https://www.vox.com/culture/2024/4/16/24132509/ticketmaster-live-nation-lawsuit-swift-bad-bunny-beyonce-rodrigo
The government filed a lawsuit to break up Ticketmaster's parent company.
I'm always glad to see the government go after a consolidated vertical monopoly like these assholes. It is part of the government's damn job, afterall.
But it kind of feels like it's a play for optics when there are much larger issues.
Its weird how a large group of people such as the federal government can work on more than one thing at a time.
Just because you dont know all the other things happening doesnt mean theyre not.
Ticketmaster is an easy target. Apple, Amazon, Microsoft ,Google should have been cut to pieces years ago, yet here we are.
These companies have more revenue than some countries, this is mental and shouldn't happen.
So yeah, I get the cynicism.
For such an easy target, Ticketmaster has operated with impunity for decades at this point. I agree it probably isn't the most pressing problem right now, but I am glad something is finally being done.
I'm glad they go after them, but I fear that they will use them as a scapegoat and do jackshit to other monopolies
Tbf, there's the other interpretation - go after the easy target first and use the momentum (and possibly legal precedents) from that to go on to progressively larger fish.
I understand this is extremely optimistic but hey, it could happen.
Dear US government, please stop climate change. I don't even go to concerts. I would feel bad about the gas it takes to get there
The current session doesn't even have a good record of doing one thing at once and political capital is not infinite. It's a legitimate concern to think we should be doing more important things.
And it's weird how these things almost always get killed by someone like Joe Manchin or the SCOTUS in spite of all the hard work of those good people. Try to pay more attention to what is actually going on.
I would have been receptive to the "there are larger issues" part but it might help to think of it like:
Instead of just an X-axis with "more/less important," add a Y-axis with "more/less political," a Z-axis with "more/less important to rich people," an A-axis with "simple/complicated" and so on, with a narrow N-dimensional space in which something can happen. All of these values are changing constantly and independently for every issue. We can affect some of these values, but the entire picture is usually out of any one person's control.
At this moment, fixing the concert monopoly is incredibly in the "maybe it can happen" zone. We just have to take it and run with it. Maybe, just maybe, ranked choice voting or taxing rich people or getting universal health care will make it to the "maybe it can happen" zone one day. It's not that, but hey, at least something gets a little better now.
Again, I'm all for it (in spite of what all the zero chill reddit types ITT think). But my guess is, it will die in some Republican appointed court as planned. It's probably performative pandering. I would love to be wrong about this. The administration does seem interested in going after corporations and big pharma. Yet little of substance has been done. Just lots of posturing. I think folks are desperate for any kind of progress, which is understandable.
They are supposed to stop it looooong before it gets to this stage. Have one or more companies formed powerful trusts that give them significant power over a market? Break them apart and bust them open.
Instead, we twiddle our thumbs while bootlicking white knites tell you it’s not a monopoly because there are TWO trusts cornering entire markets.
It’s madness.
you are like those karens at council meetings who complain "why we spend money on this instead of this??" and nothing gets done as result
I'm sure some conservative brainworm judge will block this somehow just like when the Biden admin tried to cap credit card late fees. This country won't be fixed until the only way judges can receive RVs as bribes is if they end up under the tires.
Been calling that this would happen in 2024 (election year) for 3 years now. It's the one thing all Americans agree on. But no matter the reason it's a good thing. Hopefully something actually happens.
Well one is far more feasible to get than the other. Half the country supports a man who is openly soliciting bribes from oil companies ffs.
I'm sure cheaper concert tickets will come as a comfort to those who are struggling to pay for lifesaving medication.
They can ration their medication even more and go see Taylor Swift before they die.
It feels like a bid to buy young people's votes back. I pray our youth are not so shallow.
I'm as cynical as the next guy... But i feel like an administration that is willing to enforce antitrust laws (even if it is just for votes) is a good thing
I said the same before when they were playing with marijuana laws. People didn't like it and even said things like "I want my politicians to do things for votes."
Then a couple weeks later, the administration reversed course.
Just add it on top of women's and lbgtq rights and suddenly it sounds less shallow.
Hasn't this been in the works for over a year now, with the congressional hearing a while back?
Feels pretty bad if 2/4 years of stuff doesn't count.
I don't go to concerts and don't really personally care that much about ticket prices, but even from that position, antitrust issues are pretty much a real issue.
I do think that the framing of antitrust action as being specifically driven by the political layer is maybe obnoxious. The overwhelming bulk of federal Executive Branch activity is done by people who do not change from administration and whose actions do not change. A few people at the top whose job is oversight of them do change, but that drives a very small part of what the government does.
Finally. They listened! I'm so glad they finally are tackling this important problem. It is far more important than starving millions of people in a foreign country to support genocidal fascists.
Yes! I’m so glad the Biden administration decided that they can only tackle one issue at a time!111ii1!
And nobody was ever hurt by a monopoly!!! Let’s abandon all regulations and become ancaps!!!
Weed, loans, and concert tickets.
But not fixing shit.
Democrats trying to buy the election as predicted. Fucking earn it dipshits.
"Buy the election" = giving citizens things they want/need with their tax money
What an absolutely stupid statement you've made, friend. This would be so embarrassing if you had any self awareness.
Weed/Ticketmaster could and should have been done the forst yeat, as was promised. Not waiting until the clock is running out and he is not polling well.
It is the saving it until he needs the bump, and not doing it when it could/should have been done, is why i will detest voting for him.
Its not about principle at all. Its just about retaining power while keeping their choke leash on the people.
Lobbiest Money out of politics.
Revert citizens united via legislation.
Codify human rights not specifically granted by amendments via legislation.
Judicial audit.
Shift social welfare programs to UBI approach
Stop breaking the USPS and Education system (yeah...)
Build domestic manufacturing and supply chains.
Tax system rebalancing.
And some other shit.
