#190

Issue #190 | February 13, 2024

Medium Rare threw some parties, Usher skated around Allegiant Stadium, Taylor’s boyfriend won, and Temu may have used your credit card to buy their first big game commercials; Super Bowl 58 is in the books. But the jury's still out on the benefits to Las Vegas as a host city.  

Is it festival season yet?

Credit: CoachellaCTS delivers strong 2023 resultsCTS Eventim finished 2023 with double-digit growth in revenue, “significantly” exceeding its forecast. Consolidated revenue was up 22.5% to €2.4 billion ($2.575 million), with live entertainment as the leading driver (€1.7 billion, up 18.9% YOY). Ticketing revenue grew even more, 32.5% to €717 million. 

Day parking for everyoneCoachella back peddled on its controversial new parking rule. Last month the fest announced that vehicles were required to have a minimum of 4 passengers to access the day parking area. The requirement has been lifted, but they are still encouraging guests to carpool and those with 4+ in their vehicle will be entered to win VIP passes for life.  

Meanwhile, Stagecoach (Weekend 3) has been sold out since October, but there are still plenty of tickets for Weekends 1 and 2. 

Tomorrowland sells outSpeaking of sellouts, Tomorrowland sold out very quickly - twice. The Belgian citizen pre-sale allotment of 200,000 tickets was gone in just 27 minutes. Tickets were later available globally and those also sold out. 400,000 tickets have been sold across the two-weekend festival in Boom, Belgium.   

ShipRocked gets shipwreckedPassengers aboard the Carnival cruise ship hosting the ShipRocked music cruise got some extra time in Ocho Rios, Jamaica last week. Bad weather led their boat to slam against the pier and it collapsed. Passengers who had left the ship were stuck on the island in the rain for 12 hours while it was relocated to another dock. The weather and incident changed the itinerary, but no one was hurt.      

Disco Donnie rebrands at 30Disco Donnie Estopinal celebrates 30 Years in the industry by rebranding his EDM company Disco Donnie Presents to Disco Presents. “What we have built is bigger than just me now – it’s about The Disco Events team and the Disco fan community and it deserves a name that exemplifies that.” The team is also celebrating with their fans via the Dirty 30 Sweepstakes.   

Earth Aid Live 2025UMA Entertainment has announced a series of Earth Aid Live concerts coming to six countries in August 2025. The concerts will “strive to achieve a net carbon zero status” and the organization will have an Earth Aid Live climate fund that provides funding to sustainability projects. London, Los Angeles, and Rio de Janeiro are confirmed as hosts. 

In her Disney+ eraIn some non-NFL TSwift news (we’ll get to that later), Taylor found a long-term streaming home for her Eras Tour Concert Film when she sold it to Disney+ for $75 million. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) will hit the platform on March 15 and include 5 additional songs that weren’t included in either of the other two versions.  

US DOJ continues to probe Live NationThe United States Department of Justice has reportedly sent out new requests for information from Live Nation and Ticketmaster as part of its antitrust investigation. The DOJ intended to wrap up the investigation by the end of last year, but decided to continue it and now has raised concerns over cooperation between the two sides.

Music Sustainability SummitThe first-ever Music Sustainability Summit was held in LA last week to bring leaders from all areas of the music industry together to discuss the industry’s relationship with climate change and commit to making systematic changes. The event was put on by the Music Sustainability Alliance, “the hub for the industry to learn, innovate, and collaborate to advance climate action.” The event was very well attended, signaling that there is desire to work together across the industry to become more sustainable.

#PeopleNewsDanny Wimmer Presents Talent Services promoted Joe Moallempour to Senior National Casino Talent Buyer. 

Marc Ruxin was named Chief Strategy Officer of AXS. 

 BeachLife Festival is hiring a temporary, hybrid Group Salesperson in Redondo Beach, CA. On Location is looking for a Manager- Entertainment, Production & Hospitality in Los Angeles, CA. Salary $64,480 - $80,000.  AEG is hiring a General Manager for The Pinnacle, its new Nashville, TN venue.  BSE Global is looking for a Manager, Sports Ticket Operations at Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY. Salary $72,000 - $85,000.

In honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow, what's your chocolate preference?

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements

• Sweetwater 420 will feature Beck, Slightly Stoopid, Gov’t Mule, and Big Gigantic, April 21 - 22 at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, GA.

• Colorado’s inaugural Outside Festival, a “celebration of everything outdoors, featuring live music, adventure films, thought-provoking speakers, immersive experiences, the latest outdoor gear, and more," will feature Fleet Foxes, Thundercat, and Lettuce, June 1 - 2 at Civic Center Park in Denver. 

• Isle of Wight Festival announced Green Day, The Prodigy, and Pet Shop Boys, June 20 - 23 Seaclose Park in Newport on Isle of Wight, UK.

• FVDED in the Park is back after its 2023 cancellation with Swedish House Mafia, deadmau5, Kaskade, and Aluna, July 5 - 6 at Holland Park, BC. 

• Keith Urban, The Chainsmokers, The Black Keys, and Lauren Alaina will headline the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, July 6 - 7 at Grant Park in Chicago, IL. 

• Inkcarceration Festival will feature headlining performances from Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin and Godsmack, July 19 - 21 at Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio.

• Chris Lake b2b Cloonee, Excision, and Illenium top the Elements lineup, August 9 - 11 in Long Pond, PA.

• Telluride Jazz Festival will have Rejuvenation 50! Celebration of The Meters featuring Dumpstaphunk and special guests George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, and Cyril Neville, along with Christian McBride, and Angélique Kidjo on the main stage, August 9 - 11 in Telluride, CO.

Quick hits from Super Bowl 58

• It was a hell of a week in Sin City leading up to the big game. That was especially true for the Medium Rare team who produced 4 events Friday - Sunday.

• After releasing his new album on Friday, Usher danced - and skated - through the Apple Music Halftime show along with some special guests. He kept things rolling after the game with a post-game roller skating party and the addition of 10 more shows to his upcoming tour.

• Halftime shows weren’t always the spectacle they are now. Take a look at the wild history of the mid-game break.

• Will Beyoncé and Ye’s new releases overshadow the traditional halftime show halo?

• There are lots of best and worst rankings of the commercials out there. Do you agree with People, Rolling Stone, NPR, Fast Company, or is this the end of the big game commercial era?

• The Sphere became the largest grossing outdoor advertising vehicle.

• Major events bring major dollars into their host locations, and the Super Bowl is no exception - but did it help or hurt casinos and hotels in Las Vegas?

• Oh, and Taylor made it on time and the Kansas City Chiefs won.

 How the pandemic fueled Las Vegas’s Residency Era. Full list of the 2024 Pollstar Awards winners.

 Trends shaping the rise of freelancing in 2024.   There’s a secret book train under New York City.  Listen to indigenous languages on Google Earth.  Rise to the occasion with 11 ways to gain confidence.

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