Ticketmaster is back in the spotlight, and this time it’s not about ticket queues or fee math—it’s about monopoly behavior.
A Manhattan jury found Live Nation–Ticketmaster liable on three counts, according to Misryoum newsroom reporting. The verdict said the company illegally monopolized the market for live event ticketing, amphitheaters, and tied its concert promotions business to the use of its venues. The deliberations took several days, and once the decision landed, it immediately put the company on course for a messy next phase.
If this sounds like the kind of case that could end with a dramatic restructuring, that’s because the lawsuit has that goal baked in. A breakup is what the Department of Justice set out to pursue when it filed the case under the Biden administration. Misryoum newsroom reporting also notes that the jury’s finding keeps that pressure on, even though Judge Arun Subramanian could still choose smaller remedies than a full breakup.
There’s also the question of money. Subramanian will decide total damages owed by the company, based on the jury’s finding that Ticketmaster overcharged consumers by $1.72 per ticket. Misryoum newsroom reporting adds that the verdict is likely to be appealed no matter what remedy the judge picks—because, well, that’s usually the way these big cases go.
The trial itself ran about six weeks, including a week-long break. During that pause, the states returned to the negotiation table after the DOJ settled its claims with the company—sort of a reset, and then the case kept moving. By the time it got to the end, 34 of the 40 attorneys general who went to trial decided to continue seeking a broader outcome than the earlier settlement achieved.
That earlier DOJ agreement, reached one week into trial under the Trump administration’s DOJ, included terms like Live Nation offloading exclusive booking arrangements at 13 amphitheaters, plus caps on certain Ticketmaster fees. In court, Misryoum newsroom reporting says jurors heard testimony from Live Nation executives, including CEO Michael Rapino, along with artists and their teams such as Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons and Drake’s manager Adel Nur. Rivals like SeatGeek also took the stand, along with venue executives including the former CEO of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
The states’ case leaned heavily on the idea that the company used implicit threats—pulling concerts unless venues used their ticketing services—and that its reach over outdoor amphitheaters was so broad it would be nearly impossible for artists to tour those venues in the US without going through Live Nation. The company countered that its service is better, and that some customers testified in support of that view. There was even a bit of the familiar “we’re competitive, not coercive” argument, though during one late-stage day of testimony, the room felt tense in that way where you can hear someone’s pen click and nobody wants to be the one making noise.
For now, this is still unfolding. What the judge decides—breakup or something less severe—will likely hinge on the remedy phase, and appeals could carry the whole story far beyond this verdict.
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