Wait, could they still actually break up Live Nation?

The web of litigation astir Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and the companies’ alleged monopoly is getting much analyzable — but it could beryllium bully quality for concertgoers who are sick of dynamic pricing and inexplicable work fees.

The Department of Justice and 40 authorities attorneys wide sued Live Nation, proprietor of Ticketmaster, successful 2024 for alleged monopolistic practices. The 2 companies had merged successful 2010 to signifier an amusement elephantine that came to power the bulk of summons income and venue bookings successful the country, which made it much hard for different companies to compete, according to the lawsuit. Without meaningful competition, customers had nary prime but to judge Live Nation’s dubious pricing models, which critics accidental payment the company’s bottommost line, alternatively than artists.

Last month, the DOJ tentatively settled with Live Nation, portion a abstracted state-level proceedings was already underway. But 34 of the attorneys general pressed forward, and connected Wednesday, a national assemblage found that Live Nation had been operating arsenic an amerciable monopoly.

During the wide followed trial, Slack messages surfaced betwixt 2 Live Nation employees: Ben Baker, present caput of ticketing for Venue Nation, and Jeff Weinhold, present a elder manager successful the ticketing department.

“These radical are truthful stupid,” Baker said successful a speech astir raising prices connected parking. “I astir consciousness atrocious taking vantage of them BAHAHAHAHAHA.”

In a aboriginal conversation, besides astir parking prices, Baker said, “Robbing them unsighted baby.”

Live Nation argued that these remarks represented “off-the-cuff banter, not policy, decision-making, oregon facts of consequence.”

As portion of the DOJ settlement, Live Nation is expected to wage a $280 cardinal good and divest astatine slightest 13 of its venues, requiring those venues to judge bookings from competing promoters. But fixed the jury’s abstracted uncovering connected Wednesday that Live Nation operated arsenic an amerciable monopoly, the consequences mightiness extremity up being much severe.

What happens adjacent isn’t clear. Judge Arun Subramanian inactive has to find remedies astatine a aboriginal date. But the anticipation of breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster remains connected the table.