Story posted Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Ticketmaster, Live Nation Agree On Merger
Rosemont's director of Entertainment Facilities isn't expecting any big changes in the way tickets are bought and sold following last week's merger between Ticketmaster and national concert promoter Live Nation.
Some say the merger, approved by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, might have negative repercussions for the concert industry, but Harry Pappas disagrees.
"I don't anticipate any big changes," said Pappas, who oversees operations at Allstate Arena and the Rosemont Theater Pappas said Jerry Michaelson, of Jam Productions, the Midwest's largest regional concert promoter, has been vocal in his opposition to the deal.
"Jam will say this will be a monopoly," said Pappas. "I don't think this will affect Jam's ability to book shows."
Jam and Live Nation may snipe at each other in public, said Pappas, but they often work together to produce and promote shows behind the scenes. Pappas does not expect that to change because of the merger.
Jam has long been a dominant powerhouse when it comes to booking concerts in the Midwest. Live Nation is challenging Jam by taking a national approach to booking tours across the United States.
Pappas said the merger comes down to ticketing. Rosemont has had an exclusive deal with Ticketmaster to provide ticketing services to Rosemont venues for many years. That would not change under the proposed deal, said Pappas, nor would Jam's ability to book shows in Rosemont's venues using Ticketmaster/Live Nation as the ticket agent.
As for the possibility of the merger driving up concert ticket prices, Pappas said the price of a ticket is determined by the act's popularity and demand for tickets.
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