Monday, September 22, 2025

Feds, States Sue Live Nation and Ticketmaster Over Ticket Prices

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Live Nation, which promotes major concerts at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, is under fire from federal regulators and state attorneys general who accuse the entertainment giant and its ticketing arm of inflating prices and failing to rein in scalpers.

The company was the promoter in September for the Oasis “Live ’25” world tour, which included two sold-out concerts at the Rose Bowl on September 6 and 7. Last April Live Nation staged AC/DC’s POWER UP Tour at the iconic venue.

Those blockbuster bookings spotlight Live Nation’s dominance in the United States concert business — and the scrutiny it now faces in court.

The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from seven states filed suit Thursday against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, alleging the company allows ticket brokers to skirt purchasing limits and resell seats at inflated prices, forcing fans to “pay substantially more than face value” for popular events.

The agency accused the company of “bait-and-switch pricing,” saying mandatory fees often remain hidden until the final stage of purchase and can account for as much as 44 percent of the total cost.

From 2019 to 2024, Ticketmaster collected $16 billion in fees, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Shares of Live Nation (LYV) dropped more than 2 percent in midday trading. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“American live entertainment is the best in the world and should be accessible to all of us,” FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a statement.

“It should not cost an arm and a leg to take the family to a baseball game or attend your favorite musician’s show.”

The complaint contends that Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s practices run afoul of the 2016 Better Online Ticket Sales Act, signed by President Barack Obama.

President Donald Trump reinforced the measure with a similar executive order in March during his second administration, citing price gouging as “a big problem.”

The suit is the latest chapter in a years-long battle over Ticketmaster’s power, which controls ticketing for about 80 percent of major United States venues.

The issue gained national attention during Taylor Swift’s 2022 Eras Tour, when resale prices soared into the tens of thousands of dollars, sparking bipartisan criticism of the company’s market dominance.