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Date Posted: 15:17:37 07/09/06 Sun
Author: Janelle
Subject: article continued ---->>
In reply to: Janelle 's message, "Will Live Nation deal give concertgoers the blues?" on 15:09:08 07/09/06 Sun

With its biggest competitor out of the way, Live Nation will have even greater control to set ticket prices in local markets. This does not bode well for concertgoers, who have seen the average cost of a top-tier show more than double in the last decade, to $57 last year from $26 in 1995. That trend accelerated in 2000 when Clear Channel acquired concert behemoth SFX Entertainment Inc., and has shown no signs of slowing down. The price increases have kept revenues flowing, but the total number of paid seats declined last year, to 67 million from 72 million in 2004, an indication that consumers were getting fed up with the rising costs even as Live Nation continues to make big money on the biggest shows.

The trend encourages Live Nation to continue focusing on mainstream rock and pop acts for the bulk of its revenue. Last year, Live Nation-sponsored tours by the Rolling Stones ($162 million in revenue) and U2 ($138.9 million) were the most lucrative in concert history. But the conglomerate virtually ignored hip-hop, R&B, metal and world music.

In contrast, House of Blues has carved out an important niche by booking acts that Live Nation normally wouldn't touch. The House of Blues in West Hollywood has become an epicenter for establishing Latin American-based rock acts in North America, and the House of Blues at 329 N. Dearborn St. has become the primary home in Chicago for seeing national touring acts in hip-hop, heavy metal and rock en espanol. Under the guidance of talent buyer Michael Yerke, the North Side club has become a vital player in a market that includes not only Clear Channel but the still-potent Jam Productions, which last year sold more than 1.3 million concert tickets, according to Pollstar.

It remains to be seen if Yerke and other House of Blues executives will be allowed to keep their jobs and, if they do, if they will be allowed to continue to book acts that don't fit the mainstream Live Nation profile. If they don't, concertgoers stand to be paying more to see less.

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[> I greatly enjoyed the lesser known performers I've seen grace the stage at HOB from time to time. Looks like that won't be any longer. Side note: Anyone else having issues accessing this board today? It's sooo slowww for me. -- Janelle, 15:22:48 07/09/06 Sun [1]


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[> [> That's not good news, Janelle. HOB here is often where we go to see non-mainstream acts, and the acoustics are actually good. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. The board was very slooow earlier today, but it seems better now. -- Lynn, 17:39:27 07/09/06 Sun [1]


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