Rumor Mill: Ticketmaster to Lose Live Nation

For the true concert aficionados, competition in the ticket world is good.

The second crack in the Ticketmaster regime may be materializing, as talks with their top client, Live Nation, have ceased. Variety has published an internal memo from the Ticketmaster corporation which reads, "We believe we've taken every reasonable step possible to facilitate a renewal, but they seem intent on a direction for their business that leaves us no viable way to work together." This will be a huge loss for Barry Diller (who never did anything nice for us), whose company also lost MLB two years ago. The Washington Post/AP reported a negative effect on TM's parent's stock. The current deal expires in 2008 (2009 with House of Blues).

Live Nation owns, operates, or has a major interest in over 160 venues worldwide, including the House of Blues and the Gorge at George in Eastern Washington. Last year, Live Nation booked more than 26,000 events in 18 countries and sold 60 million tickets.