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25 Jan 2010 21:13

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Biz: The Justice Dept. finds silver lining in Ticketmaster and Live Nation

  • The merger has been approved after a yearlong investigation. This nightmare merger had been what many music fans had been fearing, but it appears the Justice Department found some common ground. “We were prepared to litigate this case, and I told the parties that,” said Justice Department antitrust representative Christine A. Varney. “The required divestitures and behavioral prohibitions alleviate our concerns.” Ticketmaster has to ditch a ticketing division and license its software to a competitor. Oh, and the boys at Justice will be watching them like a hawk for 10 years. Good idea – music fans will thank you. source

21 Nov 2009 14:14

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Music: Jason Segel’s singing for the LAAA-DIES, complete with digits.

Hey baby, want to call me? Judd Apatow acolyte and “I Love You, Man” star Jason Segel has the right idea. At a Swell Season (i.e. actors from “Once“) show last week, Segel dropped his number to ladies in the middle of a song. Julius has been having trouble with the ladies lately, so he might try it, too. source

10 Nov 2009 11:20

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Music: Daily poll: Rock bands, Morrissey, concerts and jerk fans

  • Former Smiths lead singer Morrissey is many things – sly, witty, amusing, awesome. But he can be very sensitive, as a huge crowd of fans learned in London over the weekend when Moz left a show immediately after a jerk threw a plastic water bottle at his head. Fans were not happy. So, our question, in general, wonders if he made the right move here. Should one jerk be allowed to ruin everything? Vote here. source

25 Oct 2009 10:58

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Music: We’re pulling for you, Morrissey! The dude collapsed onstage.

We hate it when our friends become unconscious. The former Smiths singer collapsed almost immediately onstage. He’s hospitalized in stable condition. source

30 Aug 2009 10:03

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Music: Blink-182: A freaking mess onstage after DJ AM’s death

  • We are doing our very best to get through this show, but right now it’s very hard.
  • Blink-182 bassist/singer Mark Hoppus • On playing a show in Hartford, Conn. last night, almost immediately after DJ AM’s death. The band sang a song in honor of their fallen comrade, who was especially close with drummer Travis Barker, with tears rolling down their eyes. This sounds like one of the saddest sights ever. Both Barker and Goldstein shared in the plane crash tragedy last year, which killed many of their friends even though they survived. • source

15 Jun 2009 18:22

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Music: Dear Blur: Welcome back. We missed you. <3 Damon & Graham

  • The Britpop icons made their live re-debut over the weekend, and we couldn’t be happier clams. Sure, Gorillaz was good, but Blur is Blur. OK? source

08 Feb 2009 10:29

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Music, Offbeat: Vladimir Putin: Russian Prime Minister, tiger tamer, Abba fan

  • £20,000 to see an Abba tribute band source
 

06 Feb 2009 16:04

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Culture: Jessica Simpson had a bit of a breakdown last night

  • Worst part? It was on stage. Simpson has had a lot on her plate lately, what with some jerks in the media giving her guff about apparent weight gain. (Her ex-husband, Nick Lachey, has her back.) Anyway, at a show in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Simpson was opening for Rascal Flatts, she was having trouble keeping her composure, forgot lyrics and was a big freaking mess. What was to blame? Possibly boyfriend Tony Romo’s lack of appearance at the show. He missed his flight. source

05 Feb 2009 10:12

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Music: Live Nation and Ticketmaster want to merge? The Boss isn’t a fan.

  • The proposal Ticketmaster, which handles ticket sales at venues across the country, and Live Nation, a spin-off of Clear Channel that promotes and produces live shows and has recently gotten into the artist management business, want to merge, sources say. As both businesses cover much of the live music industry, the merger would face antitrust scrutiny.
  • The concern Fans are not very happy about this idea, largely due to Ticketmaster’s history of shady practices and overcharging. Ticketmaster convenience fees can significantly increase the price of a concert ticket. If Live Nation, which has recently gotten into the ticket-distribution business itself, remained a competitor, they could help lower prices by increasing competition.
  • Bruce weighs inBruce Springsteen, who has a long history of railing against corporate greed, weighed in with a note on his Web site. In it, he stated that “the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system.” source