LN’s Berklee Defense

While some in the concert world have taken to screaming the sky is falling over the Live Nation / Ticketmaster merger, things are simply “business as usual,” according to an LN executive during a recent forum at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Live Nation Global Touring COO Gerry Barad, who took questions from the audience, reportedly dismissed the idea that Live Nation Entertainment constitutes a monopoly.

The way Barad sees it, the merger simply gives the new company a larger reach with fans, and allows for increased technology and innovative ways to market tours, according to the Boston Herald.

But he added that acts always have the choice to work with other promoters and ultimately decide how much to charge fans.

“At the end of the day, the artist controls what tickets are sold for,” he said. “Gene Simmons makes no bones about what he does. If there’s money to be made, he’s making it.”

As for the Boston market, Barad explained that a majority of concerts in the city are not promoted by Live Nation.

“There are more shows in this city that are not [LN New England President] Don Law’s shows,” he said. “There’s always a competitor out there.”