#191

Issue #191 | February 20, 2024

Lots of ticketing news this week with new regulations, broken regulations, fire VIP perks, and of course, Taylor Swift. 

Credit: The Rakyat PostSeatGeek is in the hot seat with NYSeatGeek is facing a class action lawsuit in New York over failing to follow the state’s law requiring all-in ticket pricing. The suit currently has three ticket buyers as plaintiffs, but they are seeking class action status. The suit claims that ticket buyers are "initially quoted one price, only to later be shown the true total ticket, which includes an additional 'fees'.”  

Singapore Swift exclusivityThe Singaporean government has reportedly paid Taylor Swift $2 - $3 million per show for the exclusive right to host “The Eras Tour'' in Southeast Asia. Swift has six sold-out shows March 2 - 9 at Singapore's National Stadium. The news came from Thailand Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, who noted that Singapore was “astute” and that if he had known about the option, he would have paid to bring her to Thailand. Swifties passing through Singapore’s Changi Airport on March 1 can participate in the fan event, beJEWELed, where they can interact with other fans, sing along to Swift songs, and get free friendship bracelets. 

Taylor ticket issues down underMeanwhile, in Australia, fans who purchased tickets to “The Eras Tour” in Melbourne and Sydney have had to deal with ticketing issues. Hackers gained access to some purchasers’ Ticketek accounts and sold their tickets on secondary platforms. Ticketek is aware of the unauthorized account access and working with original purchasers to get their tickets back to them.    

Spotify tries live discovery - againSpotify has partnered with Bandsintown to integrate Bandsintown concert listings directly into the music platform, giving artists the ability to reach more fans. If you feel like this concept isn't new, you’re right. Spotify has previously partnered with concert discovery platform Songkick and still has partnerships with Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, and AXS to list artists' shows.      

Another Aussie festival cancelation Australia’s Groovin the Moo music festival, scheduled to make six stops across the country in April, was canceled just two weeks after its lineup was announced due to low ticket sales. This is the latest festival to be impacted by Australia’s cost-of-living crisis, which seems to have hit the entertainment industry the hardest. “If people are struggling to pay rent and struggling to buy food, they’re not going to be spending hundreds of dollars on a ticket to a festival or a concert, unfortunately,” said Dr. Catherine Strong, a sociologist at RMIT University.   

Maryland takes on ticket reform Maryland lawmakers are taking another stab at ticketing reform with a revised bill. The new state bill will focus on three things: all-in pricing at every step of the transaction, banning speculative sales, and capping the secondary market. There is support from at least one venue, but others are critical of the bill’s resale restrictions.

New Live Music Business Intensive ProgramLive Nation and the Black Music Action Coalition have partnered to launch a music business intensive course and paid internship program for non-college-bound, aspiring music business professionals. The program includes an all-expenses paid, week-long course in LA followed by a four month paid internship position with Live Nation. Applications will open in March. Learn more about the program and apply here.  

Ticketing regulation goes into effect in EuropeOn February 17, EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) went into effect following a two-year lobbying effort by Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) on behalf of the live entertainment industry. With the new ruling, online marketplaces will be subject “to stricter due diligence and reporting requirements, improving transparency for buyers, and e-commerce tricks to encourage panic buying will be outlawed.” The full strategy can be seen here.

Live Nation and Music Forward Foundation scholarshipsApplications are now being accepted for the 2024 Live Nation and Music Forward Foundation scholarships. The duo will award five $10,000 scholarships to outstanding college juniors and seniors interested in the concert business. Applications must be submitted by March 31 and the recipients will be announced in June, with the scholarships awarded for the fall 2024 semester.  

Fyre House 🔥Billy McFarland’s latest Fyre Fest 2 proposition includes “scheduled, private use” of “Fyre House” a 6,000 square-foot ocean-front condo in Miami, for one month a year for five years, exclusive to Prometheus Pass holders. McFarland announced the perk via TikTok. The $1,022,057.06 Prometheus VIP Passes require approval to purchase and he has apparently received over 100 applications so far, however it is unclear how many have been actually purchased.  

 Sixthman has several open roles, including Sr Marketing & Communications Specialist, Sr Deputy Production Specialist, and Events Management Specialist.  NVE Experience Agency is hiring a Group Account Director - B2B in New York, NY. Salary: $160,000 - $190,000.  AXS is looking for a Director, Account Management (Theaters and Residencies) in Los Angeles, CA. Salary: $103,577 - $125,000.

Which is harder to produce?

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements

• Mavis Staples is throwing a party for her 85th birthday and has invited Chris Stapleton, Jeff Tweedy, and Michael McDonald to join her All-Star Birthday Concert on April 18 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, CA. 

• Ye + Ty Dolla Sign will perform as ¥$ during a special Thursday night set at Rolling Loud California on March 14. All 3-day pass holders will be able to attend at no charge, single-day pass holders will be given the ability to upgrade their tickets to include the bonus performance. 

• Pearl Jam announced the “Dark Matter World Tour”, a 35-stop tour in support of their latest album, dropping on April 20. The tour will start at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC and is currently scheduled to end November 21 at Giants Stadium in Sydney, AUS. 

• Neil Young & Crazy Horse are going out on their first tour together in 10 years. The “Love Earth Tour” kicks off April 24 in San Diego, CA and wraps in Chicago on May 23. 

• Let's Go! Music Fest returns to Annapolis, MD May 31 - June 2 with Bush, Daughtry, Our Taking Back Sunday, and Dashboard Confessional.

• Lil Wayne, Nas, and Jill Scott will join The Roots at Roots Picnic at The Mann Center in Philadelphia, PA, June 1 - 2.

• Vampire Weekend announced a 39-city tour including some unique Saturday night-Sunday morning shows at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA, KettleHouse Amphitheater in Bonner, MT and Madison Square Garden in NYC. The tour kicks off June 6 in Houston, TX.  

• Jennifer Lopez is going back on tour with her “This is Me…Now” tour, her first since 2019. The tour will start June 26 in Orlando, FL and end August 31 in Houston, TX, making stops at 30 cities along the way.

• The String Cheese Incident will play each day of the inaugural Locomotion Festival, August 2 - 4 at Roaring Camp Railway Park in Santa Cruz, CA. Brokedown in Bakersfield, Midnight North, and Hot Buttered Rum also top the lineup. 

• The inaugural Fool in Love festival will be headlined by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, August 31 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA.   

Cancellations

• Matisyahu shows in Tucson, AZ and Santa Fe, NM were canceled due to heightened security concerns leading many staffers to call out of work at both unrelated venues. Matisyahu responded. 

• Drake canceled his April 15 and 16 shows at Ball Arena in Denver, CO for a third time. The shows were originally scheduled for September 2023, postponed to January 2024, and later to April.  

• He also canceled his April 8 Memphis show at FedExForum, a show originally scheduled for March 5 and subsequently postponed. No news yet from Drake's camp on the string of cancellations. 

• Bassnectar’s shows scheduled for April 25 and 26 in Las Vegas were canceled reportedly for “health issues,” though alleged low ticket sales may have been the cause.

 Does the future of live still count as live? 

 Formula 1 and the music industry’s growing, mutually beneficial relationship. Electric blue waves were visible in San Diego last week.  In honor of President’s Day, nine secrets of Mount Rushmore.  50 years later, Paul McCartney is reunited with his stolen guitar.

Questions or comments?

Like BOH? Share it with friends!