The Justice Department’s proposed settlement with Live Nation and Ticketmaster did not end the antitrust case for every state. Announced during the March 2026 trial, the deal was joined by six states; 34 states and the District of Columbia continued to trial and won a jury liability verdict on April 15. The states’ remedies and financial penalties were left for a separate phase, while the settlement’s final approval was not established in the materials reviewed through October 8, 2026.
Why the settlement blindsided the states
The Justice Department and state attorneys general had brought the case together, but they did not stay together through trial. DOJ announced a proposed deal with Live Nation during the March 2026 trial. State plaintiffs who chose not to join continued litigating, and their representatives described the announcement as a surprise. “Blindsides” captures that reported reaction; it does not mean the settlement resolved the claims of every plaintiff.
The case began on May 23, 2024, when DOJ’s Antitrust Division and state co-plaintiffs sued Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint alleged anticompetitive conduct involving primary ticketing at major concert venues, concert promotion and large amphitheaters. Those were allegations at filing; the later jury verdict applied to the claims pursued by the states that continued.
What the proposed DOJ settlement covered
The DOJ notice filed March 9, 2026, attached a term sheet discussed in court. It proposed that Ticketmaster enable primary ticket distribution through third-party marketplaces selected by venues using Ticketmaster’s back-office system, with limits on restrictions affecting venues’ choices. The term sheet also addressed exclusivity and other venue and ticketing commitments.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
#1 Best Overall
- 🎸 DETAILED 3D LIVE CONCERT STAGE SCENE: Opening the card reveals a multi-layered music performance stage complete with an illuminated lighting rig, speaker towers, full band silhouettes, and a cheering crowd with raised hands. Folds completely flat and pops open smoothly for display.
- 🎟️ CREATIVE CONCERT REVEAL & TICKET HOLDER: An exciting visual way to announce upcoming music concerts, festival passes, world tours, or acoustic gigs. Serves as a stylish presentation holder for printed e-tickets, band merchandise vouchers, or concert cash funds.
- 🎶 FOR MUSICIANS, CONCERT-GOERS & MUSIC LOVERS: Perfect greeting card for rock fans, musicians, singers, teens, festival-goers, milestone birthdays, graduations, retirement celebrations, or fun date night surprises.
- ✍️ DEDICATED SEPARATE NOTE CARD: Includes an extra printed note card featuring a vibrant live concert crowd photograph for your handwritten message. Allows you to write personal notes without marking the 3D stage sculpture, keeping the centerpiece clean for display.
- 💎 PRECISION LASER-CUT & HAND ASSEMBLED (5x7 IN): Crafted from thick, high-density art cardstock with clean laser-cut layering. Complete 3-piece set includes 1x 3D pop-up concert card (5 x 7 inches folded), 1x concert-themed note card, and 1x matching custom-fit mailing envelope.
The National Association of Attorneys General’s case summary described additional proposed remedies: third-party access to Ticketmaster technology, limits on exclusive ticketing provisions, divestiture of long-term booking agreements for 13 amphitheaters, and a 15% cap on ticketing service fees. These were proposed terms, not proof that the commitments had already taken effect. The reviewed settlement materials did not provide for breaking up Live Nation.
The DOJ notice also made the deal’s procedural status clear: it could not become final until the terms were reduced to a proposed final judgment signed by all parties and requirements under the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, commonly called the Tunney Act, were met.
Rank #2
- Used Book in Good Condition
Six states joined; 34 states and D.C. continued
Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota joined the proposed settlement. The other 34 states and the District of Columbia continued their claims at trial. That split matters: the federal proposal and the continuing states’ case were separate tracks, with different participating plaintiffs and procedural outcomes.
| Issue | Proposed DOJ settlement | Continuing states’ case |
|---|---|---|
| Who participated | DOJ and six states: Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota. | 34 states and the District of Columbia continued to trial. |
| Relief described in the reviewed materials | Proposed ticketing access, venue-choice and exclusivity commitments; NAAG also summarized a 15% service-fee cap and divestiture of long-term booking agreements for 13 amphitheaters. | The jury found liability; remedies and financial penalties were to be addressed separately. |
| Procedural position | A proposed settlement and proposed final judgment; final approval was not established in the materials reviewed. | A jury liability verdict was returned on April 15, 2026; the remedy phase remained to come. |
What the jury found in the states’ case
On April 15, 2026, the jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for antitrust violations in the case brought by the states that continued. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the jury found unlawful monopoly maintenance in primary ticketing for major venues, a Live Nation monopoly in large amphitheaters, and unlawful conditioning of artists’ use of company-controlled amphitheaters on using Live Nation promotion services.
Rank #3
- Stylish photos album--the tickets storage album is made with paper material, will not be broken easily,cards album
- Album for concert ticket--cost- , you can buy this practical picture storage album at ,loose-leaf album
- Multi-function tickets holder--suitable for parent- , travel, graduation, classmate, wedding, family and other related photos,travel pictures album
- Train tickets holder--keep your cards and photos organized and neat, dust- and protected inside this case,movie tickets storage album
- Loose-leaf booklet--this tickets storage album can keep your cards organized and save your search time,collection album
Skrmetti said after the verdict, “A jury determined that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are an illegal monopoly. Next up, the judge will decide the appropriate remedies, and a breakup is absolutely on the table.” That is the attorney general’s characterization of the verdict and his view of a possible remedy. It is not a final court order requiring a breakup. The state coalition said remedies and financial penalties would be heard separately.
What Live Nation said about damages
Live Nation’s public response characterized the jury’s award as $1.72 per ticket for a limited group of tickets sold at 257 venues—about 20% of total tickets, according to the company. It said the calculation covered fan purchases, excluding brokers, in certain states over five years. These figures and scope are the company’s account, not an independently established final damages calculation in the materials reviewed.
Based on its description of the award, Live Nation estimated aggregate single damages below $150 million, said those damages would be trebled, and reported that it had accrued $280 million toward state damages and civil-penalty claims in connection with the DOJ settlement. The company also said it planned to renew its motion for judgment as a matter of law and challenge the damages testimony. Those are statements about its position and intended litigation steps, not a ruling on the final amount owed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Proposed payments to the six settling states
A proposed final judgment filed with DOJ on June 12, 2026, listed payments intended to resolve specified monetary-relief and civil-penalty claims for the six states that joined the deal. The amounts in that filing were:
| State | Payment listed in proposed judgment |
|---|---|
| Arkansas | $3,548,637.22 |
| Iowa | $3,000,000 |
| Mississippi | $2,780,037.76 |
| Nebraska | $3,588,759.96 |
| Oklahoma | $4,967,661.87 |
| South Dakota | $677,920 |
Those amounts appear in a filed proposed judgment; the filing alone does not establish that the payments were made or that the judgment received final approval.
What remains unresolved
The liability verdict did not itself set the remedies or financial penalties for the states that went to trial. The proposed DOJ judgment and settlement also should not be treated as a final disposition: the reviewed DOJ case page listed the June 12 filing, but the reviewed materials did not establish a later order granting final approval. The final remedies, damages and settlement status therefore remained unsettled in the materials reviewed through October 8, 2026. A later court order or docket entry could change that status.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
