Verdict Opens the Door to Lower Prices, Transparency, and Real Competition
Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829
Washington, DC — “Today’s verdict confirms what millions of fans already knew: Live Nation and Ticketmaster used their dominance to build and protect an illegal monopoly at the direct expense of consumers,” said John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud at the National Consumers League. “For years, concertgoers have been stuck paying inflated prices and excessive fees in a marketplace where competition was pushed aside. This ruling must be a turning point—and policymakers should move quickly to break up this stranglehold and restore real competition, transparency, and fair prices for fans.
The National Consumers League (NCL) welcomes today’s landmark jury verdict finding that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary maintained an anticompetitive monopoly over major concert venues and ticketing.
For years, NCL has warned that Live Nation’s dominance—spanning concert promotion, venue ownership, and ticketing—has distorted the marketplace, limited consumer choice, and driven up prices for fans across the country. Evidence presented at trial showed the company used its market power to deter venues from working with competing ticketing services, reinforcing its grip on the industry and inflating costs.
Today’s verdict is a critical step toward accountability. By affirming that Live Nation’s conduct violated antitrust laws, the jury has opened the door to meaningful remedies that could finally rebalance the live event marketplace.
NCL urges the court and policymakers to pursue strong remedies that restore competition, increase transparency in ticket pricing, and ensure that consumers are no longer subjected to excessive fees and limited choices when purchasing tickets.
Concertgoers deserve a fair, competitive marketplace—not one dominated by a single company with the power to dictate prices and terms across the industry.
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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.
