Entertainment
Live Nation Verdict: Jury Says Concert Giant Is An Illegal Monopoly in Total Defeat
A jury found Wednesday (April 15) that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated federal and state antitrust laws by dominating the live music industry, capping off a blockbuster trial with a verdict that could ultimately see the two concert giants broken up.
After a five-week trial in Manhattan federal court, jurors sided with a coalition of state attorneys general who sued Live Nation. The states argued during closing statements that the concert giant was a “monopolistic bully” that had harmed competition and driven up ticket prices for fans.
In its verdict, the jury handed Live Nation a total defeat — finding that the company illegally monopolized the market for ticketing services, concert ticketing and the use of amphitheaters, and that it illegally tied the use of its venues to its concert promotion services. The jury said fans overpaid by $1.72 per ticket.
Following the verdict, all eyes will turn to Judge Arun Subramanian, who must now decide whether to order Live Nation to sell off Ticketmaster — something critics have long demanded and the states have said is the goal of their case. Such orders are drastic and rare, though, and the judge could instead merely ban certain anti-competitive conduct.
Live Nation is certain to challenge the outcome, first to Subramanian and then to a federal appeals court.
New York Attorney General Letitia James celebrated the verdict as a “landmark victory” in a statement Wednesday.
“For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power,” said James. “A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process. I am proud to have led a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in bringing this case and look forward to continuing our work to hold Live Nation and Ticketmaster accountable.”
Reps for Live Nation did not immediately return a request for comment.
The U.S. Department of Justice and dozens of states sued in 2024, 14 years after Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged with the blessing of federal antitrust regulators. The feds claimed the company had since grown into a monopoly that illegally dominated the live music industry: “It is time to break it up,” said then-attorney general Merrick Garland.
But a week after the trial started last month, DOJ agreed to a surprise settlement with Live Nation — a move that reportedly came after President Donald Trump personally pushed for it. The deal required key changes in business practices but, crucially, would not require the company to divest Ticketmaster. Following that, dozens of states said that settlement was insufficient, and instead pushed ahead with the trial.
Over five weeks of testimony, jurors heard from venue bosses like former Barclays Center CEO John Abbamondi, who claimed Live Nation threatened to divert concerts if he switched to rival ticketer SeatGeek. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino later took the stand, where he denied such threats and said his company had simply outperformed its rivals to achieve its success: “I’m very proud.”
Jurors also heard from AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano; current Barclays Center boss Laurie Jacoby; several other sports execs, promoters and venue operators; multiple Live Nation and Ticketmaster execs, like president of touring Omar Al-joulani; Drake’s manager Adel Nur, also known as Future The Prince; and numerous economists and other expert witnesses.
Live Nation, repped at trial by a team from the law firm Latham & Watkins, tried to persuade the jury that the company had secured its massive market share over the past 15 years not through anti-competitive behavior, but by simply being better than its rivals. During his closing statements, Live Nation attorney David Marriott called his client a “fierce competitor.”
But the states, led by veteran antitrust litigator Jeffrey Kessler, told the jury a very different story: that Live Nation and Ticketmaster had abused their position to enrich themselves at the expense of fans. They cited much-publicized Slack messages in which two Live Nation execs joked about “taking advantage” of “stupid” fans with prices and fees: “Robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do.”
“Who talks like this? What type of company uses this language?” Kessler asked the jury in closing statements on Thursday (April 9). “The answer, I think you will find, is a monopolist who views itself to be above the law.”
With Wednesday’s verdict, the jury showed that argument worked. It took them four days to deliberate, sifting through weeks of testimony and mountains of evidence submitted by both sides. As is typical with verdicts, there was no stated explanation for why the jurors sided with the states.
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One half of the Final Four will be a battle of the top seeds between No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 1 Arizona. Tipping off after the Uconn vs. Illionis game, whichever team wins, they’ll be the last remaining top seed team in the tournament. The semifinal March Madness match up will tip-off on Saturday, April 4, at 8:49 p.m. ET.
How to Watch Michigan vs. Arizona, At a Glance
- Date: Saturday, April 4 at 8:54 p.m. ET / 5:54 p.m. PT
- TV Broadcast: TBS, TNT and truTV
- Stream: DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, HBO Max, Sling TV
Both teams have dominated opponents during the March Madness run, with Michigan and Arizona winning their games by an average of 22.5 and 20.5 points, respectively. Whoever wins will most likely be favored on Monday’s National Championship game. Tonight’s game is the second of the night’s Final Four double-header with the UConn vs. Illinois game starting earlier at 6:09 p.m. ET. Both games will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana and will air on TBS, TNT and truTV.
Where to Watch Michigan vs. Arizona March Madness Games Online:
Want to watch Michigan vs. Arizona without cable? Fans can take advantage of multiple streaming services that offer free trials, so you can stream the college tournament for free. Signing up to streamers like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV, you can get right into the Final Four action.
FREE TRIAL
DirecTV
Get access to CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
DirecTV is offering a five-day free trial, which will let you watch CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV for free. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is included in all of the streaming packages. In addition to unlimited DVR storage, you’ll get access to local channels and the ability to stream on as many devices as you want.
Sling TV
Another great option for fans to watch the Final Four is on Sling TV. The streaming services offers three different packages to choose from, such as Orange, Blue and Orange + Blue. The Orange Package is tailored for sports and family channels, while the Blue package has a focus on news and entertainment channels. However, both come with TBS to watch March Madness games online and start at $45 per month. If you want best of both worlds, users can combine both packages and get everything Sling has to offer.
Please note: Pricing and channel availability varies from market-to-market.
FREE TRIAL
Hulu + Live TV
For the most content options, Hulu + Live TV gives you access to the entire Hulu library in addition to more than 95 live TV channels — including CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV for just $82.99 per month.
And, unlike the rest of the options, you can also expand your content library by bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. You’ll not only have all of the Hulu library to watch, but also exclusive and original programming available exclusively on ESPN Unlimited.
HBO Max
Max has multiple subscription tiers: ad-supported, commercial free and ultimate ad-free. Max’s paid subscriptions start at $10.99/month for the basic ad-supported streaming, or $18.49/month to watch ad free. With HBO Max you can watch each channel broadcasting March Madness games, including CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
The Premium ad-free package is $22.99 per month and includes 4K Ultra HD quality, 100 downloads to watch on the go and you can stream on up to four devices at once. You can also bundle Max with Hulu and Disney+ for $19.99/month for ad-supported streaming on up to two devices at once and $32.99/month for ad-free streaming.
Entertainment
Angelina Jolie’s Daughter Shiloh Makes Surprise Cameo in Dayoung’s ‘What’s a Girl to Do’ Music Video: Watch
Shiloh Jolie is making a surprise appearance in Dayoung’s upcoming music video.
On Thursday (April 2), the K-pop singer shared a teaser for her forthcoming video “What’s a Girl to Do,” and fans were surprised to spot a cameo from Jolie, the 19-year-old daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
Shiloh briefly appears in the 30-second clip, sporting slicked-back hair, a lacy brown top, hoop earrings and a lip ring. She is also seen in a choreographed sequence, where numerous dancers surround Dayoung as a pulsating beat plays in the background.
The “What’s a Girl to Do” teaser ends with the message, “She makes the first move,” as the April 7 release date appears in the background.
Shiloh was cast in the video as part of an “open audition” in the U.S., a representative from Starship Entertainment told Maeil Business Newspaper Star Today.
“We held an open audition in the United States of America (US) to cast performers for Dayoung’s music video,” the rep told the outlet. “Among those who took part were several performers affiliated with a dance crew called ‘Culture.'”
The agency insists Jolie’s casting wasn’t a PR stunt.
“Shiloh was selected in the final round and ended up joining Dayoung’s music video,” the representative added. “Even after filming, we had no idea she was the child of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and only found out by chance quite recently.”
After the teaser was released, many fans took notice of Shiloh’s resemblance to her famous mother. “Holy s—t, mamma’s good genes are sooooo strong,” one person wrote on X. “It’s the eyes and the lips for me,” another wrote. “Pure Angelina energy.”
This isn’t the first time Shiloh has demonstrated her talent in front of the camera. In May 2024, choreographer Lil Kelaan Carter shared a video on Instagram of the teenager dancing solo to “Tanzania” by Uncle Waffles and Tony Duardo, featuring Sino Msolo and Boibizza.
“Her movement is crazy … Thank you for your energy @sh1lohj,” Carter captioned the clip.
Watch the teaser for Dayoung’s “What’s a Girl to Do” video below.
Longtime YouTube executive Tuma Basa, who most recently served as the company’s director of Black music & culture, has announced his departure after eight years at the streaming giant.
“After eight great years at YouTube, I’m taking a leap of faith and stepping into my next chapter,” Basa wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday (April 2). “Thank you to the Music Team at YouTube, the leadership, the artists, the managers, the labels, the producers, the continents, the city specialists, the uploaders and YouTubeLovers and even the Gen AI haters that made this run.. a great run. Murakoze Cyane, Asante Sana, Siyabonga, Amesegenalew, Gracias, Obrigado, Merci Beaucoup.”
Basa was born in Zaire (now Congo) to a Rwandan family, but spent his childhood in Iowa after his father entered the graduate studies program at the University of Iowa; he then relocated to Zimbabwe as a teenager. During his tenure at YouTube, which he joined in 2018 as director of urban music, Basa became known for spotlighting African artists, including Nigerian star Burna Boy, and helping fuel their growth in the U.S.
Initially harboring aspirations to start a rap career under the name B.2ma B., Basa eventually pivoted to the executive track and landed music programming roles at BET, MTV and REVOLT. In 2015, he joined Spotify, where he served as global programming head of hip-hop. While at the streaming giant, he rose to prominence in part for curating the service’s popular Rap Caviar playlist.
Billboard reached out to YouTube for comment on Basa’s departure.
Michigan vs. Arizona: Where to Watch the March Madness Final Four Game Online
Angelina Jolie’s Daughter Shiloh Makes Surprise Cameo in Dayoung’s ‘What’s a Girl to Do’ Music Video: Watch
YouTube’s Tuma Basa to Exit as Director of Black Music & Culture
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