The FTC’s lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster landed with a thud this week — and the public statements that followed show unusually broad agreement among regulators and industry stakeholders that the ticketing status quo needs a reset.
What the FTC said
Announcing the suit, the FTC alleged Ticketmaster “tacitly coordinated with brokers” to harvest tickets in the primary market and then profit again when those same seats were resold at a markup on its own platform. The agency also says the company used bait-and-switch pricing, hiding mandatory fees until late in checkout, and misled fans about “strict” ticket limits that brokers routinely blew past. Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson framed the action as a consumer-access issue: “American live entertainment … should be accessible to all of us. It should not cost an arm and a leg to take the family to a baseball game or attend your favorite musician’s show… today’s lawsuit is a monumental step in that direction.”
The FTC’s press release highlights internal materials — including an email in which a senior executive said the companies “turn a blind eye as a matter of policy” to over-limit broker buys — and quantifies the impact: $16.4 billion in mandatory fees from 2019–2024. The agency is seeking civil penalties and any additional monetary relief the court deems appropriate.
READ MORE: Ticketmaster Under Fire: FTC “Bots” Lawsuit & DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Explained
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have thus far (as of Friday afternoon) remained quiet since the legal action was filed. Others have been quick to back the move as a potential win for consumers – assuming it progresses with actual consumer-facing improvements to ticketing in mind.
“For years, consumers and artists alike have paid the price for this anticompetitive and deceptive conduct—through hidden fees, inflated resale prices, and diminished trust in the live event marketplace,” said John Breuault of the National Consumers League. “Today’s action is a vital step toward holding Live Nation accountable, restoring fairness, and ensuring that fans, not monopolists, are the ones who come first in live entertainment.”
Here is what key players across the industry had to say in the immediate aftermath of the massive lawsuit being filed:
FTC leadership
“American live entertainment is the best in the world and should be accessible to all of us. 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 Trump-Vance FTC is working hard to ensure that fans have a shot at buying fair-priced tickets, and today’s lawsuit is a monumental step in that direction.” – FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson (FTC press release)
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson on CNBC
Live Nation/Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster pushed back to the initial reports last week that the FTC was targeting its business with the potential legal action. It said that the FTC has “a fundamental misunderstanding of Ticketmaster’s policies” and is taking “an excessively expansionist view of the BOTS Act.” The company maintains it invests heavily in bot prevention and supports all-in pricing reforms. (Bloomberg)
It has not yet issued any public comment since the time of the FTC’s filing of the legal action on Thursday.
State attorneys general
Jonathan Skrmetti, Tennessee AG
“When consumers line up for a show, they should never have to compete with armies of scalpers scooping up hundreds of tickets at a time. We’re fighting to level the playing field and get tickets back into the hands of real fans at fair prices.” (Tennessee press release)
Jason Miyares, Virginia AG
“Virginians deserve access to tickets at reasonable prices… Ticketmaster should be preventing this conduct, not enabling it by turning a blind eye.” (Virginia press release)
Mike Hilgers, Nebraska AG
“We are proud to join the FTC and our sister states in protecting performers and fans from unlawful practices that drive up ticket prices… Consumers deserve access to fair ticket prices from the largest ticket company in America.” (Nebraska press release)
Kwame Raoul, Illinois AG
“While Ticketmaster claims to limit bulk purchases by brokers, it allows its own rules on purchase limits to be broken, then profits off the higher resale prices and extra fees. That is unlawful.” (Illinois AG statement)
Advocacy groups and industry voices
National Consumers League
“Far from being an innocent victim of ticket resale, Live Nation profits from it immensely… working hand-in-glove with ticket brokers to circumvent limits and then reaping billions in fees.” (NCL statement)
National Independent Venue Association
“By turning a blind eye to scalpers, even giving them the tools to bypass limits and harvest tickets, Live Nation has acted as the promoter, the primary ticket seller, the artists’ manager, and the scalper.” (NIVA statement)
National Independent Talent Organization
“Without commenting on the specific charges, NITO applauds the Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to reform an unfair ticketing ecosystem that too often does not serve consumers or artists. Changes are needed that address excessive fees, availability of tickets for fans at fair prices and keeping the process aligned with artists interests that benefit their fans.” (NITO statement via Hypebot)
Bottom line
The FTC’s case has drawn an unusual coalition of bipartisan AGs and industry groups voicing near-unanimous frustration with Ticketmaster. The company insists it’s being unfairly targeted, but regulators and advocates alike are signaling they want fundamental change in how tickets are sold and resold.
