In case you haven't yet heard, the two behemoths of the live music community, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, are discussing a merger. After the epic failure of the Live Nation ticketing service a few days ago, it is not a big surprise that their business executives are searching for options. It is, however, surprising that the two competitors would choose to team up, and perhaps will be even more surprising if the merger is not carefully investigated by the antitrust authorities. This could create a very powerful monopoly in the live music industry with direct effects on ticket prices, sponsorships and record deals. The indirect effects are countless.
Live Nation has been a good friend of HeadCount, welcoming us at hundreds of concerts last year and making many special efforts on our behalf. But our best friends of all are the fans, and fans can't be fans without affordable tickets. When Live Nation decided to do its own ticketing, there was hope that competition would directly benefit ticket buyers. Now, we're all left asking the same questions that the government inevitably will - where will this leave the consumer?
Check it out as reported from brooklynvegan or from the source at the Wall Street Journal