the only way to make live events truly affordable and competitive for fans, artists, and venues is to break up Live Nation
Break up Live Nation to increase competition and affordability in the live event ticketing, venues, and promotion sector.
Occurrences
“The Justice Department is doing the right thing today by seeking to break up this monopoly that has long harmed fans, artists, and venues. In addition to holding Live Nation accountable, I’ve also fought to create common sense guardrails to promote healthy competition in the ticketing market, and I will continue to work towards passing my bipartisan legislation that would do just that.”
Evidence
unverified · Source version 40 · locator unknown
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, released the following statement on the Department of Justice’s settlement announcement with Live Nation: “Given Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s monopoly dominance in ticketing, venues, and promotion, the only way to make live events truly affordable and competitive for fans, artists, and venues is to break up Live Nation. That became clear to me and many others after our 2023 Senate Judiciary hearing that I chaired on Live Nation-Ticketmaster‘s anticompetitive conduct. The Justice Department’s previous agreements with Live Nation failed because they did not change its incentives to enrich itself over fans, artists, and venues. Today’s settlement appears to be more of the same. I am glad state attorneys general of both parties are already standing against this deal and pledging to continue the case to protect consumers. It is also troubling that the Justice Department settled this case less than a month after ousting the head of the Antitrust Division amidst warnings Live Nation was circumventing antitrust enforcers to cut a deal. These backroom dealings hurt consumers. That’s why I plan to introduce legislation to strengthen review of antitrust settlements to ensure settlements benefit consumers.”
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WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced the Antitrust Accountability and Transparency Act to strengthen review of antitrust settlements and ensure they protect consumers, workers, and small businesses. “When the government prosecutes antitrust violations, the goal should be to uphold the law, lower prices, and protect consumers and small businesses. In the recent settlement between the Department of Justice and Live Nation, it is clear the American people got the raw end of the deal. This bill—which has support from antitrust enforcers from both sides of the aisle—ensures that courts have the tools to independently review settlements and approve only those that benefit the American people,” said Klobuchar.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, issued the statement below following the Department of Justice filing a lawsuit against Live Nation alleging the company has violated antitrust laws. “Consolidation and unlawful conduct in the ticketing market has left buyers with fewer choices and higher prices. The hidden fees, the messed up processes, and the stranglehold on competition has long hurt fans. As a result, the live event entertainment experience has become increasingly out of reach for many Americans,” said Klobuchar. “The Justice Department is doing the right thing today by seeking to break up this monopoly that has long harmed fans, artists, and venues. In addition to holding Live Nation accountable, I’ve also fought to create common sense guardrails to promote healthy competition in the ticketing market, and I will continue to work towards passing my bipartisan legislation that would do just that.”
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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced legislation to improve competition in live event ticketing markets. Today’s primary ticketing market is dominated by one company that by some estimates has locked up 70 to 80 percent market share and has used its dominance to pressure venues to agree to ticketing contracts that last up to ten years, insulating it from competition. The Unlock Ticketing Markets Act would help restore competition to live event ticketing markets by empowering the Federal Trade Commission to prevent the use of excessively long multi-year exclusive contracts that lock out competitors, decrease incentives to innovate new services, and increase costs for fans.
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"This decision is a major step toward restoring competition and accountability in live events. Now the Court must ensure any remedy truly opens the market, and that means lowering prices, increasing innovation, and protecting fans, artists, and venues, not delivering another deal that falls short."
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In their answer, Live Nation and Ticketmaster deny that they are monopolists and argue that "competition has thrived" and that the merger "has increased competition and been good for fans, artists, and venues."
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The Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The lawsuit included a request for structural relief, and Attorney General Merrick Garland said, "It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster."
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Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]. Latest Action: Senate - 04/26/2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. This bill has the status Introduced. Official Title: A bill to prohibit exclusive venue ticketing contracts with an excessive duration, and for other purposes.
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Klobuchar said the Justice Department was "doing the right thing today by seeking to break up this monopoly" and said she would continue working to pass bipartisan legislation to promote healthy competition in the ticketing market.
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Klobuchar said, "the only way to make live events truly affordable and competitive for fans, artists, and venues is to break up Live Nation." She said the DOJ settlement "appears to be more of the same" and planned legislation to strengthen antitrust settlement review.
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Klobuchar said the verdict was "a major step toward restoring competition and accountability" and added, "Now the Court must ensure any remedy truly opens the market."
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The plaintiff states submitted proposed remedies and identified "Divestiture of Ticketmaster: An order requiring Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster" and possible divestiture of Live Nation-owned large amphitheaters. The filing says the states reserve rights as discovery proceeds and expert analysis develops.
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The report says that, despite the settlement, more than 30 state attorneys general were still seeking a Live Nation-Ticketmaster breakup and Live Nation said it would continue defending its market position.
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LiveNation.com/SummerOfLive redirected to Ticketmaster's ticket deals page, which lists Ticketmaster ticket offers, Live Nation in the Ticketmaster network, and a 2026 Ticketmaster copyright notice.
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The plaintiff states submitted proposed remedies including an order requiring Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster and potential divestiture of Live Nation-owned large amphitheaters, while reserving rights to seek different or additional remedies as discovery develops.
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Klobuchar said the verdict confirmed Live Nation-Ticketmaster abused monopoly power, but called it a major step and said the court still had to ensure a remedy that opens the market.
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Klobuchar introduced the Antitrust Accountability and Transparency Act after criticizing the DOJ-Live Nation settlement, saying the bill would strengthen court review of antitrust settlements and protect consumers and competition.
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The FTC sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster over alleged deceptive pricing and resale tactics, saying the case would be decided by the court and seeking civil penalties and monetary relief.
verified · Source version 62434 · locator 1989
The settlement marked an abrupt reversal for DOJ, which had sought to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster after alleging that the company used its monopoly power to suppress competition, raise prices and reduce choices for fans, artists and venues. Instead, DOJ abandoned its push to separate the companies and agreed to largely behavioral remedies that leave the core Live Nation-Ticketmaster structure intact.
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The proposed Final Judgment filed on June 12, 2026 requires Defendants to: (1) develop technology to allow Major Concert Venues utilizing Ticketmaster's back-end software to sell and distribute primary tickets through third-party marketplaces; (2) loosen exclusivity provisions in their existing primary ticketing contracts and abide by new restrictions on exclusive contracting for future ticketing contracts; (3) allow promoters and artists to use alternative sellers of tickets at Defendants' amphitheaters; (4) cap ticket service fees at Defendants' amphitheaters; (5) divest control over certain amphitheaters;
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Under the APPA, proposed Final Judgments, or “consent decrees,” in antitrust cases brought by the United States are subject to a 60-day comment period, after which the Court shall determine whether entry of the proposed Final Judgment “is in the public interest.”
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Under the Tunney Act, the district court judge presiding over the matter must approve the settlement before it takes final effect, following a process prescribed by statute.
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After the verdict, the Court ordered the parties to meet and confer to propose a schedule for subsequent phases of the litigation, including post-trial motions and a “remedies” phase in which the Litigating States will propose and the Court will assess equitable remedies the plaintiffs have sought, including among others those enumerated above, as well as civil penalties under certain state laws.
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Unfortunately, the DOJ agreed to a weak settlement in the middle of that trial, but the thirty–three state attorneys general continued the case and won a jury verdict against the company. I am now working to ensure the remedies in that case lower the cost of tickets for fans and let artists and independent venues compete fairly.
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"The DOJ settlement, meanwhile, remains subject to review under the Tunney Act, under which Judge Arun Subramanian must decide whether it serves the public interest."
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"Instead, DOJ abandoned its push to separate the companies and agreed to largely behavioral remedies that leave the core Live Nation-Ticketmaster structure intact."
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"The core LNT integration remains intact as the settlement is overwhelmingly behavioral in character, supplemented by very limited divestitures, rather than the complete structural separation DOJ originally sought."
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"The settlement imposes no limit on tour control, no divestiture of Ticketmaster, no divestiture of artist management, and nothing approaching the structural and behavioral change needed to rein in a monopoly."
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"Those reports suggest DOJ may have accepted materially less relief than its complaint said was “necessary”—including forgoing the divestiture of Ticketmaster it had called for “at minimum”—in exchange for Live Nation’s help improving bookings at the Kennedy Center"
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"The recent settlement between Live Nation-Ticketmaster and the Justice Department fails to address these fundamental issues and stops far short of prying open this industry to new competition, innovation, and choice for consumers."
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Last Updated September 30, 2026 Case Status Pending
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Having considered everything, it is this Court’s view that the FTC and the states have met the legal requirements and the case can continue.
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Senator Lee and I called on the DOJ to investigate and take action on Ticketmaster’s ticketing fees and monopolistic conduct, contributing to the lawsuit brought by the DOJ and 40 bipartisan state attorneys general to break up Ticketmaster from Live Nation.
verified · Source version 86885 · locator 7197
During the landmark trial against Live Nation–Ticketmaster, the DOJ abandoned its case and entered a weak settlement that stopped far short of fixing the many problems in the live event space that Live Nation–Ticketmaster’s monopoly has caused.
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[Court approval subject to procedures of Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16]
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upon the closing of a sale or divestiture by Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. of the Ticketmaster business or substantially all of the assets thereof, Sections VI.A, VI.B, and VII will be deemed to have expired, while all other provisions will continue in full force and effect.
Assessments
The promised outcome was a completed breakup of Live Nation/Ticketmaster to improve competition and affordability. The evidence shows substantial same-term effort by Klobuchar, including hearings, public pressure, support for DOJ breakup litigation, and introduced ticketing/antitrust settlement legislation. But the breakup itself has not been implemented: proposed remedies and court review remain pending, and Klobuchar's own statements describe the verdict and litigation as steps toward a remedy rather than fulfillment.
Klobuchar repeatedly and publicly pushed for a breakup, introduced antitrust/ticketing legislation, and backed DOJ enforcement, but the evidence shows Live Nation-Ticketmaster has not been broken up and the remedy remains unresolved in court as of 2026-05. Under the supplied standard, serious effort without the promised outcome counts as never delivered, not full fulfillment.
The promised outcome was a breakup of Live Nation/Ticketmaster. The evidence shows substantial same-term effort by Klobuchar, including chairing scrutiny of Live Nation, supporting the DOJ breakup lawsuit, introducing related ticketing-competition legislation, and proposing stronger review of antitrust settlements. But the breakup itself has not been implemented: the DOJ/state case and remedies process remain pending, and Klobuchar's own 2026 statements frame the verdict and proposed remedies as steps toward a still-unfinished outcome. Because the case has not failed or concluded, the proper status is unresolved rather than delivered or never.
The promised outcome, breaking up Live Nation to improve competition and affordability, has not been completed. The evidence shows Klobuchar actively advanced the issue through Senate antitrust oversight, public pressure, and related legislation, and she supported DOJ action seeking a breakup. However, the most recent evidence indicates the Live Nation-Ticketmaster matter remains in litigation or remedy proceedings, with no implemented breakup or completed market restructuring. Because Klobuchar remains in federal office and the outcome is still pending rather than finally defeated, this is unresolved rather than never.
Senator Amy Klobuchar made repeated and high-profile legislative and executive efforts to break up Live Nation and/or to significantly increase competition in the live event ticketing sector. This included supporting DOJ action, introducing multiple bills to enhance antitrust regulation and ticketing competition, and publicly advocating for a breakup following unsatisfactory DOJ settlements. However, there is no evidence that Live Nation was broken up, nor that major regulatory changes were enacted to substantially alter competition or affordability in the sector as promised. Despite sustained legislative advocacy and partnership with enforcement actions, the core outcome—a breakup or clear increase in competition/affordability—was not delivered.
Senator Klobuchar has taken substantial legislative and public advocacy steps to address Live Nation's dominance in the ticketing and events industry, including introducing targeted antitrust and competition legislation as well as supporting DOJ efforts to break up Live Nation. However, neither the breakup of Live Nation nor the passage of legislation forcing such a breakup has occurred. Therefore, the promise to 'Break up Live Nation' has not been delivered, but there is clear, credible effort.