New Music Tipsheet

Music news, release schedules, and so much more.

[New Music Tipsheet @tipsheet]

Wow. Fuck all y’all. https://t.co/z6PcgjN7o4

[New Music Tipsheet @tipsheet]

Hm. Sounds bad.

[Rolling Stone @RollingStone]

Music executive Tommy Mottola’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was far closer than previously reported, spanning the entirety of the prolific predator’s legal troubles, records reveal.

Story: https://t.co/BydP3Jw3oP

[New Music Tipsheet @tipsheet]

Suckers. Live Nation has always thought your fans were rubes and suckers. And yet fans keep on payin’ those fees…

[Bloomberg @business]

Two Live Nation executives bragged about the high fees the company charges at its venues, joking in internal messages that the company is “robbing them blind” https://t.co/LcknEUlXFP

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

Live Nation generated $25.2 billion in revenue last year. The DOJ just let them off with a settlement that doesn’t require divesting Ticketmaster. Then the Slack messages leaked.

Ben Baker was a regional ticketing director when he wrote those messages in 2022. He’s since been promoted to head of ticketing for Venue Nation, responsible for all of Live Nation’s amphitheaters nationwide. The guy who called fans “so stupid” and bragged about gouging them on ancillary prices now runs ticketing for 150+ venues.

The messages are all about the extras. $199 for “VIP Club Admission” to a Kid Rock concert. $250 for VIP parking at a Virginia venue. $50 to park on grass. $60 for “closer grass.” $100 for oversized parking with no RV hookup and a three-quarter mile walk to the venue. Premier parking revenue at one venue hit $666,000 in 2021. Baker’s response: “Robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do it. I gouge them on ancil prices to make up for it.”

This is the playbook. Ticketmaster controls the primary ticket sale. Live Nation controls the venue. And the venue controls every dollar you spend after you walk through the gate. Parking, seating upgrades, lawn chair rentals, VIP access. None of those show up in Ticketmaster’s “service fee.” They’re classified as ancillary revenue, which means the new 15% fee cap in the DOJ settlement doesn’t touch them.

Live Nation’s own response tells you how seriously they take it. They called Baker a “junior staffer” chatting with “a friend.” He ran ticketing for a major Florida amphitheater. He now runs it for every amphitheater they own.

26 states and DC rejected the settlement. The judge scolded both Live Nation and the DOJ for negotiating in secret while a jury was being seated. The states want Ticketmaster divested entirely.

The messages were supposed to stay sealed. Live Nation fought to exclude them. Bloomberg, the New York Times, and other outlets petitioned for their release. Now you know why.

[Joe Michael @theJoeMichaell]

Is someone going to fucking do something

[alopecia chlamydia @usedwifi]

🚨 Thai police have reportedly busted an illegal Tate McRae streaming farm.
(📸 @ThaiNewsReports )

[New Music Tipsheet @tipsheet]

Spotify down 33 1/3 in past six months

[New Music Tipsheet @tipsheet]

If you’re in town for The Grammys, your #1 topic w/ everyone you see NEEDS to be: “How do we do this [sell tix, merch, etc.] without coming across like GREEDY FUCKING ASSHOLES?” It’s okay to leave some money on the table. Take care of your fans, and they will take care of you.

[Mike Nellis @MikeNellis]

It's super fucking embarrassing watching Nicki Minaj kiss Donald Trump's ass to get a pardon for her husband and her brother.

[Pop Crave @PopCrave]

Nicki Minaj has received Donald Trump’s Gold Card, which grants her U.S. residency.

[❄️ @twinflamebreeze]

the way he's asking people their entire rent money for tickets you'd think he could afford to donate a little bit more

[sam :) kattdo @L0NELYINCHICAGO]

not burger king clocking harry

[kiz 🪩 @kizallthetime]

anything more than $200 for seats and $300 for pit is still crazy to me i cannot wrap my head around that. like i guess im still stuck in hslot land but i cannot be convinced these are reasonable prices

[Eri⁷ 𓃮 @zaynimmortal_]

his pr team is tryna save his ass but they’re just making it worse lol 😭😭😭

[New Music Tipsheet @tipsheet]

If you’re in town for The Grammys, your #1 topic w/ everyone you see NEEDS to be: “How do we do this [sell tix, merch, etc.] without coming across like GREEDY FUCKING ASSHOLES?” It’s okay to leave some money on the table. Take care of your fans, and they will take care of you.

[💋 +1 for meltdown?!!!🪩 @mustachrryfan]

never want to see this stupid photo again

[Kenny McIntosh 🏳️‍🌈 @kennymc1ntosh]

Its so generous of Harry to keep the other £799 he’s charging for a ticket.

[Low @LowKeyUHTN]

Lmaooooo RIGHT ON FUCKING TIME

[“Josefina, right?” 🇺🇾 #SwiftDay @BeFearlessBeYou]

Am I the only one who thinks $550 is still really expensive for a concert ticket of any kind? 😭 Like we’re just accepting crazy prizes for everything

[Mart🪽×͜×🫀 met Zayn 𓊍 @sssmaart]

La categoria più imbarazzante sono quelli che hanno preso i biglietti per Harry dopo essersi lamentati per giorni, e poi vengono qui di nuovo a piangere per quanto hanno speso dicendo “non riesco neanche ad essere felice”. Non avete proprio rispetto per voi stessi e per i soldi.