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How Ticketmaster came to dominate live events (and incur the wrath of Taylor Swift fans)

Nov 17, 2022
In addition to selling tickets, the company controls venues and manages artists. Some lawmakers say it's a monopoly.
The company is under scrutiny following last year's debacle involving problems with Taylor Swift tickets.
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Regional theaters struggle to recover from COVID closures

Oct 31, 2022
Audiences have not returned to pre-pandemic numbers, while inflation and supply chains have raised the price of productions. 
An empty theater at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California.
Courtesy La Jolla Playhouse

Is a virtual SXSW worth the price of admission?

Mar 9, 2021
Austin’s business community is rooting for South by Southwest to get through this pandemic after being canceled last year.
In 2020, the South by Southwest festival was canceled because of the coronavirus. Organizers can't predict how many people will attend this year's upcoming event.
Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

Ticket buyers and sellers say StubHub owes them after widespread event cancellations

Apr 10, 2020
The company changed policies on refunds and payouts at the end of March, to the chagrin of buyers and sellers on the secondary ticket marketplace.
Stadiums, arenas and other venues around the country are empty with all events either canceled or postponed.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Broadway closes out a banner year

Dec 28, 2018
The holidays are a big time for the entertainment industry, and Broadway is no exception. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is by far the biggest week of the year for ticket sales. And already, the trade group The Broadway League says ticket sales over the last month are up 17 percent from the the same […]

There may be more empty seats at college football games than official numbers report

Aug 31, 2018
That’s what data obtained by the Wall Street Journal’s senior sports reporter Rachel Bachman shows. According to numbers of ticket scans from the 2017 season, only 71 percent of the people reported in official attendance numbers actually showed up to the stadium. So why inflate the numbers? And what’s keeping fans watching from home? Click […]

The California Lottery is setting sales records, but contributions to education haven't kept pace

Jul 18, 2018
The California Lottery is breaking sales records. This year, revenues will soar to an estimated $6.9 billion. The recent boom has been fueled by a wave of gigantic jackpots. Newer games like Powerball and a $30 scratch ticket offer huge prizes, and California’s lottery players have responded by gambling more and more. Surging revenue should […]
A Powerball ticket sits on the counter at Kavanagh Liquors on January 13, 2016 in San Lorenzo, California. Dozens of people lined up outside of Kavanagh Liquors, a store that has had several multi-million dollar winners, to -purchase Powerball tickets in hopes of winning the estimated record-breaking $1.5 billion dollar jackpot. 
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Fewer people are taking their families out to the ballgame this year

Jul 16, 2018
Watching the game on TV has made it a lot easier to stay home.
A pair of fans sit in a large section of empty seats during a rain delay before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 15, 2018, in Cincinnati.
Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Forget comic book movies — in Hollywood, horror pays

Apr 23, 2018
Recent scary movie hits like "Get Out" show that a movie doesn't need a big budget to be a hit.
Writer Jordan Peele, winner of the Best Original Screenplay award for 'Get Out,' poses in the press room during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. 
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Katie Szajkovics and Christoper Huey, two of TodayTix concierges, stand outside the theater and distribute tickets to customers. 
Jana Kasperkevic for Marketplace