Ticketmaster, the nation’s forerunner in concert ticket distribution, and Live Nation, a new but increasingly powerful ticketing service, have threatened to merge and become “Live Nation Ticketmaster,” defeating Live Nation’s original purpose as a competitor. Luckily, the government seems to be doing what it’s meant to and lawmakers of all political persuasions stepped forward yesterday, urging the Justice Department to view the merger with “great skepticism.” The Chairman of the Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee, Senator Herb Kohl, has expressed concerns about the merger stifling competition in the entertainment industry and potentially violating vertical integration laws. The concerns seem particularly valid in light of recent Ticketmaster “mishaps” involving Bruce Springsteen concert tickets. Luckily it looks like government officials, Republicans and Democrats alike, don’t like paying an $8.00+ service charge on concert tickets either. Where are Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam when you need them? (via RS)

Ticketmaster continues its ultimate sashay of douchebaggery with Bruce Springsteen once more, as the ticket conglomerate oversold the musician’s Washington, D.C. show next week through its resale sister site TicketsNow. To try and save face, the company is trying to call people to offer refunds as well as alternate pairs of tickets to the May 18 concert, most of which are located much further away from the stage than the original ones. How did they think a 1970s phone tree-style system is going to be successful?
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Never to shy away from posting what feels like a Smashing Pumpkins news-related item every week, The Tripwire (via HipstersUnited.com) reports that Jimmy Chamberlain has officially quit the Smashing Pumpkins.
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Are we the only ones tired of seeing Billy Corgan’s smug mug in the news these days? It would be one thing if it was for his music, but lately it seems to be for anything but. Now he’s gone to the highest powers in the country to plead his case for the Performance Rights Act — admirable enough — only a few weeks after supporting the Ticketmaster/LiveNation merger in a letter to Congress — did we mention he’s managed by Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff?
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The latest episode in the ongoing drama of the Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger starts today, as the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights takes begins its official hearing. In simpler terms: the poo could potentially be hitting the fan, and you get to watch it all live on the internet.
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