Buying concert tickets sucks. A massive court case means it might get better | CNN

Buying concert tickets these days is, to be blunt, the worst. It’s become a task of overcoming hurdles — from presale codes and fees to ridiculously long digital queues and heartburn-inducing prices on resale sites. It all makes ticket-buying stressful, a feeling that in many cases should be cured by the act of seeing live music. A glimmer of hope: On Wednesday, a New York federal jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally operated as a monopoly and overcharged fans. While questions remain about what this means for the future of buying concert tickets, we hate to break it to you: It’s probably going to be a while before you see any real change. During the next stage of the trial, Judge Arun Subramanian will determine what penalties Live Nation will face. One could see the companies, which merged in 2010, split once again. The breakup would be significant because it would allow competition — like SeatGeek and AXS — to come back into the fold in a meaningful way, according to former federal prosecutor and podcaster Alyse Adamson. More competition ultimately drives down costs. “If that happens, I think we as consumers can eventually expect to see some more reas