Attorneys general from about two dozen U.S. states are seeking damages three times what they originally sought from Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its ticket sales division Ticketmaster Inc. In an updated version of the lawsuit first filed in May, the states allege the concert industry giant had a monopoly on the market across the industry.
The state attorneys general originally proposed the lawsuit to seek damages under state law. By adding a federal antitrust claim, the state can seek three times the monetary damages, a penalty for particularly egregious conduct known as treble damages.
Ten states joined the lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan federal court, along with the District of Columbia and 26 states, seeking treble damages on behalf of their residents.
Three months ago, the U.S. Department of Justice and several states filed a lawsuit seeking to break up Live Nation, alleging that concert promoters and Ticketmaster illegally inflated concert ticket prices, harming artists.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that state residents are seeking damages for being overcharged by Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
“It's the dawn of a new era where fans, venues and artists are not taken advantage of by the big corporations that run the live events world,” she said.
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont also joined the lawsuit, bringing the total to 39 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice.
According to the complaint, Live Nation directly controls more than 400 musicians and controls approximately 60 percent of concert promotions at major venues. According to the complaint, Live Nation owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America and, through Ticketmaster, controls approximately 80 percent or more of the primary ticket sales for major venue concerts.
Live Nation has said it will fight the allegations in court. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The Justice Department said in court documents that Live Nation and Ticketmaster's “vast reach” has allowed the companies to “exist at the center and periphery of nearly every aspect of the live music ecosystem.”
In 2010, the Department of Justice approved the controversial merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, but with conditions to ensure the combined company would not harm competition.
In 2020, the court extended much of the Justice Department's oversight of the merger until 2025 because Ticketmaster had retaliated against stadiums and arenas that chose to use other ticket sellers, the Justice Department said. Since the last lawsuit, the department said, Live Nation had further increased its anticompetitive behavior.
