New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 33 other attorneys general won a jury verdict on April 15, 2026, finding that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated federal and state antitrust laws by eliminating competition and driving up costs for fans, artists, and venues across the country. The verdict came after a five-week trial that began on March 2, 2026.
The underlying dispute centers on Live Nation's control over nearly every layer of the live-event industry — venue ownership, event promotion, and ticketing services through Ticketmaster. In May 2024, Attorney General James, a coalition of 40 other states, and the DOJ sued Live Nation, alleging that this vertical integration allowed Live Nation to raise costs and suppress competition. During trial, DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation; James and the coalition of 33 states rejected that settlement and continued to litigate.
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 that Live Nation unlawfully requires artists who use the amphitheaters it owns to also use its event promotion services. The jury further determined that fans have been overcharged for concert tickets at major concert venues across the country. The Attorney General's office separately noted that New Yorkers were overcharged $1.72 per ticket in higher fees.
"This is a landmark victory in our ongoing work to protect our economy and New Yorkers' wallets from harmful monopolies," Attorney General James said. "For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power. A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process. I am proud to have led a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in bringing this case and look forward to continuing our work to hold Live Nation and Ticketmaster accountable."
Having prevailed on liability, James and the coalition will now argue for remedies and financial penalties at a separate bench trial.
The matter for New York is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan Hatch, Luisa di Lauro, Pratik Agarwal, and Juliana Karp, Fellows Amanda McBain and Anchit Nayyar, and legal assistants Michelle Velez and Arlene Leventhal under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Amy McFarlane and Bureau Chief Elinor Hoffmann, all of the Antitrust Bureau. Victoria Khan, Director of the Research and Analytics Department, also assisted. The Antitrust Bureau is part of the Division of Economic Justice, led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D'Angelo and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.