May 22, 2026 – A group of more than 30 state attorneys general asked a court Thursday to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, after a jury found last month that the ticketing giants held an illegal monopoly in the live entertainment industry.

The states are seeking an order that would require Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster, in addition to pushing for the divestment of a “sufficient number” of large amphitheaters that are owned by the company.

They are also asking the court to block the enforcement of some exclusivity provisions in Ticketmaster’s prior contracts, limit future exclusive ticketing agreements and restrict Live Nation’s ability to tie access to venues to its promotion services.

“A jury found Live Nation manipulated the market, hurt artists, fans, and businesses nationwide, all while getting richer — not because it is better, but because it acted illegally. Now, it’s time to ensure they can’t hurt consumers or the live ticketing industry again,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said in a statement.

“Today, alongside a bipartisan coalition, I asked the court to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster,” he continued. “It is vital that we secure strong structural remedies that prevent Live Nation’s anticompetitive conduct from continuing. As evidence in our trial clearly showed, we cannot trust this behemoth of a company to do the right thing by consumers.”

Live Nation pushed back on the states’ request for a breakup, arguing that the “jury verdict in this case cannot support a request for divesting Ticketmaster from Live Nation.”

“The States’ request for a breakup is performative and political,” added Dan Wall, Live Nation’s executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs, in a statement.

The case, which was initially led by the Justice Department, was briefly thrown into chaos early in the trial process when the federal government reached a settlement with the ticketing companies.

Under the settlement, Live Nation agreed to divest from 13 exclusive booking agreements with amphitheaters, in addition to opening venues to all promoters, allowing them to distribute 50 percent of the tickets and capping ticketing service fees at 15 percent.

However, dozens of states opted not to join the settlement and instead continue with the trial, arguing the agreement would “benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers.”

By Julia Shepero, The Hill
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