I think it's important to note that the boss of live music major AEG isn't concerned by the proposed merger of its main competitor Live Nation and ticketing giant Ticketmaster because of the impact it might have on his company.
No, he is "very concerned about the proposed Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger" because of the impact it might have "on the fans, the consumer, the artists and the industry".
Speaking to Billboard about the big live music merger announced earlier this week, AEG boss Tim Leiweke confirmed his legal people will be looking into the two merging firms' proposals very closely.
Asked by the trade mag if he thought there were any regulatory pitfalls that could scupper the merger, he said: "I'm not a lawyer, I'll let the lawyers figure that one out. But I can tell you that as we look at it we have deep concern on whether or not this is in the best interest of the consumer".
Leiweke also referenced Bruce Springsteen's recent public moan about Ticketmaster linking his fans through to their secondary ticketing website TicketsNow when they couldn't sell them primary tickets.
As previously reported, Springsteen complained about the fact his fans were being directed by his official ticket seller to a resale website where ticket prices are often hiked up. An increasing number of artists reckon Ticketmaster trading in both the primary and secondary ticketing market already amounts to a conflict of interest, and that's before they join forces with Live Nation.
Leiweke: "I would completely agree with Bruce Springsteen. I think he has it 100% right. We're very supportive and we appreciate him stepping out there and taking a leadership role. We share his concerns".
As previously reported, the consensus is that the Live Nation Ticketmaster deal will get the go ahead from US competition regulators, but not before much public dissing of the two companies.