WeDriftEternal t1_je3oy3x wrote on March 29, 2023 at 4:33 AM

Reply to comment by havereddit in ELI5: Everyone knows that Ticketmaster is the biggest scumbucket enterprise on the planet yet no band seems able to avoid their grasp. What's to stop a really major act (e.g. Taylor Swift) from performing in venues that are not controlled by Ticketmaster, or just setting up a parallel company? by havereddit

You're missing a big part. Most acts go with ticketmaster because they make more money with them, than any alternative, especially for big acts, particularly big acts.

Ticketmaster takes the hit and shit, and the artist appears clean, but anyone who knows the business is laughing because the artist specifically is doing it to make more money and just pretending otherwise. Robert Smith of the Cure though is fucking pissed, they lied to him it appears

AlanMorlock t1_je3pkzj wrote on March 29, 2023 at 4:40 AM

Which venues would you suppose they play? Stadium-filling acts playing in Evenbrite clubs in Wichitaw isn't going to do anything to make tickets more accessible.

WeDriftEternal t1_je3q9fe wrote on March 29, 2023 at 4:47 AM

There's not necessarily a good alternative, but thats not really whats at the heart of the situation here, it more has to do with how the deals are made and big time artists juice their deals and ticketmaster eats the shit for it. Not that ticketmaster isn't a piece of shit and scam, they are, but the artists are not innocent, nor are they ignorant of whats happening, either, they are happily complicent (again except Robert Smith)

AlanMorlock t1_je3rs66 wrote on March 29, 2023 at 5:03 AM

None of which would work if they hadn't been allowed to vertically integrate and take over the ticketing for essentially every venue over a certain size. There's not another game in town.

WeDriftEternal t1_je3tk3g wrote on March 29, 2023 at 5:23 AM

This was all working just as it is now even before the Live Nation merger. The merger didn't help the situation, but its not like it was any different before, because it wasn't.

remarkablemayonaise t1_je3y0fo wrote on March 29, 2023 at 6:17 AM

Don't you guys have a competition commission to "anti trust" these mergers?

AlanMorlock t1_je4qm7o wrote on March 29, 2023 at 12:24 PM

Functionally? Not really. Sometimes they feint at regulations but it's been a rubber stamp for most industries.

WeDriftEternal t1_je3y4ra wrote on March 29, 2023 at 6:19 AM

This probably should have had conditions attached. I haven’t reviewed the case though.

Lots of times vertical integration is allowed easily though (for complex business reasons)