Ticketmaster Monopoly Verdict Raises Questions After Cerritos Move to Ticketing Giant

April 17, 2026

By Brian Hews

CERRITOS — A blockbuster federal jury verdict finding Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster operated an anticompetitive monopoly is sending shockwaves through the live entertainment industry — and raising fresh questions locally following Cerritos’ recent move to the ticketing giant.

A Manhattan federal jury ruled this week that Live Nation and Ticketmaster used their dominance over major concert venues to suppress competition, siding with more than 30 states that pressed forward with the case after rejecting a federal settlement.

The lawsuit alleged the company leveraged its massive control of venues and ticketing to block competitors and drive up prices for consumers. During trial, attorneys described Live Nation as a “monopolistic bully,” pointing to practices that limited venues’ ability to work with alternative ticket sellers.

The verdict comes as the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts recently transitioned its ticketing operations to Ticketmaster, a move that at the time raised eyebrows among some observers familiar with the company’s long-running controversies.

Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010, controls a staggering share of the market — roughly 86% of concert ticketing and more than 70% of the broader live event space, according to testimony in the case.

Company attorneys argued that its dominance is the result of scale and success, not illegal behavior, maintaining that artists and venues ultimately control pricing and ticketing decisions.

But evidence presented during the trial painted a different picture, including internal messages from executives describing prices as “outrageous” and boasting about overcharging customers — remarks later acknowledged in court as inappropriate.

The case also revisited longstanding criticism of Ticketmaster, dating back decades to battles with major artists like Pearl Jam, and more recently the high-profile Taylor Swift ticketing debacle that reignited public outrage.

While the federal government reached a partial settlement that includes some limits on fees and modest increases in ticketing options, the agreement does not break up the company — a key demand of critics.

For cities like Cerritos, the timing is notable.

The decision to move ticketing operations at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts to Ticketmaster was framed as a business and operational upgrade. 

But with a federal jury now concluding the company engaged in anticompetitive conduct, the question becomes whether local venues are locking themselves deeper into a system that regulators — and now a jury — say limits competition.