LAT Pg 1 on concert woes

RANDY MAKES PAGE ONE RUNOVER: The problems beseting the concert biz this summer continue to get attention from the mainstream media, hitting the front page of the L.A. Times this morning. The piece, which focuses on Live Nation’s woes, provided AEG Live boss Randy Phillips with another irresistible opportunity to grab the spotlight and do some of his signature spinning. "Artists aren't making enough money on sales of recorded music so they're trying to make money on the road," Phillips told the Times’ Chris Lee. "The problem is, you've got too many tours, the same acts going through the [touring] system year in and year out. On top of that, the economy is in a very fragile state of recovery and the Consumer Confidence Index is very low. You have years of mismanagement by the concert industry, treating the consumers like they're idiots. All that coming together at one time? It's like one big stop sign." Phillips then claimed that AEG's concert tours are doing "exceedingly well"—but declined to offer any specifics. So we’ll just have to take Randy’s word for it. (7/16a)