Live Nation Entertainment says it has reached a settlement with the United States Department of Justice in an anti-trust lawsuit.

The company, in a statement released on Sunday, said it created a $280 million settlement fund to address damages claims brought by several states in the U.S.

As part of the settlement, Live Nation said it would end 13 exclusive booking agreements with concert venues across the U.S.

The settlement also includes Live Nation’s agreement with the Justice Department for eight years, maintaining the rules that are meant to prevent the company from retaliating against venues that choose other ticketing partners.

However, it said the agreement did not include a direct financial payment to the Justice Department and did not resolve all claims in the broader lawsuit.

“We are pleased to have settled our lawsuit with the United States Department of Justice,” said Live Nation. “Mr (Michael) Rapino (Live Nation’s CEO) said the settlement would improve the concert experience for both artists and fans by opening Live Nation’s amphitheatres to all promoters, allowing them to distribute up to 50% of tickets and capping ticketing service fees at 15%.”

The statement added that by giving artists greater flexibility in choosing their promotional partners and ticketing strategy, while also keeping concert costs more affordable for fans, “we are putting more power where it should be, with artists and fans”.

The company added that its owned-and-operated venues will continue to operate as open venues, allowing promoters to stage shows there.

The company’s ticketing business, Ticketmaster, will offer both exclusive and non-exclusive ticketing proposals to major concert venues, while also allowing venues to distribute some tickets through other ticketing platforms.

The case followed an anti-trust lawsuit filed in 2024, when the U.S. Justice Department accused Live Nation and Ticketmaster of operating an illegal monopoly over live entertainment.

Live Nation, founded in 2010 following the merger with Ticketmaster, is one of the largest live entertainment companies in the world, promoting thousands of concerts annually and operating major venues across North America and other regions.