In episode 49: The American Department of Justice are seeking to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation to try and make gigs cheaper. How did Ticketmaster gain such a grip on the music industry, and if the DOJ are successful what could it mean for live music in the UK? Loaded magazine is back… Richard and Marina trace it’s history and that of ‘lad mags’. Is there a bloodline to today’s toxic masculinity? Finally, we have our hands on the second viewing data dump from Netflix and it has sparked a possible billion-dollar idea from Richard!
Producers: Neil Fearn + Tom Whiter
Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport
Download Why Do Gigs Cost So Much? as MP3
Inside This Episode
Richard and Marina discuss Ticketmaster’s monopoly on event ticketing and why concert tickets cost so much. They explore how Ticketmaster operates, including their acquisition of Live Nation in 2010, and the legal challenges they face from the US Attorney General. They also discuss Labour’s proposal to cap secondary ticket sales at 10% over face value.
Why are gig tickets so expensive?
Ticketmaster revolutionized the industry by paying venues for exclusive ticketing rights rather than charging them fees. This created a monopoly situation where “they control the entire entertainment supply chains.” The hosts explain that Ticketmaster’s additional fees are partly shared with artists and venues, though the company often takes the blame for high prices.
What is happening with Loaded magazine?
Loaded magazine, a key publication in 1990s “lad culture,” is being relaunched. The new editor, Dani Levy, describes it as targeting “the original loaded audience who are now living happily at home with their wife and kids, but still reminisce about their nights spent clubbing.” The hosts discuss how the magazine’s initial energy eventually “turned into misogyny” and its unlikely prospects for success in today’s market.
What did Netflix reveal about its viewing data?
Netflix has released its viewing figures for the second half of 2023. The data shows that licensed content like “Suits” performs extremely well, while prestige “awards movies” attract fewer viewers. The hosts note that “you have not heard of almost all of the shows that are the biggest things” on the platform, with animated movies and international crime dramas being particularly successful.
Media Mentions
Movies
- Mad Max: Furiosa
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Red Notice
- The Fall Guy
- Nyad
- Maestro
- Rustin
- Society of the Snow
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- Leave the World Behind
- You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
- Murder Mystery 2
- Paw Patrol: The Movie
- Leo
- The Boss Baby
- Minions: The Rise of Gru
- Trolls
- Sing
- Sing 2
- Hotel Transylvania
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Shrek
- Shrek 2
- Garfield
- Skyfall
- Strictly Confidential
- Dune: Part Two
Television Shows
- Suits
- Grey’s Anatomy
- Young Sheldon
- Gilmore Girls
- Squid Game
- Squid Game: The Challenge
- Three Body Problem
- Wednesday
- One Piece
- Derry Girls
- House of Games
- Euphoria
Books
- Ticketmasters by Dean Budnick and Josh Baron
- The Game by Neil Strauss
- How to Fight a War by Mike Martin
- Thursday Murder Club
Magazines
Live Events
- Taylor Swift Eras Tour
Hot Takes
“I have got some Taylor Swift tickets. I don’t wanna say what I paid for them. It was slightly more than the opening box office of Mad Max Furiosa.”
“I’m not even in the same postcode as Taylor Swift, by the way. I’m technically in Wembley Stadium, but… it’s very unclear whether we will be able to see her even with the binoculars which we’re taking.”
“A show that is essentially a critique of capitalism was, in the most capitalistic way, made into a game show.”
“It’s like The Onion headline, which is, Ironic Porn Viewing Leads to Unironic Masturbation.”
“Every generation is uniquely stupid in their own way and uniquely clever in their own way.”
“Oh, dear. It’s happened again. Yeah. I’m afraid sexism has happened again. Who could have predicted after so many millennia of it that that it would happen again?”
“[Loaded magazine’s] goal is to bring back ogling for the 35- to 55-year-old men… when can men ogle? When are men gonna be able to look at a naked person in our society is what I would like to know.”
Who’s Who
- Merrick Garland – US Attorney General who launched a monopoly suit against Ticketmaster
- Taylor Swift – Musician whose ticket sales issues with Ticketmaster caused controversy
- Lina Khan – Head of the FTC (Federal Trade Commission)
- Boris Johnson – Former UK Prime Minister
- Gavin Williamson – Former UK cabinet minister
- Fred Olsen – Founder of Ticketmaster who revolutionized the ticketing industry
- Dani Levy – New editor of the relaunched Loaded magazine
- Liz Hurley – Cover star for the relaunched Loaded magazine
- Damien Hurley – Liz Hurley’s son who reportedly photographs her
- Sarah Cox – Former Loaded cover model, now has a book club
- Cat Deeley – Former model, now presenter on This Morning
- Gail Porter – Former model whose image was projected onto Parliament
- James Brown – Original editor of Loaded magazine
- Neil Strauss – Author of The Game about pickup artists
- Andrew Tate – Controversial internet personality
- Ted Sarandos – Netflix executive
- Lindsay Lohan – Actress who appears in Netflix Christmas films
- Matt Osman – Richard Osman’s brother, member of the band Suede
- Manic Street Preachers – Band touring with Suede
- David Cameron – Former UK Prime Minister
- Howard Jones – 1980s musician
- Adam Sandler – Actor popular on Netflix
- Dwayne Johnson – Actor in “Red Notice”
- Ryan Reynolds – Actor in “Red Notice”
- Rawson Marshall Thurber – Director of “Red Notice” and “Dodgeball”
- Jodie Foster – Actress in “Nyad”
- Barack Obama – Former US President, producer of “Leave the World Behind”
- Michelle Obama – Former US First Lady, producer of “Leave the World Behind”
- Benedict Cumberbatch – Actor
- Keir Starmer – UK Labour Party leader
- Rishi Sunak – UK Prime Minister
- Timothée Chalamet – Actor
- Margot Robbie – Actress
- Zendaya – Actress in “Dune” and “Euphoria”
- Charlize Theron – Actress in “Mad Max: Fury Road”
- Florence Pugh – Actress in “Mad Max: Furiosa”
- Gary Oldman – Actor who appeared on an early Loaded cover
- Richard Desmond – Former owner of OK! magazine
- Pamela Anderson – Former model mentioned as potential Loaded cover star
- Melinda Messenger – Former model mentioned as potential Loaded cover star
- Zoe Ball – Former model, now broadcaster
- Agatha Christie – Author whose work continues to generate revenue
Notable Numbers
- 10% – Labour’s proposed cap on secondary ticket sales above face value
- 7000% – Mentioned as a potential markup on resold tickets
- 25¢ – The fee Ticketron charged theatres for selling tickets in the 1970s
- 50% – Maximum percentage of fees that Ticketmaster reportedly shares with venues
- 20% – Approximate ticket fees in the UK
- 50% – Ticket fees that can reach this level in the US
- 1977 – Year of the first gig that Ticketmaster sold tickets for (ELO)
- 25¢ – Original Ticketmaster fee on a $6.25 ticket
- 34% – Increase in viewership for the original Squid Game after Squid Game: The Challenge aired
- $60-70 million – Approximate cost of the Garfield movie
- 59 – Liz Hurley’s age when appearing on the cover of the relaunched Loaded
- 39 – Age of Dani Levy, the new editor of Loaded
- 1994 – Year Loaded magazine was launched
- 2010 – Year Ticketmaster acquired Live Nation
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