Live Nation Entertainment (Ticketmaster)
Not a record label, but the company that sits between fans, artists, and venues — owning Ticketmaster, the dominant promoter, and a vast venue network. In 2024 the U.S. DOJ and 29 states sued to break it up; in 2026 a jury found it an illegal monopoly.
Live Nation Entertainment was formed by the 2010 merger of concert promoter Live Nation and ticketing giant Ticketmaster — a combination approved under a consent decree that critics say it then routinely flouted.
The company is included here because this archive's mandate covers fans and venues, not just artists. Live Nation controls promotion, a huge venue portfolio, and — through Ticketmaster — the dominant ticketing platform, a concentration the U.S. Department of Justice alleged lets it charge fans higher fees, limit artists' touring options, and coerce venues into using Ticketmaster. In April 2026, a jury found the company had illegally monopolized the live-events market.
Primary sources
- [1]Justice Department Sues Live Nation-Ticketmaster for Monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert Industry — U.S. Department of Justice (2024-05-23)
Cases on file
The U.S. sued to break up Live Nation–Ticketmaster — and a jury called it a monopoly (2024–2026)
On May 23, 2024, the DOJ and 29 states sued to break up Live Nation–Ticketmaster, alleging an illegal monopoly that raises fees for fans, limits artists' touring options, and coerces venues. In April 2026, a jury found the company had illegally monopolized the live-events market.
Ticketmaster's Eras Tour meltdown left millions of fans empty-handed (2022)
Ticketmaster's November 2022 presale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour collapsed under hours-long queues and crashes; the public sale was cancelled outright. The fiasco triggered a January 2023 Senate hearing where both parties grilled the company as a monopoly.