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=The future of the music industry?
According to an article published today in The Wall Street Journal, Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. and Live Nation Inc. are nearing a merger. Live Nation, which just recently launched its own ticketing service, would be pairing with the well-known ticketing beast to bring over 200 artists under one name. The conglomerate will be known as Live Nation Ticketmaster, and according to The Journal, will not entail an “exchange of cash”.
This news strikes fear in the hearts of many. Not only could this possibly be a violation of antitrust law, but it could also lead to an increase in ticket fees and surcharges. I mean, after the merger, who’s the competition?
This teaches us a lesson: Be careful what you wish for. After the Phish ticketing snafu, people were pining for Ticketmaster; looks like they may just get what they wished for, in a big way.
It's worth a listen. 