Live Nation antitrust trial could begin in March 2026

Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary are the targets of an antitrust lawsuit brought by the Justice Department and 29 states. Now, a new scheduling order shows that the trial could begin in early March 2026.

In a scheduling order issued last Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian set a trial date of March 2, 2026. However, the judge indicated that date was not firm due to the complex nature of the case. While Live Nation’s lawyers told the judge they would argue that the case should be moved from the Southern District of New York to Washington, D.C., because the couple’s 2010 consent decree gave jurisdiction to the D.C. court, the Justice Department has opposed that idea, noting that the scope of the case is broader than the consent decree.

Judge Subramanian said he was inclined to let the case stand in his court, but would consider motions from Live Nation’s lawyers — which must be filed by July 19. Subramanian also said discovery in the case should begin by July 25 and be completed by Oct. 30, 2025.

| READ: DOJ, 29 states sue Live Nation/Ticketmaster for split |

The lawsuit calls for the breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, alleging that the pair are operating under monopolistic practices that in turn harm consumers. The lawsuit also includes allegations that Oak View Group, co-founded by former Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff, reinforced the alleged monopolistic behavior by ordering venues to be warned that they would lose Live Nation content if they did not use Ticketmaster.

“We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exert monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the expense of fans, artists, smaller promoters and venue operators,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As a result, fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play shows, smaller promoters are squeezed, and venues have fewer viable ticketing options. It is time to separate Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”

After learning of the lawsuit, Live Nation’s Dan Wall — who has actively argued that high ticket prices are simply the natural order of things in the event industry and has avoided liability at all costs for the entertainment giant — spoke out, arguing that concert promoters and ticketing companies have no control over ticket prices and are therefore not at fault for their exorbitant prices.

“(The DOJ complaint) ignores everything that actually drives higher ticket prices, from rising production costs to artist popularity to 24/7 online ticket scalping that reveals the public’s willingness to pay far more than the original tickets cost,” Wall said. “It blames Live Nation and Ticketmaster for high service fees, but ignores the fact that Ticketmaster keeps only a modest portion of those fees. In fact, original tickets are one of the cheapest digital distributions in the economy.”

Additionally, Wall has not backed down from accusations that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are operating as monopolies, noting that “the defining characteristic of a monopoly is monopoly profits achieved through monopoly pricing” and that “Live Nation in no way fits that profile.”

Despite Live Nation’s questionable response and attempted blame shifting, support for the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit is fairly strong. While several consumer advocates have expressed their appreciation for the lawsuit — including the Progressive Policy Institute, the American Economic Liberties Project, and the Fan Fairness Coalition — 29 U.S. states have also signed on as co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit. These states represent the overwhelming majority of the U.S. population, accounting for 80% of the country’s population.