After an eight-week trial that concluded on April 15, 2026, a jury found Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster guilty of holding a monopoly over the ticketing market. Ray Seilie spoke with NBC News about what the verdict means for consumers, artists, venues and antitrust enforcement.
The antitrust claims were brought by the Justice Department and dozens of state attorney generals in May 2024, alleging that Live Nation illegally dominated the live events industry by controlling ticketing, concert booking, venues and artist promotion. The case gained additional attention when the federal government struck a surprise settlement with Live Nation in March 2026, which was rejected by a majority of state AGs in order to pursue their own claims.
Speaking to NBC News ahead of the verdict, Ray describes the DOJ settlement as “highly unusual,” and says it would set “a floor or minimum” for further remedies in the states’ case. Per reporting, how that settlement came to be remains unclear.
In the wake of the jury finding Live Nation guilty of anticompetitive behavior, U.S. Southern District of New York Judge Arun Subramanian will determine final remedies, which means states could demand relief that goes significantly beyond what the hurried federal deal provided.
The article, “Live Nation Illegally Monopolized Ticketing Market, Jury in Antitrust Trial Finds,” was also published in TODAY and further details the jury’s finding that Ticketmaster overcharged concertgoers by $1.72 per ticket at concert venues, among other grievances.
