I hear a lot of stories of lower mid level acts just giving up on touring - which after the collapse of album sales was the only way to make money. As with everything, corporate parasites slowly extract all value leaving the actual people doing the work with less and less.

Very little risk. Laughable in most countries. C-Suite accountability translating to truly damaging punishment, like jail time, is almost nil.

Hundreds - even thousands - depending on the act they open for. A lot of mid level acts use this to supplement tour money because the live nation monopoly and other consolidation factors have driven venue costs and other touring expenses through the roof. This has become pretty standard practice.

Most of these billionaires only support Israel because its economy feeds America. Israel’s tech sector touches silicone valley in myriad ways. Israel’s lobbying arm gets politicians rich. Israeli aid gets spent with American contractors - especially military. It’s a big greedy circle jerk, not true solidarity on Israel’s actions. America only calls out genocide when its low stakes for the owner class or an enemy.

Highly recommend reading this book for more details on American interference in sovereign nations to protect corporate interests: https://ia600507.us.archive.org/0/items/ConfessionsOfAnEconomicHitman_257/JohnPerkins-ConfessionsOfAnEconomicHitman.pdf

Don’t forget, Iran was a democratic nation in the early 1950s until America fucked it up for corporate profits. We created the conditions that brought about the Iran regime to capitulate to corporate interests.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat