Blog
Misha Ovcharenko, Founder @ SeatLock, on antitrust, dynamic pricing, creator economics, and what the live events industry gets wrong about demand.
A federal jury confirmed what artists, fans, and independent promoters have known for years: Live Nation runs an illegal monopoly. The verdict matters. The hard work starts now.
The FTC's September 2025 lawsuit against Ticketmaster exposed drip pricing at industrial scale — advertising one price and revealing the real cost only at checkout. This has been standard practice for years.
When Oasis reunion tickets went on sale in August 2024, Ticketmaster's algorithm turned a £150 standing ticket into £390 in real time. The CMA investigated. The actual problem is older and simpler than the algorithm.
The Eras Tour was the highest-grossing concert tour in history. It also had no dynamic pricing on the primary market. Those two facts are connected.
The House passed the TICKET Act in April 2025 with a 409-15 vote, requiring all-in pricing transparency across the ticketing industry. In a body that can barely agree on procedural votes, that margin is worth examining.
Pitchfork is gone. Coachella sold fewer tickets. Mid-tier festivals are collapsing after deposits are taken. The economics were always fragile — this is the year the fragility became undeniable.
Small and mid-sized music venues are closing at an alarming rate in the US and UK. The economic pressure is real. But it's downstream of a demand problem nobody has built a tool to solve.
MrBeast events sell out. Kai Cenat caused a riot. Creator-led live experiences operate by different rules than traditional touring — and the difference isn't about fame or scale.
The top of the live events industry is growing. Below the amphitheater level, the economics have gotten worse. The $23 billion number describes a very small slice of what the live music industry actually is.
In 2024, more than 250 working musicians signed an open letter to Congress in support of the Fans First Act. The ask is specific. The signatories have skin in the game.