[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RE: Tickets / Clear Channel



Brian Wright states :

If it all comes down to Clear Channel what's so evil about them? (Besides
banning songs after 9-11) I know thier a monopoly'ish company themselves
owning a few thousand radio and tv stations in the country.  Why is it thier
say in what ticket prices should be?

FYI - Clear Channel not only own radio stations they also own the venues
acts play and recently have now aquired many UK and European "booking agents
/ promoters" i.e the agents who book the acts into the venues.  Here in the
UK two of the largest agencies ITB (International Talent Booking) and Solo
were recently purchased by Clear Channel to become, effectively, one HUGE
booking agency.  Oh the acts they represent between them are ones like The
Rolling Stones; Bob Dylan; The Eagles; Page and Plant; U2; Mike
Oldfield,Aerosmith plus around 600 other name and established acts etc, etc,
etc.  In Holland they recently purchased MOJO / Double You the largest
agency there and also the biggest promoters; in Belgium they've purchased
Make It Happen and their chief competitors Herman Schurmans; in Sweden
they've bought EMA - Telstar the biggest national promoters, in Denmark it's
ICO who have fallen to their advances.  And, I'm afraid the list goes on and
on and on but for me it only goes to show that by having not only a national
monopoly but an international one as well they're in a posituion where
they're able too dictate fucking ANYTHING at all - the ticket price, the
time a tour is done (so that it's not in competion with a similar act at the
same level), what tracks get "featured" on radio and TV stations, the
content of performance i.e would Alice Cooper / Marilyn Manson / Nine Inch
Nails have EVER happened if they were first coming to public attention as
Clear Channel flexed their muscles?  The list is absolutely endless of what
CC have the potential to influence.  I'm not saying that they have OR that
they do BUT I am saying that with such absolute power they can say to any
act "do it our way or you don't get to do it at all - ANYWHERE!!"  Oh where
oh where has rock n roll rebellion gone?

Rant over,

Nigel