Dave's Blog - Wakeman Consulting Group

How I’d Like to Help You This Year

I deliver original, insightful content every week. Once a quarter, I do a self-serving update about how I can help you. 5 Ways I Deliver Value There are 5 ways you find me. In no particular order: Here’s what each looks like in practice. Strategic Advisory I work with leaders who feel Strategic Drift. Revenue […]

Why I Keep Writing About Live Nation

What Talking Tickets is about for readers, old and new. Why Live Nation? Why Now? I’ve been writing a lot about Live Nation over the last few days. The trial. The secret settlement. The unsealed documents. The David Marcus reply on LinkedIn. It’s a lot. Especially since I don’t really ever write about or think […]

David Marcus Replied. Now I Have Receipts.

Does David Marcus Still Think There’s No Evidence of Predatory Behavior? David Marcus was certain. In response to my post on the state of the live entertainment business, he took offense to me saying that Live Nation had won, but everyone else had lost. He replied to Charles Kaufman’s comment on LinkedIn to call me […]

The Narrative Economy of Finance

Why Blue Owl and Bill Ackman sell stories you want to believe—and what the numbers actually reveal. Blue Owl and Bill Ackman sell stories you want to believe…but what do the numbers really say? Finance loves a narrative. Bitcoin will replace gold. “Housing prices never go down.” Tulip bulbs traded for houses. The internet “changes […]

The Fix Was Always In

Dan Wall stood in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday and said there’s “zero chance” the states will settle. Judge Subramanian shot back: “Not with that attitude.” (I like judges with the same dismissive attitude towards nonsense that I have.) 25 states are still fighting. They know this settlement is a bad deal. It doesn’t stop […]

Judge Arun Subramanian. Live Nation. DOJ. Settlement?

This morning, rumors broke: Live Nation and the Department of Justice were about to agree to a settlement of the DOJ’s antitrust case that began last week in New York. The headlines will likely call this settlement historic. A landmark agreement. A new day in ticketing. As if?! Here’s what’s really going down: The flywheel keeps spinning. […]

The NY Times Just Published the Temu Version of My Met Opera Analysis

Same story. Less depth. No framework. Let’s compare. A little over two weeks ago, I wrote a piece called “The Met Opera’s Crisis Isn’t About Art. It’s About Strategy.” I laid out frameworks for analyzing the situation: Today, the New York Times published its own version. Same subject. Same desperation. Same Saudi deal. Same Chagall […]