Tuesday, June 30, 2026
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Does Ticketmaster have a stranglehold on concert ticketing — or is it just ‘bringing joy’?

In a downtown Manhattan courtroom on Monday, lawyers for the US Justice Department and 40 state and district attorneys general warned a jury that the concert industry was being squeezed by a monopolist: Live Nation-Tickemaster. After amassing dominance over ticketing and artists' use of large amphit...

Does Ticketmaster have a stranglehold on concert ticketing — or is it just ‘bringing joy’?
Image: The Verge

In a downtown Manhattan courtroom on Monday, lawyers for the US Justice Department and 40 state and district attorneys general warned a jury that the concert industry was being squeezed by a monopolist: Live Nation-Tickemaster. After amassing dominance over ticketing and artists' use of large amphitheaters, lead DOJ counsel David Dahlquist alleged, Live Nation constructed a "flywheel" of power that forced venue customers to stay within its ecosystem. It threatened or retaliated against them when they considered leaving. To even attempt to win business, Dahlquist said, ticketing rivals needed to offer "retaliation insurance" to venues worried …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Originally published at The Verge

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