Buying concert tickets sucks. Here’s what will — and won’t — change after the massive Live Nation legal case

Concert Ticket Purchasing: A Painful Process That May Soon Improve

The process of purchasing concert tickets has become a source of frustration for many. From presale codes and hidden fees to excessively long digital queues and steep prices on resale platforms, the journey to secure a seat at a live event feels more like a battle than a simple transaction. This experience contrasts sharply with the joy of actually attending the show, making the act of buying tickets a source of unnecessary stress.

Recent developments have offered a small ray of optimism. On Wednesday, a New York federal jury ruled that Live Nation and Ticketmaster engaged in monopolistic practices, inflating costs for fans. However, the path to meaningful change remains unclear. Judge Arun Subramanian will now decide the penalties, with possibilities including the companies’ split. If that happens, it could reintroduce competition, potentially leading to more affordable ticket options, according to former federal prosecutor Alyse Adamson.

“If that happens, I think we as consumers can eventually expect to see some more reasonably priced tickets on the market to all those shows you want to see,”

While the verdict is a step forward, the legal process ahead will determine its impact. The remedies phase, expected to take several months, will outline the consequences for Live Nation. The companies, which merged in 2010, might face significant restructuring, but the outcome is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, a separate settlement with federal authorities in March introduced a cap on service fees, though its effect on ticket prices is modest.

Unlike a class-action lawsuit, where plaintiffs receive direct compensation, this case was initiated by state and federal governments. As a result, consumers won’t receive payouts from Live Nation. Instead, the states will benefit from the agreement. The legal battle is far from over, with the companies likely to appeal if the verdict doesn’t align with their interests.

Experts caution that tangible changes could take years. Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a visiting antitrust professor at Harvard Law, noted that while competition fosters innovation, it requires time to materialize. “If there was better competition in this market, you might see more technological solutions to those problems when there’s a big crush of demand,”

“it is very hard to say, even beyond that year or so of delay, when these new innovations or lower prices would really come about,”

Allensworth emphasized that the verdict marks progress in restoring competition to an industry long dominated by a single entity. “It is the next step in restoring competition to an important market that has for too long been dominated by a monopolist that does not feel the pressure to deliver value to consumers,”

CNN’s Kara Scannell contributed to this report.