The jury in Manhattan federal court ended Friday’s first day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in an antitrust case accusing Live Nation Entertainment and its Ticketmaster unit of monopolizing the ticketing business for live events. The case pits the states—numbering 34—against the concert giant over claims that Live Nation’s market position and practices have hurt consumers by raising prices for live music.
Soon after deliberations began, the jury told the judge that it wanted to review testimony from the five-week trial, the Associated Press reported. After that request, the jury asked to see additional trial testimony, including testimony from music industry experts, according to the AP account. Deliberations were scheduled to resume Monday.
The states’ civil case argues that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are monopolizing the industry and driving up prices to see live music, AP said. Live Nation, for its part, has maintained that competition is “more than ever” and that the company “plays fair” amid what it describes as a booming U.S. concert business.
The states continued their case after the federal government settled last month, the AP said. In its description of the broader case posture, the Justice Department said it obtained “important concessions” from Live Nation, particularly tied to ticket sales at dozens of the company’s amphitheaters.
During the trial, AP reported that a lawyer for the states said in closing arguments that Live Nation controls 86% of the market for concerts. The same lawyer said Live Nation controls 73% of the overall market when sports events are included, AP said.
Live Nation’s closing argument, as reported by AP, acknowledged that the company is the biggest entertainment company and ticket seller in the country but argued that its prominence does not violate U.S. antitrust law. In that context, the company’s lawyer told the jury that “success is not against the antitrust laws in the United States.”