Coalition urges DOJ to stay the course—and break up Live Nation
The Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to press ahead with its antitrust case against Live Nation‑Ticketmaster and to demand a structural breakup of the live‑events behemoth if it prevails at trial.
In a letter dated April 17, the coalition — an alliance that organizers say represents more than 100,000 fans, artists and industry professionals — asked recently installed Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater and Acting Antitrust Division chief Pamela Bondi to “continue prioritizing this lawsuit and seeking a jury trial,” stressing that “no half measures will do” to restore competition to the live‑entertainment marketplace.
The letter was echoed in a statement released by the American Economic Liberties Project, a coalition member and frequent critic of the merger that combined concert promoter Live Nation with ticketing giant Ticketmaster in 2010.
“Past enforcement actions, including the consent decree and subsequent extensions, have failed to rein in Live Nation‑Ticketmaster’s abusive conduct,” said Morgan Harper, Economic Liberties’ director of policy and advocacy. “The agency must seek structural remedies — at a minimum, separating Live Nation and Ticketmaster.”
A long‑running fight
The DOJ first sanctioned Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s merger in 2010 under a consent decree designed to curb anticompetitive tactics. A decade later, the agency extended that agreement through 2025 after finding the company had retaliated against venues that refused to use Ticketmaster’s system.
But public outrage reached a new peak following the botched 2022 presale for Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour,” which sent ticket prices and website wait times soaring. Within months, the Break Up Ticketmaster campaign had flooded regulators with tens of thousands of letters demanding tougher action.
That pressure culminated in a sweeping DOJ complaint filed in May 2024 that accuses Live Nation of monopolizing multiple slices of the concert industry — ticketing, promotion, and venue ownership among them. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and joined by 40 state attorneys general, seeks divestiture of Ticketmaster and other remedies aimed at restoring competition.
New leadership, same demand
Although the Antitrust Division’s leadership changed earlier this month, the coalition is urging the DOJ not to lose momentum. The group’s letter cites Live Nation’s record 2024 revenue and its continued acquisition spree, including New York venues the Bell House and the Paramount, as evidence that the company remains unchecked.
Critics also point to a March 2025 partnership between Ticketmaster and Fanatics that will allow Ticketmaster inventory to be listed inside Fanatics’ growing ticketing platform, expanding the reach of both brands. That merger was pointed to in a letter from Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Lee (R-UT) as reflective of the continued harm that Live Nation’s market dominance brings earlier this month.
“The time for half‑measures is over,” the coalition wrote. “Without a full breakup, fans, artists and independent venue owners will continue to suffer.”
Live Nation has repeatedly defended its business practices, arguing that service fees are often set by venues and that the company faces robust competition from rivals such as SeatGeek and AXS. The company has not yet responded to the coalition’s latest letter.
What comes next
The DOJ’s antitrust suit remains in the discovery phase, with pre‑trial motions expected later this year. If the department chooses to pursue a jury trial — as the coalition urges — the case could reach a courtroom in 2026.
Should regulators succeed in unwinding the 2010 merger, the decision would mark the most significant breakup of a dominant U.S. company since the dismantling of AT&T’s Bell System in the 1980s.
Full text of the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition letter
Dear Attorney General Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Slater,
We write on behalf of the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition to emphasize the critical importance of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ongoing case against Live Nation-Ticketmaster,1 and to urge the DOJ to not only continue prioritizing this lawsuit and seeking a jury trial, but also to pursue structural remedies should the case be successful. Launched in 2022, the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition represents over 100,000 Americans who have written to the DOJ asking for structural changes to the live event industry.2
For too long, Live Nation-Ticketmaster has wielded unchecked power over the live event industry. Since the 2010 merger of Live Nation with Ticketmaster,3 the merged company has exploited its conflicts of interest and dominant position to engage in anti-competitive practices that hurt fans, artists, independent venues, and the entire music ecosystem.4 As a result, we have seen escalating fees, a lack of transparency, restrictive arbitration clauses on fans, venue exclusivity contracts that stifle competition, and the monopolization of ticketing and promotions in ways that undermine market fairness and innovation, to the detriment of both new and established artists.5
The evidence amassed by the DOJ in this investigation underscores the urgent need for accountability. Live Nation’s “flywheel” allows it to undercut competition in capital-intensive business segments in order to maintain extraordinary market power – and excessive monopoly profit margins – in easily scalable, high-margin business segments.6 Through predatory business practices and exclusionary conduct, Live Nation-Ticketmaster has not only reinforced its stranglehold over ticketing, but has also systematically eliminated potential competitors, including rival concert promoters and fan-friendly ticketing services, to insert itself throughout the ecosystem, exacerbating an already untenable situation.7 A bipartisan group of 40 state attorneys general joined the DOJ’s lawsuit to restore competition, provide better choices at lower prices, and provide more opportunities for independent venue owners, musicians, and other performers.8 Fundamentally, the case against Ticketmaster is about ensuring one does not have to be rich to access the quintessential American experience of attending live sporting and music events.
Since the lawsuit’s filing, Live Nation-Ticketmaster has continued to squeeze fans, artists, and independent venues via anti-competitive practices, while reporting record high revenue and concert profits in 2024.9 Fans continue to be furious at Ticketmaster’s “outrageous” prices, opaque practices, and presales marred by technical glitches.10 Live Nation-Ticketmaster also made it harder for fans to use rival platforms like Stubhub or SeatGeek, making tickets nontransferable.11 Artists have continued to speak out about abusive contract terms and industry structures12 that leave them with few alternatives. As one artist shared, “[I]f you don’t work with a certain company, where are you going to work?”13 And Live Nation continues to squash competition through mergers, acquisitions, and exclusive deals. The company “went on an acquisition spree in 2024” with no signs of slowing down in 2025.14 This includes acquiring the formerly independent venue Bell House in Brooklyn, NY and the Paramount in Huntington, NY.15 And Fanatics recently entered into a partnership with Live Nation-Ticketmaster – after exploring possible mergers and acquisitions or building its own platform before settling on the partnership – where Ticketmaster will expand its reach and list tickets via Fanatics and vice versa.16
The time for half-measures is over. Past enforcement actions, including the consent decree and subsequent extensions, have failed to rein in Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s abusive conduct, with the company repeatedly retaliating against or threatening concert venues.17 The DOJ must seek a structural remedy—one that, at a minimum, separates Live Nation and Ticketmaster, unwinding a disastrous merger and dismantling the monopolistic control that has suffocated the live entertainment industry for over a decade.18 Without such a remedy, the consolidation of power will persist, and fans, artists, and independent venue owners will continue to suffer.
The Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition strongly urges your support in ensuring that this case is pursued to the fullest extent. The music industry, the broader entertainment sector, and millions of fans who are subjected to exorbitant prices and limited choices depend on a competitive and transparent market. The DOJ must not only press forward with this case, but also be prepared to seek a full breakup of Live Nation-Ticketmaster in the interest of restoring fairness and competition to the live event industry.
We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely, Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition
NOTES
1 U.S. et al. v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Ticketmaster LLC., 1:24-cv-3973, SDNY, May 23, 2024, https://www.justice.gov/atr/media/1353101/dl; U.S. Department of Justice, “Justice Department Sues Live Nation-Ticketmaster for Monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert Industry,” press release, May 23, 2024, https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-monopolizing-markets-across-live-concert.
2 Break Up Ticketmaster, “Tell the Department of Justice to Investigate Ticketmaster,” https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-the-department-of-justice-to-investigate-ticketmaster/; Demand Progress, “Break up the live ticketing monopoly!,” https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/ticketmaster-livenation-doj; American Economic Liberties Project, “DOJ Files Suit to Break Up Live Nation-Ticketmaster in Historic Victory for Fans, Artists, and Live Events,” press release, May 23, 2024, https://www.economicliberties.us/press-release/doj-files-suit-to-break-up-live-nation-ticketmaster-in-historic-victory-for-fans-artists-and-live-events/.
3 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Live Nation and Ticketmaster Entertainment Complete Merger,” https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1335258/000119312510012287/dex991.htm
4 U.S. et al. v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Ticketmaster LLC., 1:24-cv-3973, SDNY, May 23, 2024, p. 5, https://www.justice.gov/atr/media/1353101/dl.
5 Katherine Van Dyck and Lee Hepner, “The Case Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster,” American Economic Liberties Project, January 2024, https://www.economicliberties.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240104-AELP-Livenation-Brief-FINAL.pdf. (“The Case Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster”).
6 Matt Stoller, “Is Ticketmaster Telling the Truth About its Finances?”, The Big Newsletter, June 1, 2024, https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/is-ticketmaster-telling-the-truth.
7 U.S. et al. v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Ticketmaster LLC., 1:24-cv-3973, SDNY, May 23, 2024, Introduction, 5, 6, pp. 3-5, https://www.justice.gov/atr/media/1353101/dl.
8 U.S. DOJ, “Ten Additional States Join Justice Department’s Suit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for Monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert Industry,” press release, August 19, 2024, https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/ten-additional-states-join-justice-departments-suit-against-live-nation-ticketmaster.
9 PR Newswire, “Live Nation Entertainment Reports Full Year And Fourth Quarter 2024 Results,” February 20, 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/live-nation-entertainment-reports-full-year-and-fourth-quarter-2024-results-302381818.html; Daniel Tencer, “Live Nation Saw 151M Fans Attend Its Events in 2024, As Revenue Rose 3% to $23BN,” Music Business Worldwide, February 21, 2025, https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/live-nation-saw-151m-fans-attend-its-events-in-2024-as-revenue-rose-3-to-23bn/.
10 Paige Hopkins and Sara Wise, “Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter ticket prices keep changing, fans say,” Axios, February 14, 2025, https://www.axios.com/2025/02/14/beyonce-ticketmaster-cowboy-carter-seatgeek; See, e.g., Reddit post where user claims “Ticketmaster has taken away the filter … [and] removed the language … for dynamic pricing,” February 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/beyonce/comments/1ishkxa/shady_ticketmaster_and_dynamic_pricing/; Carly Silva, “Fans Slam Morgan Wallen Over Latest Concert Update: ‘Makes Me Mad’,” Parade, January 31, 2025, https://parade.com/news/morgan-wallen-im-the-problem-tour-ticket-prices-anger-fans.
11 Gaby Del Valle, “Ticketmaster’s nontransferable ‘SafeTix’ are anticompetitive, DOJ suit claims,” The Verge, August 19, 2024, https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/19/24223774/ticketmaster-safetix-doj-antitrust-lawsuit-10-states-join.
12 Jose Martinez, “Singer Jon Bellion Reveals Alleged Pitfalls of His Former Deal With Live Nation,” Complex, May 27, 2024, https://www.complex.com/music/a/josemartinez3/jon-bellion-reveals-pitfalls-live-nation.
13 Jason Newman, “The Black Keys Are Finally Ready to Tell All,” The Rolling Stone, February 6, 2025, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/black-keys-interview-tour-canceled-new-album-no-rain-no-flowers-1235255357/.
14 Allie Garfinkle, “Live Nation hopes for another big year of acquisitions despite an antitrust lawsuit that could lead to a break-up,” Fortune, December 24, 2024, https://fortune.com/2024/12/24/live-nation-hopes-for-another-big-year-of-acquisitions-despite-an-antitrust-lawsuit-that-could-lead-to-a-break-up/.
15 Amrita Khalid, “It’s not just tickets and fees: How Live Nation quietly takes your money at every possible opportunity,” Sherwood News, December 5, 2024, https://sherwood.news/business/its-not-just-tickets-and-fees-how-live-nation-quietly-takes-your-money-at/; Nicole Formisano,, “The Paramount Sold to Entertainment Corporation Live Nation,” Long Island Press, September 27, 2024, https://www.longislandpress.com/2024/09/27/the-paramount-sold-live-nation/.
16 Eben Novy-Williams, “Fanatics Launches Ticket Strategy in Two-Way Deal With Ticketmaster,” Sportico, March 5, 2025, https://www.sportico.com/business/commerce/2025/fanatics-ticketing-platform-ticketmaster-app-1234841904/.
17 The Case Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster; U.S. Department of Justice, “Justice Department Will Move to Significantly Modify and Extend Consent Decree with Live Nation/Ticketmaster,” press release, December 19, 2019, https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-will-move-significantly-modify-and-extend-consent-decree-live.
18 Specifically, a strong remedy must 1) separate Ticketmaster’s ticket-selling business from Live Nation’s venue and concert promotion business, 2) separate Live Nation’s venue operations, concert promotion, and artist management segments, 3) separate intangible assets, such as Ticketmaster’s host platform (software used to sell primary tickets), and 4) impose complimentary behavioral remedies, including ending Ticketmaster’s anti-competitive exclusivity agreements with live event venues.” The Case Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster at 10-14.
TicketNews will continue to follow developments in the DOJ case as they unfold.
