South Dakota Scores Big With $678K Ticketing Settlement

South Dakota is receiving more than a third of a million dollars as part of a settlement with a pair of major concert promoters.

Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced the state will receive $677,920 as part of the settlement in an antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

South Dakota was one of 36 states, plus Washington, D.C., that filed suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which merged in 2010. The settlement requires Live Nation to let rival companies list show tickets on their platforms and caps exclusivity contracts with venues at four years.

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The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in May of 2024, alleging that the companies had a monopoly on live events in venues throughout the nation.

The evidence against the defendant included emails in which Ticketmaster employees admit they “turn a blind eye as a matter of policy” to ticket broker misbehavior and that a broker previously flagged for large-scale rule violations was "not slowing down".

South Dakota's payout is part of the $280 million settlement fund the Department of Justice is requiring Live Nation to establish. The company has also been ordered to divest from 13 of its exclusive booking agreements with amphitheaters and limit fees at 15% of face value.

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