#231

Author

Back of House
November 26, 2024

Issue #231

As Thanksgiving approaches this week, we want to take the time to thank all of you for reading Back of House each week. We’re truly thankful and incredibly humbled by your consistent and loyal readership. Thank you.

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with family, friends, and feasting.

And if you happen to be doing a little shopping for family, friends, colleagues, or yourself, check out our annual BOH Gift Guide below for some suggestions.

Live Music Society provides $290k in Toolbox Grants

Live Music Society is supporting 34 small venues with a total of $290,000 in Toolbox Grants this year, its highest number of venues in a round so far. The Toolbox Grants are used to fund short-term issues that can have long-term effects on the small venues. This year the organization, which was founded by musician and philanthropist Pete Muller in 2020, has awarded $1 million in grants for a total of $4.1 million though 210 grants to 180 venues overall.

OnTrack 🤝 Lennd

Lennd, a platform that helps events streamline their credentialing and advancing process, has been acquired by OnTrack. By adding Lennd to its portfolio, OnTrack looks to boost its platform that provides the live event industry with insights into operations, safety, and situational awareness. According to OnTrack CEO, “Together, OnTrack and Lennd will redefine how planning, production, and safety are managed at large-scale events and venues.”

CTS Eventim reported record revenue of €2.07 billion ($2.16 billion USD) in the first nine months of 2024, marking a 15.8% year-over-year increase. Overall, the ticketing segment grew by 22.9% in revenue, while live entertainment saw a 13.7% increase. In Q3 alone, the company’s revenue was up 13.1% from €729 million ($760 million USD) in 2023 to €825 million ($861 million USD).The company credits strategic expansions and acquisitions, including the purchase of See Tickets, as key contributors to its continued growth.

Live Nation has announced its plans to acquire a majority stake in MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. As part of the deal, Live Nation will renovate the 20,000-cap venue, upgrading its premium seating, dressing rooms, and concessions, in addition to implementing some of its Green Nation sustainability initiatives. The venue will continue to be run by the same operations team as Live Nation looks to bring more shows to it.

MusiCares and Moms in Music hosted a free Women’s Wellness Clinic last week, offering health and wellness services and screenings, massage therapy and yoga. Participants had the opportunity to connect with other women in the industry and received resources and support “in navigating the unique demands of balancing career and family life.” Go moms! 💪

Katie Perry announced that she will be donating £1 per ticket on the UK leg of her “The Lifetimes Tour” to Music Venues Trust, starting with her show at OVO Hydro in Glasgow on October 7 through her October 13 show at the O2 in London. “Every £1 received from this scheme will go directly into initiatives to support the UK grassroots music community, bringing more great new music to more towns and cities.”

Barcelona City Council has formally declared opposition to speculative ticket resale and pledged support for the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT). The city aims to combat illegal resale, emphasizing its harm to fans, artists, and the live entertainment industry. This declaration, backed by all political groups, positions Barcelona as a leader in advocating for EU-wide legislation against for-profit ticket resale and enhanced transparency in secondary ticket markets.

Dutch blockchain ticketing startup Celebratix raised €1.1 million ($1.15 million USD) from investors to expand across Europe. The company aims to leverage Solana's blockchain to combat ticket fraud and improve data control for event organizers while offering a fee-free transparent ticketing platform. Celebratix, already serving venues in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Hamburg, plans to enter the UK and Sweden.

A Canadian ticket reseller scammed approximately 400 fans expecting to attend Taylor Swift shows in Toronto out of over $300,000 when their tickets failed to materialize days before the shows. The reseller claimed to have access to corporate tickets and her credibility was backed by multiple people on Facebook. Police are investigating, and victims have organized to share details and seek justice.

UK’s Glastonbury festival’s standard tickets sold out in under 40 minutes, 33% faster than last year. Tickets for the 2025 edition - the last before the fest takes a fallow year - were sold using a new system which randomly assigned fans to the queue. Coach tickets sold out even quicker before the standard tickets went on sale, and fans weren’t happy with the new system. Headliners have yet to be announced.

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Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements 

  • Coachella released its 2025 lineup almost 2 months earlier than it usually does. Perhaps it was due to headliner Post Malone’s “leak” or perhaps it is to give the fest more time to sell tickets. 🤷 In any event, Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Travis Scott will join Post Malone as headliners April 11 - 13 and April 18 - 20 at the Polo Fields in Indio, CA. More on Coachella:

  • Post Malone announced his “Big Ass Stadium Tour” with Jelly Roll which officially kicks off April 29 in Salt Lake City, UT (see “leak” above), traverses the US and finishes July 1 in San Francisco, CA. 

  • Global Citizen Festival is heading to South America in 2025 with Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia. The new festival will take place at the Estádio Olímpico do Pará in Belém, Brazil and will coincide with the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, scheduled for November 10 - 21 in Belém.

  • Beyoncé is headlining the halftime show during Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL game (December 25) between the Ravens and the Texans in Houston, TX.

  • Goose announced a February run of shows including the band’s first-ever stops in Canada.

  • Besame Mucho is returning to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, TX with Peso Pluma and Carin León, April 5.

  • Boots In The Park continued to roll out headliner announcements with Jordan Davis and featuring Nate Smith, Parmalee on April 12 at Fresno, CA’s Woodward Park and Luke Combs, Cody Johnson headlining in Albuquerque, NM on April 17 and 18.

  • Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, and Hugh Jackman have been announced as headliners for BST Hyde Park, joining previously announced Zach Bryan (2 nights). The London festival extends over multiple weekends beginning Friday, June 27 and running through Sunday, July 13.

  • Zootown Music Festival will make its debut at the Missoula Fairgrounds in Missoula, MT, July 4 - 5 with Kacey Musgraves and Hozier. 

  • Returning after a 5-year hiatus, Mountain Jam announced headliners Khruangbin and Mt. Joy and a new location at Bellayre Mountain in Highmount, NY, June 20 - 22.

  • Country Thunder Saskatchewan is celebrating 42 years with Jason Aldean, Bailey Zimmerman, and Def Leppard as headliners. July 10 - 13 in Craven, SK.

Cancelations

  • Over the weekend, Playboi Carti canceled performances at both Wireless Festival Middle East and Rolling Loud Thailand.

Available now: “Roadie: My Documentary,” a behind-the-scenes look at crew members’ life on the road on Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms.

It’s that time of the year to spoil your favorite event pros with gifts. We’ve got you covered with a few BOH favs to add to your shopping list. 

(Or you can just forward this wish list directly to anyone looking to give you a gift 😉.)

🎁 For Event Pros on the road:

🎁 For Event Pros at home (who are likely recovering from a busy season):

🎁 Treat Yo’self:

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