A federal jury in New York ruled Wednesday that Live Nation violated antitrust laws by operating as a monopoly, ending a case brought by 34 U.S. states against the company and its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster.
The verdict came after seven weeks in court and four days of deliberation. Jurors found that Ticketmaster overcharged consumers by $1.72 per ticket. That figure now moves to Judge Arun Subramanian, who will decide damages and what changes the company will be forced to make. Those could include selling off parts of the business or separating Live Nation from Ticketmaster, something federal regulators had pushed for earlier in the case.
Live Nation spent the trial arguing it competes in a broad market that includes other promoters, ticketing platforms, venues, and sports organizations. Its lawyers rejected the idea that the company uses its size to lock venues into deals or limit access to tours. “We are fierce competitors,” attorney David R. Marriott told the jury. “We are trying to win the business.”
What kept coming up in court was how tightly connected Live Nation’s businesses are. The company promotes tours, sells the tickets, and packages sponsorships around them. That structure has helped it scale quickly. Last year it promoted 55,000 events and sold 646 million tickets worldwide, with Ticketmaster moving far more volume than any competitor.
The federal government stepped back from the case early, but the states kept it moving. The result leaves the court to decide how much of that structure stays in place and how much of it gets pulled apart.
Photos – Kieron Yates
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