Spencer Waller
Power and Greed: Monopolies, Mergers, and Cartels on the American Stage
Live entertainment has been a national business since the 19th century with the development of national transportation (railroads) and communications (telephone and telegraph). The men who controlled the entertainment business sought to control or eliminate as much competition as possible to ensure the highest profits with the lowest risk.
We know the stories of John Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan in the industrial economy. We don’t know as much about the stories of the barons of vaudeville and the men and companies who controlled Broadway and touring theater.
These colorful characters took as much as the market would allow, drove new entrants out of business who wanted to compete on the merits, gouged the public, screwed the actors and crew, and generally got away with it. The antitrust laws, which were passed in the 1890s to prevent this kind of bullying and ganging up were generally not enough to stop them until after World War II. The United States Department of Justice finally sued the Shubert organization for monopolization and won. This forced the defendant to sell off theaters in New York City and across the United States to restore competition in commercial theater. That industry is more competitive as a result.
Today we see the same issues playing out in the live concert industry. Live Nation/Ticketmaster has been found guilty of monopolization and faces the possibility of a breakup that can help consumers, musicians, promoters, organized labor, and music venues operate in a more competitive environment.
Ongoing thread. More from Spencer Waller to follow.
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
20261015-waller-power-and-greed-the-wide-angle
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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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