Lawyers for the United States Department of Justice announced Monday that they have reached a tentative settlement in a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment, though several states may still pursue the case independently.
The announcement was made at the start of a federal trial in New York City, where the government had been seeking to break up what it described as an illegal monopoly over the U.S. live events industry. However, the development sparked frustration from Arun Subramanian, the federal judge presiding over the case.
Subramanian said the court was not informed of the potential agreement until late Sunday evening, even though a term sheet outlining the possible settlement had reportedly been signed several days earlier.
“It’s entirely unacceptable,” the judge said, expressing concern over the lack of timely disclosure to the court.
During the hearing, Adam Gitlin, representing the District of Columbia, said several states were requesting a mistrial while they reviewed the terms of the deal. He added that the state of Texas had already raised serious concerns about the proposed settlement.
Meanwhile, David Marriott, an attorney for Live Nation, said the company opposes a mistrial and believes the trial should continue.
Neither the Justice Department nor Live Nation immediately responded to requests for comment following the courtroom developments.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2024 during the administration of Joe Biden, accused Live Nation of maintaining a dominant grip on the live entertainment industry by suppressing competition. Federal regulators argued that the company used threats, retaliation and restrictive contracts to prevent venues from working with competing ticketing companies.
According to the Justice Department, Live Nation allegedly forced venues into long-term agreements with Ticketmaster, blocked them from using multiple ticketing providers, and warned venues they could lose fans and revenue if they chose alternative services.
Live Nation has strongly denied the allegations, maintaining that artists, sports teams and event organizers ultimately decide ticket prices and determine how tickets are sold.
The case has drawn widespread public attention amid years of complaints from fans and artists about ticket availability and pricing. High-profile performers such as Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen have previously clashed with Ticketmaster over ticket sales and distribution issues.
Founded in 1976, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation in 2010 to form what is now the world’s largest ticket-selling platform across live music, sports and theater events.
