#200

Issue #200

Venues are increasing their focus on sustainability by removing carbon and eliminating single-use plastics. And while it’s unclear if TikTok is staying or going, ticketing companies are taking advantage of it while they can … as long as they aren’t getting sued by the Department of Justice, that is.

Credit: AXS

US DOJ plans antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation

The US Department of Justice is reportedly planning to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation as soon as next month. The suit is said to claim that Live Nation “leveraged its dominance in a way that undermined competition for ticketing live events.” As a result of the news last Monday, LYV shares dropped from $103.70 to $90.61 the following day and at Monday’s close (April 22), sat at $88.45.

Results from O2’s The 1975 Green Concert Series 🌍

London’s O2 removed over 500 tons of carbon during The 1975’s Green Concert Series in February; the equivalent of average yearly electricity usage of 395 homes. Data released by the venue also indicated that travel to and from the venue led to 75.7% of the nightly emissions. Only 3.95% came from arena operations due largely in part by significant investments in energy efficiency throughout the venue.

AEG’s ticketing company AXS has purchased a majority share in WRSTBND, an access control, point-of-sale, and credentialing company, in an effort to enhance and streamline the fan experience. The acquisition will allow AXS clients to take advantage of the integration and new feature releases, which WRSTBND vows to “continue to push boundaries'' on.

With the aim of eliminating all single-use plastics by 2025, ASM Global Acts, the corporate social responsibility arm of ASM Global, is set to deploy reusable service ware products from r.World across all of its North American venues. The implementation has already begun, with r.World's reusable products in use at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in California and select hospitality locations at the upcoming Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

While TikTok’s fate in the United States is murky, at best, it hasn’t stopped the social giant from expanding its foray into live ticketing and partnering with AXS. In a partnership similar to the one rolled out with Ticketmaster in 2022, users can discover and purchase tickets to AXS events right within the platform. The feature is available to AXS shows in the US, UK, Sweden, and Australia. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster has expanded its partnership from just the US to include 20 additional countries.

Madonna has been sued over a late start again, this time by fans who attended her December show in Washington, DC. Similar to the lawsuit filed by NY concert-goers alleging a late start, this new suit claims that she started late, the arena was kept at an uncomfortably hot temperature, and that she lip-synched during the show. In response to the NY suit, Madonna’s lawyers said, “No reasonable concertgoer - and certainly no Madonna fan - would expect the headline act at a major arena concert to take the stage at the ticketed event time.”

The Tennessee House passed a bill to create a Live Music & Performance Venue Fund, providing a foundation for the state to be able to support music venues in the future. The bill, a collaboration between Music Venue Alliance Nashville, NIVA, and the Broadway Entertainment Association, was previously passed by legislators and will now move to the Governor for his signature. Once signed, stakeholders will need to determine how to fund it.

According to Lloyd’s Bank, approximately 600 of its customers have claimed they were scammed on Eras Tour tickets ahead of Taylor Swift’s run of 10 shows in the UK in June. Their customers were scammed out of an average of $413 per ticket. When extrapolated across the 3,000 total victims in the UK, the total estimated damage is $1.23 million.

Live Nation will produce a concert at the AIG Women’s Open, a major golf championship to be held August 21 - 25 on the Old Course in St Andrews in a partnership with The R&A. Golf’s global governing body outside of the US and Mexico wants to “make live music an integral part of one of golf’s most entertaining championships.” Last year’s addition of an Ellie Goulding concert at the event helped to drive attendance growth by more than 53%.

  • Ali McCloud joins AXS as Vice President of Business Development. McCloud was formerly VP of Live Music Partnerships (NA) and Partner Relations.

  • Chuck Steedman has been named President & CEO of LiveCo, succeeding co-founder Brian Becker. Steedman previously held roles at Raptor Sports Capital, AEG Facilities, and ASM Global.

  • Lindsay Arell, founder of Honeycomb Strategies and developer of ASM’s Global Acts program, has been appointed Chief Sustainability Officer at ASM Global.

Have people news to share with us? Send it to [email protected].

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88% of BOH readers voted for genre-festivals over mega-festivals.

🌟 Are you ready to explore how artificial intelligence transforms the music industry? Join us for Innovation Waves #2, free webinar hosted by Miquido on May 9th. Led by Jerzy Biernacki, Chief AI Officer, this session will explore how AI enhances artist-audience connections and supports diverse musical tastes, all while upholding ethical standards in data management. Don't miss out on this insightful exploration of music's AI-driven future! Secure your free spot 👉here.*

Headliners, Lineups, and Festival Announcements 

  • Backwoods Music Festival announced ILLENIUM, Jai Wolf, STS9 and a "new live experience" from renowned electronic music producer Opiuo, June 6 - 9, at Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR.

  • DJ Shadow is heading back on the road with his “Action Adventure: Take 2 Tour.” The tour kicks off June 20 at Gamla Bíó in Reykjavík, Iceland and traverses Europe before making its way stateside to Kansas City, MO on October 3 and wrapping on October 31  10/31 at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. 

  • Glastonbury will debut Arrivals, a new stage dedicated to South Asian artists within Shangri-La at this year’s festival, scheduled for June 26 - 30 at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, UK. Resale tickets for the megafest sold out in 22 minutes on Sunday.

  • C3’s inaugural Sudden Little Thrills Music Festival will be headlined by SZA and The Killers at Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh, PA,  September 7 - 8.

  • Cody Johnson, Hank Williams Jr. and Koe Wetzel will headline DWP’s newly acquired Born & Raised Festival, September 13 - 15 at Rockin Red Dirt Ranch in Pryor, OK.

  • “Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat” will tour 21 cities in North America, starting on September 14 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI and ending October 23 at at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WI.

  • Cascade Equinox will feature Jungle, CloZee, STS9, Liquid Stranger, and Marc Rebillet in Redmond, OR, September 20 - 22.

  • Hozier, Reneé Rapp, and Maren Morris will headline All Things Go Music Festival, September 28 - 29 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in COlumbia, MD.

  • Shakira announced 14 North American dates on her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.” She’ll start on November 2 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, CA and end at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI on December 15.

Cancellations

  • Sol Blume, originally scheduled for May 3 - 5 at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA, has been postponed until August 15 - 17, 2025 due to “significant damage” and “growing safety concerns” at the venue. The festival was also canceled in 2023. Refunds are available through May 17th. Ticket-holders who choose to keep their tickets for 2025 will receive an auto-upgrade to the next tier, with Returnable VIP ticket-holders receiving a $100 credit. 

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June 3 - 5 (New Orleans, LA): NIVA’s 3rd annual Conference bringing the live entertainment community together to support, educate, and connect industry leaders across the United States.

  • Conversations in AI: How tech is transforming the music biz.

  • Shocking no one, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) album release set multiple Spotify records, including being the first album in Spotify history to be streamed over 300 million times in a single day (Friday, April 19).

  • And if you want to join TTPD, but you lack poetic prowess, you can still celebrate Shakespeare Day today with this English to Shakespearean translator. Liketh, "who uses typewrit'rs concluded, be it?" 

  • Phish at The Sphere, in photos.

  • Which social media platforms are making the biggest impact for event profs right now?

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