Axios

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé together fetched as much in concert ticket sales in 2023 as the next five artists combined, according to Pollstar data compiled by the New Consumer.

State of play: The music superstars collectively took in $1.6 billion through the Eras Tour and Renaissance World Tour, Nathan writes.

• Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Harry Styles, Morgan Wallen and Ed Sheeran collectively pulled in the same amount.

💭 Nathan's thought bubble: And that doesn't even count merchandise.

Bitcoin price briefly spiked to $47,680 Tuesday after a since-deleted U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission tweet claimed national exchanges were approved to list Bitcoin ETFs.

Why it matters: The bitcoin community has long believed an exchange traded product carrying actual bitcoins could be an ideal starting place for a meeting between blockchain and digital finance.

Revised inspection instructions mean it will take even longer before the Boeing 737 Max 9 planes are cleared to fly again after an emergency exit door flew off one of its aircrafts last week.

Driving the news: The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Tuesday that Boeing would be updating its instructions for inspections after receiving feedback on the initial set of instructions issued.

Pouring vast amounts of capital into generative artificial intelligence startups is existential, both to Big Tech and venture capitalists.

Why it matters: Corporate and traditional VCs may be happy to invest alongside one another, but there's also a fierce competition going on.

Walmart is digging deeper into the two biggest tech trends of the moment: generative AI and augmented reality.

Driving the news: The mega-retailer announced Tuesday afternoon during CES that its latest iOS app features generative AI-powered search.

Mark Cuban and Elon Musk have publicly sparred in recent weeks over DEI initiatives. Their latest flashpoint: the airline industry.

The big picture: The two entrepreneurs have waded online into the growing debate in corporate America over workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, on Tuesday announced that it will lay off around 600 people, or 3% of its global workforce.

Driving the news: In an internal email reviewed by Axios, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and president Rob Kapito wrote that 2024 presents a "distinctly different landscape" requiring "businesses across the firm ... to reallocate resources."

Amazon Web Services hosted its first accelerator program last summer for generative AI, with 21 startups participating.

Why it matters: AI is the new battleground between Big Tech companies as they compete to get startups to build innovative services using their tech.

Kevin Merida is leaving the Los Angeles Times 2½ years after being named executive editor of the newspaper.

Why it matters: Merida's hiring was considered a huge feat for the Times, which had struggled to create the same level of national zeitgeist as other papers in New York and Washington.

Carta yesterday decided to get out of the secondary stock trading business, as first reported by Axios and then confirmed by company CEO Henry Ward.

The big picture: This was the right move by Carta, which provides cap table management software for most VC-backed startups in the U.S., even if borne of scandal. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

Meta will institute more protections for teenagers on Facebook and Instagram, the company announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: A lawsuit last year from more than half the country's attorneys general said Meta knowingly released products and features that harm teens' mental health.

CNBC on Wednesday will debut its first paid course as part of a new educational venture developed by the editorial team behind CNBC's "Make It" franchise, CNBC president KC Sullivan told Axios.

Why it matters: It's part of a broader effort by CNBC to diversify more toward digital consumer revenue.

Word in Black, a media startup incubated within the Local Media Foundation (LMF), has officially incorporated as a public benefit company, CEO Nancy Lane told Axios.

Why it matters: The milestone serves as a blueprint for ways nonprofits can scale other local media collaboratives.

The Biden administration announced a final rule on Tuesday that makes it harder to classify workers as independent contractors — a victory for gig workers that could shift the business models of companies that rely on them.

Why it matters: The rule, which takes effect in March, requires businesses to extend the benefits and protections offered to employees to other workers that may no longer fit the status of a contractor.

After years of pandemic-driven volatility, the global ad market is finally expected to normalize over the next five years, according to new forecasts.

Why it matters: Uncertainty in the ad market led to a record number of job cuts across the media and entertainment sectors over the past year.

Fox Corp., one of the largest media companies in the U.S., has publicly debuted a new blockchain platform called Verify to help media companies track how their content is being used online.

Why it matters: Fox Corp. plans to use the Verify Protocol to negotiate deals licensing its content — an enormous trove of intellectual property across Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox Entertainment, and more — to artificial intelligence (AI) companies.

Office vacancies hit a record high in the fourth quarter of last year, surpassing previous peaks last reached in 1991 and 1986, according to data from Moody's Analytics out Monday.

Why it matters: Office buildings are emptying around the U.S., as companies continue to adapt to the new norms of remote and hybrid work by shrinking their physical footprints.

Last week's near-catastrophe involving a Boeing 737 is drawing fresh scrutiny of the company and its manufacturing, quality control and safety practices.

The big picture: Boeing had been trying to revive its once-sterling reputation ever since a combined 346 people were killed in crashes involving its 737 MAX 8 in 2018 and 2019.

Alaska and United Airlines said Monday they found problems with loose hardware following the grounding of all their Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets due to last week's mid-flight door plug blowout.

The big picture: Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave airlines authorization on Monday to begin inspections of 737 MAX 9 planes after they were grounded following the Friday incident aboard an Alaska Airlines plane.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes will step down next month and will be replaced by the airline's president and chief operating officer, Joanna Geraghty, the company announced Monday.

Why it matters: Geraghty will be the first woman to lead a major U.S. airline carrier, AP notes.

Carta has decided to close its liquidity services business, which matched buyers and sellers of private company stock, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The issue became a flashpoint over the weekend, when an entrepreneur disclosed that a Carta "liquidity solutions" salesperson had improperly accessed confidential company data via Carta's primary business, which manages cap table information for startups.

Bitcoin ETFs could gain regulatory approval as soon as Wednesday, with more than one fund preparing to launch trading Thursday morning, three people close to the matter tell Axios.

Why it matters: The 10-year wait for approval of spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. could come to an end this week.