As New Orleans heads into one of its busiest live music stretches of the year, a federal jury has delivered a major blow to the Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, that control a significant share of the concert industry, including right here at home.
On Wednesday, April 15, a jury ruled that Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster violated federal and state antitrust laws, siding with a coalition of state attorneys general who accused the company of monopolizing the live music ecosystem.
After five weeks of testimony, jurors found that Live Nation illegally dominated ticketing, promotion and venue operations and used that power to lock competitors out while driving up costs for fans. The jury concluded that concertgoers overpaid by an average of $1.72 per ticket.
The decision lands at a particularly visible moment in New Orleans, where festival season, from New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to a packed slate of spring tours, brings thousands of fans into venues tied to Live Nation’s orbit.
That footprint is substantial. Live Nation operates major local venues including House of Blues New Orleans and The Fillmore New Orleans, while also promoting a wide range of concerts across the city. These events shape not just who comes through town, but how much audiences pay to see them.
Critics have long argued that this kind of vertical integration — where one company controls the venue, the promoter, and the ticketing platform — leaves little room for competition and even less leverage for artists and independent operators.
New York Attorney General Letitia James called the verdict a “landmark victory,” saying Live Nation and Ticketmaster had “taken advantage of fans and artists” while suppressing competition.
What happens next could be even more consequential. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian will now decide on remedies, which could include forcing Live Nation to separate from Ticketmaster, a long-debated move that would reshape the live music business nationwide.
Live Nation has said it plans to challenge the ruling.
For New Orleans, where live music is both culture and economy, the outcome of that next phase could determine whether the current system , one which is largely dominated by a single corporate pipeline, continues through future festival seasons, or finally faces meaningful change.
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It has continued to operate both brands as subsidiary companies, promoting and managing ticket sales for live entertainment internationally. It also owns and operates entertainment venues and festivals and manages the careers of music artists.
The company has faced widespread criticism over its central role in the consolidation of the live events industry, allegations that it proactively engages in anti-competitive practices, poor handling of the ticket sale process for highly popular events, and injuries and deaths that have occurred at many of its events.
As of early 2023, Live Nation’s annual shareholders report says the company has controlling interests in 338 venues globally and believes itself to be “the largest live entertainment company in the world,” “the largest producer of live music concerts in the world,” “the world’s leading live entertainment ticketing sales and marketing company,” and “one of” the world’s biggest artist management companies and music advertising networks for corporate brands.
