DOJ reaches settlement with Live Nation in antitrust case
The Department of Justice and Live Nation have reached a settlement agreement in their antitrust case, multiple people familiar with the matter have confirmed.
The DOJ has announced the settlement that involves multiple states. Seat Geek and StubHub will also be involved.
Live Nation will divest 13 exclusive booking agreements with amphitheaters nationwide. The company may no longer tie amphitheaters and require artists to utilize other parts of the business. Ticketmaster must offer to allow venues to strike a non-exclusive agreement.
"All owned and operated amphitheaters will continue to be operated by Live Nation as open venues, promoting competition and maximizing show volume," Live Nation said in a statement after announcement of the settlement.
"Today marks a major step in improving the concert experience for artists and fans throughout the United States. Live Nation is proud to lead the way enhancing this experience with our amphitheaters, which will be open to all promoters, allowing these promoters to decide how best to distribute up to 50% of the tickets, and capping ticketing service fees at 15%," Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino said in the statement.
"By giving artists greater flexibility in choosing their promotional partners and ticketing strategy while also keeping the cost of a concert more affordable for fans, we are putting more power where it should be – with artists and fans," he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ticketmaster and the DOJ for comment.
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In 2024, the Biden-era DOJ and many state attorneys general targeted Live Nation Entertainment Inc., and its subsidiary Ticketmaster LLC, in a civil antitrust suit.
"We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators," then-Attorney General Merrick Garland said, according to a 2024 DOJ news release.
"The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster," Garland said, according to the release.
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Politico reported that the agreement requires Live Nation to shell out around $200 million in damages to participating states.
There is no financial component to the settlement with the DOJ," Live Nation said in a statement. "This does not settle the claims of all plaintiffs in the lawsuit, and the company has created a $280 million settlement fund to address the states' damages claims."
The settlement involves requiring Ticketmaster to open portions of its platform to competing ticketing companies, permitting third-party sellers like Eventbrite or SeatGeek to list tickets via Ticketmaster's technology, according to the outlet.
The settlement slaps new limits on exclusivity contracts, slashing agreements to four years and letting venues allocate some of their tickets to competing platforms, the outlet reported.
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The company will be required to divest over 10 amphitheaters and will have to cap service fees at its amphitheaters at 15% of the ticket price, according to Politico.
