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Today's read ... 8️⃣ minutes

Headliner Erin Muir is loving Mobina Galore's Escape Plan

You could be getting some cash from StubHub soon, Travis Scott and Jimmy Buffett join a growing list of artists selling out 2021 shows, and Bud Light launches a program aiming to bring back major summer vibes. 

New venues are on the way! Live Nation’s new Riverfront Park Amphitheater in Wilmington, North Carolina and their new Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut have announced their first shows. Additionally, The Mulehouse in Columbia, Tennessee will open its doors on May 22.

All 100,000 tickets sold out in under an hour for Travis Scott’s Astroworld. The festival is set to return this November and has been expanded to two days with the new theme, “Open Your Eyes to a Whole New Universe.” A portion of proceeds will go towards his Cactus Jack Foundation. Full lineup will be announced soon. 

Contrary to their March 2020 decision of credit-only refunds, StubHub is now offering some ticketholders cash refunds for events cancelled during the pandemic. This cash policy change will only apply to those who purchased tickets prior to March 25, 2020.  

Live Nation reported an operating loss of more than $300 million for Q1 2021 and a 79% drop in revenue compared to 2020. However, President and CEO Michael Rapino feels optimistic that “fans are buying tickets and events are selling out faster than ever before.”

For a second year in a row, Oktoberfest in Germany has been cancelled, but there are speculations that a version of this event will take place in Dubai this fall.

Social app Clubhouse launches their long-awaited Android app, finally giving Back of House android users a way to join our live events Clubhouse chats. Join our next one on Thursday, May 27.

Campaign group, ‘Still Standing for Culture,’ in Belgium has launched a protest against the ban on indoor events. Over 130 venues will reopen illegally this weekend. Safety protocols including mask mandates and social distancing will still be maintained.

Chicago’s Mayor Lightfoot has announced that the city’s full reopening will come on July 4, and a slate of events including the Grant Park Music Festival and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place this summer.

Thousands of sad Parrot Heads will miss the Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Friends Tour. Tickets sold out within 5 minutes, with many getting scooped up by resellers. However, anyone who bought a ticket (the cheapest priced at $3,889) from a reseller, will not be able to attend because attendees’ names must match the name of the ticket buyer.

Bud Light is hoping to relaunch summer vibes with ‘Bud Light Summer Stimmy,’ which will offer over 100,000 free tickets to sporting events, concerts, and more to fans for this summer. 

LAST CALL: By reader request, we’ve teamed up with Event Ally to give you $25 off their popular Planning Live Events During COVID-19 Series bundle with code BOHLive. Be one of the many who have listed “COVID Safety Courses” on their resume this year.

Which Festivals are Pivoting, and Which are Pushing On

• New York’s 10th annual Governors Ball slated for September 24-26 will feature Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, J Balvin, and Post Malone, and many more. 

• Milwaukee’s Summerfest announced the lineup for their September event. Miley Cyrus, Chance the Rapper, Luke Bryan, Run The Jewels are among the over 100 acts to perform over three weekends.

• Still lacking government-backed insurance for summer events, the UK’s Association of Independent Festivals has issued a ‘red alert’ for the events that have yet to be called off. Over a quarter of 5,000-person capacity festivals have announced their cancellation for this year, often citing the lack of financial support. Reading & Leeds organizer, Melvin Benn, however, is hopeful for the season and believes their August event will go ahead.

• Southern California’s Beyond Wonderland of Insomniac has been moved to late August 2021.

• Dublin’s Forbidden Fruit Festival lives up to its name as organizers cancel the event, citing prohibitive health restrictions.

• 80/35, the Des Moines music festival, has been cancelled for this year, but a one-day Riverview Music Festival will take place on September 4.

• Read here for a look at how staggered vaccine distribution internationally is changing the festival scene.

Fans Loved LA’s 20,000-Person Vax Concert

Global Citizen’s Vax Live, A Concert to Reunite the World, special aired on Saturday. The event took place on May 2 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. More than 20,000 fully vaccinated fans gathered to see the Foo Fighters, Jennifer Lopez, J Balvin, and Eddie Vedder. The show aimed to urge Americans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as advocate for sending support to other countries who do not have widespread vaccine access.   

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Erin Muir, the Director of Operations for Brok Productions since 2019, has worked in the events industry for over ten years as a project manager and independent contractor across North and Central America. Having worked with corporate events and trade shows, creative agencies, and dozens of music festivals, she leverages the best practices of each industry sector in building out her teams, project management tools, and events.

New to Contract Work? You’ll Definitely Need These SOW Tips When I first began working as an independent contractor in the festival and events industry, I knew that I would be assuming the accounting, legal, and insurance tasks that I used to cheerfully email over to the proper departments.  And while I was smart enough to hire qualified professionals to review my contracts, issue my COIs, and calculate my taxes, there was one part of the equation that was still under my purview - writing my Scope of Work. A Scope of Work, or SOW as it’s more commonly referred to, is simply a written description of the services you will be delivering, and it is part of your contract with your client.  If it sounds simple, that's because it is.  But writing an SOW that is detailed enough to protect both parties is harder than it sounds. Now that I’ve written more than I can count, I’m happy to share my tips and details with you.

Have you bought tickets to a 2021 concert or festival?

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77% of BOH readers prefer country music festivals over EDM festivals. 

▶️  AEG is hiring a Sponsorship VP for Goldenvoice responsible for securing new business and maintaining relationships on both a regional and national level.▶️  The Chicago Bears are looking for a full-time Events Coordinator who will be responsible for the club’s fan and private hospitality events as well as planning and execution of gameday activation and logistics.▶️  Join the Go West Creative team as a Production Coordinator in Nashville, TN.

▶️  Check out Rolling Stone’s Concert Packing Guide to make sure you’re ready to attend your first post-COVID festival.▶️  Interested in marketing? Here are over 150 marketing job opportunities from Creative Mornings.▶️  Check out your geographic music bubble and your city’s most popular song.

May 11: Fireside Chat: Exploring the NFL’s 360 Degree Approach to Live Events with Jon Barker, Head of Live Event Production & Operations at the NFL. 

May 18-20: CalFest 27th Annual Convention is The Professional Festivals and Events Association for the States of California and Nevada attracting those who produce festivals and special events in their communities. Attendees are from events, non-profits, municipalities, and suppliers. The virtual convention will include keynote speakers, educational sessions, networking opportunities, and a trade show.

May 19: Music Business Associate presents Mind Your Health, a candid conversation on the music industry’s evolving approach to mental health and wellness.

June 15-17: Pollstar Live! 2021 is the world’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals. The overall conference offers three (3) full days of programming, including Production Live! and Pollstar Live!, including panels with the industry’s top executives and visionaries, multiple networking opportunities, and the 32nd Annual Pollstar Awards’ Celebration. 

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