FTC sues Ticketmaster, Live Nation, over alleged profit from inflated fees and broker resales
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The news: The US Federal Trade Commission and seven states have sued ticketing giant Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, accusing them of “tacitly coordinating with brokers” to allow large-scale ticket resales that have cost fans millions.
Filed in California federal court, the lawsuit alleges the companies failed to enforce ticket limits, allowed brokers to use automated bots to unlawfully purchase tickets, and profited by collecting fees from brokers and consumers on both primary and secondary sales.
The FTC said Ticketmaster can “triple dip” on fees by charging brokers when they buy tickets, again when they resell them on Ticketmaster’s secondary market, and then charging consumers who purchase those resale tickets.
The FTC said Ticketmaster collected USD3.7 billion ($5.6 billion) in resale fees and USD11 billion in total fees on primary and secondary tickets between 2019 and 2024.
The complaint also accuses the companies of “bait-and-switch pricing” and violating the FTC Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales Act.
The context: Ticketmaster controls roughly 80% or more of primary ticketing for major concert venues, and a growing share of ticket resales in the secondary market, the complaint says.
Ticketmaster faced intense backlash over its botched 2022 sale of tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which prompted increased regulatory scrutiny.
The DOJ also filed a separate antitrust suit in 2024, seeking a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
What they said: The regulator said that that while Ticketmaster publicly presents itself as being opposed to brokers who regularly bypass ticket limits, privately it has admitted that its business model (and profits) benefit when those brokers block everyday Americans from buying tickets at the prices set by artists.
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have not commented.
The sources: US Federal Trade Commission , FTC complaint, Bloomberg, Reuters
