This special episode dives deep on Taylor Swift, Ticketmaster, and how a handful of policy changes in the 1980s led to one firm so thoroughly dominating the live events business in the United States that Congress held a hearing in 2023, because Taylor Swift fans were so upset about antitrust law. That sentence is wild. We’re going to unpack all of this with the help of some experts. Here we go.Transcript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23409098Credits:Thanks so much to everyone who talked to us and shared their valuable insights for this episode including Dean Budnik, Florian Ederer, Russ Tannen, and Sandeep Vaheesan. And special thanks to Makena Kelly and Jake Kastrenakes. This episode was written and reported by Jackie McDermott and Owen Grove. It was produced by Jackie McDermott, Owen Grove, and Creighton DeSimone with help from Jasmine Lewis. It was edited by Callie Wright.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this conversation, Florian Ederer, an award-winning professor at Boston University, shares his groundbreaking insights on common ownership's impact on competition. He discusses how common ownership can weaken managerial incentives and lead to less competitive behavior in industries like airlines. The episode delves into the correlations between CEO compensation and ownership levels, revealing surprising findings about passive investors' influence on market dynamics. Ederer also addresses implications for antitrust policy, emphasizing the need for fresh approaches in this evolving landscape.