#180

BACK OF HOUSE GIFT GUIDE 🎁

Issue #180 | November 28, 2023Hopefully this week’s BOH finds its way to you amidst the inundation of holiday shopping emails likely taking up space in your inbox because it’s the only one you need. Not only do we have updates from the past week, but we also have some of our favorite gifts for Event Professionals in our 2023 Back of House Gift Guide. Check it out and let us know your favorites (or what we missed).

Credit: CreamfieldsLive Nation gets subpoenaed by US SenateThe US Senate has issued a subpoena to Live Nation and Ticketmaster, requesting “documents essential to understand its business practices.” According to Senator Richard Blumenthal, LN has “egregiously stonewalled my Subcommittee’s inquiry into its abusive consumer practices — making the subpoena necessary.” However, in a statement from Live Nation, the company asserts that it has been complying with the investigation, providing “nearly 10,000 pages of documents.” However, it has admittedly withheld third-party confidential information due to the Subcommittee’s failure to provide confidentiality protections. 

Lyte enters the primary marketAfter a decade of focusing on the resale market, Lyte has entered the primary ticketing market, creating a full end-to-end ticketing platform. This should come as no surprise following Lyte’s acquisition of Festicket and Event Genius last year. The new platform boasts SmartPricing, SmartFulfillment, and Subscribe and Request in addition to the Returnable Ticket feature that put Lyte on the map.

India festival stampedeA stampede at a music festival in southern India killed 4 and injured 60 more. When rain interrupted the festival at Cochin University of Science and Technology in Kerala state, guests raced for shelter, leading to the stampede.  

Eventbrite red flag 🚩Has Eventbrite gone too far? In a recent email to Eventbrite users, the ticketing company took direct aim at its competitor, See Tickets, calling out “red flags raised by” former-See Tickets, now-Eventbrite customers, including their September data breach and potential sale by Vivendi.   

Sober venue optionsIt’s no longer just Sober October and Dry January. More and more venues are offering increased and elevated options for guests who want to drink, but remain sober while in attendance. Multiple NFL stadiums have added sober sections to their venues and many venues and festivals are increasing their non-alcoholic beverage options. Organizations such as 1 Million Strong, Stand Together, Backline and MusiCares have helped normalize the conversation around substance abuse and recovery. 

Travis Scott takes matters into his own handsA fan rushed the stage during Travis Scott’s Austin, TX concert last week and Scott decided to handle the matter himself. It’s unclear how the fan bypassed security to get onto the stage mid-song, but after jumping around a bit, Travis Scott grabbed him by the collar and continued to sing and jump with the fan. Security eventually showed up on stage to assist, but Scott waved them away.

BMI sold to New Mountain CapitalNew Mountain Capital has led a shareholder group in purchasing a majority stake in BMI. As part of the acquisition, New Mountain announced that BMI’s current shareholders will allocate $100 million of the sale’s proceeds to songwriters and publishers affiliates “in recognition of [their] creativity.” And, the payout will be “based on performance levels over a set period of time.” 

UBS Arena's sustainability initiativeOak View Group has added Belmont Park, NY’s UBS Arena to its list of sustainability-focused arenas. The 2-year-old arena, home to the NY Islanders, announced their “Sustainable Brilliance & Community Resilience” platform, focused on sustainable operations and community enrichment. While they need more time to officially achieve TRUE zero waste certification, they are well on their way. The arena has been operating at zero-waste for the past year and achieved carbon neutrality for operations in fall 2022. 

New venues“Rock Station”, an 1,100-capacity venue in Lisbon, is set to open on December 8. The venue will primarily host rock shows with Portuguese singer and songwriter José Cid performing on opening night.AEG has presented plans for an 8,500-capacity “Carlton Arena” in Edinburgh Park, Scotland. If approved, the venue is slated to break ground in 2025 with the first shows occurring in 2027. 

Creamfields goes REALLY bigThe UK festival Creamfields has announced plans to build the largest indoor festival superstructure in the world. The stage, called “APEX”, will be open Friday - Sunday of the festival with an extended 4 AM closing time and will have a capacity of 30,000. Creamfields will take place August 22 - 25 in Daresbury, Cheshire.

  Go West Creative is hiring a hybrid Producer in Nashville, TN.  Stern Grove Festival Association is looking for a hybrid Director of Strategic Partnerships in San Francisco, CA. Salary $100,000. Brand New: A Collective is hiring a hybrid Director of Experiential in NY or LA to be responsible for the leadership, supervision and coordination of all aspects of event productions from concept to execution. Salary $100,000 - 130,000.

Holiday shopping?

Last Week's Results:

63% of BOH ate pie for Thanksgiving dessert. Not surprised!

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements

  • Lainey Wilson, Hardy and Jason Aldean will headline Tortuga Music Festival, April 5 - 7, in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

  • The Rolling Stones keep rolling. Following their first new album in 18 years, the band is hitting the road on a 15-date North American tour, which includes a stop at New Orleans Jazz Fest, starting in April. 

  • Primavera Sound Festival announced Lana Del Rey, SZA, and Pulp as headliners for the Barcelona, Spain festival taking place May 29 - June 2nd.

  • Montréal’s OSHEAGA festival announced that Noah Kahan, and SZA will join previously announced Green Day on August 2 - 4 at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

  • Superbloom Festival returns to Munich’s Olympic Park on September 7 - 8 with Sam Smith, The Chainsmokers, and Louis Tomlinson.

  • NOFX announces the final shows ever, after 40 years. The band added 15 additional dates to their “40 Years, 40 Cities, 40 Songs Per Day Tour”, including a run of 3 shows in their hometown of Los Angeles, CA in October. 

2023 BOH GIFT GUIDE

If you’ve still got some shopping ahead of you after Black-Friday-Cyber-Monday (is there really a difference anymore?), we’ve got you covered with a few of our favorite gifts for your favorite Event Pro, including yourself 😉 

Gifts for Event Pros at Home

Hedley & Bennett Apron: To cook like the pros (or at least look like one).

Vinglace wine chiller: To keep the bubbly cold.

The Obstacle is the Way (book): To prepare for the upcoming season. 

Gifts for Event Pros on the Road

Oxford Pennant Flag: To add some inspiration to the on-site office space.

Airplane Footrest: To rest tired legs in flight.

AirFly Pro Bluetooth Transmitter: To watch the seat-back screen from your own bluetooth headphones.

 

And some extras to fill up the stockings (gear bag)

 

TikTok releases its 2023 Music Impact Report.  Daryl Hall sues John Oates over his plan to sell off his share of their joint venture.  400,000 more tickets for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics go on sale Thursday, November 30. 

 13 Tips to manage your mental health over the holiday season. Is noise canceling bad for your ears?

Questions or comments?

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