HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday and a bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General will continue to pursue a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster, LLC., regarding monopolistic practices — despite an announced settlement between the companies and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Attorney General Sunday and the coalition of states continuing to pursue the lawsuit believe the settlement falls far short of protecting consumers. After the Department of Justice entered the settlement into court earlier today, the coalition submitted a motion for the court to declare a mistrial. Further court proceedings are scheduled for this week.
In 2024, 40 attorneys general joined the federal agency in an antitrust lawsuit, alleging that Live Nation — owner and operator of numerous venues nationwide, including Pennsylvania — and Ticketmaster — the ticketing service giant — form an illegal monopoly over the live entertainment industry.
“Pennsylvania joined this bipartisan coalition because free markets require real competition,” Attorney General Sunday said. “For too long, Ticketmaster has leveraged its monopoly to drive up prices and fees while limiting choices for fans, artists and venues. While the federal government has chosen to settle, Pennsylvania and our partner states are committed to continuing this case to hold Ticketmaster accountable and restore competition to the entertainment marketplace.”
Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s dominance has impacted fans across the Commonwealth. In a recent year, Pennsylvanians spent approximately $1.5 billion dollars on live entertainment, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Allegations in the lawsuit include evidence of Live Nation’s engagement in anti-competitive practices to maintain its monopoly, as well as allegations that:
- Live Nation has maintained its anti-competitive monopoly in ticketing markets by locking up venues through restrictive long-term, exclusive agreements and by threatening that venues will lose access to Live Nation-controlled tours and artists if they sign with a rival ticketing company.
- Live Nation leverages its extensive network of amphitheaters and other venues to force artists to select Live Nation as a promoter instead of its rivals, maintaining its promotions monopoly.
- Live Nation’s conduct has harmed fans through higher fees, lack of transparency, fewer consumer choices, and stifling innovation.
The lawsuit asks the court to restore competition in the live entertainment industry by:
- Ordering Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster.
- Awarding financial compensation for consumers who paid more than they should have for tickets in a competitive market.
- Prohibiting Live Nation from engaging in its anticompetitive practices.
A copy of the complaint is available here.
The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
States joining Pennsylvania in continuing the lawsuit include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.
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