ticketmaster Archives - Wakeman Consulting Group

Now What? A Jury Found Live Nation Guilty…A Competitor’s Playbook

A New York jury put a label on something Live Nation likes to deny. They are a monopoly. You already knew that. We wait for the remedy to see how much this verdict changes the live entertainment business. But right now is an opportunity. If you are willing to take it. The verdict put a […]

John Breyault thinks that monopolies are gonna monopoly…I agree.

My guest today is John Breyault. John is with the National Consumers League. His work is on consumer protection. This made a conversation about the Live Nation trial timely. We cover a lot of ground about Live Nation and tickets including: And, more! I’ve written too many words about this case, but if you haven’t […]

Must Be Nice Not to Know: Michael Rapino’s Testimony in NYC

Michael Rapino took the stand in Manhattan today. The Live Nation CEO had a simple answer for a lot of questions: I don’t know. The 2016 email where he admitted fees were too high? “I don’t remember that.” The Slack messages where employees joke about robbing fans blind? “I only learned about them last week.” The service […]

The Broker Debate: Three Voices…More Than One Truth?

This started on Tuesday. Randy Nichols drew a comparison between bootleggers and ticket brokers. (As the grandson of a famous Georgia bootlegger, I took no offense.) “The carry inventory, risk, need to deal with forecasting,” he wrote. “But at the end of the day, they aren’t a partner. They’re stealing.” Josh Ludwig jumped on that […]

Even if the States Win, Will It Be Enough?

Thirty-six states and DC returned to the courtroom Monday. They rejected the DOJ’s settlement. They hired a rock star of antitrust. They are presenting evidence. And the evidence is brutal. Bob Roux, Live Nation’s president of US concerts, took the stand on Monday. He claimed “more competition than ever.” He denied blocking artists from non-Ticketmaster […]

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 […]