Ticketmaster and its partner company, Live Nation, were hit with an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice (DOJ), accompanied by over 20 states, on Feb. 22, 2024. The suit was because Ticketmaster had built an unfair monopoly by controlling primary ticketing.
About the lawsuit
On Mon. March 9, the DOJ proposed a settlement, however individual states plan to keep fighting against the two companies, including Ohio. This settlement would end the monopoly Ticketmaster currently holds.
Alanna Durkin Richer and Larry Neumeister, reporters for AP News, gathered more details from the settlement to see what exactly it would entail.
“Live Nation had agreed to let venues reach deals that would let a certain portion of tickets be sold by entities other than Ticketmaster. It also would let up to 50% of all tickets to be sold through any ticketing marketplace at amphitheaters that Live Nation owns, operates or controls,” Richer and Neumeister said.
There are roughly 13 major amphitheaters that Live Nation has a monopoly over for large concerts throughout the year. These changes will help other companies offer tickets to these shows and will cap service fees at 15%.
In addition to the changes to the company, Ticketmaster will also be paying a settlement to resolve state claims. These settlements can be anywhere from $200 million to $280 million for the states that agree.
Since some states are still saying no to the settlement, the suit remains ongoing. However, some resolutions have been made, and changes may be coming to the way people purchase tickets.
What does this mean for customers?
Ticketmaster and Live Nation will remain together as one company, but the way they operate is going to be run differently.
Other ticket-selling companies, like SeatGeek, StubHub and Eventbrite, will be able to list and sell tickets directly through Ticketmaster, rather than through third-party websites. This will offer lots more options to buyers with the hope of lowering ticket prices.
Carter Hudson, a WSU student who uses Ticketmaster to buy concert tickets frequently, shared his thoughts on Ticketmaster and how the monopoly has had an impact on consumers.
“In a time of rampant political corruption and economic depreciation, art and live music are a primary form of escapism for so many Americans,” Hudson said. "Ticketmaster exploits our citizens' desire and longing for live music by catering to scalping resellers instead of actual hardworking fans."
WSU has a contract with Ticketmaster to sell tickets for sporting and other events, such as games at the Nutter Center. The hope is that this settlement will help make that process easier for people to purchase tickets. As of now, they can only be purchased in person at the ticket office or through Ticketmaster.
“The primary difference between purchasing a ticket at the [WSU] Nutter Center box office as opposed to Ticketmaster relates to service charges. There is no service charge on tickets purchased in person at the ticket office. Tickets purchased from Ticketmaster are subject to a per-ticket service charge, which varies by event and the method of ordering,” the WSU Athletics page states.
The service fees reduction was part of the settlement deal, but since Ohio is one of the states that refused the settlement, those new policies are not yet in effect.
The suit is still ongoing, as the states that said no to the proposed settlement still want to see Live Nation and Ticketmaster separated as two individual companies.
