Tag Archives: Paul McCartney

The United States Justice Department Officially Files an Antitrust Suit Against Live Nation, The Owner of Ticketmaster, Live Nation Responds

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(PRNewsfoto/Live Nation Entertainment)

 

Live Nation /Ticketmaster have come under fire in recent years for what many concertgoers and bands decry as price fixing and artificially inflating ticket pricing, and scalping/reselling. The brand has been under investigation by the US Government after a major public outrage by fans after ticket fiascos such as Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and recently Blink-182. The United States Department of Justice and several states have officially filed a lawsuit against Live Nation Inc, citing alleged antitrust violations at least in part due to the market dominance of the company’s Ticketmaster unit.

 “We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”

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The United States Justice Department is Expected to File an Antitrust Suit Against Live Nation, The Owner of Ticketmaster

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(PRNewsfoto/Live Nation Entertainment)

 

Live Nation /Ticketmaster have come under fire in recent years for what many concertgoers and bands decry as price fixing and artificially inflating ticket pricing, and scalping/reselling. The brand has been under investigation by the US Government after a major public outrage by fans after ticket fiascos such as Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and recently Blink-182. Now according to published reports by CNN and The Washington Post The United States Justice Department and several states are expected to file a lawsuit as soon as Thursday against Live Nation Inc, citing alleged antitrust violations at least in part due to the market dominance of the company’s Ticketmaster unit, a person briefed on the planned legal action said. If this lawsuit is successful, if would send shockwaves through the music induistry, the concert industry, down to booking agents, bands and fans. Live Nation has been the past recipient of ire specifically from metalheads after proof of collusion with bands to create a resale market with major bands, such as Metallica (Editor’s Note: basically every huge touring band has a rep that manages their Live Nation relationship), causing a major embarrassment for the band. In their rebuttal to the current case (but before the filing) being made against them (one of which is that they hold an unfair monopoly on the entire concert industry) they claim they are not unfair and entrants into the field for ticket sales have caused them to defend their brand. They have tried several campaigns to offset this lawsuit from coming down, including their support of the “Fair Ticketing Act,” launching the option for “all-in pricing,” and the On The Road program with Willie Nelson to help venues and stop the practice of merch cuts. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Frank Turner – Undefeated

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A new Frank Turner album is an event. One of the preeminent songwriters of the last two decades, we greet it with high expectations. Not unlike Buck in the book The Call of The Wild by Jack London, life around us becomes increasingly more complicated and vicious daily. Do we become more savage, or learn to “be more kind?” That is often the only question that needs asking. Continue reading →


PODCAST: Glacially Musical 164: Dolly Parton – “Rockstar” Track-By-Track Review and Analysis

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In a new chaser episode, Nik and his co-host Keefy of GhostCultMag review the first ever Rock album from Country royalty and national treasure, Dolly Parton! Following up her 2022 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, she made a double album (actually a triple) full of duets and guest stars such as Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Joan Jett , Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton,  Miley Cyrus, Steve Perry of Journey, John Fogerty (CCR), Sting, Peter Frampton, Elton John,  Duran Duran, and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr of The Beatles!  Continue reading →


Live Nation Answers The Federal Investigation Into Ticket Pricing and Practices with Support of a “Fair Ticketing Act” 

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(PRNewsfoto/Live Nation Entertainment)

 

Live Nation /Ticketmaster have come under fire in recent years for what many concertgoers and bands decry as price fixing and artificially inflating ticket pricing, and scalping/reselling. The brand has been under investigation by the US Government after a major public outrage by fans after ticket fiascos such as Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and recently Blink-182. Live Nation has been the past recipient of ire from metalheads after proof of collusion with bands to create a resale market with major bands, such as Metallica, causing a major embarrassment for the band. In their rebuttal to the case being made against them (one of which is that they hold an unfair monopoly on the entire concert industry) they claim they are not unfair and entrants into the field for ticket sales have caused them to defend their brand. Check out Live Nation’s response to the investigation below. Continue reading →


CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED: The Beatles “Final” Album “Abbey Road” Turns 50

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Fifty years ago, The Beatles released what was their final recording together, Abbey Road (Apple Records). Even though the ‘Get Back’ single sessions and the massive Let it Be (also Apple). Let it Be is always remembered as the swansong and has the epic title track ear-wormed into our souls, but Abbey Road was the last time the band would work together collectively on music. Although they were the biggest band on the planet at the time, and their relationships were disintegrating, the group made some of its best music ever on this album. Continue reading →


Metallica and Guns N Roses are Among The Worlds Highest-Paid Celebrities According to Forbes

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Forbes has released their annual list of the worlds highest-paid celebrities and on the strength of their massive grossing world tours, Metallica and Guns n Roses made the list. Metallica is back on the list after missing in 2018, ranked No. 21 this year with $65 million. GNR also failed to make the list last year but landed at No. 71 in 2019 with $44 million. The annual Celebrity 100 ranks the world’s highest-paid celebrities in music, sports, and entertainment according to what they made over the last 12 months. Sadly, Taylor Swift is still the highest-paid celebrity in the world, earning $185 million over the past year. Music industry trade magazine Pollstar recently named Metallica one of the top-earning hard rock and metal tours of the “2019 Midyear” reporting period, which covered the six-month range from November 22, 2018, to May 22, 2019. The ongoing “WorldWired” trek continued to be a hot ticket, as the group’s 21 North American arena shows during the reporting period grossed a total of $41.7 million, good for an average per-show gross of $1.99 million. With an average attendance of more than 16,000, the band moved nearly 350,000 tickets altogether. Guns’ “Not In This Lifetime” tour is believed to be the second-highest-grossing tour of all time, having generated more than $500 million since it began three years ago. The trek began in April 2016, and after 159 shows in 41 countries, it played its last date at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 8, 2018. Continue reading →


November 23rd 2018 New Music Releases

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Check out all of today’s new releases in the music world!

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Record Store Day Black Friday Essentials

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Record Store Day Black Friday not only supports artists and labels you love but it an opportunity to support small businesses, indie record shops and basically keep your scene alive, And if you can’t get out of the house, for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, don’t have a lot of money to spend, or just plain hate consumerism, consider heading over to our pals at Bandcamp and purchase even one track from one of your favorite bands. Consider joining Metal Bandcamp Gift Club or starting your own with friends. If you are participating in #RSDBlackFriday2018, Ghost Cult has you covered with our exhaustive list below.Continue reading →


“The White Album” By The Beatles Turns Fifty!

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There is a scene in the Steven Spielberg film Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade where our eponymous hero faces up to his latest nemesis, known to us only as Panama Hat. Panama Hat discovers the priceless Cross of Coronado in Indiana’s pocket. He remarks:

“This is the second time I’ve had to reclaim my property from you.”

Jones responds, ever protecting of the artifact: “That belongs in a museum!”

“So do you!” cackles our bad guy.

I use this diversion to illustrate one point: namely, the understandable reverence for The Beatles does occasionally lapse into regarding them and their music as some kind of untouchable museum piece. Every note of music, every syllable of dialogue, every lyric pored over with scrupulous and studied gaze, their ardent fan base akin to music archaeologists in search of a new lens, some new insight.Continue reading →