#221

Issue #221

Lyte’s ticketing platform seems to have gone dark, with no updates and reports that they may have ceased operations. Meanwhile, Jane’s Addiction abruptly canceled their tour after an on-stage altercation, and NIVA just launched a certification program to boost independent venues. Oh, and Shazam now lets users discover tickets with Ticketmaster—talk about convenience!

Credit: @Left_Eye_Images

Developing: Has Lyte gone dark?

As of Monday, ticketing platform Lyte’s website has said it is “undergoing scheduled maintenance” since last week and multiple sources have indicated that they can’t access their ticketing inventory. Both The Ticketing Business and Hypebot have reached out to the company to find out what’s going on, neither has gotten a response, but cite several reports of the company ceasing operations. Have the lights been turned off at Lyte?

Jane’s Addiction put in time out

Jane’s Addiction may not be ready for a comeback just yet. In the middle of their show in Boston on Friday night, frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro on stage, ending the show and canceling their next show scheduled for Bridgeport, CT. The band, touring for the first time in 14 years, later canceled the rest of the tour via a social media post.

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) launched the "Live Independent" certification program to support independent venues, promoters, and festivals. Partnering with Bandsintown, the program “aims to get more fans to come to independent stages and to convince more artists to play independent stages.” Certified venues will receive physical and digital seals of recognition, and the initiative includes a dedicated website for fans to find certified locations.

The Dutch cultural sector faces a potential loss of €350 million ($386 million) due to proposed government policies that include increasing VAT from 9% to 21% and cutting municipal and state subsidies. A study (here, in Dutch) warns that the policies could hurt employment and audience turnout, especially for small and medium-sized businesses - including events. Cultural leaders are urging the government to reconsider the VAT hike, stressing the importance of arts and culture to both economic growth and social well-being. The sector contributes €5.5 billion ($6.1 billion) to the Dutch GDP.

Shazam is the latest music app to partner with Ticketmaster to allow users to “discover Ticketmaster tickets.” The new integration also includes Apple Music, Apple Maps, and iOS Spotlight Search with bonus content consisting of tour Set List Playlists, Apple Watch faces, phone wallpapers, and photos from featured artists. The program debuted with Post Malone as the first featured artist.

The 1975 have responded to the Good Vibes Festival lawsuit that claimed the band was aware of restrictions imposed by the country of Malaysia, saying their on-stage kiss was not preplanned and that they “did not know” it would cause the event to be canceled. (As a reminder, festival organizers Future Sound Asia sued The 1975 for $2.4 million last July.) They also argue that the band has a history of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and the promoters shouldn’t have booked them knowing this.

AEG has announced the recipients of its Community Foundation Grants. 22 non-profits will receive grants ranging from $10,000 and $25,000 - totaling $385,000 - from the AEG Community Foundation to support K-12 education programs, the arts, and health and wellness initiatives. Half of the orgs selected were nominated by AEG employees for the first time this year.

In July, we wrote about ex-Ticketmaster exec Stephen Mead pleading guilty to hacking into his former employer CrowdSurge's systems in order to share confidential information with Ticketmaster back in 2012. Last week, Mead was sentenced to a year of supervised release and ordered to pay $67,970 in forfeiture, an amount equal to what he received when he left CrowdSurge and the pay bump he got at Ticketmaster. Lesson learned, don’t steal from your old employer to help your new employer.

The Las Vegas Sphere hosted its first live sporting event inside the venue on Saturday. Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306, an MMA fight that cost $20 million to produce, was billed as the “greatest live combat sports show anybody’s ever seen.” Despite the challenge of balancing the athletes battling in the cage and the mini-movies and graphics surrounding attendees, many feel that the event lived up to the hype. Check out some of the incredible visuals.

  • Oak View Group: In a recent restructuring, Ray Waddell becomes Chief Content Director (was President of OVG’s Media & Conferences), Andy Gensler is promoted to Editor-In-Chief of Pollstar and Venues Now (formerly Executive Editor), and Jon Guynn is promoted to Senior Vice President of OVG Media & Conferences. 

  • CTS Eventim: See Tickets UK co-founder Rob Wilmshurst will lead UK ticketing for CTS Eventim following its acquisition of See Tickets. 

  • Outback Presents: Emily Scerri has been promoted to Vice President Of Entertainment Strategy. Scerri was formerly Director of Touring. 

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Headliners, Lineups, and Festival Announcements 

  • Green Day, Shawn Mendes, Louis Tomlinson, and Glass Animals will headline the second edition of Lollapalooza India, March 8 - 9 in Mumbai.

  • Amazon Music Live kicks off its livestream concert series following Thursday Night Football on October 17 with Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll will perform live in Los Angeles (the TNF game is in New Orleans) in front of an audience and will be streamed on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.

  • Tickets for the last show of Olivia Rodrigo’s Asian leg of the “Guts Tour” are on sale for $25 each. Tickets are purchased without an assigned seat; ticket holders find out where they are sitting during the October 5 show in Manila, Philippines on September 28.

  • The Chainsmokers and Wiz Khalifa will headline the Voyage Music Festival in Simpsonville, SC at the CCNB Amphitheatre, October 25 - 26.

  • Indigenous Artists The Halluci Nation, Blue Moon Marquee, and Sebastian Gaskin will headline Tkaronto Music Festival at Toronto's TD Music Hall, November 7 - 9.

  • Dua Lipa has added 40 dates to her global “Radical Optimism Tour” with stops in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, and the UK from March - October 2025.  

  • Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon Tour” will start on March 13 in Lubbock, TX and end on April 26 in Louisville, KY.

  • Big Ears Festival will feature Esperanza Spalding, Sun Ra Arkestra & Yo La Tengo, and Rufus Wainwright, March 27 - 30 in Knoxville, TN.

  • Thomas Rhett announced his 2025 “Better in Boots” tour, kicking off June 5th in ​​Rogers, AR and wrapping up September 26 in Ridgefield, WA.

  • The tenth edition of Countdown NYE, the West Coast’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration, will feature star dance music artists including Marshmello, Zedd, Diplo, Alesso, Galantis, Chris Lake, Lilly Palmer, W&W, Zeds Dead, Jauz, TroyBoi, Liquid Stranger, and many more as listed below. VIP fans can even upgrade to receive confetti poppers, and champagne for the midnight toast!

Cancelations, Changes

  • Wildfires in San Bernardino, CA forced Insomniac to cancel last weekend’s Nocturnal Wonderland as they approached the festival grounds. 

  • Insomniac’s EDC China was also canceled over the weekend due to an approaching threat: Typhoon Bebinica, the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since at least 1949, was heading its way. 

  • Pharrell’s Something in the Water (Virginia Beach, VA) was postponed just hours after tickets went on sale because it “just isn’t ready yet.” The intended October festival will now take place in April and all tickets purchased on Friday will be refunded.

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