On this week's episode, Meg Sinick joins me for the saga of Ticketmaster: the company that swallowed up and digested the live music industry by making a product that literally no one wants. Find out:

• How service fees and exclusive contracts turned the thriving music scene into a $300 Lil Jon meet-and-greet atop a pyramid of bleached skulls
• Why the concentrated hate of millions of concertgoers only makes Ticketmaster more powerful
• How Taylor Swift finished what Eddie Vedder started (and also Kid Rock was there)

References:

Budnick, Dean, and Josh Baron. Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped. New York: Plume, 2012.
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/reports/Ticket_Sales_Report.pdf

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970504/2537429/paul-allen-caught-in-the-middle----his-varied-business-ventures-sometimes-collide-with-those-of-microsoft-the-firm-he-helped-found

https://conduition.io/coding/ticketmaster/?ref=404media.co

https://faqs.axs.co.uk

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/live-at-wharton-music-man-ron-delsener/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qoim5FInvN4

https://manicpresents.com/about/

https://musicsustainability.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/628/2025/08/The-LiveNation_Ticketmaster-Merger_-A-citizens-guide.pdf

https://nclnet.org/live_event_ticketing_guide/

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33288959

https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/ahead-trial-attorney-general-bonta-lays-out-case-against-live-nation

https://playbill.com/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-ticketmasters-verified-fan-ticket-buying

https://prospect.org/2022/12/21/ticketmasters-dark-history/

https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdf/10.1257/089533003765888449

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10185618/event-brite-qr-code

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e91157c96fe495a4baf48f2/t/68e58e39bce25b729b47932e/1759874617679/2025-NIVA-State-of-Live-Report.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20240402023930/https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9663528775313-How-are-ticket-prices-and-fees-determined

https://web.archive.org/web/20241209042105/https://www.ticketmaster.com/mobile-tickets

https://www.404media.co/scalpers-are-working-with-hackers-to-liberate-non-transferable-tickets-from-ticketmasters-ecosystem/

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/online-ticket-sale-fees/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/11/23/microsoft-co-founder-paul-allen-buys-control-of-ticketmaster/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-07-17-9507210012-story.html

https://www.classaction.org/media/heckman-et-al-v-live-nation-entertainment-inc-et-al.pdf

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/media/taylor-swift-tickets-resale-market/index.html

https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/03/09/music-industry-revenue-us-2021/

https://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/testimon.shtml

https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/paperless-ticket-trend-leaves-unbanked-outside-the-gate

https://www.hypebot.com/adele-plots-ou-tour-with-indie-promoters-snubbing-live-nation-aeg/

https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2025/06/27/live-nation-ticketmaster-among-issues-at-indie-music-venue-conference/84342601007/

https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nj/Press/files/Lowson,%20Kenneth%20et%20al%20News%20Release.html

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/ticketmaster-pays-10-million-criminal-fine-intrusions-competitor-s-computer-systems-0

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-31-fi-5143-story.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-06-09-ca-136-story.html

https://www.natb.org/why-natb/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32898804

https://www.newspapers.com/image/176472943/?match=1&terms=ticketmaster%20fees%20service%20facility

https://www.newspapers.com/image/35017641/?match=1&terms=ticket%20scalpers
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-rare-humanism-behind-paul-allens-technological-vision