: News

Filed Under:

D.C. Rock Club Mobilizes Its Patrons Against Corporate Merger

December 28, 2009
Play associated audio
comments

By David Schultz

Over the years, the 9:30 Club has hosted dozens of politically active rock bands. Now, the club wants the rock fans who frequent it to get politically active themselves.

It sent an email to its patrons last week railing against the proposed merger of Ticketmaster and LiveNation, the two titans of the concert business.

The email directed the 9:30 Club's patrons to contact the Justice Department's Anti-Trust Division and file a letter of protest.

Audrey Schaefer, the club's spokesperson, says it has never used its email list for anything other than promoting shows.

"[But]we thought, 'You know what? This is going to affect our customers very directly,'" says Schaefer. "Let's at least give them the information."

Schaefer says more independent venues across the country are sending similar emails before shareholders of the two companies vote on the merger early next month.

Arts & Culture

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.

Food

NPR

Washington State Butcher Spikes Pig Feed With Weed

Despite its name, the "pot pig" experiment isn't an attempt to develop a new meaty treat for stoners. Instead, a Seattle butcher is feeding marijuana seeds, stems and root bulbs to swine as a cheeky money-saving measure.

Politics

NPR

Oklahoma's GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe have become the faces of pushback on federal emergency spending. Now the deadly and devastating tornado in their home state has put them in an awkward position.

Technology

NPR

Airbnb Stays Are Illegal In New York, Court Rules

People who use Airbnb, the web company that pairs travelers with residents who rent out their homes on a short-term basis, are breaking New York City's laws, according to an administrative law judge. The vacation rental business was found to run afoul of the city's occupancy code.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.