More than two dozen states are refusing to sign the Department of Justice’s new settlement with Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, in a high-profile antitrust lawsuit challenging the entertainment giant’s ticketing sales.
The bipartisan coalition of states said the settlement between the DOJ and Live Nation does not fully address concerns of monopolization in the entertainment sphere and it vowed to keep pursing the company in court.
New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas and Maryland are just a few of the states continuing the lawsuit against Live Nation, according to releases sent Monday by several attorneys general.
“The settlement recently announced with the U.S. Department of Justice fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case, and would benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers. We cannot agree to it,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
The Justice Department and some 40 attorneys general first launched the lawsuit against Live Nation in 2024 under the Biden administration, alleging the concert giant had built an illegal monopoly over live events by controlling ticketing, venues and artist promotion. In effect, they argued, Live Nation had pushed out competitors and locked venues into exclusive arrangements that harmed both artists and fans.
POLITICO first reported Live Nation’s roughly $200 million settlement with the Justice Department on Monday. Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Live Nation, said in a statement Monday that the company is "proud" of the settlement.
"We have never relied on exclusivity to drive our ticketing business, it has simply been the result of having the best products, services and people in the industry," Rapino said. "We are happy to take greater steps to empower artists and venues in their ticketing decisions, and are confident we will continue to succeed on the quality of what we deliver."
A request for comment sent to a Department of Justice press email triggered an automatic response directing to a webpage on the department’s website. That webpage directed reporters to contact the DOJ press email.
But a senior Justice Department official — who briefed the press on Monday morning about the deal on the condition of anonymity — said the settlement offers transparency to consumers.
“It really sort of weakens what was previously this stranglehold that Ticketmaster.com had,” the senior official said. “Now people can buy tickets on a variety of platforms, which opens up the ability for competition to happen. And so that’s where you’re going to see prices change significantly.”
The official also dismissed states’ continuing their lawsuit, saying it wasn’t “at all unique” and noted that states have lost in similar situations after a federal settlement.
But some of the attorneys general remain convinced they can get a better deal for their constituents.
“The case against Ticketmaster is strong, and I am committed to seeing it through,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. “Ticketmaster has operated above the law for too long, and my office will keep pushing until we restore competition and fairness to the live music industry.”
Yasmin Khorram contributed to this report.
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