Ticketmaster’s Monopoly on Live Entertainment
Since its 2010 merger, Ticketmaster/Live Nation has been the main provider of live entertainment ticketing. Controlling roughly 80% of ticketing for major concert venues, Ticketmaster has significantly impacted public access to live performances, making it harder for average fans to see the artists they support. The domination of the market has led to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (and seven states) against Ticketmaster on September 18, 2025. This lawsuit is following in the footsteps of a separate suit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2024. In that lawsuit, the DOJ accused Ticketmaster of maintaining its monopoly over the live music industry using illegal tactics.
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Allegations
The recent complaint alleges that Ticketmaster engaged in misleading pricing practices and profited hundreds of millions of dollars by selling tickets illegally obtained by brokers, ultimately causing consumers to pay billions more through inflated prices and added fees. More specifically, the FTC alleged that Ticketmaster engaged in a bait-and-switch pricing scheme by advertising lower ticket prices than what consumers ultimately paid after fees and markups were added. At the same time, Ticketmaster publicly praised itself for imposing strict limits on ticket purchases, even though brokers routinely circumvented these limits and acquired tickets in bulk, ultimately driving up prices for ordinary consumers.
The complaint further alleges that, despite implementing security measures, Ticketmaster has long been aware that brokers routinely bypass these safeguards by creating thousands of fake accounts and using proxy IP addresses to purchase event tickets in bulk. Rather than preventing this conduct, Ticketmaster allegedly allows brokers to resell these illegally obtained tickets on its own platform and profits from the additional fees and markup it imposes on resale transactions. An internal review by Ticketmaster found that just five brokers controlled 6,345 Ticketmaster accounts and collectively held 246,407 concert tickets across 2,594 events.
Far from discouraging this practice, Ticketmaster/Live Nation actively supported brokers through a proprietary software platform called Trade Desk, allowing brokers to track and consolidate tickets from multiple accounts into a single interface for streamlined resale management. Although Ticketmaster publicly claims to support “all-in-pricing” – so that consumers can see the full cost upfront – internal research showed that the company deliberately maintained its opaque pricing structure because consumers were less likely to complete purchases when presented with the true cost at the start. The FTC is seeking civil penalties and other monetary relief for violations of the FTC Act, the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, and multiple state consumer protection laws. The next steps include discovery, potential settlement negotiations, and potential trial, which means that this lawsuit could take years to resolve.
Looking Ahead
This lawsuit represents a significant step toward holding monopolies like Ticketmaster accountable, with the goal of making live entertainment more accessible and enjoyable for everyday audiences.
Contribution to this blog by Sofia DiNatale.
