Ticketing data for $500,000, please

Live Nation confirmed that Ticketmaster data was hacked and 560 million customers’ data, including names, addresses and phone numbers as well as order history, credit card expiration dates, and the last four digits of card numbers. They also confirmed that the data was available for sale on the dark web for $500,000. Seems like a steal? 🤷

Ticketmaster has alerted all affected customers and has launched an investigation into the hack, however, at least two customers have filed a class action lawsuit in California federal court. The suit alleges that Ticketmaster failed “to implement and follow even the most basic security procedures.”

More class action for Live Nation

The US Department of Justice’s case against Live Nation has set the table for consumers to file their own $5 billion class action lawsuit against the company, seeking damages for potentially millions of ticket buyers. This is the first consumer suit accusing Live Nation of monopolizing the live entertainment industry, but it is unlikely that it will be the last. “Consumer cases related to U.S. or state attorneys general lawsuits can pile up quickly and put added legal pressure on companies,” according to Reuters.

An upside for festivals down under

With several large-scale festivals canceled in Australia so far this year, the initial outlook was pretty glum. However, niche, genre festivals, one-day festivals, and local, intimate events seem to be doing well; some even beating 2023 attendance records.

Stadium bust?

After a boom in stadium concerts in 2022 and 2023, the first half of 2024 has seen a notable decline in stadium bookings, with grosses and ticket sales down over 20% compared to the same period last year. Industry experts believe this is temporary due to artist availability and upcoming international sporting events, and suggest that it will rebound in 2025. In the meantime, many are adapting by exploring diverse venues and creative concert experiences.

Or is smaller better

Another theory is maybe the artists shouldn’t be playing stadiums in the first place. Not all artists can fill a stadium or arena, and with high costs and low ticket sales, it seems that more and more artists are canceling shows or even full tours (see the latest tour cancellations below). And, large venues just don’t have the same energy as a smaller, more intimate venue. Is it “better to have a packed house in an intimate setting than a half-empty room in a larger venue”?

Spotlight victorious in long battle against StubHub

StubHub was ordered to pay $16.3 million to Spotlight Ticket Management after a jury ruled in favor of Spotlight in a long-running legal dispute. Spotlight accused StubHub of intentionally undermining its relationship with American Express by failing to pay commissions and providing false information. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, concluded with the jury finding StubHub guilty of intentionally interfering with contracts and awarding Spotlight the full amount of the commission owed.

The RV advantage

During Covid Texans bought 400% more RVs than they did the previous year, and first-year Texas festival, Cattle Country Music Festival, used that to their advantage, making camping a major part of their branding. It worked. Festival organizers ran 37 miles of cable to power 1,000 RVs that held about 75% of the 13,000 attendees and plan to grow those numbers in the future.

Stage collapse in Mexico

9 people were killed and 192 were injured when gusty winds at an election rally in Mexico caused the stage to collapse (video) and the lighting rig and a large screen to fall. Governor Samuel Garcia said that the winds were unexpected and “took us by surprise,” but Mexico’s National Weather Service issued a bulletin warning of the high winds hours before the rally, and later in the day, a second warning of potential tornados.

Fake ticket = real jail in Singapore

Anyone who’s ever worked a box office or festival gate has seen their fair share of fake tickets and credentials. In most cases, the guest is denied entry and either required to buy a new ticket or escorted off the grounds. In Singapore, however, a guest who successfully forged a pass to a Bruno Mars show, shared his success on social media, and later attempted to enter another Bruno Mars show, was arrested and sentenced to 10 weeks in jail.

Canadian Music Week sold

Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group have jointly acquired Canadian Music Week (CMW). Neill Dixon, Founder and President of CMW, will retire after 42 years of running the conference. This year’s conference is expected to draw 3,000 in addition to more than 300 performing artists, June 1 - 8 in Toronto.

• New York Road Runners is hiring an Entertainment Production Lead to focus on planning and executing events within NYRR’s live entertainment portfolio in New York, NY. Salary: $65,000

• Victory Brewing is looking for part-time Brand Ambassadors to support the brands at festivals, events, and tastings in Philadelphia, PA. 

• CAMP is hiring a temporary Production Stage Manager for Disney's Encanto x CAMP immersive production in the Washington, DC/Virginia area through the end of September. Salary: $30/hour

Last Week's Results:
60% of BOH readers think Live Nation and Ticketmaster won’t be forced to break up. But AEG’s CEO Jay Marciano disagrees.

Headliners, Lineups, and Festival Announcements 

• Ellen Degeneres’ first stand-up tour in five years will also be her last. “Ellen’s Last Stand… Up” tour will start at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego, June 19 and end August 17 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN.

• Midtopia’s inaugural Elsewhere Fest & Conference will feature performances by Killer Mike (also a keynote speaker), Lane 8, Steve Aoki and Vince Staples as well as speakers from City Winery, Stand Together, Union Stage and more, June 21 - 22 in Wichita, KS.  

• Dead & Company has added two more weeks of shows to its residency at Vegas’ Sphere, now ending August 10. 

• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats announced the “South of Here” arena tour, kicking off August 15 in Bend, OR and wrapping on March 25 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.

• St. Vincent, Faye Webster, and Waxahatchee will headline Hopscotch Music Festival, September 5 - 7 in Raleigh, NC.

• Rainbow Kitten Surprise will go out on the “Love Hate Music Box Tour” starting September 9 at Indianapolis, IN’s Everwise Amphitheater and ending November 25 in San Francisco, CA at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

• Lost Lands announced Zeds Dead, Subtronics, and Excision, September 20 - 22 in Legend Valley, Ohio.

• Freaky Deaky will feature deadmau5, Subtronics, and Chase & Status at Travis County Expo Center in Austin, TX, October 26 - 27.

• Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise will sail from Miami, FL to Nassau, Bahamas, May 9 - 13, 2025 with Social Distortion, x, Rocket from the Crypt, Old 97’s and DJs from the eponymous SiriusXM channel.

Cancellations

• Hot in Toronto music festival - scheduled for June 22 at Downsview Park - has been postponed after headliner Lil Wayne dropped out.

• The Black Keys have canceled all 31 dates of their “International Players” North America tour originally set to kick off September 17 at BOK Center in Tulsa, OK and have instead promised “a similarly exciting, intimate experience for both fans and the band.” No further details have been announced.

• Jennifer Lopez has also canceled the entirety of her “This is Me… Live” tour saying that she will be "taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends". The tour was supposed to start on June 26 in Orlando, FL.

• UK’s Towersey Festival - the longest-standing independent festival in the UK - will end after this year. The festival, originally started in 1965 by the grandfather of the current festival directors, will celebrate 60 years this August and then call it quits, due to increasing financial and economic challenges.

• Spotify announced it would be deactivating its short-lived Car Thing on December 9, 2024 and three users (the only three?) quickly filed a class action suit, prompting Spotify to rethink its no refunds stance.

• Live Nation and Ticketmaster have had quite the tumultuous relationship with artists and their fans over the years, check out the timeline of their clashes.

• Learn to read music by recognizing patterns.

• Going to be close to a National Park this summer? Check this interactive park map and plan your visit.

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