Music Industry Controlled by Few Giants — SkimNews
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- Rev. Moose founded Marauder and the National Independent Venue Association to support the independent music sector, drawing on decades of experience in artist development and advocacy.
- Three major conglomerates now control the vast majority of music labels, distribution, touring, publishing, and media, consolidating power across overlapping business interests.
- Live Nation and Ticketmaster dominate venue access and tour routing, forcing artists like Lawrence to perform in their spaces despite publicly criticizing their monopolistic practices.
- Spotify faced artist backlash over Joe Rogan’s misinformation but saw no meaningful impact, with all major withdrawing artists eventually returning to the platform.
- Bandcamp, once a model for artist independence, was sold to a gaming company and later downsized by new owners, undermining its original mission.
- Independent venue operators face financial hardship, with nearly two-thirds losing money to stay open while Live Nation reports billions in earnings.
- Universal Music Group’s attempted acquisition of Downtown sparked opposition from the independent music community and the European Union over further market concentration.
Why it matters: Thousands of independent music businesses and local artists lose economic and creative agency as a few corporations control distribution, venues, and revenue—Live Nation’s dominance is propped up by systemic advantages, not superior operations, and public platforms like Bandcamp fail to sustain independence despite initial promise.
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