This is an interesting perspective, thank you. I definitely learned where Live Nation was getting most of their profits from when the water fountains were hidden on the other side from the food and drink vendors, and wanted $8 for a bottle of water (or $16 for a PBR!)

I do think that part of the Ticketmaster hate is them being the bad guy for the venues or artists with the prices etc, but they can definitely be doing more. My main issue is that venues can either exclusively use Ticketmaster or not at all, and all the hidden fees. Granted, if the artist chooses “all-lin” pricing it includes the fees, but it feels manipulative that I have to mentally add 30% to the price of tickets when I’m looking.