Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation abused its market power to prop up illegal monopolies in the concert industry, an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice told a jury on Tuesday as the trial kicked off in Manhattan.
The DOJ and the attorneys general of New York and 38 other states plus Washington, D.C. claim the entertainment conglomerate dominated live event markets in ways that hurt artists, venues, and fans.
"Today, the concert ticket industry is broken, in fact the concert industry itself is broken. It is controlled by a monopolist. It is controlled by Live Nation," said DOJ attorney David Dahlquist.
The DOJ alleges in the case filed in 2024 that Live Nation holds illegal monopolies in certain venue and ticketing markets. If the DOJ prevails, it could seek to make Live Nation sell Ticketmaster or restructure its contracts. The states are also seeking compensation for fans.
Live Nation has called the allegations baseless. "The outcome of this trial will do nothing to lower ticket prices for fans or address the industry issues they care about most," a Live Nation spokesperson said.
Singer Kid Rock and Ben Lovett of the band Mumford & Sons are expected to testify at the trial, as are executives from rival ticketing companies and venues, including Madison Square Garden.
Live Nation is accused of requiring artists to use its concert promotion services in order to play concerts at the outdoor amphitheaters it owns. The DOJ also alleges the company's Ticketmaster arm dominated ticketing services through threats and multi-year exclusive contracts with major concert venues.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian recently cut several claims from the case, but rejected Live Nation's request to pause the trial to allow it to appeal.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a separate case against Ticketmaster accusing the company of allowing exploitative ticket resellers to flout its rules and gouge fans.
© 2026 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.