The two biggest names in ticketing and live entertainment are close to merging, creating an unprecedented company that would virtually control the entire concert landscape.

By Alfred Branch, Jr. TicketNews

Live Nation and former client Ticketmaster are reportedly close to merging, according to the Wall Street Journal, a move that could rock the foundation of what fans see, where they see it and when.

As the world’s largest concert promoter, Live Nation has access to hundreds of music artists, and in the past year has begun to sign some major acts to all-encompassing deals, which includes concerts, recording, merchandising and licensing. And last month, the company launched its own, highly touted ticketing operation, which suffered some computer glitches in its first big test last week with ticket onsales for the upcoming Phish tour. Live Nation created the ticketing operation with the help of German company CTS Eventim.

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