Live Music Industry News

Legislation proposed in California that directly targets the Ticketmaster “monopoly” of live entertainment ticketing, passed its first hurdle by a unanimous vote this week. SB 829 cleared the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development committee by an 11-0 vote. It will now be considered by the California state senate’

Live Nation has launched a new travel and music experience company, Vibee, which it says will create “memorable and immersive multi-day trips for music lovers in desirable destinations by partnering with leading festivals, live events, and the world’s biggest artists.”

Initial events which will have experiential offerings include Lollapalooza, Hotel EDC and ACL Festival, which Vibee says will “amplify fan-to-artist connections through curated experiences.”

Ticketmaster is currently working with TikTok to beta test its new sticker feature. Partnering with Zebr, a select group of influencers were recruited to experiment with the new feature to promote Nessa Barrett’s upcoming tour, which would allow the creators to attach the sticker to their video. Viewers could then click the sticker for frictionless access to the Ticketmaster page, where they could then buy tickets for the tour. This is a much smoother process than the current method of following a link that can be found on the influencer’s main page, a multi-step process that risks losing potential consumers along the way. Further, many users are already posting viral content about tours — from clips of the actual show to outfit ideas and tips for concert-goers — the sticker simply closes the gap between being inspired by such videos and actually buying a ticket.

Americanafest has announced the first 50 acts slated to perform in showcases during the five-day event set for Sept. 19-23 in Nashville.

The festival and conference event will bring together more than 200 award-winning legends, trailblazing mainstays and buzzworthy new artists for its 23rd year. This year’s lineup includes Amythyst Kiah, The Band of Heathens, Chris Shiflett, Dan Tyminski Band, Dom Flemons, Parker Millsap, Mipso, The Panhandlers, SUSTO, Yasmin Williams and more.

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) -- Snapchat announced the launch of a new partnership with Live Nation to bring immersive augmented reality technology to Live Nation's portfolio of music festivals. According to Snapchat, the multi-year agreement will focus

LONDON (CelebrityAccess) -- Organizers announced that the International Festival Forum (IFF) will take place at a new location in 2023 as it returns for its ninth installment with an expanded slate of programming and with

Frank Ocean will not be performing his scheduled headlining slot at Coachella this Sunday, a rep for the singer confirms to Variety. A source close to the situation says his spot will be taken by Blink-182.

The statement reads: “Frank Ocean will not be performing at weekend 2 of Coachella. 

Paramore singer Hayley Williams joined the growing chorus of public critics of Ticketmaster, slamming the ticketing giant owned by promoter Live Nation Entertainment while onstage performing in Cardiff, Wales. Williams, whose group is set to return to North America for a sprawling tour with Bloc party, Foals, The Lind

More than 13,000, that's a baker's dozen thousand, Omega bread baskets and dolly equipment belonging to Bakers Basco were recovered from festivals and outdoor events during 2022, following the success of a targeted awareness campaign highlighting the environmental impact of misplaced bakery equipment often left behind at festivals and outdoor events. During the course of

Last week, I went to see one of my favorite artists, Theo Katzman, play the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Theo, who I recently featured on the New Music Business podcast, is a completely independent artist — no label; no manager. 

I wanted to avoid the exorbitant service fees tacked onto the tickets when purchasing online, so I showed up to the Wiltern’s box office the moment it opened on show day to snag (what I thought would be) a $30 “face value” ticket. However, when it came time to pay, the clerk told me that it would be $35. “There’s a $5 per ticket service fee added” she explained.  I asked her, “How can I avoid the service fee?” She replied: “You can’t.”

Coachella has reportedly been fined $117,000 (£94,000/€106,000) for breaking its curfew on all three days of weekend one. 

Festicket administrators have provided an update six months after the festival package company fell into trouble last year. 

SeatGeek’s long-anticipated flotation has moved a big step closer after confidential initial public offering (IPO) paperwork was filed with regulators in the United States.

TheTicketingBusiness.com understands that the documents were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month.

The development comes nearly a year after the ticketing marketplace scrapped a plan to go public via special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) RedBall Acquisition Corp, citing market volatility.

Concert ticket scams have soared by more than 500% over the last year, with those defrauded losing an average of £110, as criminals target fans of leading acts including Harry Styles and Lewis Capaldi.

The UK’s live music industry has bounced back after the pandemic, but gig-goers have been warned to be on their guard against ticket scams, particularly as the festival season prepares to kick off.

Mandolin, a live-stream concert platform that thrived after COVID-19 put a pause on in-person experiences, quietly closed its doors on Monday amid the resurgence of live touring and concerts. 

Romeo Entertainment Group (REG) has promoted Brian Crews to Sr. Talent Buyer as well as Michelle Romeo to Vice President of Organizational Development & Strategy, and added Scott Mason Thomas to succeed Romeo as Vice President of Sales.

The 9th edition of the International Festival Forum (IFF) will take place at a new campus location this year in a move that allows an expanded programme and increased delegate numbers. IFF, presented in association with TicketSwap, will take place in South London music venue Omeara from 26-28 September. The venue and surrounding spaces will

WASHINGTON, DC (CelebrityAccess) - All Things Go Music Festival, presented by I.M.P., has announced its women-led, 32-artist stacked lineup for this year's multi-day festival taking place Saturday and Sunday, September 30 and October 1, at

Now a mecca for music lovers, brands, and yes, influencers, Coachella has claimed its stake as one of the most influential events of the year. Artists are known, rather, expected, to bring their A-Game and often use their stage time to unveil new projects and collaborations. It’s very possible to spend all weekend gallivanting across the 250 acre Empire Polo Field and still not see everything there is to offer. Nonetheless, there were a few standout activations, artists, and activities that shined a bright light at Coachella Weekend One.

In a podcast, hockey-player brothers Dan and Chris Powers had praise for Ocean's attitude through weeks of skating and singing rehearsal — but not so much for how 100+ skaters were told the whole routine was off just hours before showtime

There are great music festivals, there are spectacular music festivals, and then there’s Coachella.

Each year, Coachella offers a completely unique festival experience, and 2023 was stacked to the brim with unmissable talent. With surprises (Blink-182), global icons (Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, Rosalía), indie favorites (boygenius, Gorillaz), and elusive rarities (Frank Ocean, Jai Paul), thousands packed into the California desert oasis for a weekend of incredible music.

AEG Europe has announced the appointment of Lynsey Wollaston as Vice President and General Manager for European Festivals. In her new role at AEG Europe, Lynsey brings over 16 years of commercial and operations experience to oversee the European Festival team's day-to-day operations and play a key role in developing and supporting the strategic vision

The climate campaigning organisation Music Declares Emergency has launched a new initiative, Fan Club for Climate, “a community of music-lovers who care about the planet.” The fan club is a weekly newsletter containing “inspiring messages from musicians” and tips on making climate-positive decisions, but it’s also a network-building exercise.

AEG Presents has been tackling ticket scalpers for an upcoming performance from DJ Skrillex, by reclaiming tickets and reselling them to fans through the Fair AXS ticketing platform. 

The platform is AEG’s own fan verification system and requires fans to register in advance for tickets in order to discourage scalpers.