Scientology Buzz, David Boies vs. Larry David, the Taylor Swift Debacle

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Happy Monday, I’m Eriq Gardner.

Welcome back to The Rainmaker! Hopefully, you scored Taylor Swift tickets. If not, you may want to read what follows before heading to Ticketmaster headquarters with pitchforks. Also in this week’s email: Danny Masterson, Coca Cola, Paul Newman, The Walking Dead, and a new suit against Disney. Plus, a scoop about a $21 million court decision last week involving the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

But first…

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Is Taylor Swift the Anti-Hero of the Ticketmaster Debacle?

The “Eras Tour” imbroglio doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about the notorious ticketing company, but it’s cause to revisit the idea of suits versus artists. Ticketmaster, after all, functions as an agent for artists. Shouldn’t they shoulder some of the responsibility?

ERIQ GARDNER

Last week, as I watched all the fuss surrounding Taylor Swift’s first tour in five years, I grew more and more curious about what the pop star was thinking. Fans were up in arms after a breakdown in the ticketing process. Politicians were taking swings at Ticketmaster. Journalists quickly confirmed that the Department of Justice had previously opened an investigation into Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation. But why was Taylor Swift herself so quiet? Swift, after all, is one of the few people with enough leverage to change how things are done in the music business. So on Friday morning, I shot off a message to Tree Payne, Swift’s publicist, who I’ve known for a long time. This is exactly what I wrote:...

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