What the Live Nation antitrust settlement means for Georgia concertgoers
The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week a settlement with Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, in a long-brewing antitrust case.
The deal avoids a total breakup of the live events giant, and it is not clear whether it will substantially lower ticket prices, leaving critics of the company and its industry power singing the blues.
Under the terms of the deal, Live Nation will cap ticketing service fees at the amphitheaters it controls, owns or operates at 15%, allow the amphitheaters to sell up to 50% of their tickets through any ticketing marketplace and provide both exclusive and nonexclusive ticketing proposals to all major concert venues. Live Nation will also divest ownership or control of 13 amphitheaters and create a $280 million fund to settle claims brought by certain states.
Live Nation Entertainment reported revenue of $25.2 billion in 2025, up 9% from the previous year. Ticketmaster ended the year with $3.1 billion in revenue, up 3% year-over-year.
The federal settlement brings what some states have called an early end to the nearly two-year-long legal battle. A bipartisan coalition of attorneys general of 39 states and the District of Columbia ultimately joined the DOJ in the litigation.
On Monday, attorneys general from several of the states involved in the lawsuit announced they planned to continue the legal action against Live Nation and advocate for the complete divestiture of Ticketmaster.
Georgia, which is a major market for Live Nation and live entertainment in general, was not one of the states involved in the lawsuit. A spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr declined to comment on the reasons behind this decision.
But a number of venues in the state will be impacted by the settlement allowing more competitors to enter the primary ticketing marketplace.
Whether concert or other live events goers in Georgia will see drastically lower ticket prices from these changes remains to be seen. Matthew Wilson, a partner with law firm Arnall Golden Gregory and co-chair of its entertainment and sports industry team, said he’s pessimistic.
“The overall cost to consumers is dictated by outside forces that Live Nation and Ticketmaster really don’t have much say in, so I don’t know how this trickles down to the consumer in any meaningful way,” Wilson said.
Live Nation is the most dominant entity in Atlanta’s live events industry — by a wide margin. It maintains long-term leases at the Chastain Park, Lakewood and Ameris Bank Amphitheaters, owns and manages the Tabernacle in downtown and operates the Buckhead Theatre and the Coca-Cola Roxy at The Battery. Several of Atlanta’s largest venues use Ticketmaster as their primary ticket outlet, such as State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The DOJ filed the lawsuit in May 2024, during the Biden administration, alongside Democrat and Republican attorneys general of 29 states, alleging Live Nation was engaging in “anticompetitive conduct” by forcing venues to solely use Ticketmaster, strategically acquiring venues and promoters to eliminate competition and coercing artists into selecting Live Nation as a promoter instead of its rivals, among other actions.
These practices, the lawsuit alleged, resulted in higher fees to consumers and less innovation in live entertainment. The lawsuit called for Live Nation’s complete divestiture of Ticketmaster.
Live Nation long argued that it was not a monopoly and that a breakup wouldn’t solve problems over high prices and fees.
In a statement announcing the settlement, Live Nation said the changes will give artists greater flexibility in choosing their promotional partners and ticketing strategy and keep the cost of a concert more affordable for fans.
Hubble Beasley, the director of operations for the Robins Financial Capitol Theatre and Piedmont Grand Opera House in Macon, had been following the proceedings. He and the Capitol are part of the National Independent Venue Association, and the organization has been keeping its members updated with the lawsuit.
Beasley said he would’ve liked to have seen more in the settlement. He hopes it will have a positive affect across the live events ecosystem, though he’s skeptical it will usher in any material change.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the bottom dollar,” Beasley said. “It feels like this is — I wouldn’t say lip service — but it’s going to keep on going,” Beasley said. “It feels like a slap on the wrist of a giant that is making a lot of money on a daily basis, and the fines will just go into an expense line, and they’ll keep on rolling.”
The Capitol has never felt direct pressure from Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s dominance in the market, Beasley said, though he can see an indirect impact. High ticket prices and elevated fees leave fewer dollars in a consumer’s pocket, which could cause a decline in ticket sales at smaller venues. Casual fans are less inclined to go see a show if they’ve spent more than they were willing at bigger shows, he said.
The base cost of ticket prices have jumped in recent years. The average price globally crossed the $100 threshold in 2022 and peaked at about $136 in 2024, according to data from Pollstar. It dropped slightly to about $133 in 2025.
But there are a number of factors that go into higher costs — it’s not just the promoter. The cost of a ticket is dictated by different factors, primarily the artist and artists’ team, Wilson, the AGG partner, said.
Rising ticket prices is just one factor eroding the margins of venues across Georgia and the country, both affiliated with Live Nation and independent. Alcohol sales are declining. Artist fees, insurance costs and commercial rents are rising.
Opening up the market can benefit venues, Wilson said. But exclusive contracts with Ticketmaster aren’t always a bad thing. Venues can receive big advance checks from Ticketmaster that they can use to offset operating costs. Sometimes Ticketmaster places in venues artists who would’ve otherwise not played there.
“Live Nation is really good at what they do,” Wilson said. “Because they have such a big bank account, they’re allowed to do things that other’s can’t. They’re able to operate in a manner that benefits everyone that’s working for them or working side-by-side. It’s certainly not good for competitors, but it’s good for the people that work at Lakewood or Ameris.”
About the Author
Savannah Sicurella is an entertainment business reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
