#154

Unforeseen Circumstances đź‘€

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We hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend - either working or playing - and took some time to remember and honor the fallen US soldiers who fought for our freedom. 

Last week we saw successes from the heavy hitters in the industry, but this week we’ve got a slew of cancellations, including several abrupt, last-minute ones that may paint a not-so-rosy picture for the rest of the live industry. From medical crises to our favorite - “unforeseen circumstances” - and everything in between. The early festival and touring season is off to a bumpy start.

Credit: GETTY IMAGESRainbow Kitten Surprise’s SurpriseFolk-Rock Band Rainbow Kitten Surprise abruptly canceled all upcoming shows due to one of the bandmates having a “medical crisis.” This surprise announcement left many venues and festivals stunned - several finding out through the band’s social media post - and scrambling to fill the suddenly-empty slots. Griz “volunteered” to help Bonnaroo with their vacancy in reply to their Instagram post on Tuesday, and just a few days later, they were added to the lineup. This is the second year in a row RKS canceled their sold-out Boise show.  

SeatGeek settles pandemic-related lawsuit

SeatGeek finally settled a nationwide class action lawsuit alleging that it did not provide customers with full cash refunds for events canceled due to the pandemic, per its Buyer Guarantee. The settlement “only applies in cases where the purchaser received a credit from SeatGeek without choosing this option, where they paid SeatGeek for the purchase, the purchase did not occur after creating a SeatGeek account, they have not already received a refund, and they did not use the credit offered.” Class action members can receive a refund equal to the transaction total. Claims must be filed by August 14th.

 

Snapchat users can purchase band merch in-appSnapchat has partnered with UMG’s Republic Records to introduce an in-app feature, “Band Tees,” a Bitmoji-centered digital merch collection featuring avatar apparel from The Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, and others, allowing users to purchase within the app. The collaboration aims to offer a seamless shopping experience for music fans and provide artists signed to Republic Records with additional revenue opportunities. By integrating e-commerce functionalities, Snapchat is diversifying its revenue streams and positioning itself as a platform for social commerce.

New CMA Fest Documentary 

A CMA Fest documentary, “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair,” is coming to Hulu on July 5th. The film tells the story of the world’s largest and longest-running Country Music festival and how it grew from 5,000 at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium in 1972 to 80,000 fans over a four-day festival in downtown Nashville.

 

Cali Bill to prevent exclusive ticketing contracts moves ahead

A California bill prohibiting exclusivity between primary ticket sellers and venues is headed to the Senate floor for voting. The bill, proposed by US Senator Scott Wilk, is based on a similar proposal moving through the NY legislature and a deal that Ticketmaster Ireland has with the Irish Government.

 

CO’s 1stBank Center closingBroomfield, Colorado’s 1stBank Center, is slated to shut its doors for good on November 30. The 6,500 cap venue was built in 2006 for $45 million and financed using $59.8 million in taxpayer bonds but has never broken even, running between $250,000 and $1 million in debt every year for the past five years. In order to keep it open, it needs a new roof, a new HVAC system, and $5-6 million in repairs.

Taylor's ticket troubles continueTicket troubles continue on the secondary market for Taylor Swift fans still trying to get tickets. StubHub says they are seeing a lot of tickets being inadvertently canceled by sellers who didn’t properly complete the transfer process, leaving purchasers without the tickets they paid for. Part of this could be due to the high number of individuals selling on the platform vs ticket brokers, up 50% from typical sales. One dad in MA shelled out $21,000 for last-minute tickets after finding out that he didn’t get the tickets he bought on StubHub in November for $1,800, just days before the show.

Amazon Music to livestream Primavera SoundAmazon Music will livestream Barcelona’s Primavera Sound June 1 -3. The live stream is sponsored by Google Pixel and will be available for free on Prime Video and Amazon Music Channels on Twitch starting at 1:30 p.m. EST each day. There will be multiple channels for viewers, showing live performances as well as exclusive content, including interviews and behind-the-scenes access.

UK Festival raises money for homelessDHP Family’s charity festival, Beat the Streets, raised £89,500 ($111,128) for Framework to support its work helping the homeless population in Nottingham, UK. “Framework will put the funds from this year’s festival towards creating eight self-contained flats for entrenched rough sleepers who have been on the streets for over 20 years.” Since its inception, Beat the Streets has raised over £400,000 ($496,688) for Framework and has directly helped more than 300 individuals.

Is Power Trip too expensive?The April announcement of Goldenvoice’s Power Trip reverberated throughout the festival scene. The lineup was stacked, and metal fans were ecstatic. But could lightning strike twice and could the festival powerhouse produce another Desert Trip? Initially, it appeared that way, but sales are soft and some believe it’s due to the high prices. “ In recent weeks, it appeared the premium seating in front of the stage and in the grandstands at $799 to $3,899 was selling, but more seats were recently added. GA passes are also still available at $599.”

 

 Sofar Sounds is hiring a remote Curator Engagement Manager to support and grow their global network of local event organizers.    Superfly is looking for a mid-senior Graphic Designer in NYC (2 days in office/3 WFH), to support Superfly and its clients.  SXSW is hiring Music Fest Advancement Interns who want to learn about day-to-day operations, artist advancement, and data entry from July - December in Austin, TX. This position will provide hands-on experience in producing a large-scale music festival.

Have you worked on a festival that was canceled less than a month out?

Last Week's Results:

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Headliners, Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements

  • Diddy has backed out of his scheduled June 4th performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia due to “unforeseen circumstances” and has been replaced by Usher. 

  • Hive Festival in Salt Lake City, originally scheduled for June 9 - 10, featuring Post Malone and Kid Cudi, was canceled last week, and all posts have been removed from their social media accounts.

  • Power Our Planet: Live in Paris, a free, ticketed event by Global Citizen at the Champ de Mars in Paris, FR on June 22, will include performances by Lenny Kravitz, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Jon Batiste, with special guests Ben Harper, FINNEAS, and Mosimann. 

  • Demi Lovato and Ludacris to headline Philadelphia’s Wawa Welcome America concert on July 4th. The event has also added a 2-day Hispanic Fiesta at Penn’s Landing on June 24 - 25 to the festivities, featuring Manny Manuel and Jose Alberto.

  • Head in the Clouds Los Angeles Music & Arts Festival announced headlining sets by DPR Live, DPR Ian, Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, and special guest ZEDD at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, August 5 - 6.

  • Celene Dion has canceled her “Courage World Tour” following her diagnosis of “stiff person syndrome.” She initially postponed some of her shows in December and now has officially canceled the remainder of the tour, scheduled to make stops throughout Europe in August and October and again in March and April of 2024.

  • Jack Johnson, Doobie Brothers & Brad Paisley will headline BeachLife Ranch September 22 – 24 on the waterfront in Redondo Beach, CA.

  • EDC Las Vegas will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on May 17 - 19, 2024. Future Owl tickets went on sale last week, but a lineup has yet to be announced.

About last weekend...

Boston Calling (Boston, MA)

BottleRock (Napa Valley, CA)

Adjacent Festival (Atlantic City, NJ)

  • Randy Ballinger, a local firefighter, who fell 25’ while fighting a fire in February, performed with his band, Jersey Calling.

In Between Days Festival (Newcastle, UK)

  • The festival was canceled on Tuesday, May 22, just 4 days before its scheduled May 26th start. Organizers released a statement saying in part, “We gave it our best shot…Ticket-holders will receive an automatic refund.” The statement and the festival website appear to have been removed. 

Credit: @bostoncalling

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