A New York court ruled that Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, engaged in monopolistic practices by excluding competition and charging higher ticket prices.
Following the decision, Live Nation will likely be required to pay damages calculated based on the amount it overcharged consumers for years ($1.72 per ticket).
The court has not yet imposed penalties, and Live Nation is expected to appeal.
Until penalties are announced and any appeal is adjudicated, it remains unclear what impact the decision will have—both on ticket prices (e.g., a potential decrease) and on the market overall.
The most significant outcome would be a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, although no major U.S. company has been broken up following an antitrust case since AT&T in 1984.
Since 2010, when Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged, the unified company has dominated across the board: ticketing, venue management, artist management, and event promotion in the U.S.
By 2024, it controlled roughly 60% of the concert promotion market and 70% of the ticketing market, while also managing nearly 80% of the country’s top arenas and representing over 400 artists under exclusive contracts.
Such a breakup could significantly limit its network of exclusive contracts, restore competition, and create opportunities for smaller venues and ticketing companies—potentially lowering prices and increasing wages for workers in venues and ticketing services.
However, even in the event of a breakup, the two companies would still be large enough to exert considerable influence over prices and ticket availability.
The reason concerts have become so expensive is not solely Live Nation’s dominance. Demand for major concert tickets far exceeds supply, driving up costs in both the primary market and the secondary resale market.
A major factor is that the number of tickets available to the general public is increasingly limited, as a significant portion is allocated to presales and VIP packages.
One solution could be to make more tickets available to the general public instead of presales or VIP packages, as well as to limit or regulate the ticket resale market.
Ultimately, according to VOX, the average ticket price for tours by the top 100 music acts rose from $40.74 in 2000 to $122.84 in 2023.
A large share of tickets, after the primary sale (official ticketing platforms such as Ticketmaster), ends up on resale platforms (such as Viagogo).
In other words, if someone buys a concert ticket but cannot attend, they can list it on the platform and sell it.
However, profiteering is common—and in worse cases, organized groups buy tickets in bulk and immediately resell them at higher prices.
As a result, concert tickets are becoming increasingly scarce, meaning higher demand and lower supply.
In free-market terms, this leads to price increases on both official sales platforms and resale platforms, especially as the event approaches and demand peaks.
Shortly before Coachella, a general admission ticket reached $5,263 on resale platforms, while a VIP ticket climbed to $10,330.
One person: Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons, who is also a venue operator.
Several artists have spoken out publicly, most notably Taylor Swift (given her large and highly engaged fanbase), who accused the company of making tours inaccessible to fans.
Another is country singer Zach Bryan, who released an album titled All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.
However, these actions are likely not enough.
