MD to continue lawsuit against Live Nation even after settlement

A Live Nation sign stands next to an office building along Hollywood Blvd, after the U.S. Department of Justice and a group of states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, in Los Angeles, on May 23, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown will continue his lawsuit against Live Nation, the concert power player that includes Ticketmaster, even after the company reached a settlement with the Department of Justice.
On March 9, Live Nation agreed to settle with the DOJ in a deal that includes a civil fine of up to $280 million, according to a senior Justice Department official, after the department accused the live entertainment giant of operating an illegal monopoly over the industry.

In a court hearing March 9, it was also disclosed that Live Nation is in talks with state attorneys general to secure a broader, global resolution of related state‑level antitrust claims. Brown was among more than two dozen who joined a suit against the live music conglomerate, which owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America.
The senior Justice Department official said it had agreed to settle now as a trial could go on for a long time and that the department wanted to get Americans relief as quickly as possible. The official added that a number of states have already signaled they would sign on to the settlement and that the department is confident that a double-digit number of states would do so.
But 27 out of the 39 attorneys general who filed the original suit, like Brown and New York Attorney General Letitia James, have said that they will not accept the settlement and will instead continue the case.

“For too long, Live Nation has raked in billions from a monopoly that has made it harder for consumers to see the artists they love, stifled artists, and increased the price of tickets for countless music fans,” Brown said in a news release. “The settlement recently announced does not adequately remedy the harms to the marketplace for live music and to concertgoers caused by Live Nation. We are willing and able to stand with other partner states to continue litigating this case without the federal government so that we can hold Live Nation accountable in court and secure appropriate relief in this case.
USA TODAY has reached out to Live Nation for comment.
Why did states sue Live Nation?
Fans and politicians had intensified calls to examine Live Nation’s 2010 acquisition of Ticketmaster after the company botched the 2022 ticket sale for Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour. Millions accused the company of “intentionally and purposely” allowing scalpers and bots to snatch tickets and resell them for profit.
The U.S. Justice Department and the states sued to break up Live Nation in May 2024, calling for a sale of Ticketmaster and alleging the companies illegally inflated concert ticket prices and harmed artists.
“Our lawsuit today alleges that Live Nation’s anticompetitive conduct not only violates the law, but stifles innovation, including by forcing venues to solely use Ticketmaster or strategically acquiring venues in order to eliminate competition,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement at the time. “Live Nation is extremely powerful in the live entertainment industry, and it has chosen to exploit that power to grow and maintain its monopoly, ultimately increasing prices for consumers and harming artists and venues in the process.”
Live Nation had called the allegations baseless and said the outcome of the trial would do nothing to lower ticket prices for fans.
Trial in the case began March 3 after a judge in February rejected Live Nation’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit.
What does the settlement say?
The senior DOJ official said the settlement includes a civil fine to be paid by Live Nation, but the amount of the fine remains unclear. It would be $280 million if the settlement involves all the states that are part of the lawsuit, the official said. However, the $280 million figure “may change” based on how many states actually sign onto the settlement.
The deal also includes the divestment of up to 13 of its amphitheaters nationwide and puts in place a 15% cap on service fees for people who want to use the venues.
The department is seeking to rein in the company’s exclusive deals with amphitheaters, too. Now up to 50% of events at those venues can be exclusive to Live Nation, while the remaining 50% must be open to other promoters or ticketing companies.
Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, is also required to offer its technology to other ticket sellers, such as StubHub, in order to reach customers. Live Nation is also not allowed to retaliate against a venue that picks a primary ticketer other than Ticketmaster.
Why are states still suing Live Nation?
According to Campbell, 27 attorneys general view the settlement to be “wholly inadequate.”
Their gripes include that the cash penalty is too small, that the exclusive partnerships it allows are too long and that the settlement does not give concert venues a pathway to terminate their current exclusive contracts with Live Nation.
The attorneys general planning on continuing litigation include the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Reporting by Taijuan Moorman, Aysha Bagchi and Margie Cullen, USA TODAY NETWORK – New England / Telegram & Gazette.
Daily Record staff contributed to this article.

On March 9, Live Nation agreed to settle with the DOJ in a deal that includes a civil fine of up to $280 million, according to a senior Justice Department official, after the department accused the live entertainment giant of operating an illegal monopoly over the industry.

The senior Justice Department official said it had agreed to settle now as a trial could go on for a long time and that the department wanted to get Americans relief as quickly as possible. The official added that a number of states have already signaled they would sign on to the settlement and that the department is confident that a double-digit number of states would do so.
But 27 out of the 39 attorneys general who filed the original suit, like Brown and New York Attorney General Letitia James, have said that they will not accept the settlement and will instead continue the case.

But 27 out of the 39 attorneys general who filed the original suit, like Brown and New York Attorney General Letitia James, have said that they will not accept the settlement and will instead continue the case.

USA TODAY has reached out to Live Nation for comment.
Why did states sue Live Nation?
Fans and politicians had intensified calls to examine Live Nation’s 2010 acquisition of Ticketmaster after the company botched the 2022 ticket sale for Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour. Millions accused the company of “intentionally and purposely” allowing scalpers and bots to snatch tickets and resell them for profit.
The U.S. Justice Department and the states sued to break up Live Nation in May 2024, calling for a sale of Ticketmaster and alleging the companies illegally inflated concert ticket prices and harmed artists.
“Our lawsuit today alleges that Live Nation’s anticompetitive conduct not only violates the law, but stifles innovation, including by forcing venues to solely use Ticketmaster or strategically acquiring venues in order to eliminate competition,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement at the time. “Live Nation is extremely powerful in the live entertainment industry, and it has chosen to exploit that power to grow and maintain its monopoly, ultimately increasing prices for consumers and harming artists and venues in the process.”
Live Nation had called the allegations baseless and said the outcome of the trial would do nothing to lower ticket prices for fans.
Trial in the case began March 3 after a judge in February rejected Live Nation’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit.
What does the settlement say?
The senior DOJ official said the settlement includes a civil fine to be paid by Live Nation, but the amount of the fine remains unclear. It would be $280 million if the settlement involves all the states that are part of the lawsuit, the official said. However, the $280 million figure “may change” based on how many states actually sign onto the settlement.
The deal also includes the divestment of up to 13 of its amphitheaters nationwide and puts in place a 15% cap on service fees for people who want to use the venues.
The department is seeking to rein in the company’s exclusive deals with amphitheaters, too. Now up to 50% of events at those venues can be exclusive to Live Nation, while the remaining 50% must be open to other promoters or ticketing companies.
Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, is also required to offer its technology to other ticket sellers, such as StubHub, in order to reach customers. Live Nation is also not allowed to retaliate against a venue that picks a primary ticketer other than Ticketmaster.
Why are states still suing Live Nation?
According to Campbell, 27 attorneys general view the settlement to be “wholly inadequate.”
Their gripes include that the cash penalty is too small, that the exclusive partnerships it allows are too long and that the settlement does not give concert venues a pathway to terminate their current exclusive contracts with Live Nation.
The attorneys general planning on continuing litigation include the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Reporting by Taijuan Moorman, Aysha Bagchi and Margie Cullen, USA TODAY NETWORK – New England / Telegram & Gazette.
Daily Record staff contributed to this article.

Fans and politicians had intensified calls to examine Live Nation’s 2010 acquisition of Ticketmaster after the company botched the 2022 ticket sale for Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour. Millions accused the company of “intentionally and purposely” allowing scalpers and bots to snatch tickets and resell them for profit.
The U.S. Justice Department and the states sued to break up Live Nation in May 2024, calling for a sale of Ticketmaster and alleging the companies illegally inflated concert ticket prices and harmed artists.
“Our lawsuit today alleges that Live Nation’s anticompetitive conduct not only violates the law, but stifles innovation, including by forcing venues to solely use Ticketmaster or strategically acquiring venues in order to eliminate competition,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement at the time. “Live Nation is extremely powerful in the live entertainment industry, and it has chosen to exploit that power to grow and maintain its monopoly, ultimately increasing prices for consumers and harming artists and venues in the process.”
Live Nation had called the allegations baseless and said the outcome of the trial would do nothing to lower ticket prices for fans.
Trial in the case began March 3 after a judge in February rejected Live Nation’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit.
What does the settlement say?
The senior DOJ official said the settlement includes a civil fine to be paid by Live Nation, but the amount of the fine remains unclear. It would be $280 million if the settlement involves all the states that are part of the lawsuit, the official said. However, the $280 million figure “may change” based on how many states actually sign onto the settlement.
The deal also includes the divestment of up to 13 of its amphitheaters nationwide and puts in place a 15% cap on service fees for people who want to use the venues.
The department is seeking to rein in the company’s exclusive deals with amphitheaters, too. Now up to 50% of events at those venues can be exclusive to Live Nation, while the remaining 50% must be open to other promoters or ticketing companies.
Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, is also required to offer its technology to other ticket sellers, such as StubHub, in order to reach customers. Live Nation is also not allowed to retaliate against a venue that picks a primary ticketer other than Ticketmaster.
Why are states still suing Live Nation?
According to Campbell, 27 attorneys general view the settlement to be “wholly inadequate.”
Their gripes include that the cash penalty is too small, that the exclusive partnerships it allows are too long and that the settlement does not give concert venues a pathway to terminate their current exclusive contracts with Live Nation.
The attorneys general planning on continuing litigation include the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Reporting by Taijuan Moorman, Aysha Bagchi and Margie Cullen, USA TODAY NETWORK – New England / Telegram & Gazette.
Daily Record staff contributed to this article.