But first…
Put together, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have a tremendous amount of control over the live music industry.
If you’re a venue, you need a platform to handle ticket sales. That’s Ticketmaster.
If you’re a musical artist who wants to go on tour, you need a concert promoter. That’s Live Nation.
Money comes from hard-working fans who pay Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster then pays Live Nation, its parent company. Live Nation pays the artist. The artist pays the venue. The venue pays Live Nation — and also pays Ticketmaster.
Confused? This infographic (made with the help of AI) illustrates how the money flows through Live Nation’s ecosystem.
The U.S. government alleges it’s an illegal monopoly that needs to be snuffed out. Live Nation says it’s just very good at doing business.
I wrote this story last night. This morning, news broke that prosecutors and Live Nation had reached a settlement. Details haven’t yet been released.
But the story is still worth a read. When the settlement details emerge, you can decide for yourself whether it was the right outcome.
-Neil Malik
Anton Gvozdikov, Shutterstock
It's an illegal monopoly
The U.S. government says Ticketmaster’s power over live music is illegal. Live Nation uses its grip on venues, promotion, and ticketing to block competitors and drive up fees for fans.
We don’t know yet the details of the settlement, but if the court agrees, it could mean the two companies are ordered to break up.
It's just good business
Splitting Ticketmaster from Live Nation might feel satisfying, but Live Nation says it won’t make concerts cheaper.
Venues keep most of the service fees to pay for running the building. And even if the government wins the case, the real forces behind high ticket prices, including demand, touring costs, and scarce venues, won’t disappear.
In other news
This weekend, the UK held its annual Wife Carrying Race (Yahoo)
SpaceX wants to launch a million satellites and scientists are worried (CBC)
Stratford, Ontario’s annual swan race has been cancelled (Global)
In case you missed it, here’s a link to our previous story debating whether Canada’s policies on AI should prioritize public safety or privacy
Where do you stand?
In our last issue, we asked if AI companies should report possible threats to police, even if the messages were private?
The results:
Yes: 70% ✅
No: 30%
Today’s question is:
We’ll publish the results in our next issue.
Until next time!