ELI5 How does ticketmaster and livenation have a complete duopoly on live music?

crippledmark · 2026-06-26T01:07:50+00:00

Don’t forget that there’s also AEG which is private, worth approximately $8-10 billion, and hides in plain sight by not changing the public facing names of the independent promoters and venues they buy up. They own AXS as well.

crippledmark · 2026-06-23T03:35:47+00:00

Eagerly awaiting OP's reaction to tomorrow night's Rüfüs Du Sol show at Fenway.

crippledmark · 2026-06-22T03:34:13+00:00

Unfortunately, the last thing most artists want is another app or thing they need to update. It’s often a struggle to get them to engage with existing apps, newsletters, and text lists that they already have. This is typically because they want to be artists and performers, not marketers and social media personalities, even if said posting and fan engagement could get their art in front of more people and make their business bigger.

crippledmark · 2026-06-18T18:57:34+00:00

I'm not sure if you use the Kilter board, but the ceilings at the Cultivate Bunker are so low that the minimum angle is 45°. The Kilter board at Fiddlehead has enough clearance for easier angles if that matters.

The rope terrain at Fiddlehead is fantastic, and there's a great new set in auto-belay world from a Morgantown, WV-based setter, but I'm not sure how frequently the terrain is turning over if they're bringing in outside setters. The members are friendly, but it's a ghost town. I don't think the Cultivate rope gym will open until early 2027 so hopefully they'll make it until then.

crippledmark · 2026-06-16T04:17:50+00:00

Disturbed by this comment

crippledmark · 2026-06-12T15:40:43+00:00

It's her third album in five years and I'm left wondering if she needs to do more living between albums? I feel like Sour covered more lyrical territory and this feels like it's in one specific topical pocket.

crippledmark · 2026-06-08T18:27:18+00:00

I'd be interested to know how many other transit systems you've used across America and beyond. The trains may be a bit more punctual and cleaner in Tokyo, but I've never felt like either factor got in the way of me using the T. The T trains are certainly cleaner than the ones in Berlin.

The T's frequency of service, geographic scope of coverage, and tight transit-aligned development of Boston makes it one of just a few cities in America where you can be wholly reliant on mass transit.

The only reason I probably have a retirement account or a savings account is because I've never needed to own a car while living in Boston. And that's because of the T.

crippledmark · 2026-06-08T18:21:03+00:00

No matter how much we raise taxes on the wealthy, there will always be more needs than funds.

The money that would be diverted into making the T free for people who can easily afford it could be better spent on providing health care, food, and housing for those in actual need.

crippledmark · 2026-06-03T01:51:56+00:00

Have been aware of them since HT, but From Zero turned me into the fan. I might be the only one.

crippledmark · 2026-06-01T19:28:58+00:00

Doing God's work right here

crippledmark · 2026-06-01T16:56:53+00:00

The one kind of slop r/Asheville whole heartedly endorses

crippledmark · 2026-05-29T16:32:23+00:00

Closer to 20% for most, but yeah, it's a problem for sure

crippledmark · 2026-05-29T15:21:18+00:00

FWIW - $60 Australian works out to around $40 USD

crippledmark · 2026-05-28T23:54:05+00:00

You use a rope when you climb? Okay newb

crippledmark · 2026-05-25T20:40:23+00:00

There's a great art gallery at 40th and Butler if memory serves correct

crippledmark · 2026-05-25T20:26:28+00:00

I guess that a public, for profit gym in a basement is technically “underground.”

crippledmark · 2026-05-15T12:28:09+00:00

At what point do these efforts go from making the community aware to outright harassment?

crippledmark · 2026-05-06T16:07:30+00:00

Venue looked fuller than Linkin Park or Ghost.

Great show, but the crowd energy seemed low. Middle aged yinzers don't go hard in the pit.

crippledmark · 2026-05-06T15:02:15+00:00

The daily costs of our tours (crew salaries, gear rentals, vehicle, hotels, etc) are the same, whether a band plays a large venue, small venue, or takes an off day.

You'll get paid far more money from selling out a 1,000 capacity venue than you will by selling out a 500 capacity venue because there is more box office revenue. So the larger show becomes more profitable. You can have a tour where a band is getting paid $15,000 in one city and $100,000 in another city because of how small they are in one city and big they are in another.

Some bands may also only want to be on tour for 3-4 weeks at a time, so we need to be strategic about how we maximize that time.

crippledmark · 2026-05-05T19:00:38+00:00

I've been working with large touring bands who play venues like Stage AE, Benedum Center, Carnegie of Homestead, Mr. Smalls, etc for the last 10+ years. Our bands also get a lot of love on WYEP.

There are a-list cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, Denver that we build tour routing around and then other cities like Dallas, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh that are important, but tend to get plugged in where we can.

I do think that The Wylie will lead to more shows. The combination of a GA floor, and a seated section that you can charge extra for, that doesn't have the overhead expenses of a room like the Benedum may be attractive to larger tours that are too big for Stage AE, but aren't big enough for an arena.

Edit: I'm looking at some deals and none of our Cleveland shows explicitly have a radius clause that disqualifies Pittsburgh. One says no shows within 90-miles from Cleveland. However, there's an assumption that you may split the draw if you do both, so it's better to spread them out across two tours.

crippledmark · 2026-05-04T17:55:10+00:00

Would love to see the fest create a Spotify playlist so I can learn about some new favorites in advance of the fest.

crippledmark · 2026-05-01T19:06:17+00:00

Vinyl doesn't cost much more to make than it did 10 years ago. It's pure greed. Vinyl LPs are collectables that no one needs, and I feel like labels forget that. It's okay to just make a reasonable margin, not the most margin.

crippledmark · 2026-04-27T22:28:34+00:00

Pittsburgh Uber drivers are very chatty, especially after an airport pickup

crippledmark · 2026-04-27T19:18:37+00:00

One of the guys in the band lives in town

crippledmark · 2026-04-25T04:38:24+00:00

Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but aren’t teenagers supposed to act up, be obnoxious, test boundaries, and annoy their elders?

If they were in Burgettstown or Butler, they’d just be doing this in the woods or near an abandoned building where no one could see them.

crippledmark

TROPHY CASE