Do we like them?

Do we like Live Nation Ticketmaster?

Concert promoter, venue owner, artist manager and ticket seller (Ticketmaster); based in Beverly Hills, US.

Our score: 2 out of 10. Probably not. A jury found it illegally kept a monopoly, and the FTC accuses it of deceptive pricing. Fans, artists and venues pay for that.

Live Nation bought Ticketmaster in 2010 and is run by CEO Michael Rapino. Its biggest shareholder is Liberty Media. The merger came with a DOJ consent decree. In 2019 the DOJ found Live Nation had repeatedly broken that decree, so it extended the decree's term.

In May 2024 the DOJ and dozens of states sued, accusing the company of using control of promotion, venues and ticketing to shut out rivals. The plaintiffs say it controls about 86% of primary ticketing at major venues. Live Nation says it is a fierce, lawful competitor in a competitive market.

The trial began in March 2026. A week in, the DOJ settled. Reports put the settlement at $280m and said it did not require Ticketmaster to be sold off. But 33 states and DC carried on, and in April a jury found the company broke antitrust law. Remedies and penalties go to a separate bench trial.

There is a second fight. In September 2025 the FTC and seven states sued, accusing Ticketmaster of hiding fees of up to 44% of the ticket price and knowingly letting brokers buy past ticket limits. A judge refused to dismiss the case. The company calls it misguided and denies wrongdoing.

Privacy has been a problem too. In 2020 the UK's ICO fined Ticketmaster UK £1.25m over a 2018 breach that exposed card details for up to 9.4 million customers. Add a jury loss, two live federal and state cases, and a CEO whose pay target was just roughly doubled, and we score it 2.