The jury found that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in the market for ticketing services at major concert venues and that Live Nation holds a monopoly in the market for large amphitheaters used by artists, according to the Connecticut Attorney General's office. The jury also found that Live Nation unlawfully requires artists who use the amphitheaters it owns to also use its event promotion services, and that fans have been overcharged for concert tickets at major concert venues across the country.
Tong, 40 other states, and the DOJ filed suit in May 2024, alleging that Live Nation's control over venue ownership, event promotion and ticketing services allowed it to raise costs for fans and artists and suppress competition, the press release said. Trial began March 2, 2026.
During the trial, the DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation. Tong and 33 other attorneys general rejected the settlement and continued to verdict.
"Today's verdict confirms what fans, artists, venues and states like Connecticut have been saying for years —Live Nation and Ticketmaster built and maintained a system that shuts out competition and drives up prices," Tong said in a statement.
Tong called the DOJ agreement "weak and ill-conceived" and said the states pressed ahead because the deal "did not go far enough to fix a broken marketplace."
"This is a major step in restoring fairness in the live entertainment marketplace," Tong said. "We will continue pressing forward to ensure real accountability, meaningful reform, and a system that puts consumers first."
Having proven liability, the coalition will argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial, according to the press release.