April 15, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a verdict that Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster LLC (“Live Nation”), are liable for monopolizing multiple markets in the ticketing and live entertainment industry.
In 2024, Paxton sued Live Nation as part of a multistate coalition on the heels of a Ticketmaster and Live Nation merger to form a conglomerate called Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. After the merger, the company consolidated control over ticket sales, venue management, and concert promotion, which plaintiffs argued created a vertically integrated powerhouse self-described as the “largest live entertainment company in the world.” Live Nation used the dominance to force venues into exclusive agreements under threat of financial retaliation and leveraged control over ticketing and venues to pressure artists into restrictive promotional contracts. The acts stifled competition, limited consumer choice, and drove up ticket prices through excessive and hidden fees, Paxton et al succeeded in proving during the litigation.
A verdict in a New York federal court confirmed Live Nation is liable for illegal conduct. Remedies and penalties will be determined at a later date, Paxton stated, and Texas is seeking restitution to affected states and breaking up Live Nation’s monopolies in ticketing and other live entertainment markets “to reduce ticket prices and fees for all Americans.”
“No corporation should be allowed to illegally monopolize an industry, but that is exactly what Live Nation has done with its anticompetitive scheme to control concert prices and take advantage of fans, venues, and music artists,” Paxton said.