The proposed merger between entertainment giants Live Nation and Ticketmaster may be hitting a bump in the road.  A legal bump that is.  Members of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, as well as over 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, have called upon the merger to be closely scrutinized by the Justice Department. 

“Star Wars” is coming to a concert hall near you. A live multi-media event of the famous George Lucas film will feature a live symphony orchestra, huge films screens, movie clips and a traveling exhibit, all set to the musical themes of composer John Williams. 
 

The International Entertainment Buyers Association will celebrate the iconic Chubby Checker— who had the No.1 song of the sixties—on October 12 at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium as part of the IEBA Honors ceremony, a highlight of the annual IEBA conference.

Allen Klein, former manager of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, died this past weekend after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His career in the music business spanned more than five decades, during which time his ruthless business practices made him one of the most influential men in the industry.
 

Fans around the world are mourning the death of the King of Pop today.  Music legend Michael Jackson is believed to have suffered cardiac arrest yesterday in his home, and was unable to be revived by emergency physicians at UCLA.  The pop star’s death has had a shocking effect on the entire world, as well as the industry he had been a part of since his childhood.

Louisville KY, June 3, 2009 – Triangle Talent, Inc. continues to increase its national presence, landing the contract to produce the entertainment for the Illinois State Fair. This follows closely significant contracts with the New York State Fair, the Arkansas Oklahoma State Fair and the Maryland State Fair all added this year.

Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, is offering fans a big break on tickets this summer. “No Service Fee Wednesdays,” their new 24-hour sales event, will waive the standard service fee on all tickets for Live Nation amphitheater shows.

With today’s economy in a deep recession, Americans are being forced to adjust the way their money is spent, both on basic necessities and on the need for quality entertainment. An average regular season Major League Baseball game ticket normally runs $30.00 each. For the average family of four, that can become quite expensive!

A new and unique entertainment venture is born after the announced merger between Metropolitan Talent and CMJ Networks.

CMJ Networks, most known for their CMJ Music Marathon, is deeply rooted in a network of college radio stations. The organization focuses on college and non-commercial radio and publishes the “New Music Report,” a music business trade magazine.

Although the announcement of the merger between The William Morris Agency and Endeavor is only a week old, the shakeup at the two agencies is already underway and a number of high profile departures have already occured.

After months of speculation and rumor, two of the entertainment industry’s biggest talent agencies have agreed upon a merger. The William Morris Agency and Endeavor will join forces under the name William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. The joining of these two talent shops will bring some of the top names in the entertainment industry together under one roof.

America’s economic crisis was nowhere to be found at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival this past weekend. The festival, held at Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, brought in a crowd of nearly 160,000, marking its second biggest year ever. Last years festival drew an audience of just under 152,000.