A newly published report has valued the global electronic music industry at $12.9bn (£9.6bn/€11.3bn), naming festivals and clubs as the most significant source of revenue. The IMS Business Report 2025 found that the industry’s value was up by 6% year-on-year in 2024. The report was created by MIDiA Research’s Mark Mulligan and was commissioned by the IMS Ibiza industry conference.

Live events revenue totalled $27bn for the likes of Live Nation, Eventim, HYBE, SM, JYP and Avex, according to the report. This is an increase on the $25.8bn posted in 2023. The report added that 2024 was particularly boosted by pre-sales for 2025 tours, though higher ticket prices were the main driver of growth rather than volume of tickets sold.

Music Venue Trust’s annual report was launched in Scottish Parliament yesterday (Wednesday) with a special event for politicians, policy makers, venues and key stakeholders.

Puerto Rican ticketing company Ticketera has been recognised by Guinness World Records for its role in the in-person ticket sales for Bad Bunny’s residency ‘No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí’.

To ensure tickets were purchased exclusively by Puerto Rico residents and avoid automated bulk buying through bots, Ticketera implemented an in-person distribution model.

The North American Concert Promoters Association (NACPA) has announced the election of industry veteran and AEG executive Brent Fedrizzi as president of its Board of Directors. This marks Fedrizzi’s second term leading the concert promoters’ trade group. His first term concluded in 2022 when Jodi Goodman was elected to the position.

In addition to his new role at NACPA, Fedrizzi serves as President of AEG’s North American division, following his tenure as Co-President and COO of AEG Presents’ Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest operations.

Two international music giants had announcements from Japan in recent days. Live Nation has acquired Hayashi International Promotions, one of the big live-music promoters in Japan.

Current HIP CEO Kaori Hayashi will oversee the combined businesses in Japan, and said the focus is “giving Japanese artists the opportunity to perform to new audiences and strengthening Japan’s position as a must-visit destination for major acts”.

Pollstar Live! 2025 concluded its star-studded, record-setting three-day conference April 17 with panels featuring country star Jelly Roll, Live Nation CEO and President Michael Rapino and a reunion of the popular Promoter 101 podcasters at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The flagship event for Pollstar magazine delivered industry insights about all facets of the live entertainment industry, lively conversations between professionals and networking opportunities for those in attendance from April 15-17.

In Pollstar Live!’s In-Venue Tech: Analysis of Trends in Tech panel during the live music industry’s foremost annual conference, fan experience was at the top of mind. With tech quickly advancing, creating new products each year that can make lives more convenient, the panel focuses on the imporatance of integrating tech into venues. AiFi CEO Steve Carlin noted Intuit Dome’s advancements, the newly-opened venue utilizing facial recognition that allows fans to simply grab and go with food and beverages, minimizing the amount of time they have to wait in line so they can go watch what they paid to attend.

On the heels of a partnership announcement involving Amsterdam-headquartered Eventix (now Weeztix) and Spotify, Rotterdam’s Stager has scored an integration deal of its own.
13-year-old Stager, which bills itself as an “all-in-one tool for event organizers,” took to LinkedIn to disclose its Spotify tie-up. Besides dealing in ticketing, the former business develops event-planning software, marketing tools, and more, according to its website.

A new report has found that some 91% of live music fans believe that dynamic/surge pricing should be illegal in the UK when buying tickets to see their favourite bands. Additionally, 82% said they disagreed with the use of dynamic/surge pricing even if the terms of sale were clearly communicated. The data comes from the recently published Music Fans’ Voice survey, which polled more than 8,000 fans across the UK.

Oasis fans in the UK have been scammed out of £2m (€2.3m/$2.7m) or more since tickets went on sale last year for the band’s first tour since 2009, according to new research from Lloyds Banking Group. Victims are particularly being targeted by a surge of ticket scams through social media, with those aged between 35 and 44 most likely to be earmarked by fraudsters

The Roots, Rilo Kiley, Soccer Mommy, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Femi Kuti and Marcus Miller are just four of the artists played topping the bills at the 2025 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor performing arts festival. City Parks Foundation presents more than 70 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 13 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs — the full lineup appears below; view the official SummerStage 2025 season announcement video here and the full season brochure here.

A survey of more than 8,100 live-music fans in the UK forms the basis for a ‘Music Fans’ Voice’ report published this morning. Commissioned by local authorities in eight UK cities, it breaks down the demographics of concertgoers in the UK; explores their genre preferences and travel habits for gigs; and finds out how they find out about concerts and festivals.

Messina Touring Group announced a round of promotions to propel the independent live events company’s focus on driving touring through innovation. Nick Ayoub has been promoted to Head of Digital Strategy and Operations, where he will lead MTG’s digital operations, streamline internal processes, and develop data strategies to drive efficiency, innovation, and long-term growth. As the youngest honoree on Billboard’s 2024 40 Under 40 list, Ayoub has shaped digital strategy for record-breaking stadium tours by Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, The Lumineers, and Phoebe Bridgers.

AEG Presents has announced that Trent Allison has been promoted to Senior Director of Sales & Special Events for venues in Georgia & Tennessee, which will include overseeing special events at venues including The Pinnacle in Nashville.

Formerly director of sales, other venues under Allison’s purview include The Eastern, Terminal West, Variety Playhouse & Georgia Theater in Georgia. He will be based in AEG Presents’ Nashville office and report to Regional Vice President Mike DuCharme.

Despite noise from various peanut galleries about declining ticket sales, interest and influence, the Coachella Music and Artist Festival remains arguably the biggest music festival in the world and indisputably one of the biggest global platforms for recording artists. This year’s was no exception: Here’s what went over like gangbusters, and what didn’t …