This is what capitalism does. Its endless profit growth requirement is not possible under any real market conditions. So it inevitably starts squeezing it’s own customers and degrading it’s own service to maintain these unrealistic demands for profit. The more consolidated the market becomes, the worse the outcomes. Anti-trust was always a half measure. The problem is capitalism is inherently unsustainable and can only lead to negative outcomes for it’s products and services over time. Nothing can grow infinitely and that pursuit will always collapse bringing societal pain.

Assuming the serious drug bust pose around toilet paper is meant to be a joke - that’s pretty funny.

It’s individuals versus complex organizations and systems designed by the powerful. The blitz of complex systems is designed to disconnect and distract. Tax code, investing, politics, insurance, legal - everything is so complex to advantage the powerful with the means to maneuver and manipulate the systems. I think people are drowning to keep up in the maelstrom of things competing for attention. The disconnection and distraction is by design.

To go deeper - I would say stealing labor is what the powerful have always done. They found a new way to steal it, but it’s the same old playbook. We create, they take the majority of the value generated and act like they’re doing us a favor. Power is a parasitic enterprise.

Intellectual property is a fairly recent concept and a lot of the information stolen does not impact the deceased people who created it’s lives or older work that was mostly already compensated in the past era. This makes the impact much smaller in my opinion - not to say it’s not also very impactful. Slavery has been stealing labor for all of human history.

If you are ever near Fort Wayne Indiana, stop in. They are just as cool in person and their show room is awesome.

I would love to see the winner get on stage and promote a free Palestine between every song just to spite the zionist billionaires and their capitulators.

I mean, slavery comes to mind….

I’m tired of this notion that society must protect children from reality. If parents want to raise their kids in stupid sheltered worlds, that’s their stupid fucking choice and should go no further than their choices for their kids. Sheltering children is a stupid concept. Parents should be explaining the crazy shit kids will see and give them a healthy way to absorb the bad in the world not trying to act like it doesn’t exist. We shouldn’t have to bend over backwards to capitulate to their idea of how a kid should be raised. I shouldn’t have to give up my privacy to prop up their fantasy. Personally, every kid I’ve seen be sheltered ends up a more fucked up adult. The world is fucked, kids should learn how to live in it.

Joe Rogan is dumb. Why do we care about dumb guy opinions exactly?

I hear a lot of stories of lower mid level acts just giving up on touring - which after the collapse of album sales was the only way to make money. As with everything, corporate parasites slowly extract all value leaving the actual people doing the work with less and less.

Very little risk. Laughable in most countries. C-Suite accountability translating to truly damaging punishment, like jail time, is almost nil.

Hundreds - even thousands - depending on the act they open for. A lot of mid level acts use this to supplement tour money because the live nation monopoly and other consolidation factors have driven venue costs and other touring expenses through the roof. This has become pretty standard practice.