TICKET Act moves forward

The US House of Representatives has passed the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing - aka TICKET - Act, which aims to require all-in pricing, ban speculative ticket sales, require full refunds for canceled events, and more. The act now heads to the Senate where it must be passed before the President can sign it into law. NIVA, Fix the Tix, and the Recording Academy commend the move and also urge the Senate to pass the Fans First Act.

All-in pricing leads to increased sales

On the heels of the TICKET Act passing the House, Live Nation reports that its all-in ticket pricing initiative has led to an 8% increase in completed purchases in the first 6 months. CEO Michael Rapino says, “Showing the total cost to walk in the door upfront is better for fans and artists,” and encourages the US government to require it nationwide. Since September, Live Nation has implemented all-in ticket pricing at 9,000 of its venues and plans to continue to grow that number.

24 Music Action Grants awarded

Live Music Society has awarded $710,000 Music Action Grants to 24 small US music venues. The small venues (300-cap or less) will use the funds for a specific project to be completed during the grant period (July 2024 - June 2025). Since its founding, Live Music Society has provided $3.7 million in funding to 155 small venues.

Record-setting Rockville

Welcome to Rockville set records with over 200,000 fans in attendance, officially making it the largest festival in producer Danny Wimmer Presents’ portfolio and the largest rock festival in North America. The Daytona, FL festival featured 150 bands on five stages over four days from May 9 - 12.

Viagogo agrees to changes following investigation

Viagogo has agreed to make significant changes to its ticket resale platform following an investigation by the European Commission and national consumer authorities. These changes, to be implemented by August 2024, include enhanced transparency on seller identities, reduced misleading countdown timers, inclusion of delivery fees in displayed prices, and more flexible refund policies. The agreement aims to align Viagogo's practices with EU consumer protection laws, ensuring better consumer information and safeguarding against deceptive practices in the secondary ticketing market.

Sphere Q3 results + expansion 🔜

The Sphere reported $321 million in company revenue for its fiscal Q3, an increase from $159.3 million in Q3 last year and an adjusted operating income of $61.5 million, compared to an adjusted operating loss of $18.7 million over the same period last year. During the earnings call, CEO James Dolan highlighted the strong demand for shows and events at the venue (check out scenes from Dead & Co's first shows). He also expressed optimism about securing a deal for the next Sphere very soon.

Co-op Live finally opens

Manchester’s Co-op Live finally opened with a performance by local band Elbow last week after several delays. According to Tim Leiweke, CEO of the venue’s co-owner Oak View Group, the construction delays were due to a shortage of skilled workers caused by the combination of Brexit and Covid. “We were paying people two and three times and we couldn’t find people to work, it was crazy.” However, despite the delays, Leiweke believes “It is the finest international building outside of North America.”

Planned drug use at festivals ⬆️

According to this year’s Drug Safety at Music Festival Study, 87% of festival attendees plan to use drugs, a 10% increase from last year. The study also reveals that three out of five people who plan to use drugs at a festival report purchasing the drugs on site, and marijuana continues to be the most popular. The top three music festivals for drug use are Wisconsin’s Rock Fest, Burning Man, and Coachella; Burning Man replacing Sun Fest in the number two spot this year.

Comedy show growth is no joke

Ticket sales for comedy shows have nearly tripled over the past 10 years with 2023 grosses just north of $900 million. The live comedy growth closely mirrors Netflix’s investment in comedy specials; the streaming platform realized in 2013 that comedy was a low-cost way to build up its content library and has continued to scale its comedy business. It’s only fitting that Netflix’s Netflix is a Joke Festival has also expanded, growing from 300 acts in 2022 to more than 500 acts across 11 days in Los Angeles, CA.

• The Durham Bulls Baseball Team is looking for a Senior Director of Events to map out and execute large-scale, profitable events in Durham, NC.

• Professional Bull Riders (owned by Endeavor) is seeking a Tour Manager, PBR Velocity Tour and Challenger Series in Fort Worth, TX.

• The Recording Academy is hiring a Manager, Corporate Partnerships for the GRAMMY Museum in LA or NY. Salary $68,600 - $75,800.

Last Week's Results:
48% of BOH readers prefer medium spice level.

Headliners, Lineups, and Festival Announcements 

• Aminé will bring his first-ever festival to Portland, OR August 10 - 11. The Best Day Ever Festival will feature Kaytranada, BadBadNotGood, and Toro y Moi. 

• The Chainsmokers’ The Party Never Ends is back, this time expanding to four events in Seattle (August 10), LA (August 17), Boston (August 29), and New York (September 12). The band promises a “uniquely curated event filled with dazzling visuals and star-filled collaborations, combining fan-favorite hits and deep cuts” in each city. 

• John Legend, Jill Scott, and André 3000 are headlining Blue Note Jazz Festival Presents: The Black Radio Experience, a new festival from Blue Note Entertainment Group and Black Radio Productions at The Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa Valley, CA August 30 - September 1. 

• Remi Wolf is heading out on a headlining tour. The US leg of her “Big Ideas Tour” starts September 10 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, CA and wraps at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on October 16.

• XPoNential Music Festival announced Guster, Trampled By Turtles, and Greensky Bluegrass for the September 20 - 22 event at Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ.

• Noah Kahan and Foo Fighters will headline Soundside Festival - formerly known as Sound on Sound - September 28 - 29 at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT. 

• San Francisco’s Portola Festival will include RÜFÜS DU SOL, Gesaffelstein, Four Tet, Jamie xx, Disclosure, FISHER, Justice, and M.I.A, September 28 - 29 at Pier 80.

Cancellations

• Just a month after announcing the lineup for the inaugural Sudden Little Thrills festival in Pittsburgh, PA, organizers announced its cancellation, “due to circumstances beyond our control.” The festival was scheduled for September 7 - 8 with SZA, The Killers, and Wiz Khalifa as headliners.

• May 23 at 2 PM ET (online): WHO KNEW The Smartest People In The Room - Sharon Lee and David “5-1” Norman. Register here.

• May 23 at 7 PM ET* (online): Bauer Entertainment Marketing Live Q&A with Kris Stewart, CEO of BIGSOUND, Australia's largest entertainment conference. Register here.
  (*Note the updated time from last week’s issue; we are bad at timezone math.)

• Study: The most confusing emojis in every state in 2024 💅 (Adding 🫠🤌)

• The Most Anticipated Music Festivals of 2024 (according to Pitchfork).

• How to host an event inside an airplane hangar. 

• How to have fun at a festival without trashing the planet.

• Culinary country artists: Willie Nelson and his wife Annie are releasing a cannabis-themed cookbook and Dolly Parton partners with Krispy Kreme to launch the “Dolly Southern Sweets Doughnut Collection,” led by the Dolly Dazzler 🍩.

• Eminem has published an obituary for "Slim Shady" in a local Detroit newspaper ahead of the release of his new album, The Death of Slim Shady.

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