States are deciding how to respond after Live Nation reached a tentative settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.
The antitrust lawsuit, filed in 2024 by the Justice Department, along with 39 states and districts, including Iowa, alleged Live Nation unfairly used its power in concert promotion, venue operations and ticket sales to block out competitors and drive up costs for fans and artists.
The settlement would avoid breaking up Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation. It would allow competing promoters to sell up to half of amphitheater tickets and cap service fees at 15%. The company would also extend its consent decree with the Justice Department for an additional eight years to prevent retaliation against competitors.
“We have never relied on exclusivity to drive our ticketing business, it has simply been the result of having the best products, services and people in the industry," Live Nation Entertainment President and CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement. "We are happy to take greater steps to empower artists and venues in their ticketing decisions, and are confident we will continue to succeed on the quality of what we deliver."
A bipartisan group of 26 states said the deal doesn’t go far enough and plans to continue the antitrust lawsuit. Iowa is not listed among those states.
According to court documents, Iowa was expected to accept the terms of the agreement, but the Des Moines Register reported that the Iowa Attorney General’s Office said there was no settlement. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has not responded to IPR’s requests for comment.
Live Nation recently expanded its presence in Iowa, opening and operating Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee in 2023 and holding a majority stake in First Fleet Concerts, a promoter that books venues across the state.
