The Live Nation Case

The headlines are wrong. What you see in most of the headlines is how the judge refused to dismiss the case. But the real story is the judge granted summary judgment on the heart of the case, regarding promotion and booking constituting a monopoly. Summary judgment means the facts in the case are such that outcome can only be seen one way, and therefore there is no need for a trial.

There are only two questions left to be decided:

1. Live Nation's amphitheaters being a monopoly... Worst case scenario LN has to let other companies promote there, no biggie.

2. Whether Ticketmaster monopolizes ticketing in large venues through long term agreements. The bottom line is that buildings love these agreements because of the advances, which go straight to their bottom line. Do not expect a decision that will eliminate these advances and therefore exclusive contracts.

So so far, contrary to the impression you get from so many news articles, Live Nation is winning, in a big way. No breakup is in the offing and any remedies look to be narrow in focus, behavioral.

The best words I've read on this subject come from Lightshed Partners. I suggest you read them:

"LYV Breakup Could Be Off the Table Following Summary Judgment Ruling"

https://lightshedtmt.com/2026/02/18/lyv-breakup-could-be-off-the-table-following-summary-judgment-ruling/

(You need to log in via registration or Facebook or LinkedIn to read this post and you should...in order to talk about this subject from an informed viewpoint.)




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