Some of the continent's leading concert and festival promoters unite in the formation of an organisation that seeks to fight ticket-touting and establish ethical mechanisms for event-goers to resell tickets they cannot use.
FEAT, the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing, will lobby both national governments and the European Union (EU) to introduce legislation to regulate the resale sector and educate music fans into only buying tickets from safe, authorised outlets.
A not-for–profit...
Posted on: 14/02/2019 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
A leading independent promoter, Diego Finkelstein (pictured), has sold his DF Entertainment to Live Nation Entertainment (LNE), with whom he has partnered on many shows.
Founded in 2015, the Buenos Aires-based company sold more than 500,000 tickets to events in 2018.
"The demand for concerts and live events across South America has never been higher, and the local insight of Diego and the DF Entertainment team will help us connect more artistes and fans throughout Argentina than...
Posted on: 14/02/2019 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Controversial secondary ticketing website Viagogo has been accused of breaching a court order, with legal action to follow "as quickly as possible".
Secured by the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) last year, the order required Viagogo to overhaul its business model and comply with a range of consumer protection legislation by 18 January.
However, the company did not do this, as CMA executive director of enforcement Michael Grenfell told an All-Party Parliamentary Group on...
Posted on: 14/02/2019 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Media and entertainment conglomerate Liberty Media Corporation is reportedly in talks to acquire a stake in Creative Artists Agency (CAA), according to the UK's Financial Time (FT) newspaper.
Liberty owns racing brand Formula 1, 71 per cent of multimedia platform SiriusXM and 34 per cent of Live Nation Entertainment, while CAA has more than 3,000 clients across film, sport and music, including Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga.
Private equity firm TPG,...
Posted on: 14/02/2019 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
A petition calling for Government legislation to "end the robbery of real fans" by secondary ticketing websites has been launched.
Using the #stopticketabuse, the petition names sites such as Viagogo, eBay-owned StubHub and Ticketmaster-owned Seatwave as websites where organisers claim fans are being held to ransom by touts, who as well as indulging in resale, list tickets that are banned from resale and sell fake tickets.
Read...
Posted on: 29/06/2017 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Venue operator AEG Europe is working with white-label mobile platform LiveStyled to develop apps for a selection of its arenas.
The first venue-branded app will be launched in the UK at The O2 (cap. 20,000) in London, followed by The SSE Arena, Wembley (cap. 12,750), also in the capital, and then at Germany's Barclaycard Arena (16,000) in Hamburg and Mercedes-Benz Arena (17,000) in Berlin.
Posted on: 29/06/2017 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Andre Lieberberg, president of Live Nation Germany (LNG) and Melvin Benn, MD of UK multi-event promoter Festival Republic, will be sharing their industry expertise with delegates at Hamburg's Reeperbahn conference and music festival.
Lieberberg, who moved to LNG with his father Marek after leaving promoter MLK a year ago, will be joined with LNG MD and chief operating officer Matt Schwarz during the conference section.
Read...
Posted on: 29/06/2017 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Promoter and agency Fullsteam has acquired domestic hip hop and pop act promoter Rähinä Live.
As part of the deal, Rähinä's CEO Mika Sorola and agent Sami Siilin join Helsinki-based Fullsteam, which is majority owned by German pan-Europe festival promoter FKP Scorpio Konzertproduktionen.
Posted on: 29/06/2017 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
The merger of two of the country's biggest ticketing companies Ticketcorner and Starticket has been vetoed by its Federal Competition Commission.
Wetthewerbskommission (Weko) ruled the creation of a joint company would give the operation a monopoly on ticket sales.
The merger, announced in November, would have involved 75 per cent of the firm being owned by Ticketcorner's parent companies, Germany-based ticketing giant CTS Eventim and Swiss media group Ringier, with Starticket...
Posted on: 29/06/2017 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Promoters behind some of the country's biggest music events are taking legal action against performance rights organisation Societe d'Auteurs Belge Auteurs Maatschappij (SABAM) over its tariff rise for festivals and concerts.
Introduced on 1 January, the new rate sees festivals generating over €3.2 million ($3.6m) paying 3.5 per cent, up from 2.5 per cent, while shows generating more than €400,000 ($448,971) have seen an increase from 4.5 per cent to 5.75 per cent.
Posted on: 29/06/2017 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
The decision by performance rights organisation Societe d'Auteurs Belge Auteurs Maatschappij (SABAM) to increase the tariff for festivals and concerts has been met with anger by industry figures.
SABAM has laid out plans to implement a tariff rise, which will see festivals generating more than €3.2 million ($3.6m) moving from a 2.5 per cent rate to 3.5 per cent, from 1 January. Concerts bringing in over €400,000 ($450,000) will also have to pay 5.75 per cent, instead of the current...
Posted on: 27/09/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Promoter Andrew McManus could face a lengthy jail term after pleading guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice in relation to a suitcase containing A$702,000 ($539,107), which was seized by police.
McManus, founder of One World Entertainment based in Richmond, has been embroiled in an investigation involving the money since 2011, when the suitcase was found by police in a Hilton Hotel room in Sydney, following an anonymous tip-off.
He claimed the cash was part of a...
Posted on: 27/09/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Three men believed to be part of a crime ring which targeted festivals across Europe have been arrested.
The men, two aged 32 and one 21, were arrested at the 35,000-capacity Highfield Festival in Leipzig on 20 August, after being found with 20 smartphones and several thousand euros.
It is thought the trio were involved in a gang responsible for the theft of nearly 100 phones and 25 wallets during a Slipknot concert at Leipziger Messe (cap. 15,000) in January.
Posted on: 27/09/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Lawsuits are starting to be filed over the sudden collapse of a metal railing at a 5 August concert in New Jersey's 25,000-capacity BB&T Pavilion in Camden.
The venue's operator and show promoter Live Nation Entertainment, along with headline artistes Calvin Broadus, Jr. (aka Snoop Dogg) and Cameron Thomaz (aka Wiz Khalifa), are named in the filing at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Fourteen audience members and three staff, including one who suffered a fractured spine,...
Posted on: 27/09/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
The new 4,900-capacity KB Hallen in Copenhagen will be operated in a joint venture by Nordisk Film, a subsidiary of the country's largest media firm Egmont, and German pan-Europe ticketing company CTS Eventim.
The venue is due to open in 2018 and the partners intend to re-establish itself as one of the area's leading concert destinations.
The original KB Hallen was destroyed by fire in 2011. It had hosted shows featuring artistes such as the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, and more...
Posted on: 27/09/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) recorded its highest ever annual revenue of $7.6 billion for the year-ending 31 December, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year.
Its Live Nation Concerts division delivered 25,000 events, up 12 per cent on the previous year, to 63 million fans, representing a growth of 8 per cent.
Despite fourth quarter (Q4) losses of $33.8m, blamed on foreign exchange rates, annual adjusted operating income was $616m, up 11 per cent, with operating profit...
Posted on: 07/04/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
A three-year investigation by New York State attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman into ticket touting/scalping slams major promoters for holding back tickets for what it terms "insiders".
The report, Obstructed View: What's Blocking New Yorkers from Getting Tickets, found tat up to 54 per cent of a concert's inventory was reserved in this way.
It revealed that 20 per cent tickets for 14 shows promoted by Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) in 2012-2013 and by AEG Live in 2012-2015...
Posted on: 07/04/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Attie Van Wyk's Big Concerts has sold a controlling interest to Live Nation Entertainment (LNE), although the size of the stake has not yet been revealed.
In 2009, the two companies formed what they called a strategic alliance, making Big Concerts LNE's exclusive promotion partner for shows in South Africa, with Van Wyk at the time telling Audience, "This isn't an acquisition, but could well be the first step to bigger things"
Posted on: 07/04/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Little news has emerged from SFX Entertainment, following the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while it restructures and tries to raise funds.
As Audience went to press, there was no announcement of a new CEO to replace founder Robert FX Sillerman, who stood down last month (see issue 193) and no sales of assets appear to have taken place.
Posted on: 07/04/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Multi-national conglomerate Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) is locked in a battle with a family-run company for operation the Palais Theatre (cap. 2,896) in St Kilda, Melbourne.
Live Nation Australia (LNA) is up against Sydney-based Playbill Venue Management, which runs the city's Hordern Pavilion (5,500), as the only two remaining contenders from an initial 37 bids.
Posted on: 07/04/2016 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
After much industry speculation, former AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips has joined UK-based Global Entertainment as CEO and opened the company's first US office, in Los Angeles.
Global Group, the UK's largest commercial radio company owns stations such as Capital, Classic FM, Heart and Smooth, along with television interests.
Posted on: 15/04/2015 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) has reported a loss of $186.5 million in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2014, more than double the $82m loss for the same period in 2013.
Although full year revenues were up six per cent overall, the company still reported a $90.8m loss, also more than double that of 2013's $43m.
Posted on: 15/04/2015 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Pan-Europe ticketing giant CTS Eventim's dominant position in the market and its business practices are being investigated by the country's antitrust regulator.
CTS has received a request for information from Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) following the announcement of its recent joint venture with Netherlands-based Stage Entertainment.
Posted on: 15/04/2015 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Anti-ticket abuse campaigners including artiste managers, agents and politicians are celebrating what they describe as stage one in the battle to curb industrial-scale and insider ticket touting.
After weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, the Coalition Government effected a U-turn and agreed to back an amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill, having voted against it in January.
Posted on: 15/04/2015 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
SFX Entertainment founder and CEO Robert FX Sillerman has proposed to the company's board of directors that he be allowed to buy up all the common stock currently not owned by him, at $4.75 per share in cash.
It would cost him $430.2 million to acquire the outstanding 90.57m shares at the price he's offering.
Posted on: 15/04/2015 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
The chairman and CEO of Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG), Peter Schwenkow, says he is delighted a court case ha restored a business partner's integrity, by proving that statements the associate made years ago were true.
The Higher Regional Court of Zweibrucken rejected an appeal by Fiba Veranstaltungsservice, owned and run by Andrea and Uwe Fischer, against a judgement in 2013 that they should pay retained ticket sales revenue of €371,000 ($415,400) originally due to Hermjo Klein...
Posted on: 15/04/2015 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) is understood to be in advanced talks with Austin, Texas-based C3 Presents to acquire a 51 per cent in the concert and event promotion company.
C3 is known for such festivals as Lollapalooza (cap. 80,000) in Chicago, which also has editions in Argentina, Chile and Brazil, and Austin City Limits.
Posted on: 27/10/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
A royalty collecting society for promoters has been approved by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) in Hamburg, after 10 years of lobbying and preparation.
The campaign for promoters to earn royalties from the commercial exploitation of recordings made at concerts they promoted was driven by promoters and agents' association BDV, based on as aspect of German copyright law.
Posted on: 27/10/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
It looks like Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) will win control of Los Angeles' legendary 5,800-capacity Greek Theatre, ousting Nederlander Concerts which has operated the city-owned venue for almost 40 years.
After a tendering process, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks made its initial recommendation in favour of LNE, but has delayed a formal announcement. A decision is now expected on 23 October after further consideration.
Posted on: 27/10/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Organisers of 80,000-capacity heavy metal festival Wacken Open Air hope they can continue their fight against ticket touts and associated websites, after receiving support from promoters and agents association BDV, despite losing a legal battle with eBay,
Its court injunction against eBay, preventing the auction site from listing personalised tickets for the event (see Audience issue 176),, was overturned on appeal.
Read...
Posted on: 27/10/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
UK-based international multi-event organiser Festival Republic (FR) has cancelled next year's Hove Festival (cap, 15,000), due to take place on the island of Tromøy in June.
MD Melvin Benn was unavailable for comment as Audience went to press, but a statement by FR, which is 50/50 owned by Live Nation Entertainment and Irish live music entrepreneur Denis Desmond, claims that the arrival of Denmark's new, publicly-funded Tinderbox Festival (25,000) has made Hove economically unviable.
Posted on: 27/10/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Agent Seth Rappaport has joined Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) in New York, after spending the last 14 years at The Agency Group (TAG).
Among more than 20 acts moving with him are Little Feat, Leon Russell, Dar Williams, Hot Tuna and Bettye LaVette. He also represents the touring music and social media festival production company DigiTour/DigiFest.
Posted on: 27/10/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Veteran pan-Latin America promoter Jose Muniz has unveiled his vision for his relaunched Mercury Concerts – the company name he used in the 1990s, since splitting from XYZ Live earlier this year.
US-based Muniz had joined long-time friend Phil Rodriguez at Evenpro Group/XYZ Live in 2012 (see Audience issue 153),
Posted on: 18/09/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Peter Grosslight, global head of music and a board member at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME) has died from cancer, aged 68.
Trained as a lawyer, Grosslight founded Regency Artists in 1974, which later became Triad Artists in 1984 after merging with two other agencies. He joined the William Morris Agency when Triad was acquired in 1992
Posted on: 18/09/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Former multi-festival owner Vince Power has been banned from staging live music events in the UK following a licence dispute with royalty collection body PRS for Music.
The not-for-profit organisation told London's High Court that Power, who still owns a stake in Spain's Benicassim (cap. 40,000) festival, had been operating without a PRS licence when holding the 50,000-capacity Hop Farm Music Festival in Kent from 2009 to 2012.
Posted on: 18/09/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
SFX Entertainment reported second quarter financial results for the three months ending 30 June with revenue at $82 million compared with $27.4 million in 2013 for the same period last year.
However, net loss was $43.7m up from $24.9m in the preceding year's quarter, while long term debt almost tripled to $220.5m from $74.7m the preceding year.
Posted on: 18/09/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Promoter Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK) can continue to use the Rock am Ring (RaR) festival name following a court ruling in its favour as Audience went to press.
MLK has been forced to move from Nurburgring, where the 80,000-capacity festival has been held since 1985, after failing to agree terms with new site owner Capricorn Automotive (see Audience issue 173).
Posted on: 18/09/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) has raised another $500 million from private lenders in order to pay off more expenses borrowing and leaving the company with a war chest for further possible acquisitions.
Around $220m will be used to redeem debt that is incurring higher interest, leaving LNE, after related costs, with in excess of $260m for potential investments and takeovers.
Posted on: 18/09/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
UNITED STATES Live Nation Entertainment-owned Ticketmaster (TM) has launched a free mobile app which enables fans' iPhones to become their ticket.
The app provides comprehensive listings of tickets available on the primary and secondary markets, a "Swipe to Buy" feature where customers can swipe left to quickly buy tickets and "Sell/Transfer" which allows users to sell and transfer their tickets. Read more
Posted on: 07/08/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
DENMARK Preparations for next year's Roskilde Festival were already well underway before this year's event, headlined by the Rolling Stones, organisers have revealed.
Other actc that appeared this year included Arctic Monkeys, Stevie Wonder, Outkast, Kasabian, Damon Albarn, Bastille, Haim and Jack White, who stepped in at short notice after Sunday night headliner Drake cancelled his performance due to illness. Read...
Posted on: 07/08/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
WORLD SFX Entertainment and secondary ticketing website Viagogo have signed what the companies call an international sponsorship agreement worth $75 million, in which Viagogo becomes the authorised resale outlet for SFX events worldwide.
Founded in 2012 by Robert FX Sillerman, EDM conglomerate SFX has spent the past two years buying up some of the largest brands in the sector, including Netherlands-based ID&T – producer of festivals such as Belgium's Tomorrowland (cap. 60,000)...
Posted on: 07/08/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND Promoter C3 Presents has taken full ownership of the troubled Big Day Out (BDO) touring festival and announced the event will not take place in 2015.
The traditionally annual festival featured shows in the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth in Australia, and in Auckland, New Zealand, in January and February. Acts this year included Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Snoop Dogg and Major Lazer. But reports claimed BDO's six festivals attracted 135,000 people overall,...
Posted on: 07/08/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
UNITED STATES Six men have been charged after an international cybercrime ring gained access to the accounts of more than 1,600 US customers of eBay-owned resale site StubHub, and used their details to buy thousands of tickets.
The $1 million scam came to light in March 2013 and involved the fraudulent buying and reselling of electronic tickets for shows by acts such as Justin Timberlake, Jay Z and Elton John, as well as high-profile sporting events. Click here to read more...
Posted on: 07/08/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
ISRAEL A series of concerts have been cancelled or postponed due to the escalating conflict in Gaza, with US and some European airlines cancelling flights to Tel Aviv airport as Audience went to press.
The Israel leg of new 30,000-capacity electronic music festival Isle of Dreams has become the latest to fall by the wayside due to the conflict, with shows by acts including Neil Young, Paul Anka and Backstreet Boys among others to have been abandoned in recent weeks. Click here to read more...
Posted on: 07/08/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
IRELAND Aiken Promotions (AP) boss Peter Aiken says he stands to lose more than €1 million ($1.35m) over the cancellation of five Garth Brooks concerts scheduled for Dublin's 80,000-capacity Croke Park.
The sold out events, marking the country music singer's comeback, were set for 25-29 July, but were scrapped 17 days before they were due to take place, AP having "exhausted all avenues" after Dublin City Council (DCC) granted a licence for only three shows. Brooks insisted he would...
Posted on: 07/08/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
Posted on: 24/01/2014 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
UNITED KINGDOM Live Nation Entertainment-owned Ticketmaster (TM) has appointed Simon Presswell as its new UK MD.
Presswell, who will be based in the company's London office, will be responsible for the UK operation of the business, which includes more than 500 employees across London, Manchester, Stoke and Glasgow.
Posted on: 03/09/2013 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
UNITED KINGDOM Speculation surrounds the future of Dean James, CEO of festivals and venues owner MAMA & Company, following reports he has suddenly left the company.
James, who founded MAMA with business partner Adam Driscoll in 2005, is officially "on leave" according to the firm, with chairman Richard Thompson taking over the handling of day-to-day operations in the interim, as Audience went to press. Driscoll left the company in 2010.
Posted on: 03/09/2013 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
UNITED KINGDOM AEG's deal to manage London's 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena has been provisionally cleared by the Competition Commission (CC) ahead of its final report, which must be published by 5 September.
AEG, which also owns The O2 (cap.17,000) and co-owns Hammersmith Apollo (5,039) with German ticketing giant CTS Eventim, signed a management agreement with the arena's owner Quintain Estates & Development earlier this year, replacing previous incumbent Live Nation Entertainment.
Posted on: 03/09/2013 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
UNITED STATES Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) has confirmed the departure of Nathan Hubbard, CEO of its Ticketmaster (TM) division, following days of speculation.
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Hubbard will receive five months compensation, 100 per cent of the 2013 target bonus and company stock that is due to him. Hubbard can also be requested to co-operate regarding ticketing-related products and platforms through 31 March 2014.
READ...
Posted on: 03/09/2013 Categories: News from Audience Magazine
FINLAND More than 100 up-and-coming acts will be showcased at the seventh Lost In Music Festival, set to take place in Tampere from 16-19 October, as part of the Music & Media Finland conference.
Organisers are hoping to build on what they see as a breakthrough year for the event, with visitor numbers rising from around 10,000 two years ago to over 16,000 last year.
"In the past, we have presented fresh artistes who have then become increasingly popular," Lost In Music promoter...
Posted on: 03/09/2013 Categories: News from Audience Magazine