Jury Says Ticketmaster ‘Robbed Fans Blind’ — What This Means

It’s official: Ticketmaster is a monopoly. A jury in New York federal courtroom simply dominated that Dwell Nation and Ticketmaster illegally dominated the dwell occasions business, vindicating everybody who’s ever punched their pc display screen whereas shopping for live performance tickets. The decision got here after a prolonged trial the place proof surfaced {that a} Ticketmaster worker had talked about “robbing followers blind.”

The Justice Division and 39 state attorneys normal sued Dwell Nation in 2024, alleging its management of just about each facet of the dwell music ecosystem harmed followers, artists and venues. Mid-trial, the DOJ reduce a secret settlement requiring Dwell Nation to cap service charges at 15% and permit opponents like SeatGeek to promote tickets to its occasions. The deal features a $280 million fund for damages.

Greater than two dozen states rejected the settlement and pushed for trial anyway, securing the monopoly verdict. Now the query is whether or not that 15% price cap will truly make tickets reasonably priced — or simply barely much less painful.

It’s official: Ticketmaster is a monopoly. A jury in New York federal courtroom simply dominated that Dwell Nation and Ticketmaster illegally dominated the dwell occasions business, vindicating everybody who’s ever punched their pc display screen whereas shopping for live performance tickets. The decision got here after a prolonged trial the place proof surfaced {that a} Ticketmaster worker had talked about “robbing followers blind.”

The Justice Division and 39 state attorneys normal sued Dwell Nation in 2024, alleging its management of just about each facet of the dwell music ecosystem harmed followers, artists and venues. Mid-trial, the DOJ reduce a secret settlement requiring Dwell Nation to cap service charges at 15% and permit opponents like SeatGeek to promote tickets to its occasions. The deal features a $280 million fund for damages.

Greater than two dozen states rejected the settlement and pushed for trial anyway, securing the monopoly verdict. Now the query is whether or not that 15% price cap will truly make tickets reasonably priced — or simply barely much less painful.