Live Nation Settles DC Lawsuit, Will Pay $9.9M For Deceptive Ticket Pricing Practices

Live Nation will pay $9.9 million to settle a deceptive ticket pricing lawsuit with the District of Columbia, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced Monday.

The D.C. suit alleged Live Nation and Ticketmaster “misled customers about ticket prices, charged deceptive fees, and used illegal pressure tactics to get fans to buy tickets for a decade.”

The Office of the Attorney General says in the time since its investigation began, “Live Nation has changed its practices to provide customers information about the total ticket cost up front, and it also now shares more information about the purpose of fees and how they are shared among the companies receiving them. Live Nation has agreed to maintain these changes, in addition to making a monetary settlement payment.”

The settlement is separate from the antitrust suit — which D.C. joined — in which a jury found Live Nation operated as an illegal monopoly.

“For at least a decade, Live Nation and Ticketmaster boosted profits by charging predatory, hidden fees — taking advantage of DC residents buying tickets for their favorite artist or team and pricing others out entirely,” said Attorney General Brian Schwalb. “With this settlement, we’re putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of DC fans and ensuring that the price fans see when they first start shopping for tickets is the price they actually pay.”