DWP adds Rocklahoma and Born & Raised to festival portfolio

Danny Wimmer Presents has acquired the Rocklahoma and Born & Raised festivals from Pryor Creek Music Festivals. Both festivals take place at Rockin Red Dirt Ranch in Pryor, OK with Rocklahoma scheduled for August 30 - September 1 and Born & Raised slated for September 13 - 15; neither 2024 lineup has been announced yet. The fests are great compliments to DWP’s rock and country portfolio, including Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple, Louder Than Life, Golden Sky, and Bourbon & Beyond.

“Secret” Live Nation report released by NJ Congressman

Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. released a previously “secret” report from August 2019 that documents "rampant corrupt and abusive practices by the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly." The report was the result of a 2011 case in which Live Nation was sued by Juice Entertainment, LLC, Thomas Dorfman, and Chris Barrett for "allegedly interfering with their ability to sign artists to perform at the 2011 New Jersey State Fair, which ultimately resulted in the State Fair terminating its contract with the plaintiffs" and discusses LN’s business model and its use of “rebates.” The report was passed along to several government agencies, including the Senate subcommittee that has been investigating Live Nation-Ticketmaster.

Scott says safety at Astroworld wasn’t his responsibility

Travis Scott’s attorneys filed a motion in court last week arguing that he was at Astroworld as a performer and was not responsible for crowd safety and therefore cannot be held liable for the tragedies that occurred during the 2021 festival. Drake has similarly asked to be dismissed from the case. The trial is scheduled to start on May 6.

Macau’s new concert economy

Last November, the Chief Executive of the special administrative region most known for its casinos announced an initiative to turn it into a “City of Performing Arts” and began requiring gaming concessionaires to invest a combined $108.8 billion MOP ($13.5 billion USD) in non-gaming projects over the next 10 years. Entertainment was one of the categories suggested for investments. In 2023, there were approximately 240 concerts in Macau, nearly 3x prior years and that number is expected to continue to increase, especially with Live Nation, AEG, Tencent and others entering the market.

Thailand also seeks festival boost

Thailand is also hoping to use entertainment to boost its economy. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) aims to use festivals as a key driver of growth and increased tourism. A spokesperson for the TCEB announced that the country will be hosting “two illustrious music festivals, Summer Sonic and Tomorrowland” in the future. While Summer Sonic Bangkok appears to be on tap August 24 - 25, Tomorrowland organizers say that they are in discussions for a 2026 edition of their festival in Thailand, but it is not yet confirmed.

Running never sounded so good

Diplo is taking the post-race party scene to a new level with his new series of 5K runs and afterparties coupled with DJ sets aptly named Diplo's Run Club. There are currently two events planned, September 8 in San Francisco, CA and September 14 in Seattle, WA. If artists running in races sounds familiar, you may be thinking of Jelly Roll’s intentions to run a 5k in May or Lil Nas X’s recent half marathon in Coach high-top sneakers.

Brooklyn Paramount’s revival

Live Nation’s newest venue in New York, Brooklyn Paramount, reopened last week after years of renovations. The venue, being hailed as a “beautiful masterpiece” (you have to see the photos) holds 2,700 guests in what started out as a theater in 1928, then later transformed into a gymnasium for Long Island University in the 1960s. Damian and Stephen Marley headlined opening night, and the venue has at least 45 shows booked through October.

Splendour in the Grass latest Aussie fest to cancel

Australia’s preeminent festival, Splendour in the Grass, announced that it is “taking a year off” due to “unexpected events”, just a week after tickets went on sale. This is another blow to the Australian festival scene and is the sixth major festival to be canceled in the country this year. Other festivals in the area are taking note and doing what they can to reverse the trend. In an effort to secure revenue earlier in the festival cycle next year, Loch Hart festival organizers have decided to offer subscriptions to the "Loched-In Club." Guests pay $50 as a deposit for next January’s festival, giving the fest some upfront cash and the guests some merch and access to a pre-festival party.

Goldenvoice’s green test fest

Goldenvoice has been using its Cali Vibes festival as an “incubator to pilot green measures with the hope of expanding them across AEG’s festival portfolio.” The festival, which has hosted approximately 20,000 guests per day each February in Long Beach, CA for the past three years, has been a good way to test out new sustainability initiatives such as reusable cups, solar panels to power the artists’ lounge, and donating leftover food to local shelters, to determine how they could be implemented at Goldenvoice’s larger events.

The Boss flies cross-country to play with Zach Bryan

Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at Zach Bryan’s concert at The Barclays Center on Wednesday night - in between his own shows on the west coast. The Boss played in San Diego, CA on Monday night, flew across the country to perform alongside Bryan during his encore in Brooklyn, NY, and then flew back to Cali for a Thursday show in San Francisco. Oh, and Maggie Rogers performed alongside the two as well. History.

• Group1001 is hiring a Director, Guest Experience to join its Sponsorships & Activation team in Zionsville, IN.  

• 100x Hospitality is looking for a remote Business Development Coordinator in  Philadelphia, PA. 

• AEG and Goldenvoice are hiring a Production Manager in Los Angeles, CA to advance all shows. Salary: $70,037.00 - $97,605.37.

Last Week's Results:
27% of BOH readers’ March Madness brackets are holdin’ strong!

Headliners, Lineups, and Festival Announcements 

• Swedish House Mafia and Kygo lead the Palm Tree Music Festival lineup, June 22 at the Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton, NY. 

• Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic will move from Texas to Freedom Mortgage Plaza on July 4 in Camden, NJ. Bob Dylan, Maren Morris, Robert Plant, and Alison Krauss will also perform.

• Born & Raised concert series is returning to St. Catherine’s, Ontario July 5 - 6 with City and Colour and Alexisonfire as headliners.

• Kevin Lyman, Mike Kaminsky, and Eric Tobin announced their new traveling music festival, idobi Radio Summer School, featuring Stand Atlantic and Magnolia Park. The 25 city tour starts July 10 in Cleveland, OH and ends August 17 in Anaheim, CA.

• Outlandia Festival announced The Flaming Lips and The Head And The Heart as headliners for the August 9 - 10 fest in Bellevue, NE.

• Twenty One Pilots will be embarking on a massive global tour August 15 in Denver, CO. “The Clancy World Tour” will make stops across North America, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and will finish in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2025.

• Fall Out Boy and Billy Talent will headline the inaugural All Your Friends Fest by Republic Live, August 23 - 24 at Burl's Creek in Oro Medonte, Ontario.

• My Morning Jacket and Nathaniel Ratecliff & the Night Sweats announced their co-headlining “Eye to Eye Tour” starting September 10 in Wilmington, NC and ending September 28 in Raleigh, NC.

• The Black Keys are heading out on a 31-date “International Players” tour next fall. The tour starts September 17 in Tulsa, OK and wraps in Detroit, MI on November 12.

• We’re listening to Cowboy Carter: “It's not a country album; it's a Beyoncé album.” 

• What you need to know about the Baltimore bridge collapse.

• Laurie Kirby: Five things I wish someone told me before I became a CEO.

• 2024 Summer festival merch trends.

• Symphonic team’s favorite mental health podcasts.

• How live music is helping b2b brands strike a new marketing chord.

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