Friday, May 24, 2024

Live Nation + Ticketmaster = monopoly?

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Hello, and welcome to TechCrunch PM. Among the stories today, you've read about Live Nation and Ticketmaster being part of a Justice Department probe, Canva unveiling a more enterprise-y enterprise product and some fines for robocallers pretending to be President Joe Biden. We are taking a break Friday and Monday, so see you back on Tuesday!

TechCrunch Top 3

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Swifties shed light on a concert ticket problem: The U.S. Department of Justice and 30 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, for alleged monopolistic practices. Granted, this was a problem well before Taylor Swift fans had a terrible experience purchasing tickets for the Eras tour in late 2022. However, when you are the only big game in town, and there are major problems, the buck stops with you. Read more

Call me, on the line, call me any, anytime: Arc Search, the new app from The Browser Company, is introducing a way for users to get quick answers on the go using their voice. Teeming with AI-powered features, Call Arc works by essentially getting users to place a quick phone call to get answers to queries. The company says Call Arc is a new take on voice search that delivers answers faster than typing, while also making the experience as easy as picking up the phone and calling a friend. Read more

Canva's actual enterprise product: The company's product has been embraced by teams but has now launched a new enterprise version that is truly geared toward the needs of larger organizations. That includes the types of features that you would expect in this kind of product, including single sign-on, enhanced security offerings and tools for managing larger groups of users. Read more

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Afternoon must-reads

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Robocaller gets $6 million fine: You can't fake President Joe Biden's voice to suppress voters via robocalls, and now the scammer is being fined by the Federal Communications Commission. Steve Kramer faces a $6 million fine for using voice-cloning tech to impersonate President Biden in a series of illegal robocalls during a New Hampshire primary election. Read more

Seeing stars: Elon Musk's X is preparing to make "likes" private on the social network, in a change that could potentially confuse users over the difference between something they've favorited and something they've bookmarked. Sarah Perez reports that this decision is meant to incentivize engagement, by allowing people to favorite content that seems "edgy" and to protect their public image. Interesting … Read more

A Big Tech rulebook: Peers in the House of Lords agreed to pass the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer bill — removing the last obstacle to the bill becoming law in the limited parliamentary time remaining for the government. Read more

Spotify's Spanish DJ: Spotify already has an AI DJ feature, which introduces personalized song selections to users. Now it's developing a Spanish-speaking version of that DJ. Read more

Catch a ride: Apple and the Paris area transportation authority rolled out support for Paris transit passes in Apple Wallet. This means that people can now use their iPhone or Apple Watch as a Navigo pass to ride the metro, train, tram or bus. Read more

Redwood Materials adds scrap to its recycling operation: The company is working with Ultium Cells, the joint battery manufacturing venture between GM and LG Energy Solution, to recycle cathode, anode and cell scrap from both their Warren, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, facilities. Read more

Parents need a community, too: A new startup called Auggie is aiming to give parents a single platform where they can shop for products and connect with each other. Parents can share product recommendations, shop vetted products and find community to get real-time advice on different parenting matters. Read more

Money, money, money

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Lumos helps companies manage their employees' identities — and access. Read more

App developer Crowdaa raises €1.2M and plans a US expansion. Read more

TechCrunch Minute

Image Credits: Getty Images / MirageC

Humane might be up for sale: After launching its much-hyped Ai Pin, Humane is now looking for a buyer. Specifically one that will pay a reported $750 million to $1 billion. Here's what might hamper a deal: The company's valuation is already $850 million and the Ai Pin's launch was bumpy at best. That said, anything AI-related is hot right now. Hit play and let's chat!