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This situation mirrors the PJ events of the 90s. Back then, me and my young friends asked ourselves why PJ didn't just start its own ticketing platform, and the easy answer was "techs hard," because it was hard back then.

Now that is NO LONGER the case. But the answer to the query "Why doesn't TayTay create her own direct to fan ticketing app?" is LN/Ticketmaster have monopoly control over EVERY. single. large. venue on the planet.

Matt - is there a legal mechanism by which the USGov can break that monopoly, make binding non-compete agreements between venues and ticketing firms illegal, and free the venues? Because THAT would start an avalanche of new apps for artists to market their tickets to consumers (new jobs), lower ticket prices (great for consumers), and likely increase the number of events (more jobs!).

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Nov 19, 2022Liked by Matt Stoller, Todd Mentch

To rub salt in the monopoly wound is that Ticketmaster this year introduced dynamic pricing. They literally just see how many people try to buy tickets and then jack up the price because you can’t go anywhere else

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Nov 19, 2022Liked by Matt Stoller, Todd Mentch

sometimes, it's just a random episode, that finally catches appropriate attention of those with responsibility, and importantly, authority, to DO SOMETHING good, even if it's begrudgingly!

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Thanks for exposing Ticketmaster’s monopoly. Hopefully Khan and Kanter will successfully fight monopolies.

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Nov 19, 2022Liked by Matt Stoller

The Dead & Co. tour was botched by Ticketmaster too.

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OK... I had to stop reading BIG about 1/2 through b/c it was a litany of consolidation after consolidation and was too depressing. After I finish the latest Jack Reacher and am all macho'd up I'll go back and give it another whirl. LOL

LiveNation is the flavor of the month, and I can't help but think 'BFD; in June it was the airlines and things are just as crappy flying today as it was back then'.

Now Matt's been cool w/ posting about the wins, but it feels like our government is half-heartedly shovelling sand against the tide (Mayor Pete anyone?).

Look, I'm a Boomer; just how effective are these Senate and House investigations anyway? I mean shame USED to have an effect on people, but now? Huh. The exec at Livenation sounds like he's Pharmabro's father.

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Your blog has me checking the FTC Careers section every week, wanting to go fight the good fight.

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Do you think Swift has a case for the damage Ticketmaster has caused to her reputation? What about fans filing a class action suit against Ticketmaster?

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But ultimately, Matt, we all need to go and look in the mirror. We complain about monopolies and we complain about pricing and conditions and manipulation but in the end we do the deal. We need to start saying fudge it, I don’t need to do the deal and I won’t do the deal. The only free person is the person who says “no”.

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FINALLY.

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Hi Matt, On a different subject but one in which I believe you have an interest .....I have come across a number of sites promoting XRP / Ripple...my question Is XRP yet another crypto 'story'/'scam'? Any comments would be most appreciated. Thanks M.

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I have been incensed over high exam fees for years as friends and family have spent thousands on state qualifying exams in a number of fields. One friend’s career had her in North Carolina, then Massachusetts, then California within 10 years. Each time she needed to take another qualifying exam. Why one qualifying exam wouldn’t work is beyond me. The only explanation that makes sense is that the states and the exam makers want their fees. It gets worse if you don’t pass initially. Another friend failed an exam recently and had to pay $100.00 just to get her score, without any information on where she had gone wrong. Most applicants are already mired in debt, which is another major problem. The extravagantly expensive exams add insult to injury.

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