Mid-year numbers are in 🎢

According to Pollstar’s Mid-Year Report the industry is doing very well, unless it’s not. In touring, total gross is up 8.7% to $3.07 billion with average ticket prices up 9.4% and number of shows up 16.7%, but attendance is down 14.9%. Festivals are also experiencing seesaw-like results with some major festivals seeing attendance numbers decline and other boutique festivals drawing record crowds. Marty Diamond of Wasserman Music says, “It’s never been more important to be smart and tactical in every move you make and be mindful of how business cycles can repeat or evolve.”

YouTube + US State Department = ☮️

YouTube and the US State Department have launched a partnership to promote peace and democracy through music. The initiative features Global Music Ambassadors such as Chuck D, Herbie Hancock, Lainey Wilson, and others. The program will support social impact projects, English language learning, and the creative economy, utilizing major events like the G20 to highlight music's unifying power. This effort builds on the legacy of the Jazz Ambassadors program from the Cold War era, aiming to foster cultural understanding globally.

Festival fraudster sentenced to 20 years

No, not that festival fraudster. James Walker Watson Jr., the coordinator of the Orlando Music Festival, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud charges. Watson defrauded investors of over $3 million while organizing the Southfork Music Festival near Dallas from 2018 to 2020. Instead of using the funds for concert expenses, he made large cash withdrawals. The Orlando fest never happened in July of 2022 as planned; Watson was arrested in May of that year and - not surprisingly - ticket purchasers have yet to be refunded.

SXSW ends US Army sponsorship

SXSW has dropped the US Army and weapons manufacturing companies as sponsors, citing a revision in their sponsorship model. While the fest has offered no additional comments, the decision appears to be tied to the 30+ artists who pulled out of last year’s event due to such sponsorships and those sponsors’ ties to Israel.

Rapino + LN Board sued by shareholder

Legal troubles continue for Live Nation. A shareholder has sued CEO Michael Rapino and other board members, alleging they breached their fiduciary duties by allowing anticompetitive conduct, as charged by the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The shareholder lawsuit argues this conduct and the subsequent investigation have caused significant financial harm to the company and its investors.

In regards to the DOJ case, it is currently scheduled to begin on March 2, 2026 in the Southern District of NY. The date could move and so could the venue. LN attorneys may request the case to be tried in Washington, DC instead. Such requests are due by July 19.

The last Live Nation-less city

Portland, ME is currently the last major US city without a venue owned or operated by Live Nation - but that could change soon. The city that appears to be brimming with live music may be getting a Live Nation venue as the company is making progress on its goal to build a 3,500 cap venue on a vacant site near downtown. The proposed venue could bring jobs and larger artists to the area, but at least one local musician fears, “[It] would be a death sentence for the music scene.”

Acrisure Arena boom for Palm Springs

Palm Springs, CA’s Acrisure Arena has exceeded its initially anticipated economic impact. The venue opened in December 2022 and in 2023 hosted 117 events with 52% of its 850,400 attendees coming from outside of the Greater Palm Springs area. The visitors spent $120.6 million, beating the $108.2 million estimate. Inside the arena, it generated $168.5 million in total business sales and provided 1,983 part-time and full-time jobs.

More than Music UK festival sustainability report

More than Music!, a report by UK-based sustainable impact agency Better Not Stop, looked at how seriously UK festivals are taking sustainability. The report reveals that rising production costs and economic instability have led many festivals to reconsider or abandon sustainable practices. Despite these challenges, it pleads for festivals to adopt clean energy solutions and reduce carbon footprints to remain viable and comply with future regulations. The report further emphasizes the need for efficient energy use, hybrid systems, and better planning to mitigate both environmental impact and operational costs.

MIT’s assessment of live music and climate change

Across the pond, MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative has formed an advisory committee of over 50 music industry experts, including representatives from Coldplay, Live Nation, AEG, OVG, WME, Billie Eilish and more, to consult on the impact of live entertainment on climate change. The goal of the next phase of its Assessment Report of Live Music and Climate Change in the US and the UK is to develop a comprehensive report offering practical solutions to reduce the environmental impact of live music events, enhancing industry practices and technology to foster positive environmental outcomes. The report is expected in the fall.

The [secret] Festival of the Sun ☀️

Rick Rubin hosted a secret music festival in Tuscany during the summer solstice, June 21 - 22. The Festival of the Sun was multidisciplinary with James Blake and DJ Cosmo Gonik performing alongside a Jack Dorsey talk and a screening of Andrew Dominik’s documentary “This Much I Know to Be True.”

• XL Event Lab is hiring a Tour Director for a 6 month contract with potential to extend into 2025. Salary: $3,000 per week + per diem.

• Sony Music Entertainment is looking for a Sr. Director, Global Business Development & Digital Strategy in New York, NY. Salary $185,000 - $200,000.

• Eventbrite is hiring a remote Director of North American Sales. Salary: $126,000 - $226,800.

Last Week's Results:
56% of BOH readers have already dealt with a cancellation this year.

Headliners, Lineups, and Festival Announcements 

• Lainey Wilson, Luis Fonsi, Tanner Adell, The War And Treaty, Bell Biv DeVoe and Shaboozey will all perform during the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks show on Thursday, July 4th at 8 PM on NBC.

• Splash House announced lineups for its back-to-back weekend events in Palm Springs, CA. August 9 - 11 will feature BODY HI by Alesso, Gorgon City B2B Green Velvet, and HUGEL. Weekend 2 will have AC Slater, MEDUZA, Patrick Topping, and Chris Lorenzo, August 16 - 18.

• Festival Hera HSBC will be Mexico’s first festival created by women with Camila Cabello, Danna Paola, Demi Lovato, Kesha, Maria Becerra, and the co-creator of the event, Ximena Sariñana. The festival will take place on August 24 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

• Elsewhere in Mexico, Brandi Carlile announced her return to Riviera Maya for the 6th year of Girls Just Wanna Weekend.

• Post Malone’s “F-1 Trillion Tour” in support of his eponymous album will kick off September 8 in Salt Lake City, UT and wrap October 19 in Nashville, TN.

• Shaboozy is heading out on his first-ever headlining tour this fall. First stop of the “Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going” tour is September 9 in Minneapolis, MN and last stop is October 14 in Los Angeles, CA. 

• Punk In The Park: American Road Trip will feature Alkaline Trio, The Vandals and Dead Kennedys, September 14 at Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando, FL.

• Life is Beautiful is on pause for 2024 while two-day A Big Beautiful Block Party subs in. Justice, Peggy Gou, LCD Soundsystem, and James Blake top the bill for the September 27 - 28 event at the Downtown Arts District in Las Vegas, NV.

Cancelations

• Capulet Festival was originally scheduled to take place at Thompson Speedway in Thompson, CT (13,000 cap) last Friday - Sunday. Less than 24 hours before doors, the venue was changed to 1,200 cap The Webster, 50 miles away in Hartford, CT. Fans were pissed, bands canceled - and eventually the plug was pulled on the whole thing mid-way through LiveKill’s Saturday night set. Allegedly due to lack of payment to the venue. Sunday didn’t happen at all.

• Neil Young and Crazy Horse are taking a “big unplanned break” from their “Love Earth Tour” while the band recovers from illness. This includes canceling headlining gigs at Ottawa Bluesfest (The Offspring will fill in), Ohana Festival and Bourbon & Beyond (replacements TBA). 

• Willie Nelson was forced to cancel more appearances at his Outlaw Music Festival last weekend, but plans to rejoin the crew in Mansfield, MA tonight and perform during his annual 4th of July Picnic in Camden, NJ on Thursday.

• Micheal J. Fox joined Coldplay’s Glastonbury set to play “Humankind” and “Fix You” with Chris Martin crediting Fox and Back to the Future for “The main reason why we’re in a band.”

• Like discovering new artists on the rise as much as we do? We’ve had some good finds via the Vibe Newsletter’s “Artist of the Week” posts.

• “Don’t snort Death Dust.” - Ozzy Osbourne’s Liquid Death campaign

• Speaking of death, is merch dead?

• 14 ways to have better Mondays. We’re all about “NMMM” and “touch grass.”

• Amazon plans to launch a Shein and Temu competitor that will sell discounted items and ship directly from China to your door.

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