#051

The Back of House Crew is currently loving Witchoo by Durand Jones & The Indication

You could win free tickets to Governors Ball, why “Save Our Stages” hasn’t saved anyone yet, and leading industry experience experts tell us what it takes to build a great VIP program.

The Small Business Administration’s Save Our Stages Act has officially granted zero dollars to independent venues. SBA Administrator Guzman met with the Senate Committee saying that they are working “around the clock” to mitigate the delay.

Venues in New York including Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden are officially reopening, and if they require vaccination for attendees, they can host full capacity (paywall).

While most COVID safety regulations in California will be lifted on June 15, large scale events like festivals will still be verifying vaccination status or negative tests for their attendees.

Starting June 6, fans at live events in the United Arab Emirates will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide a negative PCR test before entry. Meanwhile, the Premier League in the UK calls out for a certification system to aid reopening efforts. Requiring health status or vaccine verification remains a major question in the industry as it rises from the pandemic.

Despite selling tickets for £20, Glastonbury’s livestream event on platform Driift Live went free to everyone after several hours of technical delays. Fans could only rewind all of the missed programming after the show had ended.

Live in New York and want to win a free ticket to Governors Ball? All you have to do to enter is book your vaccine appointment at a city-run vaccination site. Fifty 3-day passes will be given out.

Independent Venue Week will be July 12-18 in partnership with the National Independent Venue Association. Over 200 venues across the U.S. will host events.

Updated Bandsintown data reveal that artists are jumping back into shows and tours much faster than originally anticipated. A majority of the 200,000+ events listed on the site are scheduled for this year.

The International Promoters Alliance Japan has formed between major concert producers to establish guidelines and hasten reopening efforts.

Would you want to receive text updates when your favorite artists are touring near you? The new SMS concert discovery app, Tixxy, is launching in the U.S.

Lineups and Sold Out Shows -- This Week’s Highlights:

• Michigan’s Faster Horses Festival will return this July headlined by Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, and Thomas Rhett.

• Rolling Loud California announced their lineup for December. Kid Cudi, J. Cole, and Future will headline. 

• Primavera Sound announced a 400+ artist lineup for the two-weekend 20th anniversary event next year. The stacked bill includes The Strokes, Lorde, Gorillaz, Dua Lipa, Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion, and many more.

• Napa Valley’s BottleRock has completely sold out for this September. Stevie Nicks, Guns-N-Roses, and Cage The Elephant will take the stage with many others.

• A second day has been added for Insomniac’s Day Trip Festival in July. See the full lineup here.

• EXIT Festival in Serbia has announced that they will provide vaccinations to international attendees and performers.

• In Philadelphia, Jay-Z’s tenth Made in America Festival will take place this Labor Day weekend.

• The Netherlands’ Lowlands (paywall) festival has added Machine Gun Kelly, Bring Me the Horizon, and Rag-N-Bone Man to the lineup for their event this August.

• As a pilot event, the UK’s Download festival will welcome 10,000 attendees this June. Everyone will be required to provide a negative test upon entry and camp on site for the entire event.

• Summer Jam, the concert from New York’s Hot 97 hip-hop radio station, will take place this August in New Jersey.

• Ever After Festival in Ontario has been cancelled again despite a previous postponement announcement.

• This September, Knotfest will return to Iowa with performances from Slipknot, Faith No More, Lamb of God, and more.

• Lots of announcements have been made! Keep track of the major festivals returning soon here.

Live Events Industry Focuses on Mental Health with Various Efforts

The Stockholm venue formerly known as Ericsson Arena is being renamed ‘Avicii Arena’ to raise awareness about mental health in young people. Chris Cornell’s daughter, Lily Cornell Silver, is continuing her interview series, ‘Mind Wide Open,’ where she aims to lessen the stigma around mental health issues and offer support through conversations with actors, musicians, health experts, and others. BizBash shares how these event pros are embracing self-care. Also, check out Symphonic Distribution’s mental health resources for musicians.

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Last week’s Headliner, Shane Boylan, told us that we should always go VIP, so this week, we reached out to some of our favorite folks who work across a variety of VIP and hospitality roles to find out just what makes VIP so, well, VIP and how a great program can add value to an event or experience.Alex Bua talks to us about his experience in VIP Management & Operations across many events from Tortuga, Watershed, Electric Forest, and Gov Ball, to Disney On Ice & monster truck rallies, to food truck rallies & cannabis cups. 

Mandy Bauer uses her past experience working festivals with CID Entertainment in her current role as Director of Hospitality for the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. 

Harrison Scott creates unique fan experiences alongside artists’ tours and festivals as Director of Business Development, Music Experiences at On Location as well as their owned events such as CID Presents events in Mexico. 

Dylan Barahona started in the high-end hospitality industry and parlayed that experience into festivals and events with a focus on glamping.

What makes a VIP program great? How do you develop a great VIP program?

Have you received your first contract for a 2021 event yet?

Or

75% of BOH readers' return to the live events industry will be working rather than enjoying. 

▶️  Madison Square Garden Entertainment in New York is seeking a Premium F&B Operations Supervisor and a part-time Arena Concourse Supervisor. 

▶️  On Location seeks a savvy Digital Content Manager to help maintain and enhance the Music Experiences division's web presence for touring and festival programming. See more jobs postings at On Location here.

▶️  Vydia is seeking a Director of Sales in Los Angeles, Holmdel, or remote to lead and expand the sales division responsible for client acquisition, onboarding, retention, and sales targets. ▶️  Apply to be a Music Marketing Strategy Manager at YouTube in New York or California.

▶️  If you’re looking for a few book recommendations, check out this list of new music books. 

▶️  Want to discover new albums and read reviews of your favorites on Pitchfork? Just search their Review Explorer.▶️  Watch this: Bleachers performs “How Dare You Want More” from their upcoming album on The Tonight Show.▶️  Read this interview on what it’s like to play a music festival when your name’s in small print.▶️  Space Jam is back on July 16 starring LeBron James! Lil Baby and Kirk Franklin will collaborate on the new soundtrack.

June 2: With speakers from Event Tech Lab, Socio, Event Mind, and more, the Event Tech Innovation Summit will explore the new world of hybrid events. 

June 3: UTA’s Forever Changed webinar will discuss COVID-19’s lasting impact on the entertainment industry.

August 30 - September 1: BizBash is teaming up with Connect to showcase innovative ideas, tools and resources for virtual, hybrid and in-person events. Register to attend in-person in Tampa or virtually anywhere.

January 18-21: Mark your calendar. The NY:LON Connect global music summit, powered by Music Biz and Music Ally, unites top decision makers and thought leaders from across the globe to discuss and debate the issues that will affect the industry in the coming year.

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