For the international contemporary live music industry
UNITED KINGDOM CONSUMER WATCHDOG the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ruled that controversial ticket resale website Viagogo must sell its StubHub business outside North America, concluding a 14-month enquiry. The investigation took evidence from live music promoters and venue operators, fans, competitors and artiste managers. The CMA decided the…
Read moreUNITED KINGDON TICKET-BUYERS who placed a £50 deposit on a ticket to Glastonbury Festival (cap. 147,500) in October 2019 have been offered the chance to roll it over for another year as the event announced it was cancelled a second time due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, father…
Read moreDespite a dramatic, but expected third quarter (Q3) decline in revenue, Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) CEO Michael Rapino says he expects the company to bounce back strongly next year. He says 80 per cent of LNE’s shows have been rescheduled rather than cancelled, 8 per cent of fans globally are…
Read moreAEG PRESENTS, the promoting division of venue owner AEG, is to operate a new 4,400-capacity live music venue at Olympia London, part of a £1.3 billion ($1.7bn) regeneration of the exhibition, events and conference complex, Olympia London has hosted show by acts including Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd and, most recently,…
Read moreUNITED STATES A CRIMINAL investigation into unfair competition by ticketing multi-national Ticketmaster (TM) has been resolved with the payment of a $10 million fine by the Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) subsidiary. The payment represents the final chapter in a dispute lasting over five years with now-defunct newcomer Songkick, which provided…
Read moreUNITED KINGDOM FOLLOWING THE departure of five agents from Paradigm Talent Agency in the US to form Arrival Artists (see Audience, November 2020), Natasha Bent – agent for acts including Idles, First Aid Kit and Chvrches – has departed to launch an agency and management operation with her brother Mark…
Read moreThe country’s most prominent independent promoter of international artistes, Claudio Trotta of Barley Arts Promotion, has been presented with the Ambrogino d’Oro medal by the Municipality of Milan, his home city. The award is in recognition of his extensive efforts to ensure that concert tickets are bought by ordinary fans…
Read moreFormer Paradigm Talent Agency agents Ali Hedrick, Erik Selz, John Bongiorno, Karl Morse and Ethan Berlin, along with former Billions Corporation chief operting officer Matt Yasecko, have launched Arrival Artists. The new business partners with UK-based ATC Live in Europe, offering global representation to shared acts, with offices in New…
Read moreTicket reseller Viagogo has been ordered to pay a A$7 million (US$5.15m) fine and legal costs, for misleading consumers. The penalty was the culmination of a legal case brought against the Swiss-based secondary ticketing operator by the Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Judge Stephen Burley described some of Viagogo’s misrepresentations…
Read moreDenmark-headquartered promoter All Things Live (ATL) has signed an exclusive agreement with Live Nation Entertainment-owned Ticketmaster, giving the company all its concert and festival ticketing business across Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. ATL promotes and produces more than 5,000 events per year, with more than 1.5 million tickets sold. Its…
Read morePAN-EUROPEAN festival and concert promoter FKP Scorpio has hired former DHP Family executives Scott O’Neill and Daniel Ealam to “significantly expand” its UK business. The duo join Barry Campbell and James Cassidy on the board of FKP Scorpio UK, which was launched in 2008. Its recent projects include arena tours…
Read moreThe live music industry made 17 September Alerta Roja (Red Alert) day, with protests across 28 cities. Music venues were lit up in red as part of the global #WeMakeEvents campaign, designed to highlight that events industry workers urgently need government support. The demonstrations, which gained widespread media coverage, saw…
Read moreLive Nation Entertainment ticketing division Ticketmaster has restructured its head office, combining North America and International into one operation. Former president Jared Smith becomes chairman of the combined entity while Mark Yovich, formerly president of International, is now president of global business. Amy Howe, president of North America, becomes global…
Read moreFollowing the acquisition of John Jackson’s UK-based K2 Agency by The Yucaipa Companies (TYC), which also owns US operation Artist Group International (AGI, see 18 August news), AGI head Dennis Arfa reveals how the Coronavirus pandemic delayed the deal by several months. The two companies will remain independent under the…
Read moreLive music festivals and promoters can apply for €80 million ($93.7m) of grant aid from the federal government from Monday 7 September, via its Initiative Musik arm, which supports the country’s musicians and music sector at home and abroad. A further €30m ($35m) of investment funding is available to clubs,…
Read moreOrganisers of Tallinn Music Week (TMW) are confident of the event breaking-even, as they expect to welcome only slightly fewer delegates and music fans to the 60-venue conference and music festival. The event is set for 27-30 August. With no deaths from Covid-19 reported in the country since early June,…
Read moreRobomagic, the company formed by veteran agent, talent developer and former president of international touring at AEG Live in Europe Rob Hallett, is parting company with Live Nation Entertainment. The companies joined forces three years ago. Hallett helped develop artistes including Dexy’s Midnight Runners, UB40, Adam Ant and Duran Duran…
Read morePROMOTERS ARE aiming to demonstrate the safety of indoor concerts and trying out different audience formats following the lifting of some restrictions three weeks ago. The moves follow the government’s decision to allow seated-only indoor concerts with capacites of between 1,000 and 5,000, provided that venues are no more than…
Read moreLive Nation Entertainment (LNE) was able to extract some positives from its second quarter (Q2) financial report, which was otherwise as devastating as for just about everyone else in live entertainment, but on a larger scale. Its survey of fan intentions found that 86 per cent were happy to retain their tickets…
Read moreGERMAN PAN-Europeticketing and promotion giant CTS Eventim has stepped in to support the country’s largest promoter Barracuda Groupo after a bank which holds €34 million ($40.6m) of its deposits was ordered to stop operating in July. Austria’s Financial Market Authority instructed Commerzialbank Mattersburg (CM) to cease trading, including all withdrawals,…
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