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Live Nation–Ticketmaster Antitrust Trial Begins in New York
March5
The federal antitrust trial against Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary Ticketmaster has begun in the United States, with jury selection taking place on Monday and opening statements delivered on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The case, filed in May 2024 by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) alongside a coalition of state attorneys general, alleges that Live Nation has unlawfully monopolised key parts of the live entertainment industry and used its market position to suppress competition.
In their opening statement, federal prosecutors argued that Live Nation and Ticketmaster “illegally used their monopoly power to help themselves” rather than venues, artists and fans. DOJ attorney David Dahlquist told jurors that the concert industry is “broken” and controlled by a monopolist.
The government contends that Ticketmaster controls around 80% of primary ticketing at major concert venues in the US — defined as venues with a capacity of at least 8,500 and hosting at least 10 concerts per year — with AEG’s AXS cited as the nearest competitor with around 9%.
Government alleges market dominance
Live Nation disputes those claims, arguing that the DOJ’s definition of the market is too narrow. The company says that when all venues are included, its ticketing market share is closer to 40%.
In its defence, Live Nation stated that it does not hold monopoly power and that the live entertainment marketplace is “more competitive than ever”. Attorney David Marriott told jurors the company helped bring 159 million people to 55,000 concerts in 2025 and said Ticketmaster receives around $5 per ticket in service fees, retaining less than $2 after expenses.
Ahead of the trial, US District Judge Arun Subramanian narrowed the scope of the government’s case. The judge dismissed allegations that Live Nation monopolised the national concert promotion market and claims that its conduct directly caused higher ticket prices for fans.
However, the jury will still consider several central allegations, including claims that Ticketmaster monopolised primary ticketing at major venues through long-term exclusive contracts, that Live Nation tied access to its amphitheatre network to its promotion services, and that a ticketing agreement between Live Nation and Oak View Group restricted competition.
Live Nation had attempted to delay the trial in order to appeal the judge’s earlier ruling, but the request was rejected.
Witnesses and timeline
The trial is expected to last approximately six weeks. Witnesses expected to testify include Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, former Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, musician Kid Rock, and Mumford & Sons keyboardist and venue owner Ben Lovett.
The proceedings are widely seen as a landmark case that could have significant implications for the structure of the US live entertainment and ticketing sectors.
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