#319

Author

Back of House
September 01, 2026

Issue #319

The music industry mourns the loss of Dolly Parton, the beloved country icon who passed away at 80. A Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator study put a precise number on what fans already suspected: ticket resellers and platform fees extracted $11.3 billion in unnecessary costs from live events in 2025—$6.8 billion from platform fees and $4.5 billion from scalper markups. Meanwhile, Olivia Rodrigo's inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival raised $20 million for nonprofits supporting women and girls, while Philadelphia's $15.5M July 4th concert is under scrutiny for bypassing competitive bidding.

Credit: Kevin Mazur

Olivia Rodrigo has a big week

Ticketmaster canceled a batch of tickets to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Unraveled Tour” that violated purchase terms (likely due to attempted resale) and reissued them directly to fans at face value, prioritizing buyers who hadn't yet secured tickets. A $25 "Silver Star" ticket release also opens September 1. It's the second time Ticketmaster has taken anti-scalping action on a Rodrigo tour, having withheld GUTS World Tour tickets until 72 hours before shows in 2023.

Then, on Friday, Rodrigo headlined her own inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival in Irvine, California. The women-led, Lilith Fair-inspired one-day event featured Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, and Stevie Nicks, all performing without payment. The festival raised $10 million for ten nonprofits supporting women and girls, then doubled to $20 million after philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced a matching contribution from the stage during Rodrigo's headlining set. She closed the night by confirming the fest will return in 2027.

Resellers and fees cost fans $11.3 billion last year

A new study from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator put a precise number on what fans already knew: ticket market middlemen added $11.3 billion in unnecessary costs to live events in 2025, with $6.8 billion coming from excess fees charged by online platforms and $4.5 billion from scalper markups. According to researcher Brian Shearer, "The resale market cannot be justified by notions of economic efficiency. Resellers do not necessarily reallocate scarce tickets to people who value them the most and instead often reallocate tickets to wealthier fans."

Burning Man 2026 is facing two problems that don't usually go together: tickets are going for less than face value on the secondary market (a dramatic reversal from years of sellouts) and organizers issued an urgent travel warning after the Hawk Fire burned more than 15,000 acres northwest of Reno, destroying dozens of homes and forcing 23,000 residents under evacuation orders along a key route to the festival. Organizers urged participants to check conditions before departing, confirm lodging along the way, and avoid unauthorized detour routes around road closures. The festival itself is still on, make sure to visit the BRC Dashboard for real-time alerts.

CTS Eventim posted H1 2026 revenue of €1.5 billion ($1.74 billion USD), up 16.9% year over year, with adjusted EBITDA growing 12.4% to €225.4 million ($261.8 million USD) and earnings per share jumping 34.2% to €1.25 ($1.45). Live entertainment, driven by strong festival and touring activity in Germany, Italy, and the US, was the bigger growth engine, with revenue up 18.6%. Ticketing revenue grew 13.9%. CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg pointed to the company's "robust position in Europe and expanding global presence" as the foundation for continued long-term growth, even against challenging economic and geopolitical conditions.

Alex Warren launched his new album WILDCHILD almost entirely through TikTok, using the platform for a talk show-style premiere event co-branded with iHeartRadio, a Sydney arena concert livestream exclusively on TikTok Live, and an in-app fan experience featuring interactive tasks and exclusive content unlocks. The Sydney show, held at Afterpay Arena on August 28, was the first concert of his 10-date Australian tour and the first major arena show streamed exclusively on TikTok Live.

SeatGeek has launched Ask SeatGeek, a conversational AI search tool built directly into its existing search bar, allowing fans to find tickets using natural language rather than a specific artist or team name. The tool draws on 17 years of SeatGeek data including Deal Score pricing context, view-from-seat imagery, interactive venue maps, and fan-submitted tips, returning results through maps and live inventory rather than text-only answers. SeatGeek says AI-generated referrals are already converting at twice the rate of traditional search.

United Heritage Hall, a 4,000-capacity music venue is coming to the River Park development on the east side of Austin, TX, thanks to AEG. The 65,000-square-foot room will feature state-of-the-art sound, premium hospitality, luxury suites, and purpose-designed artist spaces and is expected to open in Spring 2027. It will sit alongside AEG's planned takeover of the reimagined Emo's next door, giving the company two rooms of meaningfully different sizes in one of the most competitive live music markets in the country.

Philadelphia's "One Philly: Unity Concert for America," the city's July 4th celebration headlined by Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, The Roots, and Meek Mill, cost taxpayers $15.5 million -  more than five times the cost of the prior year's event -  and is now under scrutiny after Axios found the city never put the contract out for competitive bids. Instead, Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration routed the deal through an existing arrangement with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development and a prior strategic support agreement with ESM Productions. Legal experts and the Committee of Seventy watchdog group have called for the City Controller to review whether procurement rules were followed.

Ticketing platform vivenu has partnered with resale infrastructure company menta tech to give organizers on its platform a fully managed fan-to-fan resale option within vivenu. The model lets organizers set their own pricing rules, eligibility criteria, fees, and brand standards while menta handles the operational complexity including taxes, anti-money laundering compliance, buyer and seller verification, and settlement across markets. vivenu partners with menta tech to power official fan-to-fan resale across the US and global markets.

Police used live facial recognition technology at Leeds Festival for the first time this year, scanning crowds around the festival perimeter and matching images against a watchlist of wanted or dangerous individuals in real time. The force has already deployed the technology across West Yorkshire city centers and other major events, and says it will be used "responsibly, lawfully and transparently."

  • ArtsQuest in Bethlehem, PA is looking for a Senior Director of Hospitality to work on the design, planning, implementation and fulfillment of all private, corporate, and group rental events for all ArtsQuest venues and programs. Salary: $95,000.00 - $105,000.

  • Navan is hiring a Senior Director of Event Travel, Navan Events in New York, NY to own the global strategy, operating model, and performance of Event Travel across online and offline. Salary: $110,000 - $160,000. 

  • Sphere Entertainment Co. is seeking a Senior Manager, Brand Events & Experiences to lead the day-to-day planning and execution of high-profile brand events, show takeovers, and premium hospitality experiences at the Sphere Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV. Salary: $96,000 - $140,000.

Given that resellers cost fans $11.3B last year, what should happen next?

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Last Week's Results:
62% of BOH readers think production costs and operational pressure are the biggest threat to the festival model right now.

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements 

  • Soundgarden will reunite and perform during the halftime show of the NFL season opener between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, Wednesday, September 9. Luke Bryan will headline the Salute 250 Kickoff Concert pregame the same day.

  • Tomorrowland will return to Shanghai, China for two days, October 17 - 18 at the Hero Dome, Huangpu District, with Tiësto, Axwell, Alison Wonderland, and more.

  • Billy Strings announced 10 new dates for his winter tour, starting February 4 in Asheville, NC.

Cancelations

  • Post Malone has cancelled stops on his “Big Ass World Tour” across Asia and Australia that were scheduled to play September and October. No reason was given for the cancellations.

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