Want to keep up with when your favorite artists are playing in your city? Or why you should get to the venue early to catch the opening act? You’re gonna want to subscribe to What To See by Ticketmaster on Substack.

What To See is a newsletter made by folks who have written for Billboard, Forbes, Consequence, Vulture, NYLON, PAPER, Paste and many more. We’re out here going to shows every night of the week in New York, Los Angeles and even some places in between. Great news: We’ll tell you about these shows ahead of time so you can go, too.

Oak View Group has announced that the 2025 edition of the VenuesNow Conference will take place in Las Vegas—one of the world’s premier entertainment destinations—from September 9–11, offering three days of panels, keynotes, networking, and entertainment.

Presented by Lockton and Oracle, the eighth annual VNC will feature sessions on a wide range of venue-related topics, including content and bookings, hospitality, premium experiences, venue operations, and emerging trends in security, data technology, and women’s sports, among others.

Festivals company Wannasee Ltd has collapsed citing a “difficult trading environment” and a sudden decline in “customer confidence”. It means ten UK festivals due to take place this summer are now cancelled, while the future of two other events depends on ongoing negotiations behind-the-scenes

Neste Live!, a Live Nation company, announced the expansion of its corporate events division with a round of promotions. The promotions include veteran talent executive Jill Kopecky, who has been elevated to the role of Executive Vice President, Corporate Events. In her new role at Neste Live!, Kopecky will expand her portfolio to include oversight of the corporate events department while continuing her role as Corporate Events Talent Buyer within Neste Live!

It’s where Oasis were discovered – and where Radiohead only ever drew 150 people. Insiders and regulars like KT Tunstall explain why the live music venue is so loved by audience and artists

The Ontario Festival of Small Halls (OFOSH) has announced its 2025 lineup, bringing an eclectic roster of Canadian artists to small, independent venues with performances scheduled across southern Ontario. Taking place in October, November, and December, the festival will showcase some of Canada’s leading talent in intimate, character-filled venues.

“It’s a wide-ranging festival, with some remarkable venues and a variety of great acts,” said Cat Cote, Artistic Director of OFOSH. “This festival offers a chance to experience top-tier performances in unique community settings—it’s a special way to connect with both the music and the artists.”

it takes vision, business relationships built over decades — and maybe a few crazy ideas — to really shake up the live entertainment industry. Examples include Las Vegas’ Sphere, providing a unique, dazzling indoor experience in ways that haven’t been done before. On the stadium side, multibillion-dollar NFL landmarks like SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas push the audio-video boundaries while bringing new levels of comfort to fans.

As CEO, founder and chairman of VENU, JW Roth is looking to make a similar impact ($1.3 billion and counting) on the live entertainment industry, with music-dedicated, outdoor venues offering unprecedented amenities at what has historically been one of the least glamorous types of concert venues. "At the end of the day, I don’t think there’s ever been a $300 million ‘music coliseum’ or music amphitheater,” Roth tells Pollstar, talking up the 20,000-capacity Sunset Amphitheater under development in McKinney, Texas, scheduled to open in 2026. “This will be over the top premium.”

The “Album ONE Alive” tour celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release of W.A.S.P.’s first album. To celebrate this classic metal album, W.A.S.P. will, for the first time in 40 years, play the entire album from top to bottom, start to finish at headline shows across Europe. Dates and tickets are available at WASPnation.com/tour

BraveWords, Sleaze Roxx, Metal Insider and The Metal Voice all picked the Album ONE Alive tour as one of the best tours in 2024.

Airbnb has agreed a new live music-focused partnership with Lollapalooza, meaning guests will have access to curated experiences across its international roster of events. The partnership will kick off with one-of-a-kind fan experiences at Lollapalooza festivals in Berlin, Chicago, São Paulo and Mumbai.

This summer, fans will be able to book daily Airbnb Experiences at a number of Lollapalooza festivals and receive access to an exclusive onsite Airbnb lounge. Experiences will range from concert photography tutorials with professional photographers and behind-the scenes tours with festival directors, through to intimate artist performances.

Virtual star Ironmouse, along with a host of other VTuber virtual talent, will perform at an IRL event in Los Angeles in July.

Fantastic Reality will feature a performance from Ironmouse, a massive virtual streaming and Twitch star, along with performances from virtual talent including Japanese virtual singer KAF and Jakarta’s virtual pop artist JKT48v. Together, these acts have a combined global following of almost 10 million.

Bob Dylan turns 84 today, and he will be spending the evening the way he might spend just about any random other night of the year: on a concert stage. There will likely be no commemoration of the occasion at the gig in Ridgefield, Washington, which will be just another evening on the Outlaw Music Festival 2025 tour he is once again sharing with Willie Nelson, with support from Billy Strings, Sierra Hull and some other Americana-favoring youngsters. Why would Dylan treat a birthday unlike any other night? True, we haven’t known him to actually play on Christmas, but he’d probably be out gigging on major holidays, too, if he thought a reasonable crowd would come out. It’s Willie who sings “I just can’t wait to get on the road again” (and there’s no reason to think he doesn’t mean it), but it’s Bob who most embodies that as his actual religion

TicketManager has received major financial backing to support its strategic growth plans.

Private equity firm Valeas Capital Partners has invested $110m (£81.6m/€97m), while co-founder and chief executive Tony Knopp and chief operating officer Ken Hanscom will retain a minority interest in the company.

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has revealed the content lineup for its fourth annual national conference, NIVA ’25, which takes place in Milwaukee from June 23–25.

For 2025, the conference will spotlight the contributions of NIVA’s Milwaukee chapter, with programming held at independent venues across the city, including the Miller High Life Theatre and Turner Hall Ballroom.

The NIVA ’25 signature event, the Brew City Bash, will take place at The Rave / Eagle’s Ballroom. Evening shows will be hosted at other Milwaukee venues, including Falcon Bowl, Shank Hall, and X-Ray Arcade.

Longtime Nashville fixture 3rd & Lindsley has signed a new lease extension, with owner Ron Brice reaffirming his commitment to the Nashville community with the new agreement. Since opening its doors over 30 years ago, 3rd & Lindsley has been a cornerstone of the city’s independent music scene. The venue has nurtured emerging talent and served as a platform to countless artists who have gone on to global acclaim and has also provided jobs for numerous local hospitality workers and a welcoming home for fans of all ages and backgrounds, making it one of Nashville’s most beloved cultural institutions.

Leading global music agency Wasserman Music today announced the hiring of two new executives across its Global Festivals and artist representation teams to help further the ongoing growth of its thriving Hip-Hop/R&B division worldwide.

Additional information has been released on those who lost their lives in a Thursday morning plane crash in San Diego, with Sound Talent Group identifying the two other employees along with co-founder Dave Shapiro as Kendall Fortner and Emma Huke, both booking coordinates for the talent agency.

“The Sound Talent Group is still dealing with the pain of losing our friends and colleagues, but with the permission of their loved ones, we wanted to share the stories of Dave Shapiro, Emma Huke and Kendall Fortner to celebrate their lives and what they meant to us, our clients and the music industry as a whole,” a Sound Talent Group spokesperson shared with Pollstar in a release Friday evening.

Tixel has announced an ongoing contribution in aid of the recently established LIVE Trust, as well as a £20,000 (€24,000/$27,000) donation to the music industry body LIVE. A £1 LIVE Trust Contribution will be automatically included at checkout on all transactions for shows at UK venues with capacities above 5,000, with 100% of all funds donated directly to the LIVE Trust.

cAA has announced two hires as the agency continues expanding its marketing and brand partnerships divisions. Live events marketing executive Adrian Ayala and business development and brand partnerships executive Ben de Ayora are both based in Los Angeles. 

Independent promoter Disco Presents (formerly Disco Donnie Presents) has announced the lineup for the inaugural Wicked Oaks Festival, combining the Freaky Deaky, Summoning of the Eclipse, and ILLfest brands into one music, art, and camping event. Set for October 25–26 at Carson Creek Ranch near Austin, Texas, the festival will feature three full stages of music with performances by Eric Prydz, Bob Moses, Kaskade, Martin Garrix, Autograf, Dark Heart, and more.

Private Equity giant Providence has acquired a controlling stake in New York-headquartered Global Critical Logistics.

News of GCL’s acquisition will be of interest to the music industry, and particularly the live music industry, because it is the parent of Rock-it Cargo, a prominent player in the world of logistics for tours by superstar artists.

Rock-it started out over four decades ago, moving gear around the world for artists like Led Zeppelin, Queen and Bruce Springsteen. In more recent years, the company has worked on tours for superstars from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift.

Dave Shapiro, a respected music agent, entrepreneur, and licensed pilot whose influence spanned multiple industries, died Thursday in a tragic plane crash near San Diego that claimed the lives of several others. He was 42.

Shapiro’s impact on the live music world is difficult to overstate. As a co-founder of Sound Talent Group, launched in 2018, he helped reshape the independent agency landscape with a fiercely artist-centric approach. The company represented a broad roster spanning rock, metal, alternative, and beyond—including acts such as Sum 41, Lamb of God, Vanessa Carlton, Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills, and The Front Bottoms. Under Shapiro’s leadership, STG quickly became known for its hands-on, transparent advocacy for talent.

Is it becoming harder to throw a party in a green field? Do music festivals need to become more niche to be successful? And how are promoters becoming more sustainable in their practices?

These questions were investigated by Skiddle in its recently released Festival Report, a dedicated investigation into the festival industry trends for 2025 and beyond. The report can be downloaded here.