Reed: Trump Admin is Shortchanging Consumers with Half-Hearted Live Nation Antitrust Settlement

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is criticizing the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) preliminary settlement with Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, saying it doesn't go far enough to address competition in the ticketing industry and will leave consumers facing artificially inflated ticket prices. Reed is cheering Rhode Island's decision, along with several other states, to continue pressing their antitrust case in court.

In 2024, the Biden Administration initiated an antitrust law suit against Live Nation, since joined by 40 state attorneys general, including Rhode Island. The suit accuses Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit of operating as a monopoly-like power that "suffocates its competition" in the live entertainment industry. The DOJ sought to break up the company, alleging it illegally dominated the market for ticketing and concert promotion by using "exclusionary conduct" and abusive practices - such as threatening venues with losing access to Live Nation-controlled tours and artists if they attempt to sign with a rival ticketing platform -- to wield outsized influence nationwide.

Reed expressed serious concerns about the so-called deal, which he contends allows Live Nation and Ticketmaster to keep their monopoly-level control over ticketing, venues, and concert promotion at the expense of fans, artists, teams, and the venues themselves.

"Every fan who has been forced to purchase tickets online has seen the exorbitant, excessive, and inescapable fees that are tacked on to their Ticketmaster purchase. Now the Trump Administration is shortchanging fans everywhere with this half-hearted, unacceptable preliminary settlement that would just allow Live Nation to continue over-charging fans in the future. This so-called deal would stifle competition and inflate costs and should be rejected by the state attorneys generals," said Reed, noting this isn't the first time Live Nation has reached an agreement but failed to change its behavior.

State attorneys general of both parties have already expressed reservations about the DOJ's actions and vowed to continue the case. Already, more than two dozen states have refusing to sign the DOJ's settlement.

In addition to Rhode Island, other states that joined the original U.S. Department of Justice-led lawsuit include: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that Rhode Island is part of a coalition that will continue to press the case against Live Nation for illegally monopolizing live entertainment industry. So far, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia have joined Rhode Island in vowing to continue pressing forward with litigation despite the Trump Administration's preliminary settlement.

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