Festival fan sues artist who threw a beer can from stage

We’ve (unfortunately) seen (too) many incidents of fans throwing things at performers on stage leading to injuries, but in this case, country singer Jameson Rodgers has been sued for throwing a beer can from stage and injuring a fan. The incident dates back to Barefoot Country Fest in NJ in 2022 when Rodgers threw a can that allegedly caused “severe, painful, and permanent bodily injuries” to Samantha Haws. Haws has listed Rodgers, Sony Music, Southern Entertainment, and Molson Coors as defendants in the lawsuit.

This week in Live Nation / Ticketmaster legal issues…

Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been sued by eChanging Barcode, LLC over patent infringement. The lawsuit alleges that Ticketmaster’s SafeTix rotating barcode infringes on eChanging Barcode’s patented technology. The original patent, No. 9,047,715, was issued in 2015 and involves the use of rotating barcodes for “credential management and administration.” The plaintiff is seeking compensation for damages, fees, and royalties.

VENU 🤝 Primary Wave Music

Venu Holding Corporation has teamed up with Primary Wave Music to roll out artist-inspired, next-level live entertainment across its portfolio of venues. The partnership leverages Primary Wave’s extensive catalog to build a scalable content for VENU’s venues. VENU plans to use this new content engine to shift from traditional concert models into a broader, immersive entertainment ecosystem as it continues to grow its footprint (three new amphitheaters are planned for 2026).

In other venue news

Live Nation is building a new music venue in Nashville, TN. The Truth is planned to open in the fall of 2026 and will host between 1,800 and 4,400 guests as part of the 18-acre, mixed-use Wedgewood Village development. The name is from country songwriter Harlan Howard, who described country music as “three chords and the truth”.

In Toronto, ON, Live Nation has announced that RBC has secured the naming rights of the soon-to-be revitalized waterfront amphitheater formerly known as the Budweiser Stage. The RBC Amphitheatre project is slated to be completed in 2030 as a year-round entertainment venue hosting 1.5 million fans per year.

Los Angeles, CA’s Hollywood Bowl recently broke ground on a new 7,500 square foot, multi-purpose pavilion. The Terri and Jerry Kohl Artists Pavilion is set to open in June 2026 and will be used to host a variety of events including VIP receptions and artist gatherings.

AXS 🤝 Lawson Entertainment 🇯🇵

AXS is expanding into Japan via a joint-venture with Japan’s Lawson Entertainment. The newly formed company, AXS Tickets, is designed to serve the Japanese live-events market leveraging AXS’s global ticket-technology and Lawson’s local distribution and brand presence across retail and digital channels. “Together, they aim to expand access to live entertainment and sports across Japan.”

Billie Eilish donates $11.5 million from her tour

Billie Eilish announced that she is donating $11.5 million from her “Hit Me Hard And Soft” tour. The tour, which began in September of last year and is still running through November 23, has grossed a reported $82.3 million so far. Eilish plans to donate the funds to multiple organizations that support food inequality and combat the climate crisis. In a plea for others to donate as well she said, “if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it.”

Bandsintown launches artist marketplace

Last week we wrote about Bandsintown surpassing 100 million registered fans and now Bandsintown has launched a new “Marketplace” for its artist community. The new marketplace integrates over 30 industry services, including CD Baby, TuneCore, Musixmatch and ROSTR, into what is now a one-stop hub for its more than 700,000 registered artists. It aims to empower artists to not just reach large audiences, but also own and activate direct relationships, distribute music, manage merch, and leverage fan data more effectively.

Increasing WiFi demands at fests

A strong WiFi network is important to a festival, but just how important? According to EventMB’s 2024 State of Event Technology report, over 82% of event planners indicated attendee satisfaction and vendor performance are directly affected by WiFi reliability, and 68% named network issues as one of the biggest operational risks at large outdoor events. WiFi is critical for event ops, enhancing the guest experience, and perhaps most importantly - driving revenue. Therefore it makes sense that for big festivals, bandwidth demand can reach 2 - 5 terabytes per day in uploads, livestreams and social sharing, with smartphone data usage increasing 4 - 6 times normal levels.

#PeopleNews

CashorTrade: Craig Snyder has been added VP of Business Development and Partnerships and Andrew Dreskin has been added as Strategic Advisor.

John Rubey, the first CEO of Fathom Events, former AEG exec and long-time live event industry powerhouse died at 73. 

All Things Live Norway: Named Sam Bush as Senior Promoter.

• EDC Orlando is hiring for Seasonal Ground Control / Headliner Experience Festival Team Members in Orlando, FL. Salary: $17.00 - $20.00/hour

• Live Nation is looking for a Seasonal Regional Marketing Coordinator in Allentown, PA to support the Archer Music Hall for 30 hours a week. 

• The Entertainment Community Fund is seeking a Director of Special Events in New York, NY. Salary: $110,000 - $120,000.

Last Week's Results:
43% of BOH readers think Bandsintown is winning the fan-venue connection game, but Spotify will outpace them soon enough with their newest addition allowing fans to follow venues in the app.

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements 

• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, CA on November 8 with Chappell Roan, Bryan Adams, and Janelle Monae on the list of special guests. 

• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are going out on a 29-date tour starting January 23 and 24 at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre in WA. The tour finishes July 30 in Washington, DC. 

• The NFL and On Location have announced Sting as a headliner for its two-night Super Bowl LX Studio 60 event, set to take place on February 6 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, CA prior to Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at the Big Game on February 8. 

• Morgan Wallen’s “Still The Problem Tour” will kick off on April 10 in Minneapolis, MN and end August 1 in Philadelphia, PA. 

• Sonic Temple adds Tool and Shinedown to previously announced headliners My Chemical Romance and Bring Me The Horizon for its May 14 - 17 fest at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH. 

• The xx, Gorillaz and Massive Attack will headline Primavera Sound Porto, June 11 - 14 at Parque da Cidade, Porto, Portugal. The trio will also headline the Barcelona, Spain edition of Primavera Sound, June 4 - 6 at the Parc del Fòrum.

• Bon Jovi has added 5 nights to the previously announced 4 nights at Madison Square Garden in NY and one more night at London’s Wembley Stadium as part of the “Forever Tour” due to “phenomenal demand”. 

• After 25 years in Novi Sad, Serbia, EXIT Festival is pivoting to a global tour in 2026, making stops in Croatia, Macedonia, Malta, Egypt, India and Serbia. 

• Kneecap, Scissor Sisters, Skrillex, and Four Tet will headline Boomtown Festival at Matterley Estate in the south of England on August 12 - 16.

• Those reels and shorts aren’t as organic as you think: the rise of “contract clippers” 

• Is Halloween becoming the event industry’s most important holiday?

• Event Industry News’ 2025 Festival & Outdoor Event Guide.

• Turns out you can buy happiness… for $400.

• Brad Paisley has sung the National Anthem at the only two 18-inning games in World Series history. (Congrats to the LA Dodgers!)

• BOH’s 2025 Gift Guide is coming soon. Have a suggestion for us? Send it to [email protected]

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