Senate Judiciary Subcommitee Bodyslams Potential Ticketmaster-Live Nation Merger with Harsh Words and the Ghost of Bruce Springsteen

By Brom on Feb 26 2009

What would we be at TMT if we didn’t report on the latest gossip and hearsay in the music scene?

Last year, Isaac Brock told the crowd at North Myrtle Beach, SC that Modest Mouse’s next EP would be named Nobody's Next And You're First. Just recently a few days ago, after their Visalia, CA show, a fan managed to corner Eric Judy where he mentioned that the new release had been recorded for some time and they were hoping to get it out in the next six months. The delay has been due to the band experiencing "‘kinks’ or something and they might add another song," according to this fan website (thanks for the tip Tom Bortkof!).

However, the fan admitted in a message board post that he was “so deaf after the concert” and struggled to hear what Judy was saying because of his “soft” voice. Consequently, it may well be that Mr. Judy was merely articulating his love of caramel-coated pancakes topped with thick whipped cream. And why wouldn’t he, considering February 24 (the day after the Visalia show) was ‘Shrove Tuesday,’ an annual pre-Lent event in Ireland, the UK, Canada, and Australia -- the day is commemorated by stuffing your face full of pancakes. This surely wouldn’t have escaped the attention of the learned and culturally-aware Eric Judy.

The rumoured tracklisting (or maybe it’s been confused with Judy’s favourite pancake mixture) is as follows:

1. The Whale Song
2. Satellite Skin
3. Autumn Beds
4. I've Got It All (Most)
5. King Rat
6. 3 other tracks (One of which may be "Tie The Lake Down" and another that has a rumored title of "History")

Tourdates:
02.26.09 - Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque Convention Center
02.28.09 - Boulder, CO Balch Fieldhouse
03.02.09 - Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
03.03.09 - Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
03.04.09 - Austin, TX Stubb's
03.05.09 - Oxford, MS The Lyric Oxford
03.07.09 - Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
03.08.09 - Miami, FL Langerado Festival
03.09.09 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
03.10.09 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
03.11.09 - Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
03.12.09 - Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head
03.13.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03.14.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
03.15.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5

By Kasia Galaxy on Feb 25 2009

I asked some folks to play a round of free association with the word "Ticketmaster." Their responses:

- "Convenience fees."
- "Death."
- "A raging, bloody-mouthed, bursting-veined, 10-story-tall capitalist pig raging through New York City destroying the youth of America and sucking their pockets and souls dry."

Their words, not mine.

After the hubbub surrounding Bruce Springsteen's shows, Ticketmaster reached a national settlement with the New Jersey Attorney General (via The Daily Swarm), in which the company has agreed to stop linking customers to its subsidiary, TicketsNow. If you haven't heard, customers that tried purchasing tickets were redirected to TicketsNow, a company that was charging fans inflated scalper prices while tickets were still available at face value.

More than 2,200 Boss fans complained -- a few million short of the grumbles the site receives daily -- resulting in a 2,000-ticket lottery that will award entrance at the original face value.

People who don't win will be given a $100 gift certificate and a chance to purchase Springsteen tickets next time he rolls into the Garden State. And get this: The ticket site has to pay New Jerz $350,000 to cover the investigation price tag.

Meanwhile, Ticketmaster will continue to raise blood pressure (TMT News) if it successfully merges with Live Nation.