Live Nation and Ticketmaster Found Liable for Antitrust Violations

Attorney General James and Coalition of States Win Trial Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster

Jury Finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster Illegally Eliminated Competition, Hurting Fans, Artists, and Competing Venues

New Yorkers Overcharged $1.72 Per Ticket in Higher Fees

April 15, 2026

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 33 other attorneys general today won their lawsuit against Live Nation after a jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated federal and state antitrust laws by eliminating competition and driving up costs for fans, artists, and venues across the country. After a five-week trial, the jury found that Attorney General James and the bipartisan coalition of 33 other attorneys general successfully proved that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have unlawfully maintained and abused their monopoly power preventing other ticketing services, venue owners, and concert promoters from successfully competing. As a result, fans have been charged higher prices for tickets.

“This is a landmark victory in our ongoing work to protect our economy and New Yorkers’ wallets from harmful monopolies,” said Attorney General James. “For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power. A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process. I am proud to have led a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in bringing this case and look forward to continuing our work to hold Live Nation and Ticketmaster accountable.”

In May 2024, Attorney General James, a coalition of 40 other states, and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Live Nation, alleging that its control over almost every aspect of the live event business – from venue ownership to event promotion to ticketing services through Ticketmaster – allowed it to raise costs for both fans and artists and to suppress competition. During the trial that began on March 2, 2026, DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation, which Attorney General James and the coalition of 33 states rejected, choosing to continue litigation.

The jury today found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for violating federal and state laws by engaging in anticompetitive conduct. The jury found that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in the market for ticketing services at major concert venues. The jury also found that Live Nation has a monopoly in the market for large amphitheaters used by artists and that Live Nation unlawfully requires artists who use the amphitheaters it owns to also use its event promotion services. In addition, the jury determined that fans have been overcharged for concert tickets at major concert venues across the country.

Having successfully proven their case on liability to the jury, Attorney General James and the coalition will argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial.

For New York, this matter is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan Hatch, Luisa di Lauro, Pratik Agarwal, and Juliana Karp, Fellows Amanda McBain and Anchit Nayyar, and legal assistants Michelle Velez and Arlene Leventhal under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Amy McFarlane and Bureau Chief Elinor Hoffmann, all of the Antitrust Bureau. Victoria Khan, Director of the Research and Analytics Department, also assisted in this matter. The Antitrust Bureau is a part of the Division of Economic Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D’Angelo and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.