Live Nation Settlement Hits Sour Note With State AGs

Attorneys general from several states say they haven’t abandoned their antitrust case against Live Nation.

This came after the news Monday (March 9) that the U.S. Department of Justice had reached a settlement with the company, which owns Ticketmaster.

As Reuters reported, Live Nation will pay a $200 million settlement and agree to make changes to its platform, such as allowing the participation of third-party ticketing services like Eventbrite.

However, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said her office could not agree to the settlement, arguing that it did not address the competition issue at the center of the case, and that it benefits Live Nation at the consumer’s expense.

“For years, Live Nation has made enormous profits by exploiting its illegal monopoly and raising costs for shows,” James said in a news release. “My office has led a bipartisan group of attorneys general in suing Live Nation for taking advantage of fans, venues, and artists, and we are committed to holding Live Nation accountable.”

She added that she and her colleagues from other states will continue to pursue their case.

The Justice Department had filed suit in 2024 to break up Live Nation, claiming antitrust violations and monopolistic practices on the company’s part. The company had faced heavy scrutiny since acquiring Ticketmaster in 2010.

Then came Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, where fans of the pop star spent hours in online queues to access the high-priced tickets.

Fans of Swift and other musicians sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster in 2024, accusing the companies of colluding with other organizations to drive up the price of tickets.

“This lawsuit is based on false assumptions about how ticketing works. Artist teams, not Ticketmaster, set prices,” a Live National spokesperson told Wired at the time. “Live Nation does not own stadiums in the U.S. and primary tickets are consistently priced below market value, as evidenced by resale prices averaging more than double.”

The Justice Department and Live Nation had been weeks into their antitrust trial when the settlement was announced.

According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian questioned on Monday why the two sides had not notified the court about the settlement sooner, as the agreement was signed last week. A lawyer for the DOJ told the judge she was unaware of the settlement as the trial continued on Friday. The judge was unhappy with the outcome, the report added.

“It shows absolute disrespect for the court, for the jury, for this entire process, and it is entirely unacceptable,” Subramanian said.