A Manhattan federal jury has found that Live Nation Entertainment and its Ticketmaster subsidiary held a harmful and illegal monopoly over major concert venues, dealing a significant blow to the company that dominates live entertainment ticketing across the United States and beyond. The jury deliberated for four days before delivering its verdict on Wednesday in a civil lawsuit brought by more than 30 US states, which had accused the entertainment giant of using its market power to crush competition and overcharge consumers.

Ticketmaster, established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010, now controls 86 percent of the concert ticketing market and 73 percent of the broader market when sporting events are included. Live Nation Entertainment owns, operates or holds equity interests in hundreds of venues, making it the world's largest live entertainment company with over $22 billion in annual revenue. Prosecutors argued the company blocked venues from working with rival ticket sellers such as SeatGeek or AXS, effectively locking competitors out of the market. Attorney Jeffrey Kessler, representing the states, called Live Nation a "monopolistic bully" that drove up prices for ordinary ticket buyers. The jury found that Ticketmaster had overcharged consumers by $1.72 per ticket in 22 states — a finding that could translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, with further penalties and potential divestiture orders still to be determined by the judge.

Live Nation maintained throughout the trial that its dominance was a result of hard work rather than anticompetitive behaviour. "Success is not against the antitrust laws in the United States," argued company attorney David Marriott. The case also revealed damaging internal communications, in which a Live Nation executive named Benjamin Baker boasted about "robbing them blind, baby," called customers "so stupid" and described certain prices as "outrageous." Baker later testified that the messages were "very immature and unacceptable."

The lawsuit was originally filed during former President Joe Biden's administration, with the federal Justice Department leading the charge. However, days into the trial, the Trump administration announced it was settling its own claims against Live Nation — a deal that included a $280 million fund for participating states, a cap on service fees at some amphitheatres, and new ticketing options for venues, but crucially did not require Live Nation to separate from Ticketmaster. More than 30 states rejected the settlement as insufficient and pressed forward with trial.

The case now moves to a remedies phase, with the judge directing both sides to submit a proposed schedule by late next week. The outcome could reshape the live entertainment industry, with sanctions potentially requiring Live Nation to divest venues or break up parts of its business. Resistance to Ticketmaster's power is not new — rock band Pearl Jam filed an antitrust complaint against the company in the 1990s, which the Justice Department declined to pursue at the time. Decades on, the verdict suggests that era of impunity may finally be drawing to a close.