Drive By Truckers / Merle Haggard / Ticketmaster Merge News
Just a few quick things:
Drive By Truckers on Austin City Limits:
In an attempt to conceal the fact that they have completely sold out and abandoned their roots of supporting local Texas music and other great independent country artists, Austin City Limits upon occasion will still put on a decent act, and this Saturday The Drive By Truckers will make an appearance, at least for half the show. Check your local PBS listings for times.
For those saying we should face up to the new face of country music:
Ticketmaster Attempting to Merge with Live Nation:
You might have seen in some news stories or other blogs that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are trying to merge. There’s probably not much more that I could say on the topic that hasn’t already been said, but without question these two companies have somehow figured out how to cheese of concert goers AND performers by bilking them with ridiculous fees, reserving blocks of tickets for corporate sponsors and squeezing the common man out of live performances, and offering paltry customer service.
A merge could be devastating to the live music scene because without these two companies competing with each other, already ridiculous fees could skyrocket. Of course big names like Pearl Jam have fought these companies in the past, and Bruce Springsteen at the moment is leading the charge of artists fighting the merger.
If you want to read and watch more about this, here’s a few good places:
Los Angeles Times
A funny, irate music fan twists off on Ticketmaster.
The biz angle from billboard.biz
Merle Haggard on Carrie Underwood & Today’s Country.
From the CMT.com blog:
““I like her, but where’s the songs?” he (Merle) said. He also said country music today is so perfect. Maybe too perfect. “There are no surprises,” he said. “Everything is going to be perfect, and I can’t even hear someone breathe. That’s just my opinion. The electronic digital computer, anyone can do a record nowadays. You don’t have to stay in key or they’ll put you in key.” And he added that there is no better evidence of that than when you see an artist in concert: “You don’t really know who can sing or can’t until you see them in person, then you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, what happened?’”
You tell em Merle!
February 7, 2009 @ 12:20 am
Gotta love Merle! He tells it like it is.