Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Jury Finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster Illegally Eliminated Competition, Hurting Fans, Artists and Competing Venues

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 33 other attorneys general today won their lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster after a jury found that the companies violated federal and state antitrust laws by eliminating competition and driving up costs for fans, artists and venues across the country.

After a five-week trial, the jury found that Raoul and the coalition successfully proved that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have unlawfully maintained and abused their monopoly power, which prevents other ticketing services, venue owners and concert promoters from successfully competing, resulting in higher prices for fans.  

“Today’s outcome is an important step toward restoring competition for artists and venues that often faced no choice but to accept Live Nation’s unfair monopoly in live entertainment,” Raoul said. “These anticompetitive business practices also stacked the deck against Illinoisans, who faced higher prices and fees. I am pleased with the jury’s decision and will continue to combat monopolies that harm Illinois consumers.”

In May 2024, Raoul, a coalition of 40 other states and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Live Nation, alleging that its control over almost every aspect of the live event business – from venue ownership to event promotion, to ticketing services through Ticketmaster – allowed it to raise costs for both fans and artists and to suppress competition. During the trial that began on March 2, the DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation, which Attorney General Raoul and a coalition of 33 states rejected, choosing to continue litigation. 

Today, the jury today found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for violating federal and state laws by engaging in anticompetitive conduct. The jury found that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in the market for primary ticketing services at major concert venues, as well as in the market for large amphitheaters used by artists. The jury also found that Live Nation unlawfully requires artists who use the amphitheaters it owns to also use Live Nation event promotion services. In addition, the jury determined that fans have been overcharged for primary concert tickets at major concert venues across the country.

Having successfully proven their case on liability to the jury, Raoul and the coalition will argue for remedies and financial penalties during a separate bench trial.