Ohio joins lawsuit against Ticketmaster, Live Nation after Taylor Swift ticket debacle

Watch a previous NBC4 report on investigations into Ticketmaster in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Once unsure if legal avenues existed for investigating the mangled rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has joined a lawsuit accusing the company that owns Ticketmaster of violating federal law.

Joined by the U.S. Department of Justice and a bipartisan group of 29 other state attorneys general, Yost is suing Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster, citing "illegal monopolistic practices" that have "stifled competition and harmed consumers and businesses" across the live entertainment industry.

"Ohioans deserve transparency, fair prices and vibrant competition," Yost said. "This lawsuit is a critical step toward dismantling the stranglehold that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have on the market and ensuring that consumers and businesses are no longer at their mercy."

The lawsuit comes a year and a half after the ticket-buying process for Swift's first tour in more than five years was riddled with problems, leading Tennessee’s attorney general to investigate for possible antitrust violations. When Swift fans flocked to Ticketmaster in November 2022 to purchase presale tickets with special codes, the website crashed multiple times.

The same occurred several days later when another special sale for Capitol One cardholders was held. Ticketmaster then issued a statement blaming "unprecedented demand with millions showing up to buy tickets," then announced a general public sale for the tour had been canceled.

At the time, Yost told NBC4 his office was researching to determine whether legal avenues existed for investigating Ticketmaster following the ticket debacle. In an email, a spokesperson for Yost said that while "Ohio does not have a price gouging statute law like many other states do," the attorney general was "examining our consumer practice statute to determine if there is a legal theory available under Ohio law."

Now, the lawsuit accuses Live Nation of engaging in illegal tactics to maintain and expand its dominance, strategically acquiring smaller promotion competitors, locking venues into exclusive contracts with Ticketmaster, and retaliating against venues that work with rival ticketing companies or promoters.

"We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services."

The group of attorneys general also said these practices have significantly harmed competition and consumers. Ohioans face higher, nontransparent ticketing fees and fewer purchasing options, Yost said. He argues the lack of competition stifles innovation in ticketing services and reduces the variety and number of live entertainment events.

In addition, Yost said artists have fewer performance opportunities and restricted choices in promoters and venues, while venues have limited options for ticketing services and event sourcing. However, Live Nation and Ticketmaster argue the lawsuit "ignores everything that is actually responsible for higher ticket prices."

"It blames Live Nation and Ticketmaster for high service charges, but ignores that Ticketmaster retains only a modest portion of those fees," Live Nation said in a statement. "It is also absurd to claim that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are wielding monopoly power."

The lawsuit aims to break up the "monopolistic combination" of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, terminate Ticketmaster’s exclusive contracts with venues, and "stop Live Nation from coercing artists into using its promotion services."