The Beginning Of The End For Ticketmaster?
We’re all familiar with the monopoly that is Ticketmaster and the vice-like grip that they have on your balls when it comes to buying tickets. However, good news! No longer connected to their parent company IAC (InterActive Corp), the newly-independent TicketMaster is celebrating it’s freedom by being a whopping $750 million in debt.
What does this mean for you? Well, it primarily means that, along with their recent loss of exclusivity with LiveNation, they no longer have access to provide ticket services to most major performance venues in the United States.
Read more after the jump.
Remember screaming at the computer screen when you’d see the surcharges added to the tickets you were buying online? Those days are now potentially behind us.
It’s an interesting move to see Ticketmaster in this sort of position. They are attempting to be an independent entity, which is similar to the position that some major label artists are putting themselves in with their contracts (Ex: Madonna’s contract with LiveNation).
On the one hand, it could have given them even more power in the music industry. However, being so in debt and without the LiveNation connections, does level the playing field. Not only for promoters and venue operators, but also for bands as well.
Punk rock and hardcore is chock-full of bands who are adamant about not wanting to have to bow down to Ticketmaster, Clear Channel, and other major-industry roadblocks that run counter to DIY independent business/music models. Who knows, maybe your favorite bands will be able to find better places to play in your town.
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