MITC launches $370K mental health fund for touring artists and crew

The Music Industry Therapist Collective has launched the Pay It Forward Fund, a $370,000 industry-backed initiative providing free mental health support to artists and crew on small and mid-scale tours. The fund will support 50 touring teams annually over a three-year pilot period. Each package includes 10 confidential check-ins with music-industry-specialist therapists available 24/7 in multiple languages, plus a 90-minute consultation with a Touring Welfare Officer. Applications are open now for tours beginning October through December 2026, with a September 30 deadline.

NIVA launches its first certified "Live Independent Tour" with Spanish Love Songs

NIVA has launched the Live Independent Tour certification program, a new initiative developed in partnership with Spotify to recognize and amplify artists who route the majority of their dates through independent venues. LA-based indie rock band Spanish Love Songs is the inaugural certified act, headlining a 19-city November run that includes all independently owned venues. Certified tours will receive playlist features and promotional support through Bandsintown and Spotify.

Ticketmaster 🤝 Meta's Muse AI

Meta launched Muse, its new personal AI agent, this week and Ticketmaster is its first music partner. Users can connect their Ticketmaster account to Muse, which will then recommend concerts and live events based on their preferences, seating options, and pricing, and direct them to Ticketmaster's site to complete a purchase. Actual in-app purchasing isn't live yet, despite Meta's broader claims about Muse's transactional capabilities. Ticketmaster is now integrated with every major AI platform: Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, Alexa+, and Muse.

Superstruct publishes its Artistic Code 🇪🇺

Superstruct Entertainment has published its Artistic Code, a formal document outlining the principles that guide programming decisions across its portfolio of more than 80 festival and event brands globally. The four core principles are protecting artistic freedom within the law; creating safe and welcoming spaces; ensuring programming and partnerships reflect Superstruct’s values; and promoting inclusivity and fairness. Notably, the code states that Superstruct does not maintain banned lists and that shows should only be stopped for safety reasons.

Glastonbury 2027 will cost £408 — a new record 🇬🇧

Glastonbury Festival has set general admission tickets for its 2027 edition at £408 ($550), a £29.50 increase over 2025 and the highest price in the festival's history. Tickets go on sale October 4 at 9am and feature the buyer's photograph to prevent resale — the festival's long-standing anti-touting mechanism. Headliners have not been announced, but rumored names include Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Fontaines D.C., and Stevie Wonder. The price increase continues a pattern across the UK festival market: Parklife tickets have risen 71% in real terms since 2013, Reading and Leeds up 14%, and Glastonbury itself up about 30%. The festival returns in 2027 after a fallow year.

Tickets for Good raises £3.9M to expand internationally 🇬🇧

Sheffield-based Tickets for Good, which provides discounted access to live events for NHS workers, teachers, charity staff, and people receiving cost-of-living support, has secured £3.9 million ($5.3 million USD) in investment from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance. The company now has nearly 750,000 verified members globally, has distributed more than 1.25 million tickets, doubled its revenue in 2025, and operates in the UK, US, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. The funding will support international expansion and job creation.

14 hospitalized at Chainsmokers show in California

At least 14 concertgoers were transported to hospitals during The Chainsmokers' outdoor show at Discovery Meadow in San Jose, CA on September 4. Authorities dispatched an ambulance task force, two advanced life support units, and a battalion chief to manage the scene. San Jose police cited suspected alcohol intoxication and drug-related issues as contributing factors. No arrests were made. The Chainsmokers completed their set and shared footage from the show on social media afterward without addressing the situation publicly. Less than a month earlier, 7 fans went to the ER after another Chainsmokers performance Splash House's "After Hours" event at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

European festivals aren't all dying, they’re just going through a phase

Analysis from AVIXA makes the case that the European festival crisis is a story about selective markets, not disappearing audiences. Germany has roughly 1,800 music festivals competing for audiences, while production, staffing, and artist costs have risen 50% since the pandemic versus only about 30% growth in ticket prices. France's Ministry of Culture found 49% of festivals encountered financial difficulty in 2025, but also that half filled more than 90% of capacity. The UK saw 36 festival cancellations in 2026, while others sold out. The pattern is consistent: established festivals with strong identities and loyal audiences are largely fine; newer, mid-tier, or identity-weak events are under severe pressure. The study concluded that Europeans aren’t falling out of love with festivals, rather fans are becoming more deliberate about which festivals are worth their money.

Brands are becoming event owners, not just sponsors

A growing body of industry analysis is documenting a meaningful shift in how brands engage with live events: away from logo placements and banner impressions and toward owning or co-creating the experience itself. Spotify's RNB X Live (more below), Red Bull's music ecosystem, Lowe's tailgate partnership with Live Nation, and DoorDash's festival village concept with Live Nation ANZ are all expressions of the same trend: brands building their own proprietary live touchpoints rather than simply renting space inside someone else's. Consumers increasingly remember brands that felt like part of the experience, not ones that sat in the background, and first-party data collected in branded environments has become one of the most commercially valuable byproducts of live events.

• Paciolan is looking for a Vice President & General Manager, Concerts & Promoter Events in Irvine, CA, Atlanta, GA, or Dallas, TX to own Paciolan's concerts business end-to-end — across P&L, market strategy, event acquisition, product direction, and industry presence. Salary: $175,000 - $200,000.

• WRSTBND is hiring a Sr. Implementation Manager to guide clients through technical onboarding to ensure they are prepared to successfully launch and operate events using the WRSTBND platform in New Orleans, LA. Salary: $88,000 - $90,000.

• Experiential agency Tinsel is seeking a Director of Production to oversee end-product quality, operational performance, and financial reporting across all open programs in Tinsel's portfolio. Salary: $155,000 - $175,000.

Last Week's Results:
If Ticketmaster is broken up, 56% of BOH readers feel Live Nation’s venue contracts should be allowed to stand, but all venues should be opened to competing ticketers.

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements 

• Noah Kahan will kick off this season of Amazon Music Live on September 24, following Thursday Night Football, on Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Twitch. Don Toliver, Lainey Wilson, and Doja Cat are also part of the season.

• Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In The Key Of Life Performances” will begin in Birmingham, AL on October 13, celebrating 50 years of his Songs In The Key of Life album.

• Spotify and Live Nation Urban have announced RNB X Live: Dallas, a one-day R&B festival on November 1 at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, TX with Erykah Badu headlining. Select performances will be exclusively released through Spotify Live post-show.

• Rolling Loud is returning to Mumbai, India for a second year, December 12 - 13. 

• Andrea Bocelli added US dates to his “Romanza 30th Anniversary World Tour” starting in Charlotte, NC in January. 

• Harry Styles will continue to bring fans "Together, Together" in 2027 with 12 new cities added to the global tour through North America, Europe, and the UK starting next April. 

• Big Ears Festival will feature Courtney Barnett, Daniel Lanois, Norah Jones, Jeff Tweedy, and, April 1 - 4 in Knoxville, TN.

• Riley Green, Zach Top, and Garth Brooks will headline Stagecoach and a reunited Florida Georgia Line will perform late night, April 23 - 25 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA.

• Radiohead is going out on a 21-date run in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, Australia, and Saitama, Japan, starting May 3.

• Oasis is heading back out with 38 dates in 2027 in the UK, Ireland, Europe and the US, starting May 21 in Glasgow and hitting Boston and Las Vegas in August.

• Glastonbury Festival has set general admission tickets for its 2027 edition at £408 ($550) - the highest price in the festival's history. The lineup for the June 23 - 27 fest hasn’t been announced yet, but tickets go on sale October 4 and will feature the buyer's photograph to prevent resale.

Cancelations, Changes

• Carín León had to reschedule his Sphere show last Thursday after fans were already in the venue due to “an unexpected mishap” with travel. The show is rescheduled for today (September 15). The Mexican star also announced he will be returning to The Sphere next September.

• In a follow up to last week’s report of storm damage to Rogers Stadium in Toronto, the AC/DC concert scheduled for Wednesday (September 16) has been called off. The venue could not be repaired and instead the damaged parts have to be “removed and rebuilt.”

• Alison Krauss & Union Station have canceled the last 15 dates on their “Arcadia 2026 Tour” so Alison can rest her vocals. 

• The inaugural Ocean Way Festival, scheduled for September 26 - 27 has been canceled due to “significant beach erosion” from Hurricane Marie.

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• Why dressing up for a concert has turned into a fashion statement.

• 30% of Live Nation’s largest tours aren’t in English.

• Nashville Airport renaming for Dolly Parton moves forward.

• Celine Dion lights up Paris at the opening of her 2026 residency.

• The 8 best anti-snore pillows.

• Is this the hottest activity at events right now?

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