Columbia, South Carolina – A courtroom fight that began as a challenge to one company’s reach across the live entertainment business has now turned into a major win for South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and a multistate coalition that accused Live Nation and Ticketmaster of shutting out competition and pushing costs higher for the public.
Last week, Wilson and attorneys general from 33 other states secured a jury verdict against Live Nation after a five-week trial, with jurors finding that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated both federal and state antitrust laws.
The case centered on claims that the companies used their market power to squeeze out rivals and tighten control over the concert industry, leaving fans, artists and venues with fewer choices and higher costs.
“This was a fight about fair market competition to ensure fans and artists aren’t gouged by a monopoly that raises prices because it controls the entire concert system,” Attorney General Wilson said.
“My goal was to protect the people of South Carolina, and I’m grateful the jury looked at the evidence and ruled in our favor.”
The legal battle traces back to May 2024, when Wilson, a coalition of 40 other states and the United States Department of Justice sued Live Nation.
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The lawsuit argued that the company’s influence stretched across nearly every corner of the live event business, from venue ownership and concert promotion to ticket sales through Ticketmaster, giving it the power to suppress rivals and raise prices.
When the trial opened on March 2, 2026, the case entered a new phase. During the proceedings, the DOJ reached a settlement with Live Nation. Wilson and a coalition of 33 states, however, refused to accept that deal and pressed ahead with the case on their own.
That decision ended in a sweeping jury finding. Jurors concluded that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in ticketing services for major concert venues.
They also found that Live Nation holds a monopoly in the market for large amphitheaters used by artists and unlawfully forces performers who use those venues to also use its promotion services. The jury further determined that fans nationwide were overcharged for concert tickets at major venues.
With liability now established, the case is not over. Wilson and the coalition will next return to court for a separate bench trial, where they will seek remedies and financial penalties.
The verdict marks a significant moment in a long-running effort to challenge the structure of the concert business and what the coalition argues has been an unfair system for the people paying to take part in it.
