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With the Rockettes canceling, Doja Cat dropping out of the Jingle Ball tour, and new postponements and restrictions, Omicron is making its presence known as the newest impediment to the live event industry worldwide. 

2022 Industry PredictionsIndustry vet and highly respected music marketer Jay Gilbert of Your Morning Coffee shares his predictions for the music industry in 2022. Of the long list, some noteworthy forecasts are: NFTs becoming the norm for album and song releases, songwriters getting more credit for their work, artists growing their audiences through non-music platforms such as Twitch and TikTok, and motion graphics for tracks and album covers gaining more traction. 

TBT to LollapaloozaReflecting on 2021, Lollapalooza was one of the most impactful and exciting events of the year, with no other festival having occurred with the same caliber of talent and popularity since the year had begun. The event’s success, given all the scrutiny and protocols it had to face, is going down as a major feat of 2021.Lollapalooza is being hailed as one of the most impactful and exciting events of the year. It was the first event with a high caliber of talent and popularity to take place in 2021. It was a major feat - and a win we really needed - despite the scrutiny it faced and all of the Covid protocols it had to put in place.

Indoor Capacity Changes due to OmicronIn Ireland, new Omicron rules are in place, including a 50% indoor seating limit, with attendees required to show their EU Digital Covid Certificates. On a positive note, The Minister for Tourism, Catherine Martin TD, has announced additional funding in support of the live performance sector.

Music Climate PactThe Music Climate Pact, a commitment to decarbonizing the global music industry, has been signed by noteworthy music groups such as Sony, Universal, and Warner Music Group. By February 2022, signatories will sign up for one of two options, the Science-Based Targets Initiative, or the UN-backed Race to Zero SME Climate Commitment. Music festivals have signed their own Green Deal, with almost 20 European festivals agreeing in 2019 to become as sustainable as possible by 2025. 

UK Tracks Event Attendance In the UK, what used to be a 5% no-show rate for events has grown to 40% since Covid. Fans are also more likely to ask for their money back if a show is postponed, in addition to a higher rate of ticket returns. UK’s NHS Covid Pass has also been enforced recently in the UK, further discouraging fans from showing up. In the US the rate has increased from roughly 4%-12% attrition to closer to 30%, with the biggest cause being cited as rescheduled shows.

TM Expands to a New MarketFollowing Live Nation’s recent acquisition of OCESA Entretenimiento, Ticketmaster has expanded its growth within the Latin American Market. The company’s service just launched in Chile and Mexico, with Ticketmaster Mexico going from a licensing agreement to a broader integration of operations, and Chile focusing on increasing the use of digital tickets.

Another LN LawsuitLast week, Coachella, and event producer Goldenvoice, filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against Live Nation over an event called “Coachella Day One 22.” The event, advertised on  LN’s Ticketmaster, is set for Dec. 31st, taking place in close proximity to the original Coachella festival’s location. They are accused of causing “consumer confusion and false association” with the original event, attempting to imitate the original Coachella and their trademarks.

Mass Refunds Issued In New Zealand, organizers for Womad Festival are refunding about 500 early-bird ticket holders who are refusing to show a Covid-19 vaccine pass upon entry. As of November, the country requires proof of vaccination to attend large-scale events. Ticket sales for Womad are not yet where they had hoped to be, especially with about 4% of ticket purchases being refunded. 

Tragedy at Once Upon A Time in LAHeart-breaking news has been reported from At Once Upon a Time in LA this past weekend. A fight broke out backstage that resulted in the fatal stabbing of Rapper Drakeo the Ruler. 

People NewsTicketCo, an integrated streaming and event payment platform, is continuing its global expansion and launching in the US, with Lauren Pye appointed to lead the new team. Formerly serving as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Ticketmaster, Pye says on TicketCo, “It’s a game-changer, I’ve not seen another company offer ticketing, live streaming, and video on demand, seamlessly built into one platform.”

Adam Brill was named VP of Fairs & Festivals for Wasserman Music, while Mike Sosin was promoted as a company’s agent. Brill makes this move after six years at CAA, working before that with the United Talent Agency and APA. Sosin, joining Brill in the Fairs & Festivals department, was promoted after five years as coordinator for Wasserman’s SVP, previously working at Bloodshot Records in radio promotion and as an artist manager. 

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 Universal Music Group is hiring an Office Manager of Commercial Services in Philadelphia, to join their eCommerce & Label Services team.

 C3 Presents is seeking a Ticketing Fulfillment Coordinator in their Austin office, responsible for coordinating ticket orders and credential fulfillment, among further roles. 

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Omicron is here, just in time for the holidays, and live events are starting to feel their impact. Unfortunately, events canceling - often last-minute - doesn’t surprise us anymore, but this time it seems to be mostly due to the artists, performers, and crew being infected, rather than the fear of guests potentially being infected.

• New York’s Radio City Rockettes announced that they have ended their 2021 season suddenly on Friday. After announcing initial cancellations due to infections among its crew, they declared later that day that the show would stop for the rest of the season. While other venues in NYC are similarly canceling shows, including LCD Soundsystem’s residency at Brooklyn Steel, as of now, the New Year’s Eve festivities in Times Square are still on (for vaccinated guests) with crews starting to set up on Monday night. Mayor Bill de Blasio promised that any modifications to the event would be announced before Christmas.

• Jingle halfway: Doja Cat had to withdraw from the 2021 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour after testing positive for Covid on December 12. After her production team tested positive in the days prior, she had initially canceled two of her scheduled performances and is now withdrawing completely.  The tour also announced that Lil Nas X and Coldplay would both need to withdraw from London’s Jingle Ball after members of their teams tested positive for Covid. Unfortunately,  the tour was forced to end early when Miami’s Jingle Ball was canceled completely due to Omicron concerns.

• After multiple tour members contracted Covid-19, Goth rockers Evanescence and Halestorm were forced to postpone the remainder of their North American tour. Evanescence says, “All the bands and crew have been so diligent with every precaution to keep this from happening but this virus is a real b*tch!” Their five canceled shows have already been rescheduled for January. 

In Australia, the Victoria government launched their first Covid-19 event insurance. The 12-month plan began December 15th, offering a total of $230 million of cover for sporting, business, creative, and community events with revenue or costs in the range of $20,000 to $10 million. If cancellation is enforced as a result of public health orders from the Victorian or Commonwealth government, the insurance will provide a 100% payout, and 50% will be covered if health restrictions decrease event capacity. This insurance comes as an addition to the $20 million Live Music Restart package and will be delivered by the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA). With Australia’s live event industry still struggling two years after Covid hit, this insurance is a small step in the right direction. 

Further, customers attending events at venues served by Ticketmaster in Australia are now able to check in and verify their vaccination status upon entering the venue.

This week's spotlight is on...  St. Kitts Music Festival (Kim Collins Athletic Stadium Basseterre, St. Kits) 🔦

St. Kitts Music Festival is returning for 2022, with fans across the world welcoming the show after its two-year absence. The Caribbean music festival just announced its dates, June 24-25. The festival, launched in 1996 as a strategic move to get visitors to come to St. Kitts, heavily promotes the island’s tourism sector. Lindsay Grant, Minister of Tourism, said the ministry will be working with health officials to ensure the success of next year’s festival. Hopefully, with the return of international flights and the recent reopening of the cruise sector, the country’s tourism industry is due for another resurgence. More festival details will be rolled out, including an updated list of performers, in January.

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 Brian Eno has made a limited-edition, light-up record player in association with the Paul Stolper Gallery, featuring kaleidoscopic color-changing LEDS that cycle as your vinyl plays. With only 50 models in existence, all signed by the artist, these are going to sell fast!

 Justin Bieber is nearing one million ticket sales for his Justice world tour, spanning five continents from May 2022 to March 2023. Since the tour was announced last month, about 875,000 tickets have been sold.

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