US EditionLive Nation ticketing worker regrets calling customers stupid, he says at antitrust trial
- Over 30 states and the District of Columbia are continuing their antitrust trial against Live Nation in Manhattan federal court, pressing forward despite the Justice Department's March 9 settlement for $280 million to exit the case.
- The Justice Department settled with Live Nation on March 9 for $280 million, requiring the company to shed more than a dozen booking contracts and open ticketing to competitors like SeatGeek, but Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called it 'anti-consumerist.'
- Venue Nation executive Benjamin Baker testified Tuesday that his private messages were 'very immature and unacceptable' when he told a coworker customers were 'so stupid' and he almost felt bad taking advantage of them; lawyer Jeffrey Kessler used the communications to argue Live Nation exhibits monopolistic arrogance.
- Live Nation's executives defended the company as an 'artist-first' competitor doing 90% of shows in smaller venues, with CEO Michael Rapino stating the company 'never relied on exclusivity to drive our ticketing business,' while states seek to break up the company.
- Political questions have surfaced as Richard Grenell, a Trump ally, joined Live Nation's board in May 2025 and stepped down from his Kennedy Center position last week; 39 states remain committed to the case despite the settlement.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Colorado, other states continue Live Nation trial after ‘travesty’ of Ticketmaster settlement
Colorado and 30 other states opened a new chapter in their fight against entertainment giant Live Nation and Ticketmaster this week, pushing ahead with a wide-ranging antitrust trial even as the U.S. Department of Justice withdrew from the legal case after a settlement with the company.
DoJ’s Live Nation settlement “proof Trump Administration cannot be trusted to protect American consumers”, says new Senate report on Ticketmaster
As the Live Nation antitrust trial got back underway in New York yesterday, in Washington Senator Richard Blumenthal published a timely report on the live giant and its Ticketmaster subsidiary. Given it’s titled ‘So Casually Cruel: How Ticketmaster’s Monopoly Supercharges Prices And Fees’, you can probably guess what position it takes. In his report, the Democratic senator is highly critical of the settlement recently reached between Live Nation…
Antitrust Encore: When a Settlement Isn’t the End of the Show
The Live Nation/Ticketmaster antitrust trial now presents a paradox. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly has settled its claims, yet the litigation continues—with a skeptical judge and 32 state plaintiffs still pressing for a breakup. That unusual posture raises deeper concerns about economics, separation of powers, and the limits of antitrust federalism. U.S. District Judge Arum Subramanian, who reportedly described the DOJ–Live Nat…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
