Anti-Christ (Clear Channel) Settles Lawsuit

Clear Channel has settled with a Denver concert promoter who alleged CC radio stations wouldn’t play songs by artists not playing CC-promoted concerts:

Clear Channel Communications Inc. has settled a lawsuit with a Denver promoter who sued the No. 1 radio chain over charges it threatened to keep artists off its radio stations unless they performed at its concerts, the parties said on Thursday.

Terms of the settlement with Denver-based concert promoter Nobody In Particular Presents were not disclosed. Clear Channel said in a statement it had admitted no wrongdoing.

In April, a federal judge in Denver ruled the promoter’s lawsuit, claiming Clear Channel had attempted to create a monopoly, could proceed to trial.

….Clear Channel owns and operates about eight radio stations in Denver, the maximum allowed by the Federal Communications Commission.

The company also operates the largest concert promotion business in the United States.

In its lawsuit, Nobody In Particular had claimed Clear Channel’s radio stations in Denver played songs by artists whose concerts were handled by Clear Channel’s concert promotion arm, but did not play songs by bands that gave concerts promoted by Nobody in Particular.

More recently, Texas-based Clear Channel has come under fire again from smaller rivals worried it will shut them out of the quickly growing business of offering live-concert CDs immediately after shows. [Reuters]

I am still astonished the FCC doesn’t see any particular problem with the (by far) largest radio station owner in the ocuntry also being the largest concert promoter in the country, as well as the anti-Christ (the last accusation a matter of speculation).

More on the story here.