Live Nation Found Liable for Monopolization in Antitrust Verdict

Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a verdict that Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster LLC (“Live Nation”) are liable for monopolizing multiple markets in the ticketing and live entertainment industry.

In 2024, Attorney General Paxton sued Live Nation alongside a multistate coalition. This action came after two major ticketing and entertainment companies, Ticketmaster and Live Nation, merged to form a conglomerate called Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. After the merger, the company consolidated control over ticket sales, venue management, and concert promotion, which created a vertically integrated powerhouse that it has described as the “largest live entertainment company in the world.” Live Nation abused this dominance by forcing venues into exclusive agreements under threat of financial retaliation and leveraged its control over ticketing and venues to pressure artists into restrictive promotional contracts. This stifled competition, limited consumer choice, and drove up ticket prices through excessive and hidden fees.

Attorney General Paxton helped lead this multistate coalition in aggressively litigating this case to restore competition in the live entertainment industry, provide better choices at lower prices for fans, and expand opportunities for artists and venues.

Now, Attorney General Paxton has helped secure a verdict in a New York federal court that confirms Live Nation is liable for its illegal conduct. This is an important step in holding Live Nation responsible for the damage they have caused to the live entertainment industry in Texas and elsewhere in America. Remedies and penalties will be determined at a later date, and Attorney General Paxton is seeking full accountability under the law. This includes restitution to affected states and breaking up Live Nation’s monopolies in ticketing and other live entertainment markets to reduce ticket prices and fees for all Americans.

“No corporation should be allowed to illegally monopolize an industry, but that is exactly what Live Nation has done with its anticompetitive scheme to control concert prices and take advantage of fans, venues, and music artists,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Today, we successfully secured a verdict against Live Nation holding it liable for its unlawful actions. We will continue to pursue every possible remedy under the law to hold the company accountable, secure civil penalties, and restore fairness in the live entertainment industry.”