A kinder, friendlier Live Nation ? – Cheaper tickets come with a cost

After noting during an investors meeting that ticket sales for the top 100 touring bands are down 12% this year, Live Nation Entertainment's major executives went on the defensive Thursday, blaming the press for "scaring" artists from touring and arguing that acts need to alter their pricing strategies.

Yet the company's top brass did more than point fingers at the media, and promised a leaner, friendlier model for 2011. But first, artists would have to budge on ticket prices, executives said. Jason Garner, the company's CEO for global music, acknowledged that "ticket prices need to come down" and directed the second half of his statement at artists and managers: "Your guarantee needs to come down."
  Read more HERE >>>