Live Nation Avoids Ticketmaster Breakup By 'Open Sourcing' Their Ticketing Model (nbcnews.com) 40
Live Nation reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that avoids breaking up its dominant live events empire with Ticketmaster. Instead, the deal requires changes like "open sourcing" their ticketing model and divesting some venues. NBC News reports: The company and the Justice Department reached a settlement on Monday, following a week of testimony during an antitrust trial that threatened to potentially separate the world's largest live entertainment company. [...] On a background call with reporters Monday, a senior justice official said the deal will drive down prices by giving both artists and consumers more choice.
As part of the agreement, Ticketmaster will provide a standalone ticketing system that will allow third-party companies like SeatGeek and StubHub to offer primary tickets through the platform. The senior justice official described it as "open sourcing" their ticketing model. The company will also divest up to 13 amphitheaters and reserve 50% of tickets for nonexclusive venues. Ticketmaster is also prohibited from retaliating against a venue that selects another primary ticket distributor, among other requirements. Although a group of states have joined the DOJ in signing the agreement, other states can continue to press their own claims.
As part of the agreement, Ticketmaster will provide a standalone ticketing system that will allow third-party companies like SeatGeek and StubHub to offer primary tickets through the platform. The senior justice official described it as "open sourcing" their ticketing model. The company will also divest up to 13 amphitheaters and reserve 50% of tickets for nonexclusive venues. Ticketmaster is also prohibited from retaliating against a venue that selects another primary ticket distributor, among other requirements. Although a group of states have joined the DOJ in signing the agreement, other states can continue to press their own claims.
"Open Source" (Score:5, Insightful)
It means bribing Trump (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.
FTS:
As part of the agreement, Ticketmaster will provide a standalone ticketing system that will allow third-party companies like SeatGeek and StubHub to offer primary tickets through the platform.
Sounds like all they're doing is giving the scalpers direct (and possibly privileged) access.
And if the scalpers get too successful, they'll just buy them up too.
Nothing here about stopping the ripping off of fans or the artists, nor strong-arming the venues if they dare book anything directly with an artist (I.E. so they don't get their cut).
I really don't see a difference, in fact they're probably looking at this as a way to outsource the pesky and costly customer service part.
Wow (Score:3)
Re: Wow (Score:3)
I mean, they didn't take them apart. They paid a pittance of a fine and agreed to some buzzwords that they'll implement so poorly as to be useless.
Re: (Score:1)
Well they where GOING to do that, until they encountered a fandom even more fanatic. The Trump administration.
Break up a billionare company? Not under this administration!
Re:Wow (Score:5, Informative)
Not really.
Gail Slater was the Antitrust Director at DoJ and she got shitcanned a few weeks ago because she was actually going to anti-trust Ticketmaster. The Lobbyists got that "problem solved".
Yes, it's as corrupt as you can imagine.
(reportedly/allegedly/etc)
Re: (Score:2)
Pearl Jam tried taking them on 30 years ago. https://www.rollingstone.com/m... [rollingstone.com]
Damn, Pearl Jam tickets only cost $18 back then...
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The moral of the story seems to be: don't piss off Taylor Swift fans.
I don't see how this deal will benefit ticket prices, at all. It's less than a slap on the wrist.
The artists are getting the shaft just as much as the fans as the money the artists should be getting is siphoned off by LiveNation. The artists should band together (haha) and create their own solution, but the artists are stuck in their own lousy contracts with their "record" companies...it's exploitation all the way down...with corporations in charge now in the U.S., I guess this is the way things are. Sigh
Re: (Score:2)
And yet, we are actually in the best possible time for artist ever. The tools at ones disposal for free and others for an affordable price, give anyone with passion and talent more options then ever.
If you are into music, it's cheaper and easier now then any time prior to record your own music. You can publish to the Internet for free. In fact, you can publish to the Internet and monetize your music even, if it gets popular enough.
Now sure, signing with a record label might fast track some of this but just
And the manipulation will continue... (Score:4, Funny)
Ticketmaster stories always remind me of this bit from Rick and Morty [wikipedia.org], Raising Gazorpazorp [wikipedia.org] (S01E07):
Rick: Well, obviously, Summer, it appears the lower tier of this society is being manipulated through sex and advanced technology by a hidden ruling class. Sound familiar?
Summer: [*gasp*] Ticketmaster.
Re: (Score:2)
F that. (Score:4, Interesting)
It's not clear if they're deluded/ignorant, or simply lying.
Re: (Score:2)
> a senior justice official said the deal will drive down prices by giving both artists and consumers more choice. It's not clear if they're deluded/ignorant, or simply lying.
Either way, good luck in an economy going south because of incessant greed. Artists who think they’re worth hundreds of dollars for a concert view complete with binoculars and nosebleeds, will find their concerts as intimate as their profits.
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yes, but now it is open sourced so yeah there, that will fix it. it is now open to Ticketmaster/Live Nation to control prices.
Re: (Score:2)
Artists who think theyâ(TM)re worth hundreds of dollars for a concert view complete with binoculars and nosebleeds, will find their concerts as intimate as their profits.
Artists don't control prices, Ticketmaster/Live Nation does. That's what this law suit was about.
Suuure it is. Let's just see how quickly it takes "up to" 13 venues to start colluding with pricing. Or watch that "up to" number disappear into nothing.
Gotta love that bullshit legalese.
settlement with air quotes (Score:5, Insightful)
Neither side apparently said anything about the agreement in court on Friday, which Judge Arun Subramanian said today was âoeabsolutely unacceptable.â âoeIt shows absolute disrespect for the court, the jury and this entire process,â he said.
With this admin, nobody should be surprised. Corruption is standard operating procedure.
DOJ has no clue what they 'open sourcing' (Score:1)
third-party companies just being Ticketmaster unde (Score:2)
third-party companies from just being Ticketmaster under an differnt name?
So they can get 100% of the venue but say 50% Ticketmaster and 50% ticketmaster2?
of this venue just uses ticketmaster2?
so they can keep playing the shell game. Also how does tickets end up on the resale site with market before or even with in 1 min of tickets going on sale unless it's some scam to get more then face value while paying the artiest none of the resale pricing.
so they are going back to the past where they did (Score:2)
so they are going back to the past where they did not own the venue? Or have they don't that for an long time but now have less rules like you must list an high % of tickets with us?
did they ban scalping their own tickets with 3rd p (Score:2)
did they ban scalping their own tickets with 3rd party scalpers? They have rules but look the other way as they get to X2-3 the fees.
https://www.stcatharinesstanda... [stcatharinesstandard.ca]
This is why people sued Ticketmaster (Score:5, Interesting)
Venue seats 10,000 to 12,000. Located in a town with over 100,000 residents, so not a major metro area.
Seats located roughly 20 rows from the stage.
Cost of 2 tickets:
Tickets: $398.00. (2 x $199.00)
Service Fee: $117.42. ($58.71 per ticket - that's 29.5% of the cost of the tickets with no explanation as to what it's for)
Delivery Fee: $9.95 (These are mobile tickets so that's a fee for sending it via email/text)
Taxes: $42.03
Total: $567.40. or $283.70 per ticket.
I will give you a hint - The group's last top 40 US single was in 1977.
Re: This is why people sued Ticketmaster (Score:2)
So, Fleetwood Mac then.
Re: (Score:3)
This is mental, I live in the UK (itself, falling apart) and just paid £40 for a good concert ticket to see a contemporary band!
I had some American friends fly over to Sweden for a week to see Taylor Swift there. That whole trip (flights, hotels, concert tickets etc.) was cheaper than just the tickets to see her in the USA.
I do feel bad for you all.
Re: (Score:2)
This is mental, I live in the UK (itself, falling apart) and just paid £40 for a good concert ticket to see a contemporary band!
I had some American friends fly over to Sweden for a week to see Taylor Swift there. That whole trip (flights, hotels, concert tickets etc.) was cheaper than just the tickets to see her in the USA.
I do feel bad for you all.
This is what happens when you let commerce control the government.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't really see how everyone can be so up in arms over ticket prices honestly. You want to see a Global Sensation, then expect to either a) win the lottery to buy a lucky "affordable" ticket or b) pony up the big dollars to see this "amazing, once in a life time act".
Obviously there are only so many seats available and not everyone that wants to go will be able to afford to go. That's just how life is.
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I just paid $80 for a 5 band line up of bands I mostly like and also will not get a chance to see again until possibly next year but not necessarily. Totally worth it. I think the most I've ever paid for a single ticket was around $150 but definitely under $200 and it was for an all day festival with 3 stages and acts all day.
It's hard to see spending more then that. I could see planning vacation to go to a certain place that also lined up with someone going to a local venue. I spent a week in Colorado and
Re: (Score:2)
I mean, they offer insurance on ticket sales. I just bought tickets the other day for a June show and declined the insurance. Tickets weren't all that expensive so the total loss isn't that big of a deal that it's worth insurance over. You the ticket purchaser gets to decide. What's the issue again?
Weak Sauce (Score:4, Insightful)
The situation is still super broken. Labelling any part of this Open Source means the "senior justice official" is either ignorant or intentionally misleading. Just plain wrong.
Look, there is overwhelming demand for many of these events. The question is do we (as a society of consumers) want to allow shows to become financial trading instruments like so many other things in our lives, or put into place mechanisms to remove the incentive associated with scalping and secondary ticket markets. IMHO this could be done with cooperation of artists and then ticketing mechanisms. But of course Ticketmaster, et al are more than happy to keep the up-bidding going so that they can get their XX% of whatever the overbid price becomes. Tay-Tay isn't getting any of that overbid money so artists like her should be onboard.
How long can this system last? (Score:3)
However, at what point will it no longer work? At some point the prices will be too high to sell out arenas. Big acts have been able to demand $1,000 or more for the best seats at giant arenas. Like so many others I can't name a single act that is active currently that I would pay anywhere near that much to see. If prices - and fees - keep going up the number of people in my camp will increase. Maybe the premium experience will be enough to offset that, but at some point demand side economics will take over.
If I can buy every single album, LP, single, and special edition an artist has ever released for less than 1/4 of what a ticket goes for - or for that matter less than just the fees for a ticket - the system seems a bit broken. Sure the live experience is different but is it worth that much?
well when resale lists an ticket it counts as sold (Score:2)
well when resale lists an ticket it counts as sold and events can sell out arenas with lots of tickets listed for resale.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course it's well known how much money some artists make through their tours. People are willing to pay the price to see them, so good for those artists.
However most artists make F-all off their tours and their tours are pretty much the only way to make money as the royalties for CD/MP3 sales are 3/5 of fuck all... Streaming is fuck all of fuck all.
And they don't even see the majority of what you pay for the ticket, it isn't the venue getting greedy either (empty seats are not good for them either). Ticketmaster needs to be taken down a peg (or 20)
This is why most bands don't give a fat rat's arse if you pirate, you're not robbing them of anything. If
Re: (Score:2)
Honestly, arena rock is practically a dead genre already.
I mean, Taylor Swift is an anomaly at this point. The last traditional "rock band" I know of who did the large arena tours was Nickelback, and it's well known how much of a butt of jokes they've become for how "lame" they supposedly are.
I suppose you might find a few others to point to like Imagine Dragons? But my point is, the high ticket prices and even the ability for the music industry to "group think" large enough segments of the population into
Re: (Score:2)
Honestly, arena rock is practically a dead genre already.
That might depend on how widely we define "arena rock". Yeah there aren't a lot of "rock" acts - by the traditional definition - that are selling out huge stadiums but there are plenty of other acts that are. Between various pop princesses, nostalgic rockers from the past, comedians, and even politicians we have plenty of non-sporting events selling out the hockey, basketball, baseball, and football arenas.
That said, while the tours pay the artists better than media / streaming revenue - and by a hug
But Will The States Accept It (Score:2)