2022 EOY Recap

See you in 2023!

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In our last issue of 2022, we present you with our year-end recap and a complimentary drinking game: Drink every time you read Ticketmaster/Live Nation; NFT; or cancel/postpone/refund. Reminder, no issue next week. See you in 2023!

JanuaryOmicron was rampant and the events industry was feeling it. CES in Las Vegas was back in-person for the first time, but CID offered refunds for Playing in the Sand in Mexico and later canceled both weekends. Weekends with Adele was postponed and NIVA re-launched its Emergency Relief Fund.When We Were Young was announced and quickly expanded from 1 to 3 dates.Oh, and Ticketmaster and Live Nation were sued for violating antitrust laws.

February Covid seemed to be settling down as Coachella and Stagecoach officially dropped their Covid-related requirements, but CID offered refunds for its Phish event following an increased travel warning in Mexico.Bad Bunny announced his “World’s Hottest Tour” following his arena tour and the first-ever hip-hop Super Bowl Halftime Show was legendary.

MarchComedian John Oliver took on Ticketmaster and the ticketing industry while US Senators called out Ticketmaster and Live Nation for their alleged monopoly. Tomorrowland sold out three weekends, while Tomorrowland Winter launched an NFT (via FTX). An online petition to drop Kanye from the Coachella lineup was signed by over 30,000 people.We lost Taylor Hawkins.

AprilKayne officially pulled out of Coachella. The ‘world’s first Bitcoin festival’ took place in April, featuring Deadmau5 and Logic. Tinder released Festival Mode as festival szn was heating up. An Event Production Guide was released by a Texas Task Force in response to the Astroworld tragedy.Pollen raised a lot of money.

MayRolling Loud expanded to Canada, and Ticketmaster expanded to South Africa. Napster was acquired by a venture capital firm with visions of blockchain and web3. Snap partnered with Live Nation to bring AR to EDC. My Hero: Over 1,000 musicians paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins.

Back of House turned TWO and celebrated with an event-producer-curated giveaway. UK artists and crew were able to tour Greece visa-free. Broadway (finally) removed its mask mandate, and the industry responded to the Roe v. Wade decision.Also, Pollen laid off some staff.

JulyNew York’s all-in pricing laws went into effect, requiring all fees to be disclosed upfront. Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a plea to end the war in Ukraine on stage at Glastonbury. Superfly announced Superpass NFTs for its Web3 festival. Major Canadian telecom Rogers ruined The Weeknd. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino locked in a 5-year contract extension.

AugustLive Nation announced its Q2 results indicating that the behemoth had sold 100 million tickets, more than all of 2019, and was on pace for its biggest year yet. Yet, Broadway struggled with attendance. Pollen looked for a buyer while its staff were left unpaid and without health insurance.Festicket filed a moratorium.

SeptemberTicketmaster defended its dynamic pricing model in response to the Bruce Springsteen on sale. Lyte agreed to purchase some Event Genius assets (including Festicket). Optimized Health gave us some health tips heading into the off-season. The industry responded to Queen Elizabeth II’s death and the Foo Fighters’ hosted an epic tribute to Taylor Hawkins at Wembley Stadium.

October Lyte made its Festicket purchase official. Hurricane Ian impacted events on the east coast. Day 1 of When We Were Young was officially canceled due to wind, but many bands hosted pop-up shows anyway, and Day 2 went on as planned in Las Vegas. We also celebrated World Health Day and got finance tips from Rachael at Life’s Jam.More Ticketmaster monopoly rumblings occurred, and some thoughts on how they get away with it.And a behind-the-scenes look at the rise and fall of Pollen. 

NovemberNovember was alllll about ticketing -- and Taylor. First, Live Nation announced a[nother] record-breaking quarter. Taylor Swift announced The Eras tour, and Midnights took all 10 of the top 10 spots on the Hot 100 chart.Then Taylor tickets went on sale. (Ticketmaster senate hearings were subsequently announced.) In other news, Instafest was all over our IG feeds, and Billy McFarland announced his next project. 

December The Taylor Swift Ticket Fiasco outfall continued with fans suing Ticketmaster and many outside the industry chiming in (The Hustle, The Ringer). It even has its own Wikipedia page. Since the general on sale was canceled and there were approximately 170,000 unsold tickets, Ticketmaster gave fans a second chance via its subsidiary, Ticketstoday.Bad Bunny was named the highest-grossing touring artist of 2022, but the impressive accolade was overshadowed by ticket fraud issues during his show in Mexico City.

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