Everyone hates Ticketmaster. Why'd Trump go easy on them?

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Business, Technology

4.2 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, we’re talking about the major antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation, and what it might mean for antitrust and competition law in general now that the Trump DOJ has decided to settle its part of the case — even as several states including California, New York, and Texas carry on. To break it all down, I’m joined by Verge senior policy reporter Lauren Feiner. Lauren’s our resident court expert, and she’s been chronicling this trial from the beginning. Links: States’ anti-monopoly case against Live Nation continues | The Verge The Live Nation trial restarts with a ‘velvet hammer’ | The Verge Live Nation settles government antitrust suit | The Verge The Live Nation settlement has industry insiders baffled | The Verge Listen to Live Nation CEO’s alleged threats to a concert venue | The Verge The threats and bare-knuckle tactics of MAGA’s top antitrust fixer | WSJ The Trump admin just gave Live Nation the gift of a lifetime | NYT How Live Nation allegedly terrorized the concert industry | The Verge The US government is trying to break up Ticketmaster | The Verge (2024) Taylor Swift vs. Ronald Reagan: the Ticketmaster story | Decoder (2023) Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for the show comes from Odu.
0:02.7	Running a business takes everything you've got, but a lot of the tools out there that promise
0:07.1	to make your life easier aren't great at talking to each other, which means you end up
0:12.0	having to toggle between a dozen different apps and services just to keep the lights on.
0:18.1	Odu says enough of that.
0:19.6	They're in an all-in-one fully integrated platform that might actually help you get it all done.
0:26.0	Thousands of businesses have made the switch.
0:28.5	You can too.
0:29.8	Try Odu for free at Odu.com.
0:32.7	That's ODOO.com.
0:38.3	Dell PCs with Intel Inside are built for every moment.
0:41.8	With long-lasting battery life and built-in intelligence,
0:44.6	you can stay focused on what matters most.
0:46.8	Dell Technologies, built for you.
0:48.8	Dell.com slash Del PCs.
0:53.2	Dell PCs with Intel inside are built for every moment.
0:56.9	With long-lasting battery life and built-in intelligence, you can stay focused on what matters most.
1:02.0	Dell Technologies, built for you.
1:03.9	Dell.com slash del PCs.
1:10.4	Hello, welcome to Decoder. I'm Neil I Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, and Decoder is my show about big ideas and other problems.
1:16.4	Today, we're talking about a major antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster.
1:20.6	And what it might mean for antitrust and competition law in general, now that the Trump Department of Justice has decided to settle its part of the
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.