Tenn. AG to Newsmax: States Pushing to End Ticket Price Gouging

U.S. states "are highly motivated" to end ticket-price gouging for concerts and sports events, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti told Newsmax on Sunday.

Appearing on "Wake Up America Weekend," Skrmetti pointed to a recent jury verdict finding Live Nation. the parent company of Ticketmaster, operated as an illegal monopoly — a major step forward in a long-running fight to rein in soaring ticket prices and excessive fees.

"The company is saying there will be a long running appeals process," Skrmetti said, noting that while the ruling is significant, it will take time before consumers see meaningful changes at the box office.

The case, brought by 34 states, found that Live Nation used its dominance over venues and ticketing to stifle competition, a practice critics say has driven up costs for fans for years.

Skrmetti said the ruling validates concerns that the industry has been "broken for decades."

"There's still a remedies phase to go through … and then the company plans to appeal," he said, adding that reforms will not happen overnight but that momentum is finally building.

"It's at least moving in the right direction," Skrmetti said.

Fans and artists alike have long complained about the ticketing system, with major performers publicly criticizing high fees and lack of transparency.

Skrmetti said the company's outsized market power has discouraged many from speaking out.

"Artists are mostly scared to speak up, venues are scared to speak up," he said, explaining that even securing witnesses for the case proved difficult due to fear of retaliation.

The Tennessee Republican attorney general also pointed to what he described as missed opportunities by previous administrations to address the issue, specifically referencing the 2010 merger that allowed Live Nation and Ticketmaster to combine under a consent decree that, according to the jury, was later violated.

"That's been the source of the latest problems," Skrmetti said.

While consumers may not see immediate price relief, Skrmetti emphasized that the broad coalition of states involved in the case signals a serious commitment to reform.

He said elected officials are under pressure from constituents who have grown frustrated with inflated ticket prices and hidden fees.

"This is a jury finding in an antitrust case, which is pretty rare," he noted.

"There’s a huge number of states involved here … people are invested in fixing this," he said.

Skrmetti made clear that state leaders are determined to follow through, warning that failure to act would come with political consequences.

"If we can't fix it, we're going to have a lot of angry constituents out there," he said.

"One way or another, the states are highly motivated to see this through to the end," Skrmetti asserted.

As the legal process unfolds, the case is shaping up as a major test of whether government action can restore competition and fairness to an industry that many Americans feel has been stacked against them for far too long.

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