The antitrust trial against Live Nation is set to resume Monday, as the concert and ticketing giant failed to reach a settlement with a majority of the states that sued the company in tandem with the Department of Justice.
Several states including Arkansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Oklahoma did reach a settlement, according to documents filed in court Friday and to the news outlet Inner City Press, but over 30 more — including major live music markets California, New York and Texas — are pressing on.
The move comes after the DOJ and Live Nation officially came to a settlement earlier this week during the middle of the ongoing trial. While the DOJ had originally called to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster when the department first sued the company back in 2024, the settlement keeps Live Nation in tact, with more minor provisions that include Live Nation divesting exclusive booking agreements with 13 amphitheaters, a 15 percent fee cap at amphitheaters and as much as $280 million in damage payments.
The attorneys general for several individual states including New York and California voiced their disapproval of the settlement earlier this week, maintaining that they’d remain in litigation with Live Nation as they seek larger scale remedies.
New York attorney general attorney general Letitia James said earlier this week that the settlement “fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case,” adding that “we will continue our lawsuit to protect consumers and restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry.”
Many of the plaintiff states had moved for a mistrial earlier this week in light of the settlement, though by Friday, they’d withdrawn that motion.
Evidence shared through the trial have resulted in some fireworks already, as documents filed earlier this week had revealed private exchanges between Live Nation employees joking and boasting about “gouging” fans with high parking costs and ancillary fees. Live Nation said that the exchange “absolutely doesn’t reflect our values or how we operate,” adding that the company “will be looking into the matter promptly.”
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