Live Nation Found Liable for Illegal Monopolization, All Counts
Summary
A Washington jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable on all counts for illegal monopolization of the live entertainment and ticketing markets. The jury found the company unlawfully maintained monopoly power through exclusionary conduct and illegally tied venues to concert promotion services. The case will proceed to a remedies phase where the court will determine what relief to impose on the defendants.
What changed
The jury returned a verdict finding Live Nation and Ticketmaster fully liable on all counts of an antitrust lawsuit filed by Washington, 32 other states, and the District of Columbia. The jury determined that Live Nation unlawfully maintained monopoly power in concert and ticketing markets through exclusionary conduct and illegally tied venues to Ticketmaster's services through long-term contracts.
Affected parties should monitor the upcoming remedies phase as the court will determine what relief to impose on Live Nation. Venues locked into Ticketmaster contracts may see changes to their arrangements, performers and consumers may benefit from increased competition, and Live Nation may face structural remedies including potential divestiture requirements.
What to do next
- Monitor the remedies phase proceedings
- Review impact of verdict on venue contracts and ticketing arrangements
Archived snapshot
Apr 15, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Apr 15 2026
Attorney General Nick Brown and a coalition of 32 other states and the District of Columbia have won a landmark verdict in an antitrust case against Live Nation for illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry, driving up prices for consumers and harming performers and venues.
Washington and the other plaintiffs chose to continue the trial against Live Nation even after their co-plaintiff and trial lead counsel, the U.S. Department of Justice, reached a settlement mid-trial last month without meaningfully involving the states. Brown and the other attorneys general said the settlement did not go far enough to hold Live Nation accountable, help consumers, and restore competition.
“We’ve argued for years that Ticketmaster owner Live Nation has a monopoly that harms consumers, venues, artists, and competition. Today, a jury agreed with us and has found Live Nation fully liable for its illegal conduct,” Brown said. “I am proud of state enforcers across the country who stood firm in rejecting the federal government’s inadequate settlement and pressing forward to win this landmark victory for competition and the rule of law.”
The jury found in favor of the plaintiff states on all counts. The jury found Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster unlawfully maintained a monopoly in concert and ticketing markets through its exclusionary conduct, and that they illegally tied venues to concert promotion services. The case will now move to a new phase in which the court will determine what remedies to impose on the defendants.
Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 and began acquiring companies in the entertainment industry to neutralize rivals. Live Nation locks venues into long-term contracts with Ticketmaster to keep out competitors, resulting in higher fees for fans. In 2024, the Washington Attorney General’s Office partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice and a bipartisan group of attorneys general to file this antitrust lawsuit to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s monopoly.
The Washington team handling the case included Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan A. Mark, Travis Kennedy, Ashley A. Locke, Rachel A. Lumen, and Paula Pera, and professional staff Tracy Jacoby, Michelle Oliver, Linda Grez, and Kjrsten Swan.
In addition to Washington, plaintiffs that shared in the court victory against Live Nation include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.
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