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A federal jury has delivered a decisive rebuke to the concert cartel: Live Nation and its Ticketmaster arm were found to have operated an illegal monopoly that gouged fans and strangled competition. After weeks of testimony exposing hardball tactics and cozy control of venues, jurors concluded the entertainment giant rigged the market against ordinary Americans.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti — leading a coalition of state attorneys general — rightly pushed this fight into the light, refusing to let a corporate behemoth hide behind press releases and lobbyists. His office and allied states proved that this was not mere market dominance but deliberate conduct that harmed fans, artists, and smaller promoters.
This verdict came on the heels of a controversial deal between Live Nation and the Department of Justice announced in early March, a deal many states called woefully inadequate and walked away from. The DOJ’s tentative settlement — reached while the trial was underway — would have imposed limits but stopped short of breaking up the cartel, and that half-measure deserved the skepticism it received from honest enforcers.
In statehouses from Tennessee to New York, bipartisan coalitions refused to be placated by the feds’ handshake with monopoly power, choosing instead to press forward and secure a juried finding of liability. That level of cooperation among state attorneys general should warm the heart of any patriot who believes in the rule of law and the free market; corporate titans must not be allowed to buy their immunity.
The road ahead is clear: this jury win opens the door to meaningful remedies, including potential structural changes and, yes, the prospect of a breakup if necessary to restore competition. Jonathan Skrmetti and his colleagues have already signaled they are willing to pursue remedies that actually help consumers — not a paper settlement that lets executives keep their control while fans keep paying inflated fees.
Americans who work hard for their paychecks deserve access to live events without being mugged at checkout by a monopolistic empire. This verdict is a victory for common-sense conservatism: enforce the law, protect competition, and stand up for ordinary people against concentrated power. If we stay vigilant, this moment can mark the beginning of the end for corporate monopolies that treat consumers like ATMs.
