Overview

• The Federal Trade Commission and seven states filed the case in federal court in California on September 18, alleging a scheme that drove up prices and misled buyers.
• The complaint says Ticketmaster tolerated violations of purchase limits as resellers acquired millions of tickets using multiple accounts, aided by the company’s TradeDesk software.
• Regulators allege mandatory charges pushed final prices up by as much as 44%, producing $16.4 billion in hidden fees from 2019 to 2024.
• The FTC estimates consumers spent $82.6 billion on tickets through Ticketmaster over 2019–2024 and says the company took in $3.7 billion in resale fees.
• States joining the suit are Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia, and the action follows a separate 2024 Justice Department case seeking to split Live Nation and Ticketmaster.