Is there room for Pandora to sign artists directly, which would be similar to Netflix producing original content? Is it even permissible given how the rest of their business is structured?
I don't think that option is off the table. They could set up a bunch of labels, and use the Pandora platform for distribution. I don't know Ticketfly's share of the venue market, but if it's not significant then I don't think regulators would have an issue with a producer/distributor/event-organizer combo. Overall, they're still small potatoes.