State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
NEW YORK — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement after a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found Live Nation/Ticketmaster liable for harming consumers and the live music industry through its anticompetitive conduct. The jury found that Live Nation overcharged tickets sold to consumers from May 2020 through 2024.
“The verdict is in! A jury today found Live Nation/Ticketmaster liable for anticompetitive conduct that harmed the music industry and included overcharging consumers. This is a historic and resounding victory for artists, fans, and the venues that support them,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In the face of dwindling antitrust enforcement by the Trump Administration, this verdict shows just how far states can go to protect our residents from big corporations that are using their power to illegally raise prices and rip-off Americans. We are incredibly proud of today’s outcome — and especially proud of our coalition made up of red and blue states alike who understood we needed to come together to protect our consumers, businesses, and state economies from Live Nation’s illegal conduct.”
This verdict follows more than two years of litigation by Attorney General Bonta and bipartisan attorneys general nationwide.
Now, the case goes back to the judge to determine the number of tickets Live Nation sold and the total damages amount, final penalties and consumer restitution, and to determine any injunctive relief the company must comply with moving forward. Under Section 4 of the Clayton Act, courts may award triple the actual damages to victims of monopolization.
BACKGROUND
Attorney General Bonta will never step away from California’s responsibility to look out for people’s economic wellbeing. Allowing big corporations to raise prices and push competitors out of the marketplace with impunity will only worsen the affordability crisis felt by Americans.
In 2024, Attorney General Bonta, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Live Nation alleging that its strong dominance over ticketing and concert amphitheater markets has allowed it to engage in a wide variety of anticompetitive behaviors that have harmed artists, their fans, and the venues that support them. The trial in this case started on March 2, and on March 9, U.S. DOJ announced a settlement with Live Nation — an action promptly rejected by a bipartisan group of attorneys general.