That Ticketmaster countdown clock was lying to you, and now Live Nation owes $9.9 million

Live Nation, the concert giant that owns Ticketmaster, will pay $9.9 million to the District of Columbia to settle allegations that it misled customers about ticket prices, charged hidden fees, and used illegal pressure tactics for at least a decade, the District’s attorney general announced.

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb said the settlement resolves a consumer protection investigation separate from the office’s ongoing antitrust case against Live Nation for allegedly monopolizing the live entertainment industry.

“For at least a decade, Live Nation and Ticketmaster boosted profits by charging predatory, hidden fees — taking advantage of DC residents buying tickets for their favorite artist or team and pricing others out entirely,” Schwalb said in a statement. “With this settlement, we’re putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of DC fans and ensuring that the price fans see when they first start shopping for tickets is the price they actually pay.”

The Office of the Attorney General’s investigation found that Live Nation violated the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act in multiple ways. From 2015 until May 2025, the company advertised deceptively low ticket prices that excluded mandatory fees, disclosing the full cost only at the checkout page — after consumers had already invested time and effort in the purchasing process.

Investigators also found that Live Nation failed to adequately disclose the nature and purpose of its fees, whether anyone profits from them, and the company’s role in setting them. The company additionally used a countdown clock and pop-up notifications to create a misleading impression of scarcity. If a user was inactive for more than one minute, the platform displayed a message reading, “Tickets are selling fast. Get yours now before they’re gone,” regardless of actual demand for the event.

Under the settlement terms, Live Nation will pay $9.9 million to the District, with up to $8.9 million to be refunded to affected customers. The attorney general’s office said it will announce details of a claims process in the coming months.

The company will also be required to display the full price of tickets — including all mandatory fees, excluding taxes — on the ticket selection page and throughout the purchase process on its website and apps. Live Nation must also provide additional information about the purpose of its fees, how they are distributed among the parties involved in staging a live event, and make that information accessible through its platform.

Live Nation has already implemented all-in pricing and updated its fee disclosures and ticket hold messaging in response to the investigation and the Federal Trade Commission’s Rule on Unfair and Deceptive Fees, and it has agreed to maintain those changes.