Spencer Waller
Power and Greed: Monopolies, Mergers, and Cartels on the American Stage
Antitrust law sounds very technical and complex. But picture two companies that control virtually all big-time vaudeville performances and crush any attempt for performers to unionize or prevent any manager from booking an act at a theater not part of these large chains. Or picture the six men who controlled the American Theatrical Syndicate preventing the leading actress of that time from performing at any first-class theater anywhere in the country so she had to perform in decrepit union halls, abandoned churches, tents, and even on a hilltop. Or consider how Ticketmaster had the power to stop a 1990s alt-rock band like Pearl Jam from organizing a meaningful low-price national tour.
The abuse of this power normally is illegal, but it takes the law a long time (sometimes decades) to catch up. We see this in the tech sector today and we see this in live entertainment over the past 150 years. Power and Greed tells the story of what happened and how we can do better.
Curator: Bora Pajo
Power and Greed: Monopolies, Mergers, and Cartels on the American Stage
Waller, S. W. (2026). Power and greed: Monopolies, mergers, and cartels on the American stage. Methuen Drama.
Available here →October 15, 2026
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Spencer Waller
Spencer Weber Waller is an attorney and law professor who has represented actors, playwrights, marketing professionals, and theatre companies. He was co-producer of the 2024 Broadway revival of The Who's Tommy and has invested in Broadway and touring productions. Professor Waller also is an internationally recognized expert in antitrust and consumer protection law. He is widely published in law and frequently interviewed in the press.
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Competition on the business side of live entertainment determines the art on stage, and Live Nation/Ticketmaster should be broken up.
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