Jury Rules Live Nation-Ticketmaster Monopoly Illegal

A federal jury in New York City ruled on April 15 that Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster have operated an illegal monopoly in the U.S. live events industry, violating antitrust laws through anticompetitive practices that raised ticket prices for consumers.

The verdict came after a month-long trial and four days of deliberations in a civil case brought by a coalition of 34 states and the District of Columbia. Jurors found that Live Nation maintained unlawful monopolies in primary ticketing services for more than 200 major concert venues and in promotion services for dozens of large amphitheaters. The company required artists to use its promotion services as a condition for booking those amphitheaters and pressured venues to use Ticketmaster exclusively, limiting competition and overcharging fans by $1.72 per ticket in 22 states over the past five years. The ruling applies to tickets sold at 257 venues, representing about 20 percent of Live Nation's total sales, excluding broker purchases.

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian presided over the trial, which featured testimony from Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino and internal company messages revealing...