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"Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in New Jersey unveiled a 43-count indictment charging four men with using sophisticated computer programs to bypass security measures to buy up blocks of tickets through online vendors like Ticketmaster. They sold the tickets to brokers, who in turn marked them up for ravenous fans who found the available supply of tickets scarce. According to the indictment, the defendants reaped more than $20 million in profits from 2002 to 2009 through purchases of more than one million tickets by their company, Wiseguy Tickets."

Wal-Mart Stores reached an agreement with Live Nation Entertainment to sell tickets to concerts and other events at about 500 stores. The service will be introduced in the next few months in cities including Chicago and Los Angeles, according to Irving Azoff, executive chairman of Live Nation. The new accord will let Wal-Mart shoppers buy tickets for concerts, sports and other events at cash registers in the retailer's entertainment department, Mr. Azoff said. Live Nation also sells tickets at Blockbuster stores.

Merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, two of the major concert ticket vendors in the US, was approved by the US Justice Department. Consumer groups, independent promoters and ticket brokers all urged the department to block the deal, warning that it would give the resulting company the power to dictate terms for live entertainment at the expense of venues, artists and consumers. The companies argued that combining their ticketing and promotions arms would enable them to offer better services to venues and acts, and better value to fans.

News Corp. the media conglomerate run by the billionaire, said second-quarter earnings got a boost from Avatar ticket sales and its broadcast TV division. The New York-based company reported net income of $254 million, or 10 cents per share, up from a net loss of $6.4 billion, or $2.45 cents per share in the same period a year prior, when the company was forced to write down the value of its assets.