Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, will pay $9.9 million to settle allegations it misled consumers with hidden fees and deceptive sales tactics, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced Monday.
The settlement resolved a consumer protection investigation into the company's ticketing practices, which authorities say spanned at least a decade and affected customers buying tickets for concerts and sporting events.
"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," Schwalb said in a statement.
"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."
Under the agreement, Live Nation will pay $9.9 million, with up to $8.9 million earmarked for refunds to customers through a claims process expected to be announced in the coming months.
The investigation found that Live Nation violated the district's Consumer Protection Procedures Act in multiple ways, including advertising deceptively low ticket prices that excluded mandatory fees until the final checkout stage.
Officials said that from 2015 until May 2025, the company "hid the true price of tickets, revealing the full price only on the checkout page where the amount of costly mandatory fees were disclosed for the first time, after consumers had already invested time and effort in the purchase."
Authorities also said the company failed to adequately explain its fees and used pressure tactics such as countdown clocks and pop-up messages suggesting tickets were selling out regardless of actual demand.
According to an investigation by the attorney general's office, Live Nation's ticketing platform showed a prompt after more than a minute of user inactivity stating, "Tickets are selling fast. Get yours now before they're gone." The alert was displayed irrespective of true demand for the event.
As part of the settlement, Live Nation agreed to maintain changes it implemented in 2025, including "all-in pricing" that shows the full ticket cost upfront and clearer disclosures about fees and how they are distributed.
The company will also continue providing more accurate information about ticket hold timers and purchase processes.
The case is separate from an ongoing antitrust lawsuit brought by Washington, D.C., and dozens of states alleging Live Nation illegally monopolized the live entertainment industry.
A federal jury last week found that Live Nation maintained an illegal monopoly over concert ticketing and venues, a ruling that could lead to additional penalties or structural changes for the company.
Live Nation has denied wrongdoing in various legal challenges but agreed to the consumer protection settlement while maintaining the updated pricing practices.
The district's investigation is part of broader scrutiny of the company, which has faced mounting criticism from regulators, lawmakers, and fans over ticket pricing and fees.
The Office of the Attorney General said it will release additional details about consumer refunds in the coming months.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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