Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation agrees to Department of Justice antitrust settlement

Live Nation Entertainment The company has reached a settlement with the Justice Department over antitrust concerns surrounding its Ticketmaster platform, a senior Justice Department official said Monday.

The settlement will see Ticketmaster cancel some of its exclusive agreements with music artists and open the ticketing industry to greater competition. The order still needs to be approved by more than 20 states that have sued and by the court.

As part of the settlement, Ticketmaster will offer an independent, third-party ticketing system for other companies like SeatGeek to use its technology. Live Nation also agreed to divest at least 13 of its venues and will no longer be able to require artists to use other Live Nation products associated with its venues. It also agreed to pay approximately $280 million in civil penalties.

Shares of Live Nation rose 5% in morning trading. Live Nation and Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ticketmaster has long faced criticism that its dominance of the live events and ticketing space results in higher prices for consumers. The company has come under intense scrutiny in recent years from fans who claim it has become harder and more expensive to obtain tickets to coveted events.

In 2022, the backlash worsened when tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour were mishandled, leading to an investigation into the company. In 2024, the Justice Department – along with more than two dozen states – filed a lawsuit to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which had merged in 2010.

In September, the Federal Trade Commission separately sued Live Nation over what the agency called its “unlawful” ticket resale tactics. The FTC said Ticketmaster controls approximately 80% of tickets for major concert venues.

In a statement on Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office would continue to fight Live Nation’s alleged monopoly even after its agreement with the Justice Department.

“The recently announced settlement with the US Department of Justice fails to address the monopoly at the core of this case, and will benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers. We cannot agree to it,” said James, who was joined by prosecutors in more than 20 other states.