Letter: Rio Nuevo and Ticketmaster

I was very interested in reading the two different takes on Rio Nuevo providing $2 million to Live Nation, part of the Ticketmaster entertainment monopoly, to bring a comedy club to downtown Tucson. Because of this handout, Live Nation’s Punchline Comedy Club will replace space now occupied by two local businesses, Borderlands Brewing and Playformance. Fletcher McCusker’s view is that Rio Nuevo is doing what is best for the city financially. Maybe so. But many people, like myself, just see it as another handout of public money to a giant corporation run by billionaires for whom $2 million is lunch. The fact that this money is going to Live Nation / Ticketmaster, best known for junk fees and ticket bots making popular events beyond the reach of ordinary people, and who by some coincidence also controls tickets to all events at the Convention Center and the University, just adds to the anger and suspicion about this transaction.