In an amended Tunney Act filing on October 21, Live Nation confirmed that President Trump “briefly appeared” at the March 5 meeting where its DOJ settlement terms were finalized, though it says he took no part in substantive settlement discussions. The revision also clarifies that in February, Trump called CEO Michael Rapino to discuss the Kennedy Center and asked about the status of the DOJ lawsuit. Live Nation insists its original June disclosure was “complete and compliant” and says it was amended “out of an abundance of caution” after an August ruling in the HPE-Juniper antitrust case. The filing does not address the Wall Street Journal’s report that Trump told a senior DOJ official to settle shortly before trial. 

The Coalition for Ticket Fairness says the new details “raise serious questions about the transparency of the process” and that the court needs further answers before ruling.

Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the US House Oversight Committee, sent a new letter addressed to Eric Baker in his role as managing director of Andro Capital, the ticket resale fund Baker co-owns that sells on StubHub. Garcia says Baker “appears to be using his positions at Andro Capital and StubHub to profit, potentially at the expense of customers, fans and artists,” and is requesting financial records and communications by November 5. It follows Garcia’s July letter to Baker as StubHub’s CEO. StubHub maintains that Baker’s investment was publicly disclosed, that Andro is one of many vendors, and that the relationship is a small fraction of its revenue.

Goldman Sachs’ 2026 “Music in the Air” report is bullish on live. It forecasts global live revenue growing from $37.4 billion in 2025 to $39.6 billion in 2026 (+6.0%), $49.8 billion by 2030, and more than $65 billion by 2035, a roughly 5.7% annual growth rate. Goldman chalks up 2025’s pause to tough comps against the Eras Tour and notes that live spending has historically been less cyclical than broader consumer spending. Price is a big part of the story: average ticket prices for the world’s top 100 tours are up 37% since 2019, and venues of 30,000 or more saw average prices climb 29% between 2023 and 2025.

Hive, the marketing automation platform built for live events, has announced a $27 million Series B raise led by Frontier Growth, a Charlotte-based growth equity firm focused on vertical software and AI. More than 1,600 venues, promoters, and festivals now use the platform, and the company says it has helped drive over $1 billion in ticket sales. The new capital will fund AI-powered assistants for campaign prep and data analysis, plus more integrations. As CEO Roberts put it, live events are “a data problem disguised as a marketing problem.”

The 14,000-seat arena formerly known as Dickies Arena is now Ariat Arena, under a 10-year naming rights deal with the Western wear and footwear company, effective immediately. The change follows Dickies’ departure from its naming rights deal and its headquarters move from Fort Worth to California last year. Ariat opened a regional headquarters in Fort Worth in 2020, became a founding arena partner in 2023, and already sponsored the arena’s premium Ariat Club. Financial terms were not disclosed, and Ariat and the arena’s operator will launch a charitable giving program for Fort Worth-area organizations.

NY’s Forest Hills Stadium has settled years of litigation with the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, the neighborhood group that sued repeatedly over noise and traffic. The deal allows up to 28 concerts per season during the initial seven-year term, rising to 29 during renewal terms that can run through 2040. In exchange, operator Tiebreaker Productions agrees to a 10 PM curfew for amplified sound (10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday nights in July), real-time audio monitoring, designated attendee routes, and rideshare pickups outside the Gardens. Tiebreaker will also pay the neighborhood group $15,000 per show for the first four years, rising to as much as $18,000. The dispute had grown heated enough that the Gardens Corporation once refused to let the NYPD close its private streets, which led the department to temporarily withhold sound permits.

The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers has officially launched its Raise the Bar campaign, as announced in July. The campaign asks venues to pledge four policies: no commission on artist merch, no pay-to-play or mandatory ticket purchases to secure a slot, no door polling about which act attendees came to see, and transparent written agreements before the show. Roughly 70 US venues have signed so far, up from 21 when the campaign was first previewed over the summer. UMAW is maintaining a public, searchable directory so artists, agents, and managers can use it for routing.

Glastonbury’s official ticketing partner, See Tickets, sold more coach packages than there were seats on certain departures, just weeks after the 2027 coach tickets sold out in under 30 minutes. Affected customers will not lose their spot at Worthy Farm: unless they opt to keep their coach seat by October 31, their booking will convert to a general admission ticket with the coach fare refunded. See Tickets says the error won’t affect festival deposits, and the remaining balance is still due in April as usual. Fans who missed out can try again in the spring resale.

Superstruct Entertainment has launched The Front Row, a new event series that brings brands, agencies, and industry leaders together to discuss live event partnerships. The first edition took place in London on October 15 under the theme “Can Brands Create Joy and Connection at Festivals?” and featured a keynote from Luisa Fortuna, Superstruct’s global research and strategy lead. The central message was that brand fit alone isn’t enough, and partnerships have to offer something audiences genuinely value. The next installment is scheduled for February 2027.

The Music Venue Trust’s grassroots festival Everywhere At Once, which filled more than 400 UK venues with over 2,000 artists across more than 1,000 events in June, has raised £100,000 ($133,430 USD) for four charities. War Child, Help Musicians, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Nordoff and Robbins each received £25,000. The money came from public donations, contributions from venues, promoters, and artists, and a major donation from ticketing partner Ticketmaster.

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