The verdict, announced April 15, came after a five-week trial in a case originally filed in May 2024 by 41 states and the U.S. Department of Justice. During the trial, which began March 2, DOJ reached a separate settlement with Live Nation. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and 33 other attorneys general rejected that deal and pressed forward to verdict.
The jury found that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in the market for ticketing services at major concert venues. It also found that Live Nation has a monopoly in the market for large amphitheaters used by artists and unlawfully requires artists who use its amphitheaters to also use its event promotion services. The jury determined that fans have been overcharged for concert tickets at major concert venues across the country.
"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," Attorney General Tong said.
Tong said the coalition rejected the DOJ settlement because "that deal did not go far enough to fix a broken marketplace." He called the verdict "a major step in restoring fairness in the live entertainment marketplace."
The original 2024 complaint alleged that Live Nation's control over venue ownership, event promotion, and ticketing services through Ticketmaster allowed it to raise costs for fans and artists and suppress competition, according to the Connecticut Attorney General's office.
The states will now argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial. "We will continue pressing forward to ensure real accountability, meaningful reform, and a system that puts consumers first," Tong said.