Live Music Industry News

Music Venue Trust and the Association of Independent Promoters (AIP) have formalised an agreement which will see their members remain unanimously opposed to the practice of ‘pay-to-play’ and taking commissions on artist merchandise sales.

The understanding ensures that artists performing at grassroots music venues can keep more of what they earn, performing under fairer conditions.

The Live Nation CEO told CNBC Sport’s Game Plan conference that concert ticket prices still compared favourably with sporting events

The Federal Trade Commission and seven states sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster on Thursday, alleging the companies worked with ticket brokers in the secondary market. The lawsuit claims the companies enabled scalpers to purchase beyond their advertised ticket purchasing limits, allowing for the resale of tickets at steep markups far above face value. The lawsuit follows a similar move last year by the Department of Justice.

In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in California on Thursday and reviewed by Variety, the FTC further alleged Ticketmaster — which is fully owned by Live Nation Entertainment — wrongfully engaged in a “bait-and-switch” between artists and consumers through advertising lower prices.

On this week’s podcast episode, I sit down with Ritesh Patel, the CEO and founder of Ticket Fairy, a next-generation ticketing platform helping promoters market and manage events.

What makes Ticket Fairy unique is its built-in word-of-mouth referral system, where fans can earn rebates—or even free tickets—by getting friends to buy.

StubHub had a disappointing stock-market debut: The company, which operates the leading secondary-ticketing marketplace for live events, saw its shares close 6.4% below the IPO price Wednesday.

Shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 17 under the ticker symbol “STUB” just past noon ET. The stock’s IPO price was $23.50/share. It climbed as high as $27.89/share (+19%) in early trading but slumped to close at $22.00/share at the end of the regular session, giving it a market capitalization of roughly $7.55 billion.

Seth Shomes’ Day After Day Productions announced the promotion of the company’s Director of Touring Jordan Dempsey to the role of Head of Touring.

In his new post, Dempsey will take on oversight of Day After Day’s booking department, including its eight agents and two coordinators.

A New Hampshire native and a graduate of the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin, Dempsey began his career in the mailroom at CAA in 2016 but joined Day After Day in 2022. He was minted as an agent in 2023 and named Director of Touring in February 2024.

DEAG has acquired a majority stake in Rockharz Festival in Ballenstedt, Germany, through its wholly owned subsidiary DEAG Festivals.

The rock and metal festival attracts more than 25,000 visitors each year, and is organised by Veruga.

We speak with festival co-founders Stephan Agbogbe and George McGirr to learn about why a rave held in a garden centre can act as a vital community hub.

Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G and Anyma are slated to headline Coachella 2026, taking place on April 10-12 and April 17-19 in Indio, CA.

All of the headliners have graced the Coachella stage in the past. Carpenter performed at last year’s festival, while Karol G brought out Becky G and J Balvin during her 2022 appearance and Bieber popped up as a guest at four separate Coachellas.

Bad Bunny is giving fans one more shot to catch his “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico.

On Monday morning, the Grammy-winning superstar announced an extra date of his concert run happening Sept. 20. For those who are unable to catch a last-minute flight, Amazon Music will be hosting an exclusive livestream of the special performance starting at 8:30 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in for free on the Amazon Music app, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch (@AmazonMusic), and available to all Amazon customers on Prime Video.

Step behind the velvet rope of the ticket resale world and you find more than entrepreneurial hustle—we uncovered a high-tech ecosystem built to outmaneuver both industry regulations and superfans. The new face of ticket flipping is no back-alley wheeling dealer, but a slick, data-driven operator with Discord (or Slack) on one screen and automation software snapping up tickets to the hottest concerts, live events, and sports on the other.

Ticket reseller StubHub, which delayed its U.S. listing in April amid market volatility, has drawn over 20 times as many orders for its planned initial public offering as there are available shares, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. The outsized demand for the IPO, which is set to price shares on Tuesday, reflects pent-up investor appetite for tech-heavy consumer platforms.

A voluntary ticket levy is being introduced in Germany as part of a new, solidarity-based industry initiative to support the country's live music ecosystem. Inspired by existing schemes in the UK and France, the Live Music Fund Germany was officially confirmed by the German Federal Foundation for Live Culture today (19 September) at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, and will come into effect on 1 January 2026. More than 30 prominent founding partners, including clubs, festivals, promoters, ticket companies and major venues, have committed to the fund

Universal Attractions Agency (UAA) has announced the promotion of veteran agent Ricky Regalado as Co-Head of the agency’s Casinos, Fairs & Festivals Division.

In his new role, Regalado will join the division’s current co-head, Joe Brandes, in overseeing operations amid a period of growth following recent signings, including Chippendales, GenX – The Comedy Takeover Tour, Deal or No Deal Live!, and The Brotherly Love Podcast.

Puerto Rico’s economy is getting a bump from Bad Bunny.

The award-winning Puerto Rican rapper’s three-month, 30-show concert series in San Juan is spurring a fan-fueled surge in the island’s economy at a time of year when tourism is usually slow.

During the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June through November, tourism usually drops by 25 percent to 45 percent, and lodging prices fall by as much as 50 percent, according to the tourism agency Discover Puerto Rico. Tourism accounts for about 7 percent of Puerto Rico’s $114 billion economy.

Bad Bunny’s residency, which ends Sept. 14, is expected to draw an estimated 600,000 attendees and to have a direct economic impact of $250 million, according to Moody’s Analytics. It estimated that total spending, which includes purchases not directly related to shows, will top out at $400 million.

StubHub had a disappointing stock-market debut: The company, which operates the leading secondary-ticketing marketplace for live events, saw its shares close 6.4% below the IPO price Wednesday.

Shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 17 under the ticker symbol “STUB” just past noon ET. The stock’s IPO price was $23.50/share. It climbed as high as $27.89/share (+19%) in early trading but slumped to close at $22.00/share at the end of the regular session, giving it a market capitalization of roughly $7.55 billion.

Multiple international markets are moving towards following the UK's lead and introducing voluntary ticket levies to support grassroots live music, IQ understands. BRIT Award-nominated singer Olivia Dean's 2026 Australian tour, which goes on general sale tomorrow, includes a A$1.10 per ticket contribution to the Australian Music Venue Foundation (AMVF), which launched in March, while discussions are believed to be advancing in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada. Elsewhere, in France, a statutory 3.5% levy on concert ticket sales is already in place and goes into a central fund

All Things Go 2025 will be livestreamed exclusively on Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Twitch from September 26-28.
Amazon Music has announced it will exclusively livestream the DC-area edition of the 11th annual All Things Go Festival, bringing the celebrated independent music festival to audiences worldwide for the first time. Taking place September 26-28 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, the festival features a lineup including Noah Kahan, Doechii, Lucy Dacus, Clairo, Kesha, The Marias, and more.

Bad Bunny has one last surprise for his long-running residency in Puerto Rico.

The pop superstar has added a date to the “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, set for Saturday, September 20th. What’s more, fans around the world will be able to experience “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí: Una Más” thanks to an Amazon Music livestream starting at 8:30 p.m. ET. The show can be enjoyed for free on the Amazon Music app, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch (@AmazonMusic), and on Prime Video for Amazon Prime members. Watch a trailer for the event below.

Roskilde Festival is flipping the script with a new concert series, Headline Flip, that will see established acts open for emerging talent. Well-known artists – kept anonymous until showtime – will support rising talent as the headline act, in an ongoing bid from the Danish institution to spotlight the next generation of musicians. The first iteration is set for 15 November at Copenhagen's Vega (cap. 500), with emerging Danish stars Augusta Schackinger and Carlina de Place set to headline. Tickets begin at 200 kr (£23/€27/$32). "It’s ingrained in our DNA to spotlight new voices" Headline Flip is the latest

Radiohead have condemned ticket resale sites and “exploitative” touts who use them after more than 1,000 potentially fraudulent tickets for the band’s upcoming tour were advertised online before they had even gone on sale.

The rock quintet implemented strict measures designed to limit touts’ ability to buy up tickets for shows in London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid and Bologna, announced to the delight of fans earlier this month.

But despite the band’s warnings that fans who buy from resale sites could be refused entry, the industry leader, Viagogo, and its smaller rival, Ticombo, appear to be planning to profit from the event. Sellers on Ticombo, the only one of the sites to have listed tickets for sale already, may have broken consumer law, according to one expert.

The development will add to pressure on the UK government to make good on its pledge to crack down on touting.

Punchup Live, a digital platform that connects entertainers and performers with their fans, has agreed a partnership with live performance and hospitality venue chain, City Winery.

The collaboration will bring Punchup’s technology and community-driven platform to City Winery’s comedy programme. Over 200 comedians perform across City Winery’s venues annually, including household names like Kevin Hart, Michael Che and Nick Kroll.

Punchup Live will be supporting City Winery’s comedy programming at all New York City locations, including Pier 57, Hudson Valley and Rockefeller Center.

Tour News: Jon Pardi, Lauren Daigle, Caylee Hammack, The Kentucky Gentlemen, Braden Hull