No one is more familiar with sacrifice than a committed music fan hoping to get tickets to see their favorite artist live in concert. Concert-goers quickly grow acquainted with the harsh reality of entering the “Ticketmaster war.” Yes, war is an accurate word to describe the process.

Securing tickets is not for the weak, especially if you happen to be a fan of a popular artist. It entails creating a Ticketmaster account, finding presale information, rearranging your schedule to be in line for the presale in advance to the actual designated time (often a weekday during an inconvenient time), praying you’re close to the front of the randomly assigned line, being disappointed once presale tickets are sold out, joining the general public sale at another time a few days later, praying again, seeing you’re 50,000th in line, waiting as the tickets sell out in 5 minutes, and wallowing in sadness after failing to get the 400 dollar plus tickets.

Artists often have very little control over such factors that prevent some of their biggest fans from attending their concerts. Ticketmaster amps up prices based on demand as tickets go live, something known as dynamic pricing. It also controls primary and secondary ticket sales, oftentimes holding back tickets for other markets such as resale, creating even higher prices.

This all traces back to the merger of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Ticketmaster in 2010. Through the partnership, a dominant industry power was born with vast control over concert promotion, primary ticketing, and venue management. Now, the duo faces huge antitrust lawsuits. Thirty-two states, along with the D.C., are collaborating to carry out legal punishment for the monopoly, which they argue has been created by crushing economic competition in the business and making it difficult for fans to acquire access to events.

A recent settlement resolved the Department of Justice’s case at the federal level, which began in May of 2024 under the Biden Administration and keeps Live Nation and Ticketmaster relatively clear to continue their monopoly under the Trump Administration. It simply puts limitations on its operation, such as opening the platform for other rival ticketing companies to sell directly through the site, limiting their ability to lock down venues for events, and divesting a group of amphitheaters.

A $280 million fund was created to settle state funds and damages as a part of the DOJ settlement, but it remains dependent on states’ willingness to accept the settlement. A group of seven agreed, composed of Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and South Dakota. The remaining states refused the settlement, arguing that it does not go far enough to limit the powerful monopoly. They continue to seek a more extensive remedy to the case, and event-goers hope they come out successful.

A common demand among states is the forced separation of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, along with compensation for consumers who became victims of “double-dipping” fees. Another huge issue the states seek to abolish is the alleged threat of venues losing access to artists if they refuse to use Ticketmaster for ticketing services. The pursuit of justice continues for states as they demand greater accountability by Live Nation and Ticketmaster in a massive collaborative antitrust lawsuit against the companies.