Among other things, the jury found Ticketmaster\u2019s anticompetitive practices led to people in 22 states paying an extra $1.72 per ticket, which the judge could order the companies to pay back.<\/p>\n
A jury in New York deliberated for four days before reaching its decision. State attorneys general who sued Live Nation said the verdict could potentially lead to lower ticket prices for music fans.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \n AP AUDIO: Jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues\n <\/p>\n AP correspondent Julie Walker reports Ticketmaster and Live Nation lose their antitrust trial in New York.<\/p>\n Live Nation said in a statement that the verdict \u201cis not the last word on this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n The company predicted that once a remedy phase of the litigation is completed before the judge and all appeals are resolved, the outcome likely won\u2019t be much different from what the federal government achieved with a settlement it reached<\/a> with the company just after the trial began. <\/p>\n That deal included<\/a> a cap on service fees at some amphitheaters, plus some new ticket-selling options for promoters and venues \u2014 potentially allowing, but not requiring, them to open doors to Ticketmaster competitors such as SeatGeek or AXS. <\/p>\n The trial was a backstage pass<\/p>\n The trial gave fans the equivalent of a backstage pass to a business that dominates live entertainment in the U.S. and beyond.<\/p>\n Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino<\/a> testified, answering questions about matters including the company\u2019s Taylor Swift ticket debacle<\/a> in 2022. Rapino blamed a cyberattack. <\/p>\n Jurors also got to see a Live Nation employee\u2019s internal messages<\/a> to 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, apologetically testified<\/a> that 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. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Sign up for Morning Wire: The verdict could cost Live Nation and Ticketmaster hundreds of millions of dollars, based on the jury\u2019s estimate that customers paid an extra $1.72 per ticket. 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 <\/p>\n Michael Rapino, chief executive officer and president of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., arrives at Manhattan Federal court, Thursday, March 19, 2026 in New York. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)<\/p>\n Michael Rapino, chief executive officer and president of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., arrives at Manhattan Federal court, Thursday, March 19, 2026 in New York. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)<\/p>\n Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n In its statement, Live Nation said the jury\u2019s award of $1.72 per ticket applied to \u201ca limited number of tickets\u201d sold at 257 venues and representing about 20% of total tickets sold. The company estimated the aggregate single damages figure would be below $150 million, though it would be trebled.<\/p>\n The civil case, initially led by the U.S. government<\/a>, accused Live Nation of using its reach to smother competition \u2014 by blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers, for example. <\/p>\n Live Nation denies it is a monopoly<\/p>\n Live Nation insisted it is not a monopoly, saying that artists, sports teams and venues decide prices and ticketing practices. A company lawyer said 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 an attorney for the states, Jeffrey 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. <\/p>\n
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