#161

Summer's Live

Today's read ... 6 

minutes

The secondary market is in the spotlight again this week, with NITO revealing the results of its reseller study and Viagogo receiving fines for unauthorized reselling. Plus, more ticket troubles for Swifties, this time in France. And a friendly reminder to stay cool, hydrate, and take some time for yourself (even if it’s just a few minutes to recharge.)

Photo by Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty ImagesNITO reseller studyNational Independent Talent Organization (NITO) did an analysis of tickets sold and resold at 65 shows at NITO venues and found that ticket resellers averaged more than $40,000 profit per show. On average, buyers on the secondary market were charged 203% of face value. In multiple cases, tickets were sold above face value for shows that weren’t sold out due to resellers using SEO to confuse customers and get higher placements on search engines than the primary outlets.  

London is boomingLondon had a great week last week. The city hosted 1 million fans at shows, generating approximately £320 million ($419 million) in ticket sales. Included in this tally are the two record-setting The Weeknd shows at London Stadium with over 80,000 at each. Blur, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard also drew more than 80,000 at Wembley Stadium. 

Probléme de billet Taylor SwiftAfter a [mostly] successful pre-sale in the UK, tickets for Taylor Swift’s shows in Paris and Lyon, France were abruptly paused last Tuesday, with Ticketmaster France saying that the on sale date and time will be rescheduled. They shared, “This morning’s sale was disrupted by an issue with a third-party provider and they are working to resolve this matter as soon as possible. As soon as we saw fans experiencing issues, queues were paused.” The issue was apparently from a bug on TM's site that would not allow fans to log in. There were over 700,000 fans in the queue.  

Latest LN acquisitionsLive Nation is buying [again]. This time, they are expanding both north and south of the US border, acquiring a majority stake in Páramo Presenta, a leading concert promoter in Columbia and in Canada, they added The Opera House, a historic venue in Toronto, and The KEE to Bala in Bala, ON to their venue portfolio. The Páramo Presenta acquisition further emphasizes LN’s quest to dominate the Latin American music space.

#cancel_travis_showsTravis Scott is scheduled to launch his newest album Utopia with a performance at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt on July 28, but local Afrocentrism critics are campaigning to cancel it. There is no apparent connection between Scott and Afrocentrism and despite the trending hashtag, #cancel_travis_show, tickets are sold out.

Summer's Live [Nation]Live Nation is bringing back its Summer’s Live promotion starting tomorrow, July 19: offering 4 tickets for $80 all-in to over 2,500 concerts. There are active pre-sales for Rakuten Members and Allegiant Allways Rewards Members. This is an even better deal than their Concert Week promotion in May, with $25 all-in tickets for over 3,800 shows. Summer’s Live ends August 1.

Viagogo no noTicketing reseller Viagogo has been issued €400,000 ($449,580) in fines from the Paris Court of Justice due to the unauthorized sale of tickets for the Rugby World Cup France, taking place between September 8 - October 28 this year. Rugby World Cup 2023 has the sole ticket sale responsibility for the event. The total fine includes €300,000 for “damages for infringement of France 2023’s operating monopoly and damage to its image”, €100,000 as a penalty for “each day in delaying to stop offering tickets on the platform,” and they were assessed an additional €75,000 to cover legal costs.

Jason Aldean suffers heat stroke on stageJason Aldean left the stage after appearing to struggle to sing during his Hartford, CT concert on Saturday night, abruptly ending the show. He later posted a video apologizing and telling fans that he suffered "a combination of dehydration and heat exhaustion.” The venue has promised that the show will be rescheduled and asked ticket-holders to monitor social media for updates. 

New OVG Vienna venueOak View Group has won a bid to lead the construction and operation of a new venue planned for the area of Neu Marx in Vienna, Austria. OVG wants the 20,000-cap arena to be the “best in continental Europe” and will work with architects Kronaus/Mitterer/Gallister to build it. The anticipated cost of the project is €384 million ($429 million) and is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2029.

Taking timeFestival season is in full-swing and while the thought of taking weeks (or days, or maybe even hours) off may seem impossible, this is your reminder that taking time off to relax, take care of yourself (ahem, Jason Aldean), and recharge is important to prevent burnout and improve productivity. Our friends at INTIX plead, “Don’t wait one minute longer than necessary to go on a holiday and detach.”  

 AEG Presents is looking for a Vice President, Human Resources to work out of their Los Angeles, CA office. Salary range $159,289 - $251,132.    Live Nation is looking for a Merchandise Manager and Staffing Manager on a part-time basis for its destination festivals in Mexico, between August 2023 and May 2024.    Merlin Entertainments is hiring a General Manager for LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Philadelphia, PA. Compensation starts at $100,000.

Are you planning any downtime this summer?

Last Week's Results:

26% of BOH readers are on Threads.

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements

  • After an initial speculation, Madonna has officially postponed all 41 dates of the North American leg of her tour. Dates in Europe are still on and are scheduled to begin in October. 

  • The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ms. Lauryn Hill will headline the Global Citizen Festival in New York City’s Central Park on September 23. 

  • Judas Priest will officially replace Ozzy Osbourne at Power Trip Festival, October 6 - 8 in Indio, CA. 

  • Porno For Pyros have announced their first tour in 25 years, “Horns, Thorns En Halos”. The first stop is October 8 at Hard Rock Live Sacramento in Wheatland, CA.

  • California’s Desert Daze Festival announced they are taking a year off in 2023, despite already having tickets on sale, and instead will return October 10 - 13, 2024. 

  • ATLive announced headliners Grupo Firme and George Strait for the two-day festival, October 20 - 21 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

  • ONE Musicfest has announced Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Megan Thee Stallion, and Brent Faiyaz as headliners for the October 28 - 29 festival at Atlanta, GA’s Piedmont Park. 

  • Bring Me The Horizon have announced their own festival, NEX_FEST with BABYMETAL and YUNGBLUD on November 3 in Tokyo, Japan. 

  • LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells along with Sixthman have announced Afrocruise, featuring Adekunle Gold, Ayra Starr, Black Sherif, and The Compozers, March 29 - April 1, 2024 on the Norwegian Pearl. 

 

Check out Tour Manager Info, an online educational resource for aspiring and established touring professionals.

 

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