Everyone hates Ticketmaster. Why’d Trump go easy on them?
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Today on Decoder , we’re talking about the major antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, and what it might mean for antitrust and competition law in general now that the Justice Department under Trump has decided to settle its part of the case. That’s even as many states — including New York, California, and Texas — carry on the fight.
To break it all down, I’m joined by Verge senior policy reporter Lauren Feiner. Lauren is our resident court expert, by which I mean she’s been in the courtroom herself and chronicling this trial from the beginning.
You might be unfamiliar with the name Live Nation, but you’ve almost certainly encountered one of its many, many subsidiaries — the most infamous of these is called Ticketmaster. Longtime Decoder listeners might recall an episode we did on Ticketmaster back in 2023 , in the wake of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour fiasco. That was when Ticketmaster’s website crashed during the first major rush for Eras Tour tickets. It was such a scandal, and Swifties are so politically powerful, that Live Nation was then dragged in front of Congress after widespread backlash spilled over into the mainstream.
Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Decoder wherever you get your podcasts. Head here . Not a subscriber? You can sign up here .
In 2024, the Department of Justice launched an antitrust lawsuit against the company, seeking to break it up — to split Ticketmaster off from Live Nation to try and combat predatory practices and increasing ticket fees.
This seemed like a real slam dunk case against Live Nation, regardless of political affiliation — nobody likes Ticketmaster, and breaking up the company would score political points for whoever finally pulled the trigger. It was also supposed to be a sign of strong bipartisan antitrust support.
The lawsuit was filed under the Biden administration. So even though Trump has since replaced Biden’s antitrust
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Podcasts Business Policy Everyone hates Ticketmaster. Why’d Trump go easy on them? The Justice Department’s surprise Live Nation settlement raises big questions about the future of federal antitrust. by Nilay Patel Mar 26, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC Podcasts Business Policy Everyone hates Ticketmaster. Why’d Trump go easy on them? The Justice Department’s surprise Live Nation settlement raises big questions about the future of federal antitrust. by Nilay Patel Mar 26, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC Nilay Patel is editor-in-chief of The Verge, host of the Decoder podcast , and co-host of The Vergecast . Today on Decoder , we’re talking about the major antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, and what it might mean for antitrust and competition law in general now that the Justice Department under Trump has decided to settle its part of the case. That’s even as many states — including New York, California, and Texas — carry on the fight. To break it all down, I’m joined by Verge senior policy reporter Lauren Feiner. Lauren is our resident court expert, by which I mean she’s been in the courtroom herself and chronicling this trial from the beginning. You might be unfamiliar with the name Live Nation, but you’ve almost certainly encountered one of its many, many subsidiaries — the most infamous of these is called Ticketmaster. Longtime Decoder listeners might recall an episode we did on Ticketmaster back in 2023 , in the wake of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour fiasco. That was when Ticketmaster’s website crashed during the first major rush for Eras Tour tickets. It was such a scandal, and Swifties are so politically powerful, that Live Nation was then dragged in front of Congress after widespread backlash spilled over into the mainstream. Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Decoder wherever you get your podcasts. Head here . Not a subscriber? You can sign up here . In 2024, the Department of Justice launched an antitrust lawsuit against the company, seeking to break i...
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