Noisey editor Dan Ozzi absolutely hates everything that Live Nation stands for. Which is unfortunate because Noisey is owned by Vice Media, which just signed a major corporate deal with Live Nation.
Here’s an excerpt of Ozzi’s opinion of the company that he is now partnered with:
If you know anything about Live Nation, it’s not news to you that they are a gigantic, dickbag corporation intent on monopolizing live music.
Many small venue owners and local promoters have accused them of deliberately trying to undersell them and drive them out of business, much like Amazon takes a financial hit on book sales just to eliminate competitors.
Here’s an idea of how bad Live Nation’s stranglehold is: Back in 2010, they attempted to merge with fellow live music giant dickbag Ticketmaster and wouldn’t you know it, the United States Justice Department said that was a-ok because ha ha our system works so well. But in the middle of this unholy union, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (which includes companies like Google and Microsoft) tried to stop the merger, citing that it would not “protect competition in the primary and secondary markets for live event ticketing.” That’s bad.
When companies that produce the computers used in every office in America and a search engine used by 9 trillion users every single day (source: Google.com) say that your company is an out-of-control money-grubbing scumbag, that’s bad news.
But Live Nation taking over the live concert circuit is nothing new. This list on Billboard is just a reminder that while we’re constantly bombarded with stories about how badly the music industry is hurting, clearly Live Nation is doing just fine. Of course they are, they own most of it.
Here’s the thing though: You can only blame Live Nation for so long. Their stranglehold on live music is only going to continue to grow unless we all make a conscientious decision to avoid them.
Homogenized commercialization and monopolies are all well and good for our nation’s food franchises and pharmaceutical companies, but shouldn’t live music belong to the people?
That was both rhetorical and overly call to armsy. The answer is yes. Yes it should. So do your part. If you are in a band, book your tours at independently operated venues. Tell your booking agent you don’t want to give Live Nation business. Book shows in basements and libraries and in the back of bowling alleys if you can. And if you’re just a regular ol’ concert-goer, don’t buy Live Nation/Ticketmaster’s fee-heavy tickets and make an effort to avoid their locations whenever possible. They list them right here on their website.
Image by Rob DiCaterino, adapted via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. Written while listening to Jay-Z and araabMUZIK on Beats.
This, after they let their long-time creative director go?
Exactly what is a gigantic dickbag corporation, anyway?
Could this be a case, with regard to Vice, of “it takes one to know one?”
Just ask Kyle Bylin.
sells out to huge corporation
takes over independent venue spaces in brooklyn for new corporate headquarters.
writes this confusing hypocritical bullshit.
they must have smoked the same shit as obama.
i don’t think Dan Ozzi was the one who “sold out” Vice & decided on their new space. also, he wrote this before the deal was publicly known.
you mean weed? what does that have to do with this at all
money talks, bullshit….
up to I saw the paycheck for $9775 , I didnt believe that my sister woz like they say trully bringing in money part-time on their laptop. . there uncles cousin has been doing this less than seventeen months and by now paid for the depts on there apartment and purchased themselves a Mercedes .
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Cisgendered scum, the lot of them.
Or perhaps the headline should be a much more boring one such as “Vice Media doesn’t censor it’s writers even when speaking out against its corporate partners”?
I have discussed potential business transactions with them and I can confirm they are very arrogant and rude. My benchmark of quality is the 100’s of strategic as well as private equity firms I have dealt with and their professionalism.
Very misleading headline.
I started with my online business I earn $58 every 15 minutes. It sounds unbelievable but you wont forgive yourself if you don’t check it out.
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So. Is this comment column an ad recruitment space for some work from home NOISEY dickbag movement…or what? Who’s monitoring postings here? Is that Dan Ozzie guy in the loop to respond? If not, get a life.
Digital Music News: The NY Post of imaginative headlines
But then again, a truthful title of:
“A guy who is an editor at Noisey called Live Nation a ‘Gigantic Dickbag Corporation’ on his own Personal Blog” isn’t as sexy.
You have two choices: Live Nation or AEG, and unfortunately not one agency in the United States will boycott either of them, nor will one artist tell said book agency to do so.
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/pearl-jam-sues-ticketmaster/; Pearl Jam tried to sue Ticketmaster 20 years ago and didn’t get anywhere with it.