US blames Live Nation for ‘broken’ music ticket system
2026-03-03 - 23:43
In 2025, Live Nation organised more than 55,000 events worldwide, drawing 159 million attendees. (AFP pic) NEW YORK: US government lawyers accused Live Nation of abusing its market power to gouge concert goers with high fees, as an antitrust trial began before jurors Tuesday in New York. Rival attorneys promised the evidence would back their side of the story during opening remarks, with Live Nation counsel contending the company did nothing wrong. “The ticketing industry is broken,” Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust division attorney David Dahlquist told the jury. “It is controlled by a monopolist.” With the federal lawsuit, the US government is seeking to break up the concert promoter that also controls ticketing giant Ticketmaster. Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster essentially control the connection between musicians and their fans, with concertgoers in the United States hit with higher ticket fees than any other country, Dahlquist maintained. Live Nation attorney David Marriott countered that “there is more competition than there has ever been in ticketing.” The DOJ told the court that Live Nation controls 86% of the US market for concert tickets, leaving fans with little choice to shop elsewhere. Live Nation pushed back, saying its share of the US ticket market is closer to 40%. The case was initiated under former president Joe Biden in May 2024, when the DOJ labeled Live Nation a monopolist that controlled virtually all live entertainment across the country. The California-based company is a behemoth in its industry: in 2025 it organised more than 55,000 events worldwide, drawing 159 million attendees. Beyond promotion, it holds stakes in 460 venues and, since 2010, has controlled Ticketmaster, the world’s leading ticket seller. The US accuses Live Nation of abusing its dominant position to pressure artists and venues into signing with it, stifle competition, and impose excessive fees on fans. The trial opened Monday with jury selection in front of Federal Judge Arun Subramanian — who recently presided over the trial of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs. Some 39 states and the US capital Washington are also parties to the lawsuit alongside the federal government. According to New York State Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Hatch, approximately 30% of the fees charged to ticket buyers “have nothing to do with the services” actually provided by Ticketmaster. The states are seeking reimbursement for the portion of ticket fees they deem unjustified. If they prevail, the bill could reach several hundred million dollars in damages. “There is no question of damages because we haven’t done anything wrong,” Marriott told jurors, maintaining that Live Nation’s profit margin of 25% is far less than what a monopolist would take.