Live Nation Entertainment?

Many people are (quite reasonably) upset over the recent news concerning the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger. I count myself a member of this group, and there are so many reasons why you should too. If the merger should happen, it would eliminate virtually all competition in the ticketing industry, and essentially give one company total control over almost all ticketing for major artists and venues in the U.S. I know everyone always panics about mergers, but trust me, this one is really worth panicking about. The ticketing industry has been nearly monopolized by Ticketmaster until Live Nation created a ticketing service, and now that these two entertainment giants are being all buddy-buddy, it means bad news for concertgoers. Ticketmaster and Live Nation have been ripping us off for years with their ridiculous "convenience fees," which sometimes cost as much as the concert ticket itself. But the new plan may be to sell tickets on a secondary market instead of a primary market, meaning that rather than selling tickets for a fixed price, ticketing will operate auction-style. As a college student, I dread the day this happens. I don't expect to be earning much for at least the next couple years, and the elimination of fixed-price ticketing virtually wipes out my chances of seeing any big-name artists. I can't even cling to the hope that if my internet connection is fast enough, I will be able to secure those coveted tickets, because now I won't stand a chance against those enviable People With Disposable Income. I know the secondary ticket market already exists in the form of Craigslist and scalpers, and some people think it won't be a big deal because it's something we've all had to live with, but I think this is a poor argument in favor of the merger. Live Nation Entertainment could make the majority of ticketing happen in their own secondary market, allowing them to scoop up the surplus previously enjoyed by other companies or private assholes. Oops, I mean sellers. Private sellers, sorry. The upside is that tickets for the more obscure artists may be cheaper than they currently are, but it's a small consolation. While this new ticketing option would eliminate shortages, it really puts many concertgoers at an unfair disadvantage by essentially taking away their privilege to see some really great live shows.