What Live Nation's settlement means for your next DMV show

👀 State of play: Attorneys general from D.C., Maryland and Virginia are rejecting the settlement and vowing to continue legal action.

• "D.C.'s live entertainment scene is vital to our local economy and culture, and the recently announced settlement is simply not adequate," D.C. AG Brian Schwalb said in a statement.
• If a settlement between Live Nation and the localities pursuing the lawsuit can't be reached, the parties should expect to proceed to trial on Monday, per the New York Times.

Under the settlement, service fees would be capped at 15% of face value.

• Live Nation's concert venues would have to allow other promoters to book shows — and those promoters could sell up to half the tickets themselves.
• Live Nation would divest 13 exclusive booking agreements with amphitheaters nationwide.
• Ticketmaster, which Live Nation acquired in 2010, would offer both exclusive and non-exclusive ticketing proposals to major venues, which could also choose to distribute a portion of tickets through other primary marketplaces.

💵 Context: D.C. has the highest per-capita Ticketmaster sales in the country, according to the AG's office.

• And Live Nation is the exclusive ticket provider to nearly all sizable venues in D.C., per the OAG — it's the dominant concert promoter in the region.
• So, for most major DMV shows, fans have little choice but to buy through Ticketmaster — and critics say that lack of competition drives up prices.

Zoom out: Maryland recently passed an anti-scalping law banning junk fees on resale tickets and prohibiting speculative ticket sales.

• The D.C. Council is weighing similar legislation, including a proposal to cap resale markups. A markup and full Council vote are expected.

The bottom line: Even with the federal settlement, the fight over ticket prices — and who controls your access to live music — isn't over in the DMV.