Jury finds Live Nation/Ticketmaster is illegal monopoly that overcharged fans
Trump administration dropped out of the trial, but 33 states kept fighting.
A federal jury ruled today that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary operate an illegal monopoly that overcharged fans for tickets, handing a win to US states that continued a trial even after the Trump administration dropped out.
The jury found that "Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in the market for ticketing services at major concert venues" and that "Live Nation has a monopoly in the market for large amphitheaters used by artists," said an announcement from the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James. The jury additionally determined "that Live Nation unlawfully requires artists who use the amphitheaters it owns to also use its event promotion services," and "that fans have been overcharged for concert tickets at major concert venues across the country," the New York AG's office said.
A five-week trial was held in US District Court for the Southern District of New York. According to CNN, jurors found that "Ticketmaster overcharged states by $1.72 per ticket, about what the states had estimated." Evidence at trial showed that a Live Nation regional director boasted of gouging ticket buyers and “robbing them blind” with fees for ancillary services such as slight parking upgrades.
