Oregon AG and Coalition Win Antitrust Trial Verdict Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster
Summary
A jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for violating federal and state antitrust laws after a five-week trial. The jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster unlawfully maintained monopoly power in ticketing services at major concert venues and that Live Nation monopolized the market for large amphitheaters, requiring artists to use its event promotion services. The verdict follows a May 2024 lawsuit by Oregon AG Dan Rayfield, 40 other states, and the DOJ. Remedies and financial penalties will be determined at a separate bench trial.
What changed
A jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for violating federal and state antitrust laws, specifically finding that Ticketmaster maintains an unlawful monopoly in the ticketing services market at major concert venues and that Live Nation monopolizes large amphitheaters while requiring artists to use its event promotion services. The jury also found that fans were overcharged for concert tickets.
Live entertainment industry participants should monitor developments as Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition of 33 states prepare to argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial. Companies with ticketing arrangements, venue contracts, or artist promotion agreements involving Live Nation or Ticketmaster should review these relationships for potential competitive implications given the jury's findings of anticompetitive conduct.
What to do next
- Monitor for updates on remedies trial
- Consult antitrust counsel regarding any supply chain or ticketing arrangements that may raise antitrust concerns
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 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.
News & Media Releases
- Media Releases
- #### Search by Keyword
- #### Filter by News Category
OCPA Privacy Law Hate and Bias Crimes Voting and Elections
- #### View Prior News
- From:
- To:
Attorney General Rayfield and Coalition of States Win Trial Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster
April 15, 2026 • Posted in Homepage, Media Release
Jury Finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster Illegally Eliminated Competition, Hurting Fans, Artists, and Competing Venues
Attorney General Dan Rayfield 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 Rayfield and the coalition successfully proved that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have unlawfully maintained and abused their monopoly power that prevents other ticketing services, venue owners, and concert promoters from successfully competing. As a result, fans are charged higher prices for tickets.
“When a company gets this big, competition dies – and everyday people pay the price,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “Oregonians who bought concert tickets through Ticketmaster were overcharged. When the federal government chose to step back and allow it to happen, Oregon and other states stepped up and took this on because working families deserve to know every company is playing by the same rules. Today’s verdict shows that accountability is still possible.”
In May 2024, Attorney General Rayfield, 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 Rayfield 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 Rayfield and the coalition will argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial.
Named provisions
Related changes
Get daily alerts for Oregon AG News & Media Releases
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from Oregon DOJ.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Oregon AG News & Media Releases publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.