FTC sues Ticketmaster and Live Nation over ticket resales, alleges 'deceptive' pricing
FOX NewsSEP 19
FTC Sues Ticketmaster Over Alleged Illegal Resale Tactics
Above: U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson gives an interview on Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Image copyright: Stefani Reynolds/Boomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This is a bipartisan issue that all Americans care about, and even the past Democratic Biden administration and Republican Trump administration agree on. Live Nation and its subsidiaries have boosted profits through shell-game-style schemes, damaging musicians and fans the most. Between Trump's DOJ lawsuit and the FTC probe, hopefully, ticket scalping and corporate profiteering will vanish for good.
Democratic narrative
While Trump's anti-monopoly rhetoric sounds good, he may secretly be playing games with Live Nation. Newly revealed lobbying shows Live Nation has hired Trump allies to help secure a sweetheart deal from the government. Live Nation itself reportedly donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump, making this lawsuit seem more like political gamesmanship than law enforcement.