In The Sling: Live Nation and the Return of State Enforcement

In The Sling, Ron Knox argues that the Live Nation guilty verdict is bigger than one case: It represents a reemergence of states as critical enforcers of antitrust laws, marking a path forward for those fighting corporate power. He writes:  

On Tuesday in a Manhattan court room, a federal jury confirmed what most American music fans, performers, or venue owners knew to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally monopolized concert ticketing and promotion. But the lawyers from the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, who first brought the case, were yanked from  the courtroom weeks before. In their place was a collection of 34 state attorneys general, Republican and Democrat alike, who saw the trial through to a landmark enforcement victory.

Over the coming two-plus years, and perhaps beyond, that scene may become a familiar one. For state enforcers, it marks a return to their once-key role in fighting monopoly power.

As important as the Live Nation verdict was for U.S. antimonopoly enforcement overall, it was an even bigger day for the state-level enforcement of our antitrust laws, which is now poised to become the most crucial layer in our federalist antitrust enforcement system. For decades an afterthought in most antitrust matters, the lackadaisical enforcement and outright corruption of the Trump administration has created a need, and opportunity, for state-level enforcement officials ready and willing to hold corporate power accountable.

Read all of Ron’s reflections on the case here. 

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