News Re-Production rebrands as VivaLaVisa. DHP Family hires Vice UK’s Ed Lilo to head programming for its three London venues – Oslo (350-cap.), The Borderline (300) and The Garage (600). Ex-Live Nation promoters Toby Leighton-Pope and Steve Homer join AEG Live as co-CEOs (see page 8). Canadian politician Sophie Kiwala takes aim at ticket bots with new bill aiming to criminalise them. Virtual reality users outspend the average American by almost 2:1 on live events according to research by Nielsen. Live Nation begins selling concert tickets via Snapchat in the U.S.
OCTOBER Venture capital cash helps UK-based Vibe Tickets reach £600,000 crowdfunding goal. Global bulks up its festival business with the acquisition of UK events South West 4, Field Day, Boardmasters, Y Not, Rewind and Truck Festival. The organisers of storm-hit Rock Am Ring 2016 will not face legal proceedings, rules a German public prosecutor. Amsterdam-based promoter, ALDA events, reverts to the control of its founders after settling a court case with SFX Entertainment. New York man David Himber sues Live Nation over its practice of charging booking fees on tickets alleging it violates the Truth in Lending Act. Former concert promoter Jack Utsick (73) is sentenced to 18 years in prison for defrauding 3,000 investors of hundreds of millions of dollars. Promoter Marc Hubbard pleads guilty to defrauding the University of Hawaii of $200,000 by promising to produce a Stevie Wonder concert that never happened. A trio of potential buyers, reported to be CTS Eventim and Chinese conglomerates Fosun and Wanda Group, are in talks to acquire Australian live entertainment group TEG. Former See Tickets executive Jamie Snelgrove joins TopTix UK as business development director. European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP) reports its best-ever year in 2016 with more than 400 confirmed bookings for participating acts at European festivals.
The International Association of Venue Managers writes to US Congress opposing new overtime legislation introduced by President Obama. Touts overestimate Desert Trip demand, with three-day passes selling for less than face value on StubHub. Ticketing and event marketing company Vendini bulks up its live music division through partnerships with Piknic Électronik and Red Bull Canada. The reunion of 80s boy band Bros becomes The O2 arena’s fastest ever sell-out with tickets snapped up in just seven seconds. Ministry of Sound appoints See Tickets as its primary ticket agency for all events. Edition Capital launches a new media and entertainment fund after doubling its money on the sale of Impresario festival assets to Global. The UK’s Department of Trade partners with the BPI to relaunch the £2.8m Music Export Growth Scheme, supporting up-and-coming talent. Live Performance Australia says new visa fees that increase costs by up to 600% are a “major disincentive” to international acts touring Australia. Creditors of bankrupt direct-to-fan platform Musictoday object to swift sale of its assets. StreetTeam raises $10m to power ambassador programmes for brands. Vivendi partners with the world’s largest eSports promoter, Electronic Sports League, to launch a national league in France. Live Nation festival brands Lollapalooza and Download to increase their European presence in 2017 with events in Paris and Madrid, respectively. Festival association Yourope advises members not to book bands who directly license performance royalties. Montreux Jazz Festival expands to third country with a Brazilian edition planned for 2017. Anti-touting coalition Fan Fair Alliance criticises StubHub’s involvement with the Q Awards. A Norwegian mental health study finds musicians are ‘50% more likely to be on medication.’ New York-based venue management tech developer, VenueNext, raises $15m to invest in hospitality and healthcare, as it eyes overseas expansion.
AEG Facilities wins the contract to operate a new 6,000-seat music and entertainment venue in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A national period of mourning, following the death of the King of Thailand, results in a number of live music events being cancelled or postponed. Cameron Mackintosh takes a stance against ‘horrible’ touts prior to hit musical Hamilton’s launch in London. Beyoncé’s Formation world tour grosses $256m after five-and-a-half months on the road in North America and Europe. CVC Capital Partners buys into ticket reseller inventory management and distribution platform DTI Management. Aerosmith cancels concert in Bolivia following stage collapse. FIFA bans concerts taking place in World Cup stadia ahead of 2018 tournament in Russia. Simon Presswell departs Eventim UK after just ten months as CEO. Australian collection society, APRA AMCOS, reveals it paid out over AU$70m in public performance royalties last year. Last-minute event discovery and ticket sales platform, YPlan, is acquired by Time Out in £1.6m all-stock deal. Opera Australia CEO Craig Hassall is appointed chief executive of the Royal Albert Hall. A Twenty One Pilots concert in Russia is cancelled due to a bomb threat. Veteran concert safety specialist Penny Mellor receives the Unsung Hero award at Festival Congress Awards. Sony Music expands live presence with investment in online talent booking platform Gigmit. StreetTeam poaches Ticketfly’s Jeff Kreinik to head-up expansion into North America. CTS Eventim and ALDA events announce plans for a joint venture to promote dance events in Germany. Prince’s private estate and recording complex, Paisley Park, is to open permanently for public tours.
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IQ Magazine November 2016
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