Essentials of Marketing YouTube Links, Part 4

One of the features in the Essentials of Marketing Instructor’s Manual is our YouTube Video Links. These were previously called YouTube PowerPoints because each link was embedded on an individual PowerPoint slide with the notes section providing ideas about how to use the video in your class lectures. The most recent edition, being finalized this month, is a set of 131 PowerPoint links. The Instructor’s Manual includes a table with each of these and a section that includes descriptions (see below). Over the next few weeks, I will share some of these with readers of Teach the 4 Ps.

Note that these are examples of short case studies, perfect for embedding in lectures or into online classes. Easy to add discussion questions.

Today, I share another “Wall Street Journal The Economics of” video. This explainer talks about the music business, which will be of interest to many of our students. Live Nation’s aggressive tactics (and high fees) drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, which filed a lawsuit. That suit was recently (March 2026) settled. What you see below comes from our Instructor’s Manual and Digital Implementation Guide:

90. How Live Nation Is Devouring the Live Music Industry | WSJ The Economics Of

• URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0OP525STto
• Category: Case study
• Summary: Many of our students enjoy live music, so the context here will be of general interest. This video analyzes Live Nation Entertainment’s “flywheel” business model, which creates a vertically integrated powerhouse by controlling artist management, promotion, venue operations, and ticketing via Ticketmaster. It explains how the company leverages high-margin segments like advertising and sponsorships (Chapter 15) to offset lower-margin concert promotions, effectively “squeezing” the maximum customer lifetime value (Chapter 2) from fans. The narrative also addresses the Department of Justice’s antitrust concerns regarding Live Nation’s potential monopoly and its impact on price levels and independent competition.
• Teaching Notes: This video is a comprehensive look at marketing strategy planning and the market environment discussed in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. It serves as a vivid example of vertical integration and how a firm can pursue market development and diversification by acquiring subsidiary companies to control an entire channel system (Chapter 10). The discussion on “ancillary businesses” like Liquid Death and VIP packages illustrates the marketing concept of increasing customer equity by expanding the “total need-satisfying offering” (Chapter 8). Furthermore, the breakdown of ticket costs and the use of break-even analysis for independent venues versus Live Nation’s scale aligns with price setting strategies in Chapter 18. It also highlights the legal environment (Chapter 3) and marketing ethics (Chapter 1) through the lens of the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit, questioning if the company’s dominance limits attractive opportunities for smaller, independent competitors.