States Seek Live Nation-Ticketmaster Breakup After Antitrust Win

Live Nation Entertainment Inc. should be required to divest its Ticketmaster unit to fix its illegal monopolization of the live music industry, state attorneys general told a court Thursday.

The request for a court-ordered breakup puts US District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan center stage in deciding the fate of the US’s largest concert promoter and ticketing service after a group of more than 30 states won a landmark verdict finding that the company illegally dominates the market. Live Nation is seeking to throw out the verdict on several grounds, and an appeal likely will draw out the litigation for several years.

The filing Thursday is a preliminary outline of the remedy the states plan to seek and could later change. In addition to the sale of Ticketmaster — which Live Nation bought in 2010 — the states want to block the company from reentering the primary ticketing market for an unspecified amount of time.

A spokesperson for Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Following a trial in New York federal court, a jury found that Live Nation illegally monopolized ticketing markets and amphitheaters — large outdoor concert venues popular in the summer. The jury also found that the company illegally tied use of its amphitheaters to its concert promotion services in violation of both state and federal antitrust laws.

The verdict came after the Justice Department, which filed a case alongside the state attorneys general in 2024, reached a settlement with the company mid-trial. As part of that deal, Live Nation agreed to end its practice of requiring concert venues to use it as the exclusive ticketing provider. It also pledged to develop the technology to allow rival ticketers to integrate with its system, which would allow venues to use multiple ticketing services for a single event. The Justice Department’s settlement with Live Nation still requires court approval.

Other fixes contemplated by the states include the sale of a “sufficient number” of Live Nation-owned concert amphitheaters and “limitations or prohibitions” on the company buying new outdoor venues in the future. The states also want to bar Ticketmaster’s exclusive arrangements with some large venues as well as the ability of Live Nation to force the use of Ticketmaster in order for venues to book certain shows.

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