[i_am_nomad]

That’s always going to be a WIP. If artists want to cut out Ticketmaster, they already can, and sometimes do. Ticketmaster exists solely because artists want to charge lots of money but maintain a warm relationship with their fans.

[funfunfunction]

This is not true for artists. 1/3 of all tickets end up on the secondary market, a few of which Ticketmaster owns. This where fans spend a huge amount of money that artists never see. If Ticketmaster is charging a 10% markup in the primary market and a ticket sells for $100, they make $10. If they charge the same percentage in the secondary market (tip: they don’t) they would make $40. That money the artist never has a chance to see. Even though a fan is willing to pay $400, most of it goes to Ticketmaster’s scalpers and Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster is still around because of anti-competitive practices, not because they’re a lightening rod.