A Manhattan jury has found that Live Nation, the entertainment giant behind Ticketmaster, operated as an illegal monopoly and systematically overcharged fans.
Away from the financial story, this is a significant lesson on how market monopolies can negatively impact the customer experience.
The verdict came after a seven-week trial and four days of deliberations, with jurors finding the company liable on three counts:
- Illegally monopolizing the live event ticketing market
- Illegally monopolizing the amphitheater market
- Improperly tying its concert promotion business to its venue operations
The jury also determined that Ticketmaster overcharged customers by $1.72 per ticket over several years – a figure that will now serve as the basis for calculating total damages.
Jeff Jackson, Attorney General of North Carolina, was one of the AGs who rejected a mid-trial DOJ settlement and pushed the case through to its conclusion.
He took to LinkedIn to share his reaction to the verdict:
“We rejected their deal, finished the trial, and now a jury has found that they've been operating as an illegal monopoly and used their power to unlawfully raise ticket prices on you.
“This is a huge win for consumers and artists, but it also sends a message that we can still take on monopolies – and win.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the bipartisan coalition of 34 states, also shared her thoughts on the verdict:
“For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power," she wrote in her official press release.
“A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process.”
The CX Cost of Monopoly Power
Beyond the legal drama, the verdict carries a specific meaning for CX professionals. What a jury has now confirmed in a court of law is something consumers and industry observers have argued for years: that the absence of real competition doesn't just affect pricing; it shapes the entire service culture around it.
Ticketmaster controls more than 70% of major concert venues through exclusive ticketing contracts, while Live Nation holds around 80% of the major amphitheater market.
Artists touring outdoor venues had no practical option but to go through Live Nation, and fans had no meaningful alternative.
When there is nowhere else to go, the commercial incentive to invest in the customer experience erodes.
