More than 2 dozen states say Live Nation settlement fails consumers

WASHINGTON – More than two dozen states, along with the District of Columbia, have rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) proposed settlement with Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster, according to several attorneys general. 

States say settlement fails to address monopoly concerns

What they’re saying:

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that the settlement announced Monday “fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case, and would benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers.” 

“We cannot agree to it,” she added. 

The group of states is additionally requesting that the court require Live Nation to sell off Ticketmaster and provide monetary compensation to consumers who were charged inflated ticket prices, along with other forms of relief, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. 

States continue lawsuit against Live Nation

What’s next:

The original complaint alleged the companies have dominated the industry by suffocating competitors and controlling everything from concert promotion to ticketing.

“The case against Live Nation is strong, and the state coalition is committed to holding the company accountable for its illegal behavior, protecting consumers and restoring competition to this market,” Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement. “The settlement recently announced does not adequately remedy the harms to the marketplace for live music and to concertgoers caused by Live Nation.” 

(Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“We are willing and able to stand with other partner states to continue litigating this case without the federal government so that we can hold Live Nation accountable in court and secure appropriate relief in this case,” he added. “As state attorneys general and antitrust enforcers, we are fully committed to protecting our citizens from illegal monopolies and restoring competition to the live music marketplace.”

By rejecting Monday’s settlement, this bipartisan coalition is continuing its 2024 lawsuit against Live Nation.

The states involved are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

DOJ reaches deal with Live Nation

The backstory:

The Department of Justice reached a settlement with Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, over an alleged illegal monopoly of live music events in the U.S. on Monday. 

The settlement involves multiple states, with SeatGeek and StubHub also participating. Under the agreement, Live Nation will divest 13 amphitheaters and can no longer require artists to use other parts of its business when booking venues. Ticketmaster must also allow venues the option to enter into non-exclusive ticketing agreements.

According to POLITICO, the deal further requires the concert giant to pay roughly $200 million in damages to participating states and implement sweeping structural reforms aimed at its long-criticized control over ticketing, venues and artist promotion. Ticketmaster would also be required to open its technology platform to competing ticketing companies, allowing third-party sellers such as SeatGeek and Eventbrite to list tickets directly through its system.

“Today marks a major step in improving the concert experience for artists and fans throughout the United States,” President and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment Michael Rapino said in a statement. “By giving artists greater flexibility in choosing their promotional partners and ticketing strategy while also keeping the cost of a concert more affordable for fans, we are putting more power where it should be – with artists and fans.”