The Leadership Letter

Real correspondence from the people running real companies — and what it reveals about leadership.

When a Customer Calls Your Fee Structure a Problem, Listen Fast

The moment a client's manager whispers 'double dipping,' you have minutes to build a clear answer — or you have a narrative crisis.

From: David Marcus (8/23/2022): "Danger, will robinson . . . Hopefully this stays contained to Harry. Irving thinks we make too much money . . ."

From: Tara Traub (8/22/2022): "There are two issues at play with her: 1. 'Double Dipping' on the fees ([REDACTED] inside [REDACTED] outside) 2. The show paying tax on the [REDACTED]% . . . totaling [REDACTED]k on this tour."

From: David Marcus (8/22/2022): "Harry shows: Platinum FV - [REDACTED] / Lift - [REDACTED] / [REDACTED] inside fee - [REDACTED]. We do have a limitation on taxes that we have not been able to overcome – our fee is taxed out of the gross. Platinum at TM has its own org, platform, operations, etc. that serves promoters, in addition to what we do to support venues. Inside fee pays for former, outside fee pays for latter."

From: Michael Rapino (8/22/2022): "So what will we say on biz mgr double dipping ie two service charges / Given huge play on these 50 dates how much is the [REDACTED]% for TM total adding to?"

From: Michael Wichser (8/23/2022): "gulp... Thanks."

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Court Exhibit
United States v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. & Ticketmaster L.L.C.
1:24-cv-03973 (NYSD), Doc. 1335-15, filed 2026-03-27
August 22, 2022
Public domain
View the primary source →