyers.<\/p>\n Live Nation insisted it\u2019s not a monopoly, saying that artists, sports teams and venues decide prices and ticketing practices. A company lawyer insisted its size was simply a function of excellence and effort.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccess is not against the antitrust laws in the United States,\u201d attorney David Marriott said in his summation.<\/p>\n Ticketmaster was established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010. The company now controls of 86% of the market for concerts and 73% of the overall market when sports events are included, according to Kessler.<\/p>\n Ticketmaster has long drawn ire from fans and some artists. Grunge rock titans Pearl Jam battled the business in the 1990s, even filing an anti-monopoly complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, which declined to bring a case then.<\/p>\n Decades later, the Justice Department, joined by dozens of states, brought the current lawsuit during Democratic former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration. Days into\u00a0the trial<\/a>, Republican President Donald Trump\u2019s administration announced it was\u00a0settling its claims<\/a>\u00a0against Live Nation.<\/p>\n