COLUMBIA — South Carolinians overpaid on concert and event tickets bought through Ticketmaster, a federal jury decided this week as the result of a major antitrust lawsuit filed in 2024 against the platform and its owner.
After five weeks of trial and four days of deliberation, the nine-member jury concluded that Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, operated an illegal monopoly that prevented competition from other ticket companies, venues and concert promoters. That led to higher prices for concertgoers and other ticket buyers, according to the verdict.
The remaining states in the bipartisan coalition wanted the trial to continue, resulting in what South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson called a victory for the state.
“This was a fight about fair market competition to ensure fans and artists aren’t gouged by a monopoly that raises prices because it controls the entire concert system,” Wilson said in a statement Thursday. “My goal was to protect the people of South Carolina, and I’m grateful the jury looked at the evidence and ruled in our favor.”
How much South Carolina could receive in damages remains undetermined. The states will argue to a federal judge how much they believe the company should owe for overcharging customers, according to Wilson.
The timeline is unknown. No court hearing has been scheduled.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation control sales to almost all of South Carolina’s major venues, offering tickets to sporting events, concerts and theatrical shows.
The company’s attorneys argued this was because of an aggressive and successful business strategy. But the jury found Live Nation’s control over nearly every aspect of live events, from venues to event promotion to ticket sales, led to inflated prices.
On average, every ticket purchased on the platforms was $1.72 more expensive than it should have been, the jury determined.
That finding applies to a limited number of tickets sold at 257 venues over the last five years — representing about 20% of total tickets, according to Live Nation, which pledged to keep fighting.
“The jury’s verdict is not the last word on this matter. Pending motions will determine whether the liability and damages rulings stand,” the company said in a statement.
Customers looking for tickets to major events have long complained about not knowing how much tickets will cost ahead of time because of hidden fees and losing out on seats to bots and resellers.
That came to a head in 2022, when the company canceled public sales for Taylor Swift’s worldwide Eras Tour after selling out during presale, prompting a hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Along with requiring the company pay states based on how much it overcharged customers, the suing states are asking a federal judge to tell Live Nation to sell Ticketmaster in order to bring competition to ticket sales and potentially lower ticket prices.
The verdict found Ticketmaster and Live Nation overcharged in:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Washington, D.C.
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Source: Court filings
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