Ticket Masters

?In the spring of 1975 a trio of neophyte businessmen backed an old Chrysler
onto a sun-baked Arizona driveway and convened in their new office. The garage
start-up, dubbed Ticketmaster, would come to achieve such market dominance
over the following decades some critics would denounce the company as an
unlawful monopoly. Yet its path to the top was far from inevitable and Ticket
Masters analyzes the legality and ethics behind the actions of Ticketmaster,
including its recent merger with Live Nation. Ticket Masters, based on first-
person interivews with the key players, is a character-driven story that
explores the actions and impact of the iconoclasts guiding Clear Channel,
Ticketmaster, Live Nation, SFX, MusicToday, and StubHub, while folding in
related tales of trustafarians, scalping syndicates, old-school music
promoters, and would-be Internet tycoons. Ticket Masters answers such
questions as: Just what is included in a service fee and why does it vary with
the price of a ticket? Why am I forced to pay for parking when I'm taking
public transportation to the concert? and Who really pockets all of that
money? This guide to the concert industry looks into cubicles, conference
rooms, and booking agencies and includes interviews with promoters, musicians,
and corporate executives with connections to both Ticketmaster and the bands.
Special attention is paid to the touring activities and ticket-selling
practices of the Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, U2, Dave Matthews Band, and the
Rolling Stones.