Live Nation to open Ticketmaster to other sellers and pay $280 million to settle antitrust charges

Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, has reached a deal with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to settle charges that the entertainment company’s dominance in the event ticket business undermined competition and hurt consumers.

Under the settlement, Live Nation agreed to pay $280 million in civil penalties to 40 states that sued the company over its practices and to sell some of its amphitheaters. Ticketmaster must also open technology to allow other ticket sellers to use its platform to reach customers, multiple sources told CBS News.

Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company, which has long clashed with music artists and consumers over ticket sales, has argued that performers set prices and dictate how tickets are sold.

The decision comes less than a week after Live Nation’s antitrust trial kicked off in a New York courtroom. 

“This case is about power, the power of a monopolist to control competition,” David Dahlquist, a Justice Department lawyer, said during opening statements on March 3, according to the Associated Press.

States vow to keep fighting

Not all the states involved in the suit agreed with the deal struck between the Justice Department and Live Nation. New York Attorney General Letitia James vowed to keep litigating on Monday, noting in a statement that the settlement “fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case.”

James said that attorneys general from more than two dozen states plan to move forward with the lawsuit in an effort to “restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry.”

A senior Justice Department official defended the Live Nation agreement in a call with reporters, adding that the agency expects more states to back the settlement. 

“That’s a process that is still ongoing,” the official said, adding that DOJ is still actively working to address potential state concerns.

Lawsuit filed during Biden administration

Federal prosecutors, along with dozens of states, sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster in 2024 after alleging the company was violating antitrust laws. 

As part of the suit, the Justice Department said Live Nation illegally thwarted competition in ticketing and concert promotion, leading music fans to pay higher prices for tickets and limiting venues’ options in choosing a ticketing service. 

Ticketmaster was founded in 1976 in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2010, Beverly Hills, California-based Live Nation acquired the ticketing platform and formed Live Nation Entertainment.