A group of more than 20 states and Washington D.C. will continue the antitrust trial against Live Nation following the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement with the company. The trial resumes on March 16 with the same jury after states withdrew their mistrial motion. Attorneys general expressed dissatisfaction with the settlement terms, viewing them as insufficient to address monopoly concerns.
The antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, initiated in 2024 by the DOJ with nearly 40 states and Washington D.C. as co-plaintiffs, faced a pivotal moment earlier this week. Live Nation has denied the charges of operating an illegal monopoly. On March 10, Judge Arun Subramanian ordered Live Nation and the holdout states to negotiate a deal by week's end, but Dan Wall, a top Live Nation executive, described the chances as "about zero" due to the number of parties involved.
Negotiations failed, leading more than 20 states and Washington D.C. to withdraw their mistrial motion on March 13. Subramanian denied their request for a 60-day stay and confirmed the trial would resume on March 16. The proceedings will use the existing jury, with AEG CEO Jay Marciano expected to continue his testimony. The states have engaged antitrust lawyer Jeffrey Kessler as outside counsel.
Under the DOJ's settlement, which some states like Arkansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska joined—while others including Oklahoma, South Carolina, Iowa, and Mississippi are expected to follow—Live Nation agreed to business changes. These include allowing rivals such as SeatGeek and Eventbrite to list tickets on Ticketmaster platforms, capping venue exclusivity contracts at four years, permitting non-exclusive ticketing agreements, and limiting service fees at Live Nation amphitheaters to 15 percent. For amphitheaters, artists can select their own promoters, with 50 percent of tickets allocatable to preferred retailers. Live Nation will also divest exclusive booking from 13 non-owned amphitheaters. A $280 million fund was created for settling states, though no financial penalty was imposed.
Critics among the continuing states argued the deal falls short. New York Attorney General Letitia James stated it "fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case, and would benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers." California Attorney General Rob Bonta added that evidence from the trial's first week showed Live Nation "manipulated the market, made itself untouchable by any competitor, and raked in the cash—not because it is better, but because it has acted illegally and created a monopoly."
