One of the biggest pricing dramas of 2009 is taking place as we speak -- the war between Wal-Mart and Amazon on top-selling hardcover books.

Wal-Mart launched the war last week by offering 10 highly anticipated titles (by well-known authors including John Grisham, Stephen King, Dean Koonz and Sarah Palin) for $10. After a few back-and-forth volleys, Wal-Mart is now selling the titles for $8.99 (free shipping) and Amazon has a $9 price (free shipping only if total purchases are $25 or more).

In last week's New York Times, Motoko Rich and Brad Stone wrote that “no topic is more hotly debated at the moment than the timing, pricing and ultimate impact of e-books on the financial health of publishers and retailers.”

The primary debate centers on how low-priced ($9.99) digital books affect demand for more expensive ($25+) hardcover books. Since digital books are more profitable to publishers, my response is “who cares?”

With entertainer Michael Jackson’s untimely passing, many thought that it would be curtains for AEG Live, the promoter of Jackson’s impending 50 London concerts.

On the hook to refund $85 million to ticket buyers, the promoter had already reportedly invested $30 million into the tour for production costs.

At a recent D: All Things Digital Conference, Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff proclaimed, “We haven’t done enough dynamic pricing for tickets, and we should, and that will help make people happy.”  Mr. Azoff is right, dynamic pricing is the key to pricing for profits and growth in the rock concert industry.