JAY-Z's Tips For Music Industry Success

www.digipendent.com

New Song by C.A.S.P

Whats good? we just got done recording a new slap by C.A.S.P "u no what the biz iz" check it out let us know what you think. www.myspace.com/casp415

Thoro-Bread Ent performing live @ Octopus Lounge

This Saturday March 14th Thoro-Bread Entertainment artist Steady and C.A.S.P will be performing live at the Octopus Lounge in Pacifica, Ca. Come check us out doors open at 10 

180 Eureka sq Pacifica, CA 94044

New Beats

Check out Thoro-Bread Ent in house producer new beat "love me sexy" Ft Jackie moon. This is some fire right here, a must hear!!! If you have seen semi pro you will absolutely love this.
www.myspace.com/hardwork420

Steady to be featured on www.hyphyrockstar.com

Hey whats good ya. Me and hardwork just finished putting the final touches on steady's Bio which is going to be featured on www.hyphyrockstar.com some time soon. So be on the look out Thoro-Bread starting to makes and we ain't gon stop.

New Track "AY YO" By Steady

Hey whats good check out the homie Steady's new track "AY Yo" from the up coming "better than u" mixtape produced by in house producer Hardwork. Let me know what ya think were considering this as one the singles? www.myspace.com/fucentgo

Live Nation & Ticket Master Merger

It is OFFICIAL, we now have a monopoly going on in the Concert business. With the merger of Live Nation and Ticket Master it will be extremely difficult for independent artist to perform at large venues. Ticket Master and Live Nation with out a doubt will take advantage of having access to the largest stadiums and arenas in the country. So expect to see many of the same concerts and tours by the same bands and artist that have deals with them. YOU GOTA LOVE CORPORATE AMERICA RIGHT......

Live Nation, Ticketmaster agree to merge

The boards of Live Nation (LYV) and Ticketmaster Entertainment (TKTM) unanimously agreed on Monday to merge their companies — potentially creating a concert and live entertainment behemoth.

In announcing the deal Tuesday morning the companies said they plan an all-stock merger of equals. The combined company will be called Live Nation Entertainment.

Under terms of the deal, Ticketmaster shareholders will receive 1.384 shares of Live Nation stock for each share of Ticketmaster they hold. The companies estimated the value of the combined business at about $2.5 billion and said the deal will help them save about $40 million annually.

"Being able to put Live Nation and Ticketmaster into an equal partnership will allow the companies to get through this difficult period and be able to expand live entertainment options to audiences throughout the world," Ticketmaster Chairman Barry Diller said.

But regulatory experts have said the deal could be delayed by an antitrust review because of the companies' dominant role in the entertainment business.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Philadelphia Eagles | Madonna | Jay-Z | Christina Aguilera | Shakira | Nickelback | Pollstar | Irving Azoff | Live Nation Entertainment | Ticketmaster Entertainment

Ticketmaster sells tickets for more than 80% of the major arenas and stadiums in the U.S., according to concert tracking firm Pollstar. Live Nation is the world's No. 1 concert promoter and owns more than 140 venues. It has comprehensive deals to the tours of such artists as Madonna, Jay-Z, U2, Nickelback and Shakira — and recently developed its own ticketing service.

The ticketing-service move brought the companies closer to an all-out scramble for ticketing deals. A merger heads that off, but experts say snuffing out that competition could draw close scrutiny from regulators wary of the company building a concert industry monopoly.

On the other hand, the deal could end up benefiting concertgoers by giving the combined company more bargaining clout with artists, potentially reducing performers' stakes in ticket sales and thus lowering ticket prices.

The deal already has at least one prominent detractor, however.

Bruce Springsteen, already furious with Ticketmaster for directing fans to a subsidiary selling tickets for above-face value, recently posted a statement on his website saying a deal with Live Nation could end up "returning us to a near-monopoly situation in music ticketing."

The deal will put under one roof some of the USA's biggest concert venues, its dominant ticket sales company, and wide-ranging management and promotion deals with hitmakers including the Eagles, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, and Jay-Z.

The companies are poised to say that consumers will benefit. For example, it might be easier for ticket buyers to pick the seats that they want, and avoid the confusion and sticker shock that sometimes comes when people see ticket handling fees tacked on to the admission price.

By eliminating duplication, the companies expect to see $40 million in cost savings a year.

Live Nation, which sells more than 45 million concert tickets a year, launched its own ticket sales service in January after its deal with Ticketmaster expired. Ticketmaster, which handled more than 141 million tickets in 2007, countered by acquiring a controlling interest in Front Line Management — a firm run by long-time music executive Irving Azoff.

Contributing: USA TODAY reporter David Lieberman, wire reports