For the international contemporary live music industry
UNITED KINGDOM Artistes such as London Grammar and Plan B are among artistes owed the most from the collapse of the companies behind 40,000-capacity Bestival and sister event Camp Bestival (cap. 25,000), which went into administration in September with debts of £5.8 million…
Read moreEUROPE Ticketmaster has confirmed the closure of its resale websites GetMeIn (GMI) and Seatwave across the continent, following the launch of its new fan-to-fan platform, which allows the resale of tickets at the price paid for them. Observers believe the company…
Read moreJAPAN The government has passed legislation which makes almost all ticket touting illegal, following an industry-led campaign against ticket sale for profit. The country’s Kokkai (parliament) unanimously approved the bill, which bans touting online or at any event where the organiser has…
Read moreUNITED STATES Arow has broken out between the management of Eric Church and the AEG-owned Staples Center (cap. 20,000) in Los Angeles. Industry publication Billboard has seen emails from a ticket reseller offering large numbers of Premier section tickets to fellow ticket touts/scalpers,…
Read moreSWITZERLAND Live Nation Entertainment has confirmed the acquisition of one of the country’s leading promoters, Mainland Music, by its Live Nation GSA division, based in Frankfurt, Germany. The company was co-founded in 2012 by long-term working associates Derrick Thomson of Cult Concert Agency,…
Read moreAUSTRALIA Controversial resale website Viagogo has come out fighting after being branded “disgraceful and disruptive” by artistes, as part of an anti-ticket touting campaign. Gang Of Youths issued a statement on Facebook calling for the Swiss-based company…
Read moreUNITED KINGDOM The first round of conference sessions for the annual International Live Music Conference (ILMC) have been announced. The event, which takes place between 5 and 8 March, will include panels such as Ticketing: Selling out…
Read morePORTUGAL Medium-sized concerts could benefit most from a cut in sales tax (often referred to as VAT) on tickets for live shows, according to a leading promoter. Parliament approved a reduction in VAT levied on tickets from an…
Read moreESTONIA To get as many fans to Bon Jovi’s 2 June concert from neighbouring Finland, promoters Live Nation Finland and Live Nation Baltics have arranged a special ferry from Helsinki with Estonian shipping company Tallink. The region’s largest ferry, Silja Europa, can take over 3,000…
Read moreSPAIN European festival association Yourope has opened registrations for its third annual European Festivals Conference, set to take place on 20-23 November at the Mas Salagros EcoResort in Vallromanes, near Barcelona. The event’s programme will include seminars, workshops and discussions covering…
Read moreUNITED STATES Ticketmaster (TM) has decided to defend a class action lawsuit and is demanding binding arbitration rather than a jury trial. The lawsuit, against TM and parent company Live Nation Entertainment, results from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Toronto Star newspaper sting…
Read moreUNITED KINGDOM Promoter AEG Presents has agreed that the 12 July concert in London’s Hyde Park (cap. 65,000), featuring Neil Young and Bob Dylan, can take place outside the annual summer series of Barclaycard presents British Summer Time shows. The decision…
Read moreGERMANY Acourt in Dusseldorf has upheld a ruling preventing CTS Eventim’s proposed takeover of Berlin-based promoter Four Artists. The pan-Europe ticketing and promoting giant announced, in March, plans to acquire the event organiser, before the deal was blocked by competition watchdog Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) last…
Read moreFRANCE An attempt by secondary ticketing websites Viagogo and Ticketbis to overturn a law against ticket touting has been rejected. The French Constitutional Council ruled that its anti-ticket touting laws are compliant with the country’s constitution. The challenge was brought…
Read moreSCANDINAVIA Established promoters across Denmark, Norway and Sweden are merging into one umbrella company backed by Belgian investment firm Waterland Private Equity. All Things Live unites Denmark’s ICO Concerts and ICO Management & Touring, Norway’s Atomic Soul Booking and Friction, along…
Read moreEUROPE AEG Europe has confirmed a trio of appointments, including a newly-created role of vice-president of programming across its European portfolio of venues. John Langford, general manager of The O2 (cap. 21,000) in London has becomes chief operating officer, while programming director Emma Bownes will step into…
Read moreUNITED KINGDOM Banks are continuing to monitor customer accounts for the potential fraud attempts, following the security breach at Ticketmaster (TM) earlier this year (see LIVE UK issue 222). Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) has begun to reissue payment cards to those customers involved in the breach,…
Read moreDENMARK German pan-Europe festival and concert promoter FKP Scorpio has acquired a 25 per cent stake in Danish agency smash!bang!pow!. The Copenhagen-based promoter stages concerts with artistes such as Tash Sultana at the KB Hallen (cap. 4,900) and…
Read moreSPAIN The WiZink Center (cap. 15,000) in Madrid, celebrated its 500th concert with a show by local artiste Dani Martin, former frontman of El Canto del Loco, this month. The venue opened in 2005 and has hosted shows by artistes such as Queen, Bruce Spingsteen,…
Read moreNETHERLANDS Backed by the opposition Socialist Party, a group of artistes has presented a manifesto titled Stop Profiteering From Concert Tickets to culture minister Ingrid van Engelshoven, demanding an end to ticket touting. In March, she announced plans…
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