Attorneys general from about two dozen US states are going after three times the monetary damages originally sought against Live Nation Entertainment and its ticket-selling unit, Ticketmaster. In an updated version of a lawsuit first filed in May, the states allege the concert giant monopolized markets across its industry. The attorneys general had sought damages under state law in the initial version of the lawsuit. By adding claims under the federal anti-monopoly law, states can seek three times the monetary damages, a penalty for especially egregious conduct known as treble damages. On Monday, 10 states joined the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court. The District of Columbia and 26 states added claims for treble damages on behalf of their residents. The US justice department and several states sued three months ago to break up Live Nation, arguing the concert promoter and Ticketmaster illegally inflated concert ticket prices and hurt artists. The New York attorney general, Letitia James, said in a statement that her office is seeking damages for what state residents were overcharged by Live Nation and Ticketmaster. “It’s time for a new era where fans, venues and artists are not taken advantage of by big corporations that run the world of live events,” she said. Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont joined the lawsuit, boosting the total to 39 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Justice. The lawsuit says Live Nation directly manages more than 400 musical artists and controls about 60% of concert promotions at major venues. According to the complaint, Live Nation owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America, and through Ticketmaster controls roughly 80% or more of big venues’ primary ticketing for concerts. Live Nation has said it will fight the allegations in court. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The justice department said in court papers that the “vast scope” of Live Nation and Ticketmaster allowed them to “insert themselves at the center and the edges of virtually every aspect of the live music ecosystem”. In 2010, the justice department approved Ticketmaster’s controversial merger with Live Nation, with conditions intended to stop the combined company from harming competition. In 2020, a court extended most of the justice department’s oversight of the merger to 2025 because, the department said, Ticketmaster retaliated against stadiums and arenas that opted to use other ticketing companies. The justice department said that since its last case, Live Nation had engaged in more anticompetitive activity.