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Apparently Taylor Swift ticketing issues aren’t unique to the US. As Taylor expands her tour internationally, fans, scalpers - and politicians - all want in. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster continues to make tweaks to its platform to avoid similar “debacles” in the future

All Hail Red Rocks 7 people were taken to the hospital and approximately 90 others were treated for tennis ball-sized-hail-related injuries at Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado as fans waited for a Louis Tomlinson show last Wednesday. The storm was predicted and the venue was watching it, sending guests to take shelter in their vehicles and postponing the show once, but then inviting them to return to their seats. The severe weather came on quickly, giving fans little time to seek cover. 

APA + AGI = IAGAPA (Agency for the Performing Arts) and AGI (Artist Group International) have merged to create a new entity called Independent Artist Group (IAG). Jim Osborne, previously the COO of APA, has been appointed as the CEO of IAG, while Dennis Arfa, a veteran music industry executive, has been named Chairman. The newly formed group seeks to leverage its combined expertise to navigate the evolving landscape of the entertainment business and provide enhanced opportunities for its clients.

Taylor Swift ticket woes worse in Brazil We thought it was tough to get Taylor Swift tickets in the US. Fans trying to get tickets for her shows in Brazil had to wait in line (actual lines, outside in the cold) for days, literally fighting off scalpers. Like the US, Congress saw this as an opportunity to take action by proposing a bill to increase the penalties associated with scalping, which is already a crime in Brazil, from 2 to 4 years in prison, along with fines of up to 100x the price the scalpers ask for tickets.  

Verified Fan → Advance RegistrationLooks like Ticketmaster has quietly replaced its controversial Verified Fan program with Advance Registration, likely another result of the US Taylor Swift ticket debacle. According to a blog posted on the TM site June 14, Advance registration helps “filter out bots and professional resellers.” It continues, “once registrations are authenticated/ screened, fans are then randomly selected to receive access codes to the ticket sale. Similar to Verified Fan, while it doesn’t guarantee that all who register will get tickets, it does significantly block bots and professional resellers from scooping up tickets.”  

Doune the Rabbit Hole canceledAfter entering liquidation late last year, but promising the 2023 festival would happen, Doune the Rabbit Hole is officially down and out. The Scotland festival says it is forced to cancel due to a boycott called by the Bectu union, but the union called for the boycott due to the organizers failing to pay the performers and workers from last year’s event. The festival is not planning to issue refunds to those who have already purchased tickets.

No raise for RapinoLive Nation shareholders voted against CEO Michael Rapino and other exec’s pay packages, citing concerns that the packages weren’t fully disclosed and they did not align with long-term performance. Rapino was slated to earn $139 million in 2022 and while his salary would remain $3 million in 2023, his cash bonus would bump from a target of $6 million (actual $12 million in 2022) to $17 million.

Facial recognition boycottMore than 100 artists and 25 venues across the US are coming together in a pledge to boycott venues using facial recognition technology at shows. The pledge was launched by Fight for the Future in response to Madison Square Garden’s controversial use of the technology to ban fans from the venue. The org is also working to ban facial recognition at festivals and maintains a list of festivals that have signaled that they will not use it in the future.

Live Nation, GNR fan’s HeroAfter playing the role of hero and saving a Guns N Roses concert from its demise, Live Nation Spain wants its money back. The City Council of Vigo backed out of its €1.9m sponsorship pledge at the last minute, temporarily canceling the show and leaving the 22,000+ ticket holders in a lurch until Live Nation agreed to cover the gap caused by the loss of funds. LN Spain President Pino Sagliocco said, “We have no choice but to claim our rights.”

Promoters appeal March BMI rate hikeLive Nation, AEG, and the North American Concert Promoters Association have filed a notice to appeal the March ruling that increased the royalty rate they will have to pay BMI by 138% and expanded it to a larger revenue base. BMI was not surprised by the appeal. Mike O’Neill, President & CEO of BMI, stated in the org’s official response to the appeal, “they are making more money than ever, in more ways than ever, they are determined to deny songwriters and composers the fair value of their work, despite the fact that without their contributions, a concert wouldn’t even be possible.”

Electric Forest lowered carbon footprint with FutureFuture, a fintech company that offers FutureCard holders the ability to make climate-friendly purchases, has partnered with Electric Forest to decrease the festival’s carbon footprint by becoming FutureCard members and using the card to make purchases at the festival. They also offered 25% cashback on EF Shuttle pass purchases to cardholders to encourage them to take the shuttle and lower carbon emissions.

 Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment is hiring a VP of Sports Property & Entertainment to book and manage sports, family shows and other non-traditional events at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Salary range $200,000 - $215,000.   Oak View Group is looking for a VP, Sales and Marketing Operations in Denver, CO to lead strategic sales and marketing growth initiatives. Salary range $175,000 - $200,000.  Live Nation Concerts is hiring a General Manager to run the Gramercy Theater in NYC, NY. Salary range is $80,000 - $100,000

Have you attended or worked Glastonbury?

Last Week's Results:

46% of BOH readers check out performances while working an event.

Headliners, Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements

• Jelly Roll, Bebe Rexha, Ashanti, and more will perform prior to the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Show in NYC, NY. The show will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock on July 4th. 

• Orville Peck announced last week that he was postponing the rest of his “Bronco” tour, effective immediately, due to his declining mental and physical health. 

• Jawbreaker’s new, “anti-festival” festival, 1234Fest, will feature Rise Against, Rancid, Jawbreaker, and Descendents, September 9 at the JunkYard in Denver, CO and September 23 at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Philadelphia, PA.

• Gorillaz canceled their planned September tour in the US due to “scheduling conflicts and circumstances beyond our control.”

• DJ Diesel now has his own festival, Shaq’s Bass All-Stars Festival - a partnership between Medium Rare and Disco Donnie Presents - with Alison Wonderland, Kai Wahi, and Sullivan King, September 16 in Fort Worth, TX. Oh, and did you catch his free throw from the stage at Electric Forest last weekend?

• Zach Bryan will headline Auburn Rodeo, a new festival on October 7 in Auburn, AL. 

• III Points Music Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary October 20 - 21 in Miami, FL with Skrillex, Grimes, Iggy Pop, Black Coffee, and Fred Again. 

• New Darker Waves Festival, scheduled for November 18 in Huntington Beach, CA will include New Order and Tears For Fears as headliners.

• Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa will return to Moon Palace Cancun January 17 - 20, 2024 with Jelly Roll, Jon Pardi, Bailey Zimmerman, and Dustin Lynch.

• Rumors are true. Taylor Swift announced Eras stops in Europe, Asia, and Australia in 2024, starting at the Tokyo Dome in February and finishing at London’s Wembley Stadium in August. 

• Backstreet’s Back at the Beach, a new all-inclusive Cancun MX festival by Playa Luna  with BSB, Jason Derulo, Eric Cubeechee, and DJ YO-C. April 18 - 21, 2024 at Moon Palace Resort

Glastonbury (Somerset, England)What a weekend at Worthy Farm:

• There was an early threat of the Arctic Monkeys canceling their headlining performance, and speculation of who would potentially replace them. But then they did play their Friday slot, and fans reacted.

• Pseudo-mystery band - and hypothetical Arctic Monkeys replacement - The ChurnUps, turned out to be the Foo Fighters, “surprising” fans on Friday evening.

• After canceling all shows prior to Glasto, Lewis Capaldi gave his Saturday performance everything he had, despite some struggles with his voice and said it was likely he’d take a few more weeks off to recover. 

• As the Saturday headliner, Guns N Roses, got mixed reviews, especially from those watching from home. But then Dave Grohl joined them for “Paradise City.”

• The Joy announced that they were "forced to cancel" their 11 AM show at 10:14 AM, just 45 minutes before the set was due to take place on Sunday. 

• Japanese Breakfast also had to pull out of her Sunday performance the morning of. Travel delays kept her from getting to the festival on time.  

• Elton John brought it all home to wrap up the festival Sunday night, performing what may be his last show ever and by far, the most watched headliner on BBC, with over 7 Million fans watching from home.

 4 days, 275 people, approximately 50 trucks, 2,400 feet of bike rack, 60-ton cranes, and 85,000 feet of flooring: what it takes to turn Fenway Park into a concert venue.

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