introducing you to someone new!!!!
+ the Live Nation drama, the difficulty of buying a house makes young people wanna "throw up," and can you match my freak?
Hi my angels!!! I’m home! I’m hinged! I’m happy!
Sorry to shamelessly plug Dunc and I at the very top of the first newsy of the week, but a couple of weeks ago we sat down and recorded what I think is my most candid interview… ever?
I want you all to listen to it because I talk about moving to Lisbon, moving home, what happened, how I took you on the journey and then had to bring you home when it didn’t work out, as well as my constant fantasy about deleting Instagram. I think it will give you all some nice explanations for why I am how I am, and it might also fill a little bit of the podcast-shaped hole a lot of you have been telling me you’ve got in your life at the moment!!!
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ IN THE NEWS⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
Very important news: look at my new bike
Isn’t she beautiful???? I’m addicted to her and I need a name, so please comment or email me cute names for her:
Lol I’m like a Mum with her new baby. Big shout out to Frenchie (Alex) from MEC Bikes in Auckland who found the most LUCE bike in the goddamn world. Obsessed with you.
Very relatable headline from the BBC this morning:
You can read the story here, but it’s essentially telling us what we already know - if you’re a young person wanting to buy a house, the prospect is enough to make you wanna “throw up.”
Some stats (which apply to the States, but honestly, they’re similar for a lot of us):
“The median home sale price in the US has jumped by nearly 30% since the end of 2019, hitting $420,000 this spring (according to the IMF this is one of the most dramatic leaps in the world)”
“Homebuyers today need an annual income of more than $100,000 - well above the country's household median of about $75,000 - to comfortably afford a home in most places in the US”
“Just 40.1% of renters expect to ever own a home one day, according to the New York Federal Reserve, the smallest share since the bank started asking renters the question in 2014.”
Ugh, love you all, I’m in this sinking ship with you xxxx
Live Nation have been hit with an antitrust suit from Justice Department
Last week the US Justice Department and 30 states launched an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation in an attempt to break up the country's largest concert promoter and ticket seller.
The lawsuit basically says that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have a monopoly over this industry, which means they can increase prices for customers (as there’s so little competition.)
“Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010 under a DOJ consent decree. The conglomerate now controls 70% of the ticketing and live events market, manages over 400 music artists, and owns or operates over 260 concert venues. The lawsuit alleges Live Nation uses its stakes across these business areas to leverage fees from one area to dominate others—including by setting exclusive contracts with venues—in a "flywheel" cycle.”
In response to the suit, here’s what Live Nation has said:
"We will defend against these baseless allegations, use this opportunity to shed light on the industry, and continue to push for reforms that truly protect consumers and artists.”
"The DOJ's lawsuit won't solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees, and access to in-demand shows."
"Calling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment, such as the fact that the bulk of service fees go to venues, and that competition has steadily eroded Ticketmaster's market share and profit margin.”
More on this story here, and obv I’ll keep you in the loop!
F1 spoilers ahead sorry:
I’m not gonna tell you who won the Monaco GP BUT IF YOU KNOW, GET EXCITED WITH ME!!! And if you don’t know… read this x
‘Matching my freak’ is my fave online thing at the moment:
Just gonna drop these here x
So many of us have grown up having everything available and accessible to us all the time - which is AMAZING for so many reasons, but there is a cost to free things - even if you can’t see it.
In a world that feels more mystifying by the day, where journalists are constantly being laid off, and misinformation spreads faster than a leaked Harry Styles song, finding media that you trust, understand and actually want to read is so important.
I know you value what I do - so many of you email me saying how much you love the newsletter, thanking me for explaining topics you might not have heard of, and telling me how much it means to you that you’ve got a friend on the other side of this thing (🥺🥺🥺) If you believe in paying for the media (or the person???) you love, then please consider becoming a supporter.
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PS, if you wanna chat to me about anything I’ve written today, your latest crush, or if you just want a pen pal, reply to this email and we can be friends 𓆩♡𓆪
It was amazing watching Leclerc win yesterday. So freaking happy for him!
AND CHARLES LECLERC HAS WON THE MONACO GP FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.