Antitrust

Tuesday

Alexander Larman

The publishing mega-merger that wasn’t

If you sit down and talk to an author for any length of time, you will hear gripes. (Writers will never be confused with the sunniest of people on this planet.) About the visibility of their books; about the size of their advances; about their sales, relative to their other titles and to their peers; about publicity campaigns; about cover designs. There will be a lot of gripes, and if you are cornered by an author in a bar, or at a party, you might be advised to make your excuses and flee. But if you have some sympathy for this much-maligned breed, it may occur to you that the basis of their complaints ultimately comes down to a simple lack of appreciation by their publishers: those all-powerful entities that have the power to make or break careers at the touch of a button.

publishing

Monday

Rachel Bovard

Why conservatives should consider antitrust against Microsoft

Amid the renewed energy around antitrust enforcement in recent years, one name has been notably missing: Microsoft. The antitrust villain of the 1990s has skated through the ongoing techlash largely unscathed, happy to play the dutifully chastened elder statesman of the tech ecosystem while privately pushing for Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple to take their lumps. But if Microsoft thought leaning into the techlash would reduce its level of regulatory scrutiny, they appear to be mistaken. The company recently made an all-cash $69 billion bid to buy the video game giant Activision Blizzard, developer and publisher of games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.

Thursday

Tahra Jirari

Will Taylor Swift fans take down Ticketmaster?

I grew up with Taylor Swift. I was ecstatic to hear of her forthcoming tour, having never seen her perform live. Then I heard she was teaming up with Ticketmaster and allowing the use of “dynamic pricing” to change the ticket price based on demand. Like many other diehard fans hoping to snag a pre-sale ticket, my hopes were dashed this week. I logged on thirty minutes prior to the actual sale of tickets — as recommended — and was met with an error message. Ticketmaster’s site crashed before anyone could even purchase a ticket. What was meant to be a pre-sale ticketing event for a select few fans sold out the entirety of the tour. The vast majority of tickets were given to resellers for prices higher than most mortgage payments. The demand was historic.

taylor swift ticketmaster

Monday

Taylor Millard

Say no to Democrats’ latest attack on Big Tech

A new proposal from Senator Michael Bennet would effectively put unelected bureaucrats in charge of Big Tech. Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, sees a suggested five-member panel, called the Federal Digital Platform Commission, as a needed brake on the growth and reach of technology companies. “Although the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice have done admirable work to enforce existing antitrust and consumer protection laws, they lack the expert staff, resources, and tech-oriented culture necessary for robust and sustained oversight,” Bennet remarked. “Both bodies to date have acted reactively to challenges raised by Big Tech, when proactive, long-term rules are needed.

Friday

Taylor Millard

Congress’s half-baked assault on Big Tech

A major anti-Big Tech bill is heading to the floor of the Senate after a frustrating markup session in the Judiciary Committee. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, as it's called, majorly changes how online retailers can sell and promote their own branded wares and apps. It even bans Amazon and Google from suggesting their own products over those of a third party. Supporters from both sides of the aisle are portraying the bill as a great leveler of sorts. They believe it helps consumers and the so-called “little guy” against the Big Tech companies.

antitrust hipsters

Thursday

Taylor Millard

Blame Congress, not companies, for staggering inflation

Observers had mixed reactions to yesterday’s announcement that inflation rose 7 percent last year. It all depended on where they fell on the ideological spectrum. President Joe Biden attempted to spin the report, saying that gas and fuel price growth was starting to slow, while acknowledging that more work needed to be done. He’d previously blamed rising inflation on used car prices and supply chain issues, swearing that increased government spending had nothing to do with it. The White House also compared America's Consumer Price Index report to indices in other countries, calling inflation a global phenomenon. Other Democrats blamed big business for the inflation jump.