America's largest concert promoter and ticket seller operate unfairly, say jurors who heard seven weeks of arguments and testimony. The jury, which heard two fans describe the hassles of buying tickets, decided that Live Nation -- a concert giant that owns many large theaters, as well as Ticketmaster -- is an illegal monopoly dominating live entertainment at large sites. (In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed a law banning monopolies. That word describes a marketplace imbalance caused by one seller or producer controlling most of a product or service, letting it dictate prices a limit competition.)

A lawsuit by 34 states said Live Nation exploits its dominance to overcharge fans. The company also was accused of telling arena operators they'd lose access to Live Nation’s popular concert tours unless they used Ticketmaster to sell seats. (Ticketmaster, by far the music world's most widely used ticket platform, sells about 10 times as many tickets as its closest rival, AEG.) At trial, Live Nation acknowledged a long policy of not booking artists for its stages unless they used Live Nation as their promoter.

Last week's federal court verdict in Manhattan could lead to the company being broken up and paying billions of dollars in damages. A second trial will decide what remedies are warranted, including consumer repayments. "Every fan who's watched prices pile up on a concert ticket just got proof they were right to feel mistreated by a monopoly," says Attorney General Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, one of the states that sued. In its defense, the firm said it competes aggressively — but legally — in a market filled with other ticketers, concert promoters, venue operators and sports teams. Live Nation also denied threatening arena owners to sign deals with Ticketmaster or risk losing access to popular tours.

The case began in 2024, when the U.S. Department of Justice and states sued the two firms. Last month, the federal agency proposed a deal with Live Nation, but a bipartisan coalition of state officials argued that the settlement was inadequate and pressed for a jury verdict. "This is a significant win in the fight for fairness for local venues, artists and fans," says Attorney General Brian Schwalb in the District of Columbia.

Concerns about possible monopolies arise in two other current situations:

• An effort by Paramount studio in Hollywood to acquire another huge entertainment company, Warner Bros. Discover, faces intense antitrust scrutiny. The Justice Department in Washington and state attorneys general are investigating the proposed merger's impact on consumer costs and market concentration.
• United Airlines' chief executive reportedly asked the Trump administration about a possible merger with American Airlines, which would create the world's largest airline. If they combined, the carriers would have a roughly 40-percent share of domestic flights. “I can't even see the slightest chance that a court would allow it," says a law professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Live Nation's size: It put on 55,000 events and sold 646 million tickets around the world last year.

Company response: "The jury's verdict is not the last word on this matter. Pending [legal] motions will determine whether the liability and damages rulings stand. . . . Live Nation can and will appeal any unfavorable rulings."

State attorney general says: "When the United States Department of Justice announced in March that it had cut a deal with Live Nation and Ticketmaster behind the backs of the attorneys general, I rejected their secret deal because it failed to address sky-high ticket prices for concertgoers. We wanted the jury to hear the evidence and see what consumers have known for years." – Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, a Democrat