#147

Stick it, Live Nation

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Heading to the Polo Grounds for the unofficial kick-off to Festival Season? If not, YouTube’s got you covered with live streams, artist access, and exclusive merch. Swifties, Bad Bunny, and Billy McFarland all make another appearance this week and are quickly racking up the tallies for most BOH issue mentions in 2023.

Credit: Christopher Polk/GI for CoachellaBluesfest: “Stick it, Live Nation”Peter Noble, founder of Australia’s Bluesfest, went on a rant against “the big multinational corporations which are gobbling up smaller local operators” - including Live Nation, whom he told to “Stick it” - when discussing a dip in Bluesfest’s attendance this year. He proudly owns the fest himself, and despite offers to sell, he vehemently believes in keeping it in the family. He went on to say, “If we’re not careful, we become like the corner store and Wallmarts takes over. Well, that’s what I view these companies as – major corporate businesses.” 

YouTube Eases Coachella FOMO

Won’t be in Indio this weekend (or next) and worried about FOMO? YouTube has you covered with an expanded Coachella partnership, including live feeds from all 6 of the festival’s stages during both weekends for the first time ever. Coverage starts at 4 PM ET/7 PM PT on Friday. Fans attending #couchella can attend pre-parties, interact with artists with YouTube Shorts, help build setlists, and even shop for exclusive merch right from The Coachella YouTube channel.

 

TM Mexico Makes Good on Bad Bunny 

Ticketmaster Mexico avoided paying fines of up to 10% of the company’s 2021 earnings by refunding 2,155 fans who bought tickets to Bad Bunny’s December concert in Mexico City, but were denied entry. In addition to the full refund, fans were paid an additional 20% on top of the ticket price, for a total of nearly 18.2 Million Pesos ($990,000)—a hefty sum, but certainly less than the fines it could have incurred.

Lewis Capaldi on 🔥Singer-songer Lewis Capaldi’s career is on fire. His Netflix documentary, Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now, dropped last Wednesday, and the Jonas Brothers proclaimed they were his biggest fans when they joined him on stage during his Radio City show on Thursday. But he doesn’t know how much longer his career will go on. Last September, he announced his Tourette’s Syndrome diagnosis, reporting that he only experiences tics while making music. He says, “Right now, the trade-off is worth it, but if it gets to a point where I’m doing irreparable damage to myself, I’ll quit.”

Next Swifty SoapboxSwifties are back on their soapboxes, complaining about the quality of the t-shirts they spent hours waiting in line (and $$$) to buy. Specifically, they are saying, “After one wash, the print was horribly faded to the point Taylor’s face on the print was unrecognizable.” It’s gone so far that her online store now has a disclaimer at the top of the page and merch sellers are warning fans before they make a purchase. For those who have already purchased, followed care instructions to a T, and still see fading, Taylor’s camp is offering replacements. Just more proof that when Swifties speak up, things happen.

Masters of MerchSpeaking of event merchandise, The Masters has seemingly mastered it, generating about $70 million in sales each year. That means the 7-day event sells $10 million of event merchandise per day, $1 million per hour, $16,000 per minute, and $277 per second. How do they do it? Largely by limiting sales to in-person attendees only with limits on the number of some specific items (1 Masters Garden Gnome per person) and offering exclusive designs (including dated items) each year.

New Mini Global Climate Concert SeriesThe Recording Academy and United Nations have partnered to launch global initiatives to “harness the power of music to promote social justice around the world.” The first activation of the Right Here, Right Now Music initiative is the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series, kicking off April 13 at Boulder Theater in Colorado with Wesley Schultz, lead singer of The Lumineers. Proceeds from the shows will go to United Nations Human Rights climate justice iniatives and the soon-to-be-established The Right Here, Right Now MusiCares® Fund in support of music communities impacted by the climate crisis. Further events are planned for NY, LA, Nashville, London, Johannesburg, Bogotá, and Dubai.

It’s Finally Happening?Billy McFarland is back - and this time, he says that Fyre Fest is back too. In a tweet on Sunday, @pyrtbilly said, “Fyre Festival II is finally happening. Tell me why you should be invited.” No dates, locations, artists, or any other details have been revealed. But it didn't stop him last time…

Welcome to Miami, Kaseya!Less than 4 months after assuming a temporary name due to the dramatic crypto collapse, The Miami-Dade Arena - formerly FTX Arena - has a new permanent name: The Kaseya Center. Kaseya is a Miami-based global provider of IT management and security software. The 17-year deal will pay $117.37 million for Miami-Dade County over its lifetime and $2 million per year to the Miami Heat.

Rapino All-In on LN

Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation, bolstered his position in company stock by purchasing approximately $1 million worth of shares of Live Nation stock last week. The purchase “is intended to maintain his strong level of stock ownership in the company.” In total, he owns 5.2 million shares of Live Nation stock.

 Joy Theater New Orleans is hiring a Marketing Manager to work on show and venue marketing.  Beat Train Productions is looking for a DJ or DJ Apprentice in NYC, NY.

 Live Nation is hiring part-time VIP Hosts for its Concerts Division in Philadelphia, PA.

Going to Coachella?

Last Week's Results:

attended or worked at Desert Trip.

Credit: Adi Nayev for Insomniac EventsHeadliners, Lineups, and Festival Announcements 

  • Medium Rare is behind the first Kelce Jam, a NFL Draft Weekend festival hosted by Travis Kelce featuring Machine Gun Kelly, Loud Luxury and Rick Ross in Kansas City, KS on April 28.

  • EDC Las Vegas finally released the lineup for its 30th anniversary show May 19 - 21, with Kaskade, Tiesto, David Guetta, Marshmello, Zedd topping the bill. 

  • The 27th Annual Subaru Newport Jazz Beach Festival will be headlined by Kem and Boney James, June 2 - 4 in Newport Beach, CA

  • Hot 97 Summer Jam will return to NY after 20 years with a June 4 show at UBS Arena in Belmont Park featuring Cardi B, GloRilla, Ice Spice, and more.

  • Gov Ball dropped its Food Lineup including featured food partners (headliners?) Dunkin, Frites Artois, Häagen-Daz, and Everything Legendary along with Signature Beverages. Dietary restrictions? Their lineup can be filtered by vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free. June 9-11, NY, NY.

  • Mary J. Blige, Nas, and Chance the Rapper will headline the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa July 28 - 30 at Silverado Resort, Napa, CA.

  • Bentonville, AR’s FORMAT Festival will feature LCD Soundsystem, Alanis Morissette, and Leon Bridges, September 22 - 24.

  • Here’s “every 2023 music festival you need to attend this year” according to L’Officiel.

TODAY, April 11 @4 PM ET: Life’s Jam: How to Manage Credit and Debt (online)

April 18: Production 101 with Andres Lugo, Production Manager - Loud and Live. Part of the Beyond the Mainstage Series (online)

April 17 - 18: Relix Music Conference, Brooklyn Bowl, Nashville

 Trumpeter Charlie Bertini took on Apple Music in a trademark bid - and won.

 Twisted Sister is reuniting to perform their hit, “We’re Not Going To Take Iit” at 2024 political rallies.

 Rapper Jelly Roll is racking up the awards and getting to rap with some “big-time country guys.”

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