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Is this some kind of contractual battle between Sony and LiveNation? This is a recent interview with the CIO of LiveNation. It is supposed to be about technology, but it indirectly speaks to LiveNation's plans to gobble up the music industry. Also, for the tldr; (too long didn't read) folks, it is 4 printed pages of really densely packed text in a tiny font. Short version:

Manna: Right. We offer a lot of different options for people. We try to productize the experience with the result that the experience is more than just a ticket.

NOW: And the second front of your "assault" must be with the artists themselves.
Manna: Without the artists, we don't really have a way to go to the consumers. So what's the value proposition for the artists? Some of the things that we've been working with the artists involve this notion of a "360 deal," where the artist really becomes invested in Live Nation and becomes part of the company.

To do this, we get the rights to their IP, so we can do things like record their shows in HD and stream them and carve them up and distribute them to different content providers, and different things like that. We also want to have tools so that we can go to the artist and the artists' agents and say, "We can manage your tour better, we can manage it more efficiently, we can promote it. We can sell tickets, we can host fan sites and sell their merchandise. We can upsell and cross-sell across all those areas. We're a one-stop shop for you, Mr. or Ms. Artist."

NOW: And given the emphasis on tours, they must want to get closer to their fans.
Manna: Yep. They want to be more accessible. It's like CRM finally came to the live entertainment business. Band have figured out that the labels weren't really doing them any favors in this area. The labels were distributing through channels. Wal-Mart knew the customer, but the labels didn't know the customer, you know?

NOW: The traditional studios must love this.
Manna: Well, we have an adversarial relationship, really, with most of the labels. They see us as the threat. They see us as the 21st century label in a way. And I don't think that Michael Rapino really makes any issue with saying that's what he's got his sights set on.