- Utah continues litigation against Ticketmaster despite Justice Department's $280M settlement with Live Nation.
- Utah Attorney General Derek Brown aims to secure better outcomes for Utah consumers.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will continue pursuing litigation against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, despite the Justice Department's Monday agreement to a $280 million settlement in its antitrust lawsuit against the entertainment and ticketing companies.
The saga dates back to 2024, when Utah joined the Justice Department and 38 other states in a lawsuit against the entertainment giants, alleging the companies used their dominance in the live entertainment industry to drive up prices and limit competition.
"For years, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have made it harder for Utahns to see the artists they love by driving up ticket prices and squeezing out the competition. As Utah's attorney general, I'm committed to securing the best outcome possible for Utah consumers who have been forced to pay too much at Live Nation and Ticketmaster venues," Utah Attorney General Derek Brown said in a statement.
Even when (and if) the settlement receives judicial approval, the battle is seemingly far from over as Live Nation also needs to see if it can reach an agreement with all of the federal government's co-plaintiffs: Attorneys general from the 38 states, plus Washington, D.C., who signed on to the suit when it was filed in 2024.
So far, only Oklahoma and Arkansas have agreed to the terms of the settlement, according to reporting from NPR.
That means Utah is joined in pursuing litigation by a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.
More specifically, Utah argues that:
- Live Nation holds a dominant position across the music and concert industry, including artist management, concert promotion, venue ownership and ticketing.
- The company is accused of using unfair practices to maintain that dominance.
- These practices include buying rivals, tying artists' use of promotion services to amphitheaters, and locking venues into long-term contracts that block competition.
- The result has been higher ticket prices, numerous additional fees and fewer affordable, transparent ticket options for Utah families.
Additionally, Utahns spent around $400.4 million on live entertainment in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
"Today, U.S. DOJ has chosen to settle with Live Nation, but a bipartisan group of attorneys general ... have chosen to continue this fight and get a better deal for consumers — the deal Americans nationwide deserve," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. "Just in the first week of trial, we've already heard that Live Nation fully intended to take advantage of fans — and were able to do so because fans had no other place to go. Live Nation has manipulated the market, made itself untouchable by any competitor, and raked in the cash — not because it is better, but because it has acted illegally and created a monopoly."
The continued litigation isn't the only legal action the Beehive State is pursuing against the entertainment and ticketing giants, either.
Utah, the Federal Trade Commission and six other states filed a lawsuit in September 2025 against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, alleging the entertainment and ticketing companies hide fees and misrepresent ticket prices.
