Will the Merge Affect You?

A couple of weeks ago I dropped comment on Entertainment Weekly’s article about the possible merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Here’s what I said when the article asked if I even cared about the merger:

“ Yes, I do care about this possible merger. And I hope it doesn’t happen. I don’t think any “innovation” can come from ripping off and taking advantage of live music fans. Are we hoping for the government to regulate our concert-going experiences? In any case, fans are always in control. These companies can’t exist without our money. If they’re foolish enough to rip us off and think that it won’t hurt their business, we must show them otherwise by not paying the prices and/or flooding the company with our thoughts and opinions. Artist must also support the fans and we’ll support them.”

Then yesterday this The Record article by Herb Jackson came across the Popmatters PopWire and it’s good to see that Senators are standing up to the Ticketmaster and Live Nation and seriously questioning the integrity of the merger.

Since we’re all more politically aware in 2009, what’s your vote for this merger? Do you think it’ll really bring down ticket prices, or is this just a monopoly waiting to happen? And do fans really have that much control over the situation?