#274

Author

Back of House
October 07, 2025

Issue #274

From Gen Z’s emotional bond with live shows to MusiCares’ sobering snapshot of industry wellness, this week captures both the high and low notes of music’s modern era. As Live Nation builds in Peru and battles regulators at home, counterfeit crackdowns, massive lawsuits, and new mental health campaigns underscore an industry redefining its values — and its bottom line — in real time.

Study shows Gen Z prioritizes excitement, joy it gets from live events

AEG UK’s new “The Live Effect” study underscores how Gen Z superfans are driving resilience in the live events sector, with 46% prioritizing live event spending even during times of economic uncertainty due to the feelings of excitement (70%), joy (63%) and even euphoria (32%) they get from it. Only 22% would cut live events due to budget restraints. The study also showed that 49% had made a purchase based on a brand’s association with an event or artist.

Ongoing: Live Nation vs DOJ, FTC

Amidst the US Government shutdown that is still going on as of Monday evening, both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have submitted motions to pause their lawsuits against Live Nation due to  lack of funding and staffers being prohibited from working during the shutdown. The motions were denied. Expert reports for the DOJ’s case are still due October 9.

Separately, the US Supreme Court, which began its session on Monday despite the shutdown, declined to hear Live Nation’s appeal, effectively letting a lower court ruling that invalidated the company’s arbitration agreement stand and forcing Live Nation to face a consumer antitrust lawsuit in federal court.

MusiCares released the data it collected from its 2025 Wellness in Music survey and it’s not great. Based on nearly 3,200 respondents, 11.4% reported thinking about suicide in the past year, up from 8% in the 2024 survey and more than double the US average. 20% reportedly knew a colleague that had been sexually harassed. On the positive side, 85% have health insurance, but 78% report making less than $100,000 and cannot cover their expenses solely through music industry work. Full study results are here and related resources for the music industry are here.

K-Pop group Tomorrow x Together has partnered with UNICEF to support mental health of youth around the world via the “Together for Tomorrow” campaign. “We want to help create a safe and inclusive space for youth to freely express their emotions,” said Tomorrow x Together’s Soobin. The campaign includes $1.4 million for programs dedicated to the well being of youth from the group’s label, BIGHIT MUSIC.

Lawsuits over counterfeit artist merchandise are becoming more and more frequent due to the increased significance merch is playing in an artist’s revenue stream coupled with the ease of production and distribution. With the growth streaming leading to a decline in traditional music revenue, merch has emerged as a way to replace those funds as ancillary revenue at live shows and online DTC shops through a variety of platforms. Along the same lines, online shops like Amazon, Etsy, and Temu lack robust enforcement, allowing counterfeiters to exploit brand value with little risk. Several high-profile cases involving Dua Lipa, Twenty One Pilots, Benson Boone and others reflect how artists and their rights holders are increasingly turning to legal action to protect revenue and brand integrity.

Grizzly Touring has sued rapper Rod Wave for $27 million in funds owed from his unfinished tour. According to the allegations, Grizzly guaranteed Rod Wave $40,250,000 for 35 shows, but only 26 shows were actually performed. Rod says the tour dates were canceled or rescheduled due to poor planning by the promoter and he apparently “refuses to pay Grizzly a single penny.” Rod has subsequently announced a new tour with his own company, violating the exclusivity of his deal with Grizzly. 

Live Nation has announced plans to build Peru’s first purpose-built major live entertainment venue in Lima, a “priority market” according to CEO Michael Rapino. The Lima Music Arena will be an 18,500 cap indoor arena and serve as an anchor to the entertainment district. It is expected to be completed in mid-2028 and will host over 100 events each year.

Dubai-based FIVE Holdings, owner of The Pacha Group and several renowned nightclubs, has secured a $460 million revolving credit facility to accelerate expansion of its live music–driven hospitality operations, including to Asia and the US. The financing is intended to support development, scaling, and potentially acquisitions, reinforcing its strategy to create, “immersive, high-energy experiences that blend hospitality, gastronomy, and entertainment.”

Lead Balloon Productions (led by Dan and Holly Carmichael) has purchased the historic Kalamazoo State Theatre in Kalamazoo, MI, which had been closed since November 2024. They intend to restore, modernize, and reopen the 1,524 seat venue which was built in 1927 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as it approaches its centennial anniversary in 2027.

If you haven’t yet upgraded to All Access, here are some things you may have missed in September:

Zach Bryan had the biggest, best night in Michigan with a record setting 112,408 of his closest friends.

  • The Town of Ocean City, MD is hiring a Director of Special Events to serve as the architect of live experiences using a dynamic mix of project management, creative development, internal department development coordination and participation. The role oversees all city-hosted events and privately hosted events on public property. Salary: $94,266 - $121,670.

  • Six Flags Entertainment is looking for a temporary Regional Technical Manager for its Halloween shows in Charlotte, NC now through November 23. 

  • Ryman Hospitality is seeking a Sr. Concerts Booking Manager for the Nashville Riverfront Amphitheater in Nashville, TN.

How should the industry better support mental health?

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Last Week's Results:
Zach Bryan breaks the U.S. concert attendance record at The Big House with 112,408 fans. 78% of BOH readers say hybrid strategies win — artists should combine mega stadium events with selective smaller gigs for fan connection.

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements 

  • Patti LaBelle will headline this Sunday’s (October 12) celebration of the United States Navy and Marine Corps 250th anniversary with a “Victory at Sea” concert on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, PA.

  • The Jonas Brothers have added 20 more dates to their current “JONAS20: Greetings From Your Hometown” tour, starting November 16 in Newark, NJ, just 2 days after the previously announced shows were scheduled to end. The newly added leg is set to wrap up December 22 in Brooklyn, NY.

  • Neon City Festival has Good Charlotte, deadmau5, Breaking Benjamin, Two Friends, and Fitz and the Tantrums at the top of the bill, November 21 - 23 in Downtown Las Vegas, NV.

  • K-Pop band TWICE announced their “THIS IS FOR WORLD TOUR” is coming to North America, following previously announced dates in Asia and Australia, starting January 9 in Vancouver, BC and ending April 17 in Austin, TX.  

  • Nine Inch Nails added new shows to its “Peel It Back” tour in North America, beginning in New Orleans, LA on February 5 and ending March 16 in Sacramento, CA.

  • The Lumineers, GRiZ, Fisher, and T-Pain will headline the 10th anniversary of Okeechobee Festival, March 19 - 22 at Sunshine Grove in Okeechobee, FL.  

  • Louis Tomlinson has revealed the North American leg of his “How Did We Get Here?” World Tour, kicking off June 3 in Vancouver, BC and wrapping July 24 in Miami, FL.

  • Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are reuniting for the first time since 2015 for the “Fifty Something” tour, celebrating the legacy of Rush. The 7-city tour will start June 7 at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA and end at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH on September 17.

  • Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise will set sail from Miami, FL to Cozumel, Mexico October 25 - 30, 2026 with Bad Religion, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, The Adicts, and Lucero.

Cancellations, Changes

  • After collapsing on stage during the All Things Go festival two weeks ago, Lola Young officially canceled “everything for the foreseeable future” to “work on myself.” 

  • Future Ruins, the film-music festival from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross originally scheduled for November 8, has been cancelled “due to a number of logistical challenges and complications.”

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