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The Ticketmaster Breakup Trial Just Got Messier

March 16, 2026·21 min·2 clips

Live Nation hired Kellyanne Conway to meet with DOJ officials and push for a surprise settlement behind the scenes.

This episode covers the surprise settlement in the Justice Department's antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which left many state attorneys general blindsided. It explores the political backchannels used to broker the deal and the ongoing fight by states to continue the trial for a full breakup.

As heard by us

A crisp look at why the Ticketmaster breakup fight got messier after the Justice Department settled.

The Journal makes the Live Nation-Ticketmaster case less about courtroom drama than about incentives. The surprise is the Justice Department settling after what Dave Michaels describes as a strong first week at trial: new limits on exclusivity, fees, and venue access, but no…

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