Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Live Nation/Ticketmaster in a case that went to trial in New York City last week. Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010 and dominate the live entertainment industry through more than 450 venues worldwide and through the promotion of live entertainment events and sale of tickets.
A lawsuit that was filed against the company during the Biden administration accused the company of monopolizing the ticketing and live events industry by cutting exclusive deals with the country’s largest venues, ensuring that all their future events were ticketed through the company’s platform.
Although details of the settlement were not immediate announced, according to Politico it is believed that Live Nation/Ticketmaster would have to pay millions of dollars in damages but would be allowed to continue as the giant company it is today.
The BBC reported that Live Nation will divest itself of 13 concert venues and pay $280 million in damages to the states that filed suit along with the Biden administration.
Last year, Live Nation named Richard Grenell, who is one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers to its board of directors.
The judge in the case, Arun Subramanian, was reported to have become upset when learning Monday that the Justice Department and Live Nation had reached a settlement last Thursday and he had been kept in the dark.
“It shows absolute disrespect for the court, the jury and this entire process,” the BCC reported Judge Subramanian said in court on March 9. “It is absolutely unacceptable.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who was involved in filing the lawsuit against Live Nation/Ticketmaster for illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry said, “For years, Live Nation has made enormous profits by exploiting its illegal monopoly and raising costs for shows. My office has led a bipartisan group of attorneys general in suing Live Nation for taking advantage of fans, venues, and artists, and we are committed to holding Live Nation accountable.
“The settlement recently announced with the U.S. Department of Justice fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case, and would benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers. We cannot agree to it.
“My attorney general colleagues and I have a strong case against Live Nation, and we will continue our lawsuit to protect consumers and restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry.
“We will keep fighting this case without the federal government so that we can secure justice for all those harmed by Live Nation’s monopoly.”
In 2025, Live Nation handled more than 55,000 events that drew 159 million people. It generated an estimated $25.2 billion in 2025 revenues.
This article includes material from CNN Newsource, by Jordan Valinsky, Hannah Rabinowitz, © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
