A federal judge is being tasked with considering the breakup of Live Nation-Ticketmaster. More than 30 states are urging Judge Arun Subramanian to mandate the sale of the ticketing giant, a considerable number of large amphitheaters, and to restrict its capacity to link its remaining amphitheaters to its promotional services. In April, a jury determined that the company is an illegal monopolist after over a month of trial. The initial remedies do not propose the breakup of other Live Nation divisions that California Attorney General Rob Bonta indicated are under consideration; however, the states say they reserve the right to make additional demands as more information becomes available.
It remains uncertain how far Subramanian will go in his decisions. The requests exceed the Department of Justice’s settlement, agreed with the company one week into the trial, which included relinquishing some exclusive booking deals but did not involve selling venues.
The states are also seeking remedies that address trial-specific accusations, such as prohibiting retaliation or conditioning venue access based on the ticketing platform choice. They want financial relief, including reimbursement for overcharged ticketing fees.
Live Nation has not yet commented, though it’s indicated it plans to challenge the verdict.