Photo Credit: Pitchfork Fest’s Instagram

Chicago’s long-running Pitchfork Music Festival is calling it quits after nearly two decades.

The Pitchfork Music Festival announced it will not return to Chicago’s Union Park next year, ending its 19-year run. The festival’s final lineup in summer 2024 included artists like Alanis Morissette, Carly Rae Jepsen, 100 Gecs, Black Pumas, and Jai Paul.

“As the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025,” begins a statement from Pitchfork.

“This decision was not made lightly. For 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art, and community — a space where memories were made, voices were amplified, and the shared love of music brought us all together.”

“The festival, while aligned with the taste of the Pitchfork editorial team, has always been a collaborative effort, taking on a life of its own as a vital pillar of the Chicago arts scene,” their statement continues.

“We are deeply grateful to the City of Chicago for being our festival’s home for nearly two decades, to the artists who graced our stages with unforgettable performances, and to the fans who brought unmatched energy year after year.”

“Pitchfork will continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond,” the statement concludes, after thanking festival founder Mike Reed and the rest of the hardworking festival team. “We look forward to continuing to create spaces where music, culture, and community intersect in uplifting ways.”

Chicago alderman Walter Burnett spoke with festival organizers who said the shutdown stems from “lack of sponsorship, insurance costs” and struggles to compete with other summer music festivals.

It’s unclear whether festival organizers will try to move forward with the event after next year. But Burnett said he is working with the city to make sure the event doesn’t leave altogether.

Notably, the decision to cancel the event next year comes as the festival’s parent company, Condé Nast, which owns Pitchfork, GQ, Vogue, and many other media brands, announced layoffs earlier in the year.

Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino. Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) has posted a slight YoY revenue decrease for Q3 2024 – including due to a 17% falloff in ticketing. However, execs appear optimistic that the DOJ’s antitrust suit could soon be in the rearview, and LYV jumped during after-hours trading.

The Ticketmaster parent posted its third-quarter financials this afternoon, amid, among other things, a high-stakes DOJ antitrust lawsuit. Predictably, given the forthcoming administration change, the topic quickly came up during Live Nation’s Q3 earnings call.

“It’s still very early in the transition process, so we’re hesitant to say too much,” relayed Live Nation CFO Joe Berchtold. “But absolutely, we are hopeful that we’ll see a return to the more traditional antitrust approach. Where the agencies have generally tried to find ways to solve problems they see with targeted remedies, that minimize government intervention in the marketplace.

“And without getting into specifics, at least some parts of the case, we think – believe reflect a much more interventionist philosophy today than you’d expect of a Republican administration. Obviously, the request to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster would be an example of that highly interventionist approach. So we’ll obviously be ready to engage as soon as they are,” proceeded Berchtold.

Back to the business’s core Q3 financials – Live Nation, which has teed up an investor presentation for Wednesday, kept the conference call relatively short – overall revenue came in at $7.65 billion on the quarter (down 6% YoY), per the report.

As a pertinent aside, Live Nation revised the Q3 2023 figures as well. “For context, what we had is a non-cash, non-operating-tax adjustment that we had to make,” elaborated Berchtold. “This has to do with when we purchased Ocesa and the difference between statutory and U.S. GAAP accounting on some non-consolidated investments.

“So it was just on the U.S. side – we paid the taxes in Mexico, we missed it in the U.S. … Working through with the auditors, we made the decision, it made sense to restate those numbers,” the CFO continued.

Within Q3 2024’s revenue, concerts, as usual, led the pack with a $6.58 billion contribution (down 6% YoY); ticketing’s aforementioned 17% YoY decline resulted in a sum of $693.7 million for the quarter.

Rounding out total revenue, sponsorship and advertising reached $390.3 million in Q3 (up 6% YoY), with a loss of $13.5 million attributed to other and eliminations. On the volume front, Live Nation pointed to a 13% YoY hike to approximately 40,000 Q3 events, “fueled by arenas and amphitheaters and double-digit growth in theater and club shows.”

Notwithstanding the revenue dips, though, Live Nation adjusted operating income neared $910 million during Q3 2024 – up 4% YoY, including a 39% YoY spike for concerts to a “record” $474.1 million, the breakdown shows. Nevertheless, ticketing’s operating income slipped roughly 33% YoY to $235.7 million, the resource relays.

Shifting to Live Nation’s performance across 2024’s initial nine months, total revenue grew 3% YoY to $17.47 billion, $14.45 billion of which stemmed from concerts (up 4% YoY), the document indicates.

Lastly, CEO Michael Rapino took the opportunity to predict “an even bigger 2025” for Live Nation, shares in which were up 6.1%, at about $130 a pop, during after-hours trading at the time of writing.

Photo Credit: Dua Lipa by Daniel Åhs Karlsson / CC by 3.0

Dua Lipa will not perform in Jakarta this weekend over what the singer referred to as ‘a safety issue with the staging.’

Dua Lipa has cancelled her upcoming performance in Jakarta on November 9, citing “a safety issue with the staging.” Ticket refunds will be made from the point of purchase.

On Friday (November 8), the pop star took to Instagram to announce the cancellation of her show in the Indonesian capital this weekend:

“I am heartbroken to share that I won’t be performing in Jakarta this Saturday, November 9. I am here in your amazing country and ready to perform, but I am gutted to share that it has been determined that it is not safe for the performance to carry on due to safety issues with the staging.”

“Was so looking forward to this night, and it pains me that we cannot perform for you all, especially after such a long time since my last performance in Jakarta,” her statement continues. “I love you all and truly can’t wait to be back together in the same room with you singing and dancing our hearts out as soon as possible.”

The performance was meant to take place at Jakarta’s 16,500-seat Indonesia Arena. Ticket holders for the show will receive refunds through their point of purchase.

The “Levitating” singer’s next tour stop is November 13 in Manila, Philippines. Her stops throughout Asia in November and December, ending with a show in Seoul at the end of the year, precede her 2025 Radical Optimism Tour, a 43-date run that kicks off on March 20 in Melbourne, Australia. The tour hits New Zealand before heading to Europe for arena shows in Spain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and England, and then hops over to North American in the fall.

It’s an unlucky season for the singer, who was recently revealed not to be up for any Grammy Award nominations in 2025 for her latest album, Radical Optimism.

Photo Credit: A performance at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters / Sabrina K.

An up-and-coming Dallas singer is recovering after she was shot on stage while signing autographs after a performance.

Singer Jada Arnell Thomas, 26, was signing autographs on stage following a performance with The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in downtown Dallas on Saturday. Suddenly, a woman in the crowd shot her from a few short feet away, and tried to flee the scene.

“It was a packed house; people were in line getting autographs and we heard this shot,” said TBAAL founder and director Curtis King in a statement to Dallas’ NBC 5. “It was unreal. It was like everything was in slow motion.”

According to King, he and staff followed the shooter outside while they called 911, and officers arrested the woman inside the lobby of a nearby hotel. The Dallas Police Department confirmed the arrest of Micah Williams, 26, while a handgun was also recovered.

Interestingly, King said he recognized Williams’ face, and that she performed at TBAAL in a summer program about a decade ago. Still, whether the shooter has a connection to the victim has not been disclosed.

Williams was booked at the Dallas County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Records indicate her bond is set at $200,000.

King said Thomas had just thanked him for his leadership at TBAAL shortly before the shooting. “She said […] ‘thank you for providing a safe space for us to be able to have a platform to perform as young artists,’ and then five-ten minutes later, here she is on the floor.”

It’s currently unknown if the victim and the suspect knew each other and if there was a motive for the shooting. Thomas remains hospitalized, but King says she is progressing, and her family appreciates the support they’ve received from the Dallas arts community and beyond.

“My girl, she’s strong. She’s resilient. She’s a fighter,” said King. “She will sing and soar and she’ll be even better when she gets back on her feet.”

King also announced on social media that TBAAL is working to strengthen its security and screening process in light of the shooting. This also includes decreasing the number of entry points to focus on preventing weapons from getting inside.

Photo Credit: Oasis by Will Fresch / CC by 2.0

Oasis announce the South American leg of their 2025 reunion tour with stops in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil in November.

Oasis continue to expand their blowout 2025 reunion tour with South American stops in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil in November. These follows shows across the UK, Ireland, North America, and Australia.

Fan demand for tickets to the band’s shows has been understandably high, resulting in ticketing issues for fans worldwide. Many tickets sold on resale sites have been cancelled due to price inflation. British financial institution Lloyds Banking Group estimates fans have lost a considerable amount of money on ticket reseller scams.

On their Instagram post announcing the additional dates, Oasis urged fans to be aware they must have a ticket purchase account registered in the specific country in which they plan to buy tickets.

Oasis Live 2025 Reunion Tour

July

• 04 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, Wales
• 05 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, Wales
• 11 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 12 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 16 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 19 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 20 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 25 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 26 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 30 | Wembley Stadium — London, England

August

• 02 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 03 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 08 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, Scotland
• 09 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, Scotland
• 12 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, Scotland
• 16 | Croke Park — Dublin, Ireland
• 17 | Croke Park — Dublin, Ireland
• 24 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, Ontario
• 25 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, Ontario
• 28 | Soldier Field — Chicago, IL
• 31 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ

September

• 01 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ
• 06 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Pasadena, CA
• 07 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Pasadena, CA
• 12 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, Mexico
• 13 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, Mexico
• 27 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 28 | Wembley Stadium — London, England

October

• 31 | Marvel Stadium — Melbourne, Australia

November

• 01 | Marvel Stadium — Melbourne, Australia
• 04 | Marvel Stadium — Melbourne, Australia
• 07 | Accor Stadium — Sydney, Australia
• 08 | Accor Stadium — Sydney, Australia
• 15 | Estadio Mâs Monumental — Buenos Aires, Argentina | NEW DATE
• 16 | Estadio Mâs Monumental — Buenos Aires, Argentina | NEW DATE
• 19 | Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos — Santiago, Chile | NEW DATE
• 22 | Estádio MorumBIS — São Paulo, Brazil | NEW DATE
• 23 | Estádio MorumBIS — São Paulo, Brazil | NEW DATE

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

A Canadian man who is the suspected Snowflake hacker that caused Ticketmaster huge headaches earlier this year has been arrested. The news comes just months after cybersecurity experts were hot on the trail of identifying the hacker.

AT&T, Ticketmaster, and LendingTree were among the companies impacted by this massive hack—more than 165 Snowflake instances were breached. 404 Media reports they last spoke to the hacker on October 27, with the hacker going by the name Judsiche saying they were afraid they would be arrested soon. “I’ve destroyed a lot of evidence and well poisoned the stuff I can’t destroy so when/if it does happen it’s just conspiracy which I can bond out and beat,” the hacker claimed.

404 Media reports a source shared the name Connor Moucka. Searching Canadian court records for upcoming hearings reveals an entry with the same name. Another source says the name belongs to the suspected Snowflake hacker.

“We can now confirm that, following a request by the United States, Alexander Moucka (AKA Connor Moucka) was arrested on a provisional arrest warrant on October 30, 2024,” the Canadian Department of Justice shared with 404 Media. “He appeared in court later that afternoon and his case was adjourned to November 5, 2024.”

Ticketmaster suffered several extortion attempts, with one attempt resulting in the release of several Taylor Swift tickets on the internet to prove the data they have. That ticket data included shows from Indianapolis to New Orleans, with hackers saying they could generate 30 million barcodes for other high-profile concerts and sporting events.

Tickets have gone missing from so many accounts that Ticketmaster temporarily suspended the re-sale of Taylor Swift tickets until right before the event date. On October 7, Digital Music News ran a story about tickets for football games, concerts, and more disappearing from accounts. At the time, a Ticketmaster representative confirmed they’d responded to thousands of customer complaints about missing tickets.

Photo Credit: Reza Mehrad

The British government’s plans to ban smoking outside pubs, clubs, and cafes fall flat amid concerns about the impact on the hospitality industry.

The British government’s plans to band smoking outside schools, hospitals, and playgrounds to reduce pressure on the state-run National Health Service (NHS) and cost to taxpayers is culminating in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill introduced to parliament today. That bill involves some of the strictest anti-smoking rules in the world, including banning young people from smoking.

But the government has abandoned its plans to ban smoking outside pubs, clubs, and cafes after concerns were raised about the impact of such a ban on the hospitality industry.

“Unless we act to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill-health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS,” said Health Minister Wes Streeting in a statement. “This historic legislation will save thousands of lives.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said back in August that he supported the idea of banning smoking in outdoor spaces such as outside pubs. But the British Beer and Pub Association called the plan “deeply concerning,” and would have a “devastating impact” on venues which already struggle with rising costs.

“We welcome the Government’s decision to scrap the proposed smoking ban for pubs and clubs,” said Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, in a statement to Digital Music News. “This shift recognizes the important role our venues play as controlled, socially responsible spaces within communities. The initial proposals risked significant harm to our industry, which is still in the process of of recovery from the pandemic and other economic pressures.”

“The revised focus of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on restricting smoking in high-risk areas, such as those outside hospitals and schools, strikes a much-needed balance,” Kill continues. “This approach addresses public health concerns while also protecting the night time economy, which contributes so much to our society both culturally and financially. We are grateful that the Government took into account the strong representations from our sector and listened to the voices of operators across the UK.”

He concluded: “This pragmatic decision will allow pubs, bars, and clubs to continue operating in a way that respects the choices of patrons while also prioritizing the wellbeing of local communities. We look forward to working with policymakers to ensure that our venues remain vibrant, safe, and welcoming spaces for all.”

Photo Credit: Ashley King

Ticket reseller scams are a tale as old as time. Now a new report suggests social media is used to facilitate 90% of these ticket scams.

A Lloyds report focusing on analysis of scam reports made by its own customers discovered the Oasis Live ‘25 tickets are a favorite for scammers. Ticket fraud claims in the first month since the reunion tour was announced accounted for around 70% of all reported concert ticket scams since August 27. Lloyds reports that victims taken in by these scams on average lose £346 ($450)—though some victims report losses as high as £1,000 ($1,303).

The most likely age bracket to be targeted by ticket scammers on social media is aged 35-44 years old. That age bracket accounted for around around 31% of fraud reports. High-profile shows like Oasis, Taylor Swift, and the Adele residency are selling for thousands of dollars from Ticketmaster legitimately. So it’s no small wonder scammers target eager fans who may not know how modern ticketing works.

Ticket scammers trick fans into sending money for tickets via bank transfer to buy tickets that don’t exist. These scams will involve fake adverts, listings on social media, or tickets offered at discounted prices. Fraudsters also love to target sold-out events, since they can jack up the price without the victim getting cold feet.

Scam tickets are usually posted to social media in two waves. First when tickets are made available and again as the event date approaches. For fans looking to acquire concert tickets, you should keep these brief pointers in mind to avoid getting scammed.

Stick to trusted retailers—Only purchase tickets from the venue itself, Ticketmaster (or an authorized reseller). Do not purchase tickets from a third-party.

If It Seems Too Good To Be True, It Is—Ticket scammers love to prey on people seeking a good deal. Those $40 tickets with an obstructed view just posted on Facebook Marketplace are likely a scam. If the scam listing can net just 10 people interested in throwing $40 for fake tickets—scammers make $400.

Use a Secure Payment Method—Never pay for a concert ticket through a bank transfer, wire transfer, Western Union, MoneyGram. Only use a debit card or a credit card to pay. A credit card offers more protection than a debit card, since you can dispute the charge. Then your card’s issuing bank will deal with the matter.

“Frausters wasted no time in targeting loyal Oasis fans as they scrambled to pick up tickets for next year’s must-see reunion tour,” Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director for Lloyds told Digital Music News. “The fact that so many cases start with fake listings on social media, often in violation of the platforms’ own rules, underscores the importance of these companies taking stronger action to tackle scams.”

Ticket selling is in direct violation of the Facebook Marketplace commerce policy. Yet many scams are slipping through the cracks here and bilking loyal fans out of hard-earned money. Any seller who asks for a bank transfer payment (usually through social media) should set off alarm bells for any potential ticket purchaser.

Photo Credit: Epic Games

Fortnite welcomes Chapter 2 Remix with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Juice WRLD, following a real world and in-game music event.

Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice delivered a show-stopping performance in Times Square over the weekend in a stunning takeover serving as a prelude to their splash in the new season of Fortnite Battle Royale, Chapter 2 Remix, out now. The event streamed live in Fortnite to give players an immersive experience to dive into, featuring Snoop’s new track, “Gorgeous,” from his upcoming album.

In-game, Chapter 2 Remix arrives with some heavyweight music icons: Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Juice WRLD, bringing their fashion, music, and artistry to Fortnite alongside the popular original Fortnite gameplay from 2020. In a first for the game, players can engage with each artist through themed gameplay locations launching week by week. Players can also express themselves and rep each music legend through individual artist outfits found in the Fortnite Shop.

In Week 1, starting on November 2, Snoop Dogg enters Battle Royale and features as the Icon for Season 6 of the music-driven, rhythm-based game, Fortnite Festival. “Being part of Fortnite is all about creating, playing, and sharing my music and culture with the next generation,” says Snoop Dogg. “My son Cordell’s a big Fortnite player with me, so when we had the opportunity we jumped on it as a new way to connect with my sound and style. Anyone can be Snoop in Fortnite.”

In Week 2, starting on November 7, Eminem reappears following his original Fortnite debut in December 2023. “Guess who’s back, ready for combat, man! I’m serving all new gear along with a side of spaghetti — come and get it! Feels good to return to Fortnite for more mayhem,” says Eminem.

Week 3 kicks off on November 14, when Ice Spice arrives to take players into her experience as the Princess of New York. “Getting the chance to come to the game and remix the Chapter 2 map is unreal. It’s exciting to be a part of something so iconic, and I can’t wait for players to experience this new vibe. Fortnite is all about creativity and connection, and I’m hyped to bring my own spin to it!” shares Ice Spice.

Week 4 starts on November 21, when the legacy, music, and style of Juice WRLD is celebrated. More details are forthcoming on the celebration later this month, along with his latest posthumous album due out this year from Grade A Productions and Interscope Records.

Chapter 2 Remix will end on a special note with Remix: The Finale, a live event on November 30 at 2 PM ET, to honor Juice WRLD’s legacy and love for Fortnite. All players who log in between 1 AM ET on November 30 and 1 AM ET on December 1 will receive the cel-shaded Slayer Juice WRLD outfit.

Carmela Wallace, mother of Jarad “Juice WRLD” Higgins, shared, “Jarad always loved to play Fortnite — it was more than just entertainment for him, it was a way to connect with others. From a young age, video games were a part of how he bonded with friends and family, and being in Fortnite is an incredible tribute to that connection. I know he would be overjoyed to see how his love for games continues to bring people together across different spaces, just like his music does.”

This season also introduces Kicks, a brand new cosmetic coming to Fortnite. The initial lineup of Kicks will feature Nike and Jordan brands alongside Fortnite original designs with more brands to be announced in the future. The first pair of Jordans will be available beginning on November 12 as part of the season’s Remix Pass.

Throughout the month with Chapter 2 Remix, players can experience what made the original Chapter 2 so memorable. Chapter 2 Remix comes nearly one year after the launch of Fortnite OG, where the game saw over 100 million players in that month alone. Though long-time fans’ reactions to the takeover changes have been mixed as the remix gets underway.

Photo Credit: Marvel Stadium

Coldplay broke a new attendance record for Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia previously set by Adele. The stadium confirmed a new attendance record of 227,000 people across the ‘Music of the Spheres’ world tour.

The record-breaking attendance comes as frontman Chris Martin fell through a trapdoor during the concert on Sunday. The 47-year-old fell while speaking to a crowd of 50,000 people. Footage shown on social media showed the singer walking backwards while speaking, before accidentally falling into an opened trap door.

“That’s, uh, not planned, thank you for catching me,” Martin says into the mic. “Thank you guys, holy sh*t.” Martin said he had the jitters but was not injured during his fall. He did take the time to make a joke at his own expense, saying he will “probably be a YouTube moment.”

Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres’ world tour is continuing across Australia with stops in Sydney for several shows and New Zealand up next. Chris Martin isn’t the only star who recently took a tumble on stage, either. Martin’s mishap comes just weeks after Olivia Rodrigo also fell through the stage while performing in Melbourne—albeit at a different venue.

During the final night of her GUTS tour, Olivia Rodrigo was running across the stage, pointing and cheering with fans. She accidentally ran straight into a hole in the ground on stage and fell. Video of the incident captured Rodrigo’s reaction, who climbed out of the hole saying, “Oh my god, that was fun!”

“I’m okay. Woah. Sometimes there’s just a hole in the stage,” she told the crowd. “That’s all right. Okay. Where was I?”

Coldplay ‘Music of the Spheres’ World Tour Dates

November

• 06 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 07 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 09 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 10 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 13 | Eden Park — Auckland, New Zealand
• 15 | Eden Park — Auckland, New Zealand
• 16 | Eden Park — Auckland, New Zealand

January 2025

• 09 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 11 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 12 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 14 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 18 | D Y Patil Sports Stadium — Navi Mumbai, India
• 19 | D Y Patil Sports Stadium — Navi Mumbai, India
• 21 | D Y Patil Sports Stadium — Navi Mumbai, India

(l to r) Live Nation Venues president Tom See, Rock Hall of Famer Dave Matthews (holding a guitar made from aluminum cans recycled on tour), and Live Nation head of global sustainability Lucy August-Perna. Photo Credit: Sanjay Suchak

It turns out staging huge tours can be environmentally friendly – at least according to Live Nation and the Dave Matthews Band, which say they’ve organized the “first zero waste tour.”

Live Nation and the more than three-decade-old Dave Matthews Band reached out with a variety of hard numbers about that zero-waste tour. As told by the involved parties, the descriptor (and the appropriate figures) pertains specifically to shows delivered at 18 Live Nation venues in the U.S.

The Virginia-based group had previously announced its sustainability-focused plans for those concerts, mentioning the expected presence of “free water refill stations,” “zero-waste stations to collect disposable items,” and, building on the latter, “onsite green teams hand-sorting all concert waste.”

All told, north of 400 crew members are said to have contributed to the effort, and “over 90% of waste from fans…was reused, composted, recycled, or donated,” per Live Nation – with the figure having hit 99% at certain venues.

(A minute-long video places the overall percentage at 93%, and “donated” presumably refers to clothing and other non-recyclable junk left behind by attendees.)

Also according to the Ticketmaster parent, approximately 100,000 pounds of trash were “diverted from landfill,” and “3,200 meals were donated to local community organizations” in connection with the initiative. Lastly, 1,500 aluminum cans recycled on the tour “were used to create a series of top-of-the-line aluminum guitars gifted to Dave Matthews for charity.”

Though it perhaps goes without saying, there are substantial costs associated with staging zero-waste (or low-waste) concerts – meaning that doing so will prove financially challenging for even well-known acts.

Of course, a significant amount of time, energy, money, and trouble would be saved if fans simply cleaned up after themselves; Coachella and Stagecoach attendees left behind an estimated 24 tons of trash, clothing, and gear this year, for instance.

In any event, it remains to be seen whether the Dave Matthews Band’s zero-waste framework can also apply to different concert series. Closer to the top of 2024, Live Nation, Warner Music, and Coldplay partnered with MIT on “a comprehensive study of the live music industry’s carbon footprint.”

Initially expected to wrap in July, said study was extended in late June “to allow for more comprehensive data collection and analysis,” Live Nation said. The resource’s release is now tentatively expected for sometime this fall.

Photo Credit: Hearby Cares

Area4Labs’ Hearby Cares is a new AI-powered initiative to highlight live benefit shows providing relief for areas affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The team at Area4Labs says they created the initiative to provide a comprehensive benefit show list and a map to maximize awareness and attendance of these important recovery effort live shows. Hearby Cares is a team-wide, collaborative effort to highlight benefit shows, collect event data, and showcase more than 100 benefit shows across the United States.

The existing Hearby venue and event database helped the team fine-tune their data collection practices to identify benefit shows. Shows highlighted by Hearby Cares vary greatly in size, from small listening rooms to stadiums with a capacity for 70,000+ people in attendance. Benefit shows for hurricane relief have raised millions of dollars, while others provide necessary supplies for victims of these natural disasters to get back on their feet. Area4Labs says they view this project as a way to filter and present event data for communities that deserve extra attention.

“Across the Hearby team, we are at our core a group of musicians and music fans with a deep love for local music scenes. Hearby Cares is an initiative born from our appreciation of the Appalachian music scene, from North Carolina through Tennessee and beyond, and our want to help that region after the devastation brought about by recent hurricanes and flooding,” the Area4Labs team told Digital Music News.

“Through Hearby Cares, we have been able to cover over 100 benefit shows (and counting) across the United States that all have a mission to help those in need. Looking ahead, we see tremendous value in Hearby Cares and our ability to quickly react to social and cultural movements, and to highlight the events surrounding them.”

Several high-profile artists have stepped up to help these regions struck by hurricanes. Morgan Wallen donated $500,000 to the Red Cross for relief, while Dolly Parton donated $1 million to recovery efforts. North Carolina natives Luke Combs and Eric Church recently led a benefit ‘Concert for Carolina’ that managed to raise $24.5 million for relief efforts—particularly around Asheville.

Photo Credit: On Air

Content from the UMG-owned production studio is available to stream now.

With the emergence of concert streaming’s high-growth potential, on-stage performance streaming platform On Air is now offering new monetization opportunities for intellectual property owners and artists. The platform aims to elevate the fan experience by offering a true cinematic experience with content available in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Since 2020, On Air has hosted a serious catalog of live concerts and performances from A-list artists and shows. That includes performances from the likes of Zara Larsson, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and Years & Years from iconic music venues spanning Royal Albert Hall, OVO Arena Wembley, BBC Studios, and more.

But that’s just the beginning: expanding upon their existing on-stage video catalog, On Air recently forged a deal with Mercury Studios for concert performance footage. Mercury Studios, a division of UMG, is a multi-faceted music content studio and treasure trove of seminal concert footage. Just recently, On Air joined forces with DMN to further propel the platform.

Mercury Studios’ sizable catalog features over 2,000 hours of standout performances by the most prominent names in music — including Peter Gabriel, Lynyrd Skynrd, Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, Journey, ZZ Top, Santana, Eric Clapton, Toto, and The Who, as well as assets from legendary production company Eagle Rock. Now, that historic and important catalog is finding another outlet via On Air to reach fans – with the ingestion and dissemination process well underway.

“On Air provides an exciting opportunity to showcase the breadth of Mercury Studios’ programming, from award-winning documentaries to concerts by iconic artists like Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Chicago, Jeff Beck, Cypress Hill, and INXS. This partnership with On Air will further expand the reach of these remarkable performances,” said Rob Gill, SVP Global Operations, Mercury Studios.

Jakub Krampl, co-founder and CEO of On Air, sat down with DMN to reveal how On Air’s latest deal with Mercury Studios expands global exposure opportunities and monetization for all IP owners, labels, and artists on the platform. For starters, Mercury Studio’s catalog is impressive, and that will draw a bigger audience interested in higher-quality live performances.

“We’re here to support the distribution of catalogs and monetization of longform content in 4K with Dolby Vision and Atmos technology,” said Krampl. “On Air provides an end-to-end service to artists, labels and rights holders — all backed by a cutting-edge tech stack.”

On Air’s vast infrastructure expertly covers every aspect of the streaming process, solving problems typically faced by IP owners when they attempt to distribute content across mainstream channels.

A sampling of On Air’s live concerts and performances from A-list artists filmed at iconic music venues. (Photo Credit: On Air)

According to Krampl, On Air offers a ‘premium streaming service for on-stage entertainment,’ handling everything from pre-production and on-site production management to an exclusive post-production process that ensures higher-quality content for its users.

On Air’s DRM-protected streaming platform plays comfortably across desktop, mobile, and TV endpoints. Stretching things further, the company also pushes engagement by marketing content and managing assets across multiple platforms, including social media with tailored campaigns.

And when the opportunity arises, On Air also helps to negotiate branding and agency partnerships to further stretch the reach of its footage.

The platform offers prime viewing experiences to fans in over 190 countries, while taking adequate measures to prevent unlawful distribution. Among the most prominent offerings available to stream are Zara Larsson’s sold-out ‘Venus Tour’ at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds live at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester, Yoshiki’s ‘Requiem Classical World Tour’ recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, and a pair of sold-out All Time Low shows, captured at OVO Arena Wembley (2023) and Merriweather Post Pavilion (2024).

One of On Air’s biggest differentiators is its audio and picture quality, with streams available to watch in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Krampl explains that the solution, crafted by On Air’s partnership with Dolby, “provides every user with the opportunity to experience our productions with the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos and ultra-vivid pictures of Dolby Vision for a premium entertainment experience.”

“On Air has successfully achieved a live stream in Dolby Vision, which hasn’t been done before — and that’s only one of the many advanced solutions we’re capable of providing,” Krampl continued, while pointing to the company’s All Time Low OVO Arena Wembley capture. That show was delivered in 4K UHD with HDR and Dolby Atmos immersive sound, and accessed across 56 countries simultaneously over the web, mobile and TV apps.

In fact, all On Air-produced shows are filmed in close partnership with Dolby. “We’re delighted that On Air uses Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision to give them an edge in concert streaming,” said Jane Gillard, Head of Music Partnerships Europe for Dolby. “Artists invest so much into live shows – sound, visuals, effects, lighting. In using the best in Dolby technology, On Air are able to deliver an experience that beats standard video and stereo hands down.”

The on-stage performance streaming space has a number of big competitors, though On Air’s focus strategies of Dolby-powered streams, complementary solutions, and competitive pricing could prove to be significant differentiators.

Krampl explains that On Air’s entire service infrastructure is developed in-house, which makes it ‘independent of third-party platforms and agencies.’ This self-developed tech-stack and content delivery platform, according to Krampl, allows On Air to address problems before they arise, ‘while continuing to develop and innovate’ for their stakeholders.

The On Air HD stereo service is available to viewers at $10.99 per show, with the On Air catalog available to stream on-demand with unlimited replays.

Photo Credit: On Air

Why is now the moment for concert video to expand and reach a wider audience? Krampl points out that On Air is aware of how current economic challenges have significantly shuffled audience priorities and where they want to spend their money.

Exorbitant ticket prices and the cost of travelling to venues present barriers that threaten to separate artists from their fans.

On Air aims to democratize access to live music and provide a genuine connection between audiences and performers. Their ‘cutting-edge solutions directly offer the energy and magic of live performances to audiences’ around the world.

The On Air app, available across Apple iOS, Android, and Fire TV, is designed to make viewers feel like they’re in the center of the action. Users can tune in to On Air’s cinematic show library in 4K UHD and spatial audio from anywhere, and seamlessly switch to the big screen at any time.

Photo Credit: Yamaha Museum

Yamaha Music Innovations has announced a collaboration with Audiomack, a music streaming service primarily catering to the African market.

Audiomack does not impose any initial registration fees on artists, so artists in emerging markets can upload their music for listeners to enjoy. The service has over 100 million registered users and Yamaha views this partnership as a way to contribute to local music culture—one of its management policies aimed at market expansion.

Yamaha has previously engaged in developing digital musical instruments with enhanced sounds and auto-accompaniment features that allow enjoyment of local pop and traditional music in emerging markets such as India. In line with this policy, Yamaha says it aims to deepen its understanding of African music culture through this collaboration while simultaneously strengthening its development of digital musical instruments, other products, and content rooted in local African cultures.

The first initiative of this collaboration with Audiomack is a co-hosted Audiomack & Yamaha’s Zinoleesky “Abanikanda” Remix Contest, inviting participation from young African artists. By creating opportunities for these emerging local artists to express themselves, Yamaha aims to build relationships with artists and creators based in Africa and incorporate their voices into its offerings.

Yamaha says it will continue to actively promote initiatives that support artists’ self-expression and contribute to the sustainability of local music culture through collaborations with various partners.

Meanwhile, Audiomack recently partnered with India’s leading music label Saregama to help expand its South Asian music catalog. The alliance adds thousands of Bollywood hits and regional language tracks to the Audiomack offering, strengthening Audiomack’s position as a music streaming destination for South Asian music fans in the diaspora.

Audiomack has built a strong presence in South Asian music, generating over 160 million Punjabi streams globally each month, with Canada alone accounting for 77.5 million streams. The platform serves more than 200,000 monthly active users in India, with a substantial user base across Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other South Asian markets.

Photo Credit: Peter Wallace

Phish performed a three-night live concert at Albany, NY’s MVP Arena this past weekend, raising over $4 million to support addiction recovery. 100% of net proceeds from ticket revenues, merch sales, and pay-per-view livestream will support the Divided Sky Foundation’s recovery program and new facility in Ludlow, Vermont.

The weekend run kicked off a $10 million fundraising campaign that will support capital improvements, future property acquisition, staff headcount increases, and a scholarship fund to ensure that Divided Sky’s program remains accessible to anyone in need—regardless of their ability to pay. Divided Sky Foundation was started by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio.

“It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are to Phish and their fans for their generosity,” adds Melanie Gulde, Program Director & Co-Founder of Divided Sky. “But this isn’t about words—it’s about action. And because of these concerts, we will be able to help many more people take charge of their lives and to recover from addictions.”

The Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program is unique among addiction recovery services in that its program focuses on helping guests build life skills and tools to maintain sobriety while staying active and connected with the outdoors and their personal passions. Nearly a dozen alumni who completed the 30-Day Program were in attendance at the Albany concerts, many representing at information tables. Over 300 tickets were given to professionals who work in recovery or a related mental health field.

Aside from performing on stage and donating all of the concert proceed, Phish and their fans supported Divided Sky in several ways. Drummer Jon Fishman wore a special version of his trademark stage dress adorned with Divided Sky logos, which was later signed by the entire band. It will be auctioned in the near future as an online fundraiser to benefit Divided Sky. Additional fundraising was generated at a pre-show reception organized by Phish’s long-standing non-profit arm, The Waterwheel Foundation.

Last year, Phish performed two benefit concerts in Saratoga Springs, NY on the Broadview Stage, raising over $3.5 million for flood recovery efforts in Vermont and upstate New York.

Conceived of and founded by Phish’s Trey Anastasio and program director Melanie Gulde, the Divided Sky Residential Recovery program gives hope to those struggling with addiction by providing a safe, nurturing environment to begin their recovery journey.

Photo Credit: Aiden Craver

After over 50 years at CBS, the Grammy Awards find a new home in Disney in a major 10-year deal.

The Grammy Awards have aired on CBS for over 50 years, but that’s about to change as Disney strikes up a significant 10-year deal with rights to the annual music awards show. The Grammys will air on ABC, Hulu, and Disney+ from 2027 through 2036.

CBS struck up a ten-year deal in 2016 to maintain the rights until 2026 — breaking the record for a broadcast partnership with an awards show. The network has hosted the show since 1973, when it took the rights from ABC. ABC had aired the show in 1971 and 1972, after NBC hosted it from 1959 to 1970.

The Recording Academy and CBS were not able to reach an agreement within their negotiating window, according to sources, but CBS remained interested in maintaining the rights. Talks continued after the end of the exclusive period when The Recording Academy opened negotiations with other interested parties. But it was Disney who secured the winning bid.

“As the Walt Disney Company combines forces with The Recording Academy to open this exciting new chapter in the history of The Grammys we do so with pride and gratitude,” said Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden. “Live events have never been more important to our culture and industry, and we just acquired one of the crown jewels, adding to our portfolio of world-class programming across all genres.”

“We are completely thrilled to be bringing The Grammys and other new music programming to the Disney ecosystem,” added Harvey Mason Jr., Recording Academy CEO. “We are grateful to our long-standing partners at CBS and now honored to be joining with Disney, an iconic company where creators have always been at the forefront. This partnership represents another important milestone in the Academy’s transformation and growth, and strengthens our ability to fulfill our mission of uplifting and serving music people around the world.”

Though this is a major loss for Paramount’s streaming service, CBS has been focused on reducing costs, prioritizing spending resources on live sports in addition to prime-time franchises. The network secured rights to the Golden Globes when it became available last year.

The deal means that in its first year, ABC will air The Grammys, the Oscars, as well as the Super Bowl, and even gets the CMA Awards and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve to boot.

Photo Credit: Claire Anderson

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court has upheld a lower court ruling that denied Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s claim that customer antitrust complaints should be resolved through arbitration—based on the terms of service when purchasing tickets.

The 2023 ruling in Heckman v. Live Nation Entertainment ruled that Live Nation cannot enforce contract provisions that require ticket buyers to arbitrate their claims instead of suing them in federal court. The appeals panel called the arbitration rules unfair to consumers, while being overtly beneficial to the defendants (Live Nation/Ticketmaster).

U.S. District Judge George H. Wu called the forced arbitration clause “procedurally unconscionable” last year in his ruling after Ticketmaster changed its chosen arbitrator to New Era. He also called into question the ability to mass arbitrate cases grouped together, saying it would severely limit the Plaintiff’s ability to prove their cases in court.

“It is plain that it would be impossible for Plaintiffs to present their claims on equal footing to Live Nation,” 9th Circuit Judge William Fletcher writes in his decision. “Forced to accept terms that can be changed without notice, a Plaintiff then must arbitrate under New Era’s opaque and unfair rules.”

Both Judge Morgan Christen and Judge Lawrence VanDyke agreed with that ruling, stating that the Federal Arbitration Act does not apply to “mass arbitration contemplated by Live Nation’s agreements.” Live Nation says it disagrees with the 9th Circuit ruling, arguing that the change of arbitrator was not “unfair, unexpected, or otherwise unconscionable.”

“We hold that the delegation clause of the arbitration agreement, and the arbitration agreement as a whole, are unconscionable and unenforceable under California law. We hold further that the application of California’s unconscionability law to the facts of this case is not preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). Finally, we hold, as an alternate and independent ground, that the FAA does not preempt California’s prohibition of class action waivers contained in contracts of adhesion in large-scale small-stakes consumer cases,” the decision reads.

The district court observed that Live Nation “provided nearly all of New Era’s revenue during its first year” and that there “appears to be a remarkable degree of coordination between [Live Nation counsel] and New Era in terms of their interpretation and the evolution of New Era’s Rules.” Finding these facts to be concerning, the district court noted that this could “certainly create an inference of bias.”

“It seems to me that the circumstances in this case create more than merely an inference of bias—they create a strong and inescapable perception of bias,” the judge writes in his decision. “A dispute resolution procedure is not an arbitration unless there is a third-party decision maker. And a third-party decision maker “whose interests are so allied with those of the party” is “for all practical purposes, subject to the same disabilities which prevent the party himself from serving.”

“Not only is the line between Live Nation and New Era blurry, but more than that, this agreement would require a New Era arbitrator to decide the question of whether their employer’s invention—developed with the help of the party in front of them—is a failure. If the answer to that question is yes, goodbye New Era and the arbitrator’s job as an arbitrator—with any arbitration provider, forever.”

See the full judgment here.

Photo Credit: AI

ChatGPT is impressive out-of-the-box but challenging to apply to real-world problems. Area4 Labs and Hearby are building with AI technology to create a data-driven live event concierge.

The following comes from Hearby, a fast-emerging player in concert discovery and a DMN partner. Enjoy!

Full disclosure: “Train” when applied to Chat technology is the same “train” that we might apply to cats. That is, we ask them to do things they were going to do anyway in a way that doesn’t displease them, and then we figure out how to be happy with what they did.

This has been our biggest lesson in creating “Ask Hearby,” our AI chatbot music concierge. In this article, I’ll bring you behind the scenes on our AI adventure.

At Hearby, we aim to use technology to find and uplift grassroots music and help people find the wonderful music hidden right in their neighborhoods.  Whether you’re looking for a night of clubbing, a free classical concert, or music to keep the kid out of your hair, it’s all out there.  You may not realize there’s a great music venue right in the industrial park next door, on the dockyard of Liverpool, or in a thrift shop in London.

We want to get people exploring and finding music that they’ll love, and to do this, we spent a lot of time investing in fast search technologies, data-driven filters, and map visualizations. Then we ran right into the wall of ‘Too Much Stuff.’

Enter the chatbot, which allows fans to fast-forward and say what they want without going through all the tedious steps of searching, filtering, and reviewing results. It’s a lot of work for something that should be fun.

However, my experience with chatbots has been a big meh, and we wanted to do something more intriguing.

Our main product requirement was “be useful and don’t be irritating”.  Yes, it took us a long time to get that, and we fell off the dragon a few too many times. But seeing how this ubiquitous technology works and encouraging more ideas and dreams with it has been interesting.  At its core, it’s a foray into using a Large Language Model (LLM), and I will breathlessly say the possibilities are unlimited.

It took a while, but after several tries, we finally have something useful and entertaining to use. So here’s the behind-the-scenes on what we tried that didn’t work — and what finally did.

• • Train, train, and train again.
  • Give me all the data!  More data!
  • Hybrids: Just how many technologies can we cram in here?
  • It’s a sandwich.

So first, a little more about Training when it comes to Machine Learning.

I need to bring up the topic of training, partly for my snazzy title but also because it’s at the bottom of everything you’re hearing about AI.

To train ML, we first choose a neural net architecture, then give it a vast set of data items labeled with the correct answers (for example, Cat/Dog, T-shirt/Skirt, Pedestrian/Bollard).  This type of supervised learning is expensive in computing power, requiring a huge amount of ethically obtained, accurately labeled data. Training enables the ML architecture – the layers and feedback loops that make up the neural net  – to adjust to create maximally accurate predictions.  For example: “99% chance this image is a cat”.

Going beyond cat/dog to something actually relevant quickly gets expensive and time-consuming. It’s pretty much prohibitive on large data sets for all but the biggest players.  Enter LLMs, which come ready-trained on massive amounts of human text right out-of-the-box for anyone to use.

This is what powers our chat dragon: the ability to “understand” human language, figure out what is being asked, and create amazing responses in human language.  On the topic of whether there is any actual human-style understanding of concepts, I can start an argument in an empty room (so I won’t go there).  It doesn’t matter for our purposes as long as the output is accurate, useful, valuable, safe, and reliable.

This brings me to our challenge: how to make already trained chat technology do what we want.

For a small amount of money and a lot of delight, you can get a subscription to Open AI’s ChatGPT, which will happily write you a letter to Grandma, your term paper, or a pretty decent novel – at least better than anything I can write.  Whether soulless or best-selling is in the eye of the beholder, but I prefer to consider it a fantastic tool to help spur creativity.

But as impressive as this is, these out-of-the-box answers are standalone, and the type of chatbot we wanted to create is a conversation that builds as we go along, with context and informality, powered by accurate event, venue, and band data.  The challenge, then, is how to get a language-based model to incorporate this external data and use it in its responses and how to have the conversation build as it progresses (memory).

Data! Give me all the data!

The challenge is getting our data into ChatGPT to inform its responses.  In a “normal” program, this is a matter of, well, programming.  However, an LLM is different: rather than programming, information needs to be text-based to be taken on board.

It’s weird, but not so much when we remember this is a language model. This is precisely how we listen, take in new info, understand it, and use it to inform our actions.  In all fairness, the latest models also allow other forms of input, expanding beyond text input. But this is where it was when we started, so that’s where we began.

We started with text-to-sql, in which we describe in words how to find the answers to questions using the tables in our database. So, essentially, telling a programmer how to formulate database queries.  This sounded so crazy and improbable that we thought it just might actually work.

Sometimes, it did, but mostly, it sulked, made stuff up, or ignored us.  Or all of the above.  If you’re thinking cat again, I’m right there with you.

Bring in the hybrids.

So, we moved on to hybridizing and searching our database using ChatGPT for its language capabilities. Among the many challenges:

(1) Knowing what the fan is asking about – An event? A venue? A neighborhood? A genre? A person?

(2) Find the data in our database with a fuzzy search – the whole point of chatting is that the fan doesn’t have to be specific.

(3) Get the data into ChatGPT in words, which is all it understands.

(4) Receive a human-ready answer from ChatGPT.

(5) Augment that answer with links and images.

We quickly realized we needed to confirm it was using our data and not going elsewhere, which in LLM terms is called temperature.  Or, in human terms, don’t make stuff up!

It’s a sandwich

After a number of tries, we ended up with a workable sandwich of technologies: Bert NER to understand what the fan is asking about; specialized models to detect essential but idiosyncratic info like informal dates (“in 3 weeks”); a vector database to translate a fuzzy human question into something specific we can ask our already existing search capability; a layer to feed the search answer to ChatGPT in words, and then a method to receive the ChatGPT response in human language. And, finally, a layer to augment it with images and links.

Voila!  If this all sounds like a bit much, I get you.  But we were delighted to see that a fan can ask a reasonable question, “What’s on in London tonight?” or “Where can I take Aunt Nelly for a jazz brunch?” and get a believable answer that makes sense.

More interesting is that a fan can ask an unreasonable question and get an answer about music events or venues, and an explanation as to why, or, if it’s too far a stretch, simply a reasonable on-topic answer.  And, to put your mind at ease somewhat, some questions bring in the guard rails: “I cannot assist you with that”.

Onward!

In addition to our chatbot launching later this year, we are working on several other AI efforts, mainly in Machine Learning and classification. These are focused on highlighting the music scene for fans and encouraging them to explore and find new music and venues.  Off their sofas and into venues!

The chatbot has been a very interesting excursion for us into LLMs, which have enormous potential to change how we live with software. So, I hope this has shone a little light on this powerful technology for you.

We’re focused on music and using these incredible tools to uplift grassroots music. Still, I hope this gave you some ideas on how this kind of technology might help in your part of the music world – places where you want people to be able to get to the point faster, have informal access to better information, or be able to explore and expand on an idea on the fly.

Photo Credit: Rock the Country Music Festival

Rock the Country Music Festival announces ‘small town’ America tour, with stops in Little Rock, Arkansas; Knoxville, Tennessee; and more.

Rock the Country Music Festival has announced the two-day event, “A Festival for We the People,” will be returning to Anderson, SC, in July 2025 as it travels to 10 cities across the United States, bringing with it massive shows with unforgettable performances in “small town America.”

“Anderson definitely rocked it last year and we can’t wait to bring the excitement and energy back,” said Nathan Baugh, CEO of Peachtree Entertainment. “The second year of Rock the Country in Anderson will expand on last year’s experiences with a jam-packed variety of music performances, amazing food, and a sense of community that only they can offer.”

Fans can sign up to be the first to receive Rock the Country news, from the full lineup to ticket details, on which more information is forthcoming.

Rock the Country Music Festival: A Festival for We The People 2025

April

• 04-05 | Livingston, LA
• 25-26 | Knoxville, TN

May

• 02-03 | Poplar Bluff, MO
• 09-10 | Ocala, FL
• 30-31 | York, PA

June

• 13-14 | Hastings, MI
• 20-21 | Little Rock, AR

July

• 11-12 | Ashland, KY
• 18-19 | Sioux Falls, SD
• 25-26 | Anderson, SC

Peachtree Entertainment is a nationally acclaimed concert promoter committed to spotlighting rising talent. With over 15 years of expertise in the music industry, Peachtree Entertainment has earned its reputation as a leader and innovator in live music.

As pioneers in identifying and nurturing new talent, Peachtree Entertainment has played a key role in launching the touring careers of artists like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan, Gavin Adcock, and many more. Beyond tours, Peachtree’s outdoor event portfolio features iconic gatherings such as Rock The South, Rock The Country, Live At The Station, Bulls Bands and Barrels, among many others.

Peachtree Entertainment is a joint venture with LiveCo, a leading private equity-backed entertainment company producing over 3,000 live shows annually across multiple genres. Together, they contribute to shaping the live entertainment landscape, delivering unforgettable experiences nationwide and internationally. Peachtree remains dedicated to shaping the national country music scene, continuing its legacy of significant influence and success.

Photo Credit: United Way

United Way Worldwide and Paramount Global have teamed up to broadcast the United Way Benefit for Hurricane Relief. The event will air on Saturday, November 2 at 8 pm ET/PT on CBS and CMT. It will also be available to stream live on Paramount+.

The one-hour special will bring together some of the biggest names in music, television, and entertainment to mobilize communities and raise funds for relief and recovery after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Communities in the affected states have endured an estimated $50 billion in damage.

The special was taped October 27 and 28 in Nashville and proceeds from its airing will support hurricane relief and long-term recovery efforts and benefit individuals and families across the southeastern United States.

The United Way Benefit for Hurricane Relief will include performances from Brittney Spencer, Chris Janson, Clay Aiken, Jonathan McReynolds, and Tyler Hubbard with special messages and appearances by the Backstreet Boys, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Burke, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Cedric the Entertainer, Cody Alan, Jackson Dean, JB Smoove, Kelsea Ballerini, Max Thieriot, Nate Burleson, Stephen Colbert, Taye Diggs, Zac Brown Band, and more.

“In times of crisis, United Way mobilizes the caring power of communities to help people in need,” says Angela F. Williams, president & CEO of United Way Worldwide. “United Way Benefit for Hurricane Relief is an opportunity to unite people to help the individuals and families impacted by the devastating hurricanes. Because united is the way to create long-term and lasting resiliency for individuals, families, and communities.”

Several music figures have donated to hurricane relief including Morgan Wallen and Dolly Parton. Meanwhile, country stars like Luke Combs and Eric Church played the ‘Concert for Carolina’ benefit, which raised $24.5 million for hurricane relief efforts. Fellow North Carolinians Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, Parmalee, the Avett Brothers, and James Taylor also participated. Keith Urban, Bailey Zimmerman, and Sheryl Crow also took the stage in support of the relief effort.

In the last four years, United Way around the world have responded to more than 200 disasters, including droughts, water crises, hurricanes, fires, and floods. UWW has mobilized resources by facilitating more than $219 million in outside investments to support local recovery efforts.

Photo Credit: David Bergman

Concert for Carolina has raised over $24.5 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts, as fundraising continues with a silent auction.

The Concert for Carolina led by Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor has raised $24,513,185 and counting for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

Taking place this past Saturday at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, the record-breaking event welcomed 82,193 in-person attendees and is the largest concert ever for the venue. Additionally, the VEEPS livestream garnered 7.1 million total views, which came from across all 50 US states and 30 different countries.

“A montage of incredible performances, one-off collaborations, and awe-inspiring selections,” according to Rolling Stone, Concert for Carolina also featured performances from Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Bailey Zimmerman, The Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, Parmalee and Wesko, with surprise appearances from Nicole Kidman and Randy Travis. The show was hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley.

Even after the show, the Concert for Carolina team is still working to raise as much money as possible for hurricane relief efforts, including a special silent auction, which is open now. Auction items include the signed guitar and shirt that Combs used during the show, a meet and greet with Church at an upcoming concert, signed NFL, NBA, NCAA, and NASCAR gear, signed instruments, a variety of concert and game tickets, a selection of artwork, Yeti coolers, and much more.

All proceeds from the auction, benefit show, and livestream will go to the organizations selected by Combs and Church — Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, Eblen Charities, and the organizations supported by Chief Cares.

Concert for Carolina was made possible due to the support and extreme generosity of David and Nicole Tepper and Tepper Sports & Entertainment, Explore Asheville, Biltmore Estate, T-Mobile, Jack Daniel’s, Whataburger, Miller Lite, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Belk, Lowe’s, Atrium Health, Tractor Supply Company, Bank of America, American Airlines, Food Lion, Duke’s Mayo, GE Aerospace, Harris Teeter, Pinnacle Financial Partners, United Healthcare, Bud Light, Preferred Parking, Gildan, and AshBritt.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Ghost announces its largest world tour to date, with 55+ shows across the Europe, the UK, and North America next year.

Swedish theatrical rock band Ghost announced its biggest world tour to date, beginning with 55-plus shows across the US, Europe, the UK, and Mexico next year. The band will travel from Manchester on April 15 to some of the world’s most notable arenas — including their first ever show at Madison Square Garden on July 22. Further dates will be announced as they are confirmed.

The 2025 tour will be Ghost’s first outing since its RE-IMPERATOUR 2023 wrapped up its North American run with two sold-out shows at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Those performances were immortalized in the band’s debut feature film, “RITE HERE RITE NOW,” available now for pre-order on DVD, to stream at VEEPS, and to purchase or rent via iTunes or Amazon, and its accompanying soundtrack album.

News of the latest tour first broke via a new installment of Ghost’s long-running Chapters webisode series, which picks up immediately following the events at the conclusion of “RITE HERE RITE NOW.”

Tickets for the US dates will be available, starting with a Citi presale beginning today (October 29) at 10 AM local time, with the artist presale beginning just a couple hours later at noon. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, November 1 at 10 AM local time.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets for US markets until Thursday, October 31 at 10 PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program.

Europe and UK tickets are available starting with a Mastercard presale in select markets today, with the artist presale kicking off two hours later. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Thursday, October 31 at 10 AM in Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and at Friday, November 1 at 10 AM in the UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

Like Citi cardmembers in the US, Mastercard holders have special access to presale tickets in Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Italy, France, Netherlands, and Denmark. Preferred ticket access is available in the UK from Friday, November 1, at 10 AM local time.

Finally, tickets for Mexico are available starting today, with additional presales running throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Monday, November 4 at 11 AM local time.

Ghost World Tour 2025 Dates — North America & Europe

April

• 15 | AO Arena — Manchester, UK
• 16 | OVO Hydro — Glasgow, UK
• 19 | The O2 — London, UK
• 20 | Utilita Arena — Birmingham, UK
• 22 | Sportpaleis — Antwerp, BE
• 23 | Festhalle Frankfurt — Frankfurt, DE
• 24 | Olympiahalle — Munich, DE
• 26 | LDLC Arena — Lyon, FR
• 27 | Zénith Toulouse Métropole — Toulouse, FR
• 29 | MEO Arena — Lisbon, PT
• 30 | Palacio Vistalegre — Madrid, ES

May

• 03 | Hallenstadion Zürich — Zürich, CH
• 04 | Unipol Forum — Milan, IT
• 07 | Uber Arena — Berlin, DE
• 08 | Ziggo Dome — Amsterdam, NL
• 10 | Atlas Arena — Lodz, PL
• 11 | O2 Arena — Prague, CZ
• 13 | Accor Arena — Paris, FR
• 14 | Rudolf Weber-ARENA — Oberhausen, DE
• 15 | ZAG Arena — Hannover, DE
• 17 | Royal Arena — Copenhagen, DK
• 20 | Nokia Arena — Tampere, FI
• 22 | Saab Arena — Linköping, SE
• 23 | Göransson Arena — Sandviken, SE
• 24 | Oslo Spektrum — Oslo, NO

July

• 09 | CFG Bank Arena — Baltimore, MD
• 11 | State Farm Arena — Atlanta, GA
• 12 | Amalie Arena — Tampa, FL
• 13 | Kaseya Center — Miami, FL
• 15 | Lenovo Center — Raleigh, NC
• 17 | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — Cleveland, OH
• 18 | PPG Paints Arena — Pittsburgh, PA
• 19 | Wells Fargo Center — Philadelphia, PA
• 21 | TD Garden — Boston, MA
• 22 | Madison Square Garden — New York, NY
• 24 | Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, MI
• 25 | KFC Yum! Center — Louisville, KY
• 26 | Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, TN
• 28 | Van Andel Arena — Grand Rapids, MI
• 29 | Fiserv Forum — Milwaukee, WI
• 30 | Enterprise Center — St. Louis, MO

August

• 01 | Allstate Arena — Rosemont, IL
• 02 | Xcel Energy Center — Saint Paul, MN
• 03 | CHI Health Center — Omaha, NE
• 05 | T-Mobile Center — Kansas City, MO
• 07 | Ball Arena — Denver, CO
• 09 | MGM Grand Garden Arena — Las Vegas, NV
• 10 | Viejas Arena — San Diego, CA
• 11 | Footprint Center — Phoenix, AZ
• 14 | Moody Center — Austin, TX
• 15 | Dickies Arena — Fort Worth, TX
• 16 | Toyota Center — Houston, TX

September

• 24 | Palacio de los Deportes — Mexico City, MX

Photo Credit: Dena Flows / CC by 3.0

Earlier this year, Forbes announced Bruce Springsteen is a billionaire after his $500 million catalog sale. But The Boss disputes that claim, saying the outlet “got that real wrong.”

In a report back in July 2024, Forbes “conservatively” estimated The Bosses’ six-decades of work to be worth $1.1 billion. Forbes says that figure accounts for his 21 studio albums, seven live albums, and five EPs, which have collectively sold over 140 million albums globally. The accounting includes his bestselling memoir and 236 sold-out Broadway performances. The $500 million catalog sale to Sony in 2021 is part of the foundation, but Springsteen’s world tour in 2023 sold 1.6 million tickets and generated $380 million in revenue, per Pollstar data.

“I’m not a billionaire,” Bruce Springsteen recently told The Telegraph, directly refuting claims made by Forbes’ estimates. “I wish I was, but they got that real wrong. I’ve spent too much money on superfluous things.” Springsteen says he wanted to enjoy his good fortune because he put the work in across several decades.

“That’s usually where people go south,” Springsteen says of those who laud money as the end goal. “If I had failed at that, I would have failed at everything, in my opinion.” Springsteen says part of his reasoning for not being a billionaire on paper as Forbes estimates is that he compensates his E Street Band very well.

“I pay them a tremendous amount of money,” Springsteen said at a recent showing of his new documentary in London. “That greases the wheels pretty good. And then I’m a pretty nice boss. The truth is you need to cast your band well. If you get the art right, the music right, and the band right, you go out and play every night like it’s your last night on Earth. That was the serial philosophy of the band, and we’re sticking to it.”

So while The Boss may be being modest about his net worth here, it’s probably no surprise that he’s not exactly clocking the billionaire marker for himself. He’s bought properties, kept the E Street Band happy, and continues to tour. A biopic about his life will be released sometime in 2025 with Jeremy Allen White tapped to portray the New Jersey native.

A performance from Alice Cooper at Wacken Open Air, one of the festivals under the Superstruct banner. Photo Credit: Frank Schwichtenberg

About four months after KKR revealed the acquisition of Superstruct Entertainment, CVC has officially taken a stake in the European concert giant.

Luxembourg-headquartered CVC just recently announced that it had moved to get in on the live entertainment action, after the BMG stakeholder KKR in June unveiled the reportedly $1.4 billion purchase of Superstruct.

Founded in 2017, the events organizer is said to own north of 80 festivals, among them Wacken Open Air and Tinderbox, held across 10 countries. KKR’s initial buyout disclosure didn’t mention CVC, but the latter says it’s “invested alongside” the original purchaser, with the appropriate transaction having “now closed.”

Unsurprisingly, the parties opted against diving into the financials associated with CVC’s involvement. However, CVC, which trades under the same ticker on the Euronext Amsterdam and is said to have over $200 billion in assets under management, is poised to help Superstruct on “its mission of creating best-in-class live experiences,” according to the brass-tacks release.

That refers in part to “working closely with entrepreneurs, creative visionaries and business-minded professionals” to assist Superstruct in “driving innovation and setting the standards for live entertainment,” the overview-focused text proceeds.

While the former Stage Entertainment owner CVC’s precise contributions to the post-sale Superstruct remain to be seen, it’s worth noting that the investment firm’s portfolio extends to multiple digital marketing businesses, Authentic Brands Group, at least one travel agency, and a whole lot else.

Bigger picture, despite festival-attendance woes, the collapse of Festicket, and the ongoing dominance of Live Nation, KKR and CVC are hardly alone in looking to cash in on the live space.

(Incidentally, Live Nation’s shares cracked another 52-week high, this time of $119.40 apiece, yesterday. Still staring down a Justice Department antitrust suit, the Ticketmaster parent is scheduled to post its third-quarter earnings on November 12th.)

CTS Eventim over the summer closed its approximately $330 million purchase of various Vivendi ticketing and festival assets outside France.  Also on the ticketing front, notwithstanding Festicket’s mentioned demise, the likes of TickPick and Seat Unique have scored sizable investments on the year.

In keeping with the apparent investor optimism fueling those investments, another ticketing platform yet, Dice, is reportedly exploring a sale that would value it in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, though the process has experienced multiple delays, StubHub’s sought $16.5 billion IPO reportedly remains on the table.

Photo Credit: Simon Everett

Oasis fans in the UK who purchased tickets from a reseller may be SOL—Live Nation and SJM have announced over 50,000 tickets for the UK shows will be invalidated for being resold.

When the tour dates for Oasis Live ‘25 reunion tour were announced earlier this year, Ticketmaster had a spate of 1.4 million tickets to hawk. The ticket seller says more than 10 million people attempted to purchase those tickets, and within hours of going on sale, some of these tickets appeared on secondary ticketing sites selling for thousands above face value.

Live Nation and SJM confirmed to the BBC that around 4% of those tickets ended up on resale sites, which puts the estimate of impacted tickets around 50,000. Tickets that made their way to secondary ticketing sites outside of Ticketmaster or its resale partner Twickets will be invalidated in the coming days. Anyone who purchased through a secondary ticket seller will be impacted.

“These terms and conditions were successfully put in place to take action against secondary ticketing companies reselling tickets for a huge profit,” a Live Nation spokesperson confirmed to the BBC. “Only four percent of tickets have ended up on resale sites. Some major tours can see up to 20% of tickets appearing via the major unauthorized secondary platforms.”

“All parties involved with the tour continue to urge fans not to purchase tickets from unauthorized websites as some of these may be fraudulent and others subject to cancellation,” the statement continues.

Despite the warning of ticket invalidation, secondary ticketing website Viagogo says it will continue to offer Oasis Live ‘25 ticket resales. “2% of Oasis tickets are on Viagogo and StubHub,” Matt Drew, an oversee of business development for Viagogo told the BBC. “We will continue to sell them in the way that the regulator says we can. We are serving a clear consumer need, we will continue doing it on that basis.”

The UK Oasis dates were sold with dynamic pricing, which saw the ‘face value’ of tickets rise to as high as £350 for tickets with a face value of £150. When the US tour dates were announced earlier this year, Oasis announced those tour dates would not use dynamic pricing after the massive backlash from fans, describing it as an “unacceptable experience” for UK fans.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Rüfüs Du Sol announce their Inhale/Exhale World Tour has sold over half a million tickets across the tour, with over 30 sold-out shows worldwide.

EDM trio Rüfüs Du Sol has announced their Inhale/Exhale World Tour 2025 has sold over half a million tickets so far across the tour, with 30-plus sold-out shows. In particular, the group has seen standout success in major markets, including their native Australia, Europe, the UK, and North America.

Sellout highlights include the biggest headline shows of their career, such as a Rose Bowl Stadium show (Pasadena, CA), two nights at New York Red Bulls Arena (Harrison, NJ), and a unique expanded and immersive one-night-only performance at Crystal Palace Park (London). The band has also sold out five hometown Australia shows, including three nights at Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne) and two nights at Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney).

Last week, the band added 10 new shows to their upcoming world tour to meet the overwhelming fan demand. This includes third shows added in Melbourne and Sydney, a second show in Brisbane, and extra dates in Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, New York, and Toronto, further solidifying their status as one of the biggest live electronic acts today. The global total now stands at 47 headline shows across four continents, making this their biggest outing yet.

“Touring has always been a way for us to connect with our fans on a deeper level, and seeing this global response to Inhale/Exhale has been moving,” said Rüfüs Du Sol. “We can’t wait to share these moments with everyone next year.”

Rüfüs Du Sol Inhale/Exhale World Tour 2025 Dates

March

• 12 | Estadio 3 de Marzo — Guadalajara, MX
• 14 | Estadio Banorte — Monterrey, MX
• 19 | Costa 21 — Lima, PE
• 21 | Lollapalooza Chile — Santiago, CL | FESTIVAL
• 23 | Lollapalooza — Buenos Aires, AR | FESTIVAL
• 26 | Qualistage — Rio de Janeiro, BR
• 28 | Lollapalooza Brazil — São Paulo, BR | FESTIVAL
• 30 | Estéreo Picnic — Bogotá, CO | FESTIVAL

April

• 23 | Dos Equis Pavilion — Dallas, TX | SOLD OUT
• 24 | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion — The Woodlands, TX | SOLD OUT
• 26 | Q2 Stadium — Austin, TX | SOLD OUT
• 27 | Walmart AMP — Rogers, AR
• 30 | Lakewood Amphitheatre — Atlanta, GA

May

• 01 | MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre — Tampa, FL | SOLD OUT
• 03 | Bayfront Park — Miami, FL | SOLD OUT
• 06 | Ascend Amphitheater — Nashville, TN | SOLD OUT
• 08 | Merriweather Post Pavilion — Columbia, MD | SOLD OUT
• 09 | Coastal Credit Union Music Park — Raleigh, NC
• 10 | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater — Virginia Beach, VA

June

• 10 | Plaza Mayor at Poble Espanyol — Barcelona, SP | NEW & SOLD OUT
• 11 | Plaza Mayor at Poble Espanyol — Barcelona, SP | SOLD OUT
• 14 | Uber Eats Music Hall — Berlin, DE | SOLD OUT
• 15 | Uber Eats Music Hall — Berlin, DE | NEW & SOLD OUT
• 17 | AFAS Live — Amsterdam, NL | SOLD OUT
• 18 | AFAS Live — Amsterdam, NL | NEW & SOLD OUT
• 21 | Auditorium Cavea — Rome, IT | SOLD OUT
• 24 | Zénith — Paris, FR | SOLD OUT

July

• 05 | Crystal Palace Park — London, UK | SOLD OUT
• 25 | Red Bull Arena — New York / New Jersey, NJ | SOLD OUT
• 26 | Red Bull Arena — New York / New Jersey, NJ | NEW & SOLD OUT
• 27 | Xfinity Center — Mansfield, MA | SOLD OUT
• 29 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, ON | SOLD OUT
• 30 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, ON | NEW & SOLD OUT

August

• 03 | Ruoff Music Center — Noblesville, IN
• 05 | Pine Knob Music Theatre — Clarkston, MI
• 09 | DICK’s Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City, CO | SOLD OUT
• 10 | Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre — West Valley City, UT
• 12 | Hayden Homes Amphitheater — Bend, OR | SOLD OUT
• 14 | Shoreline Amphitheatre — San Francisco Bay Area, CA | SOLD OUT
• 16 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles, CA | SOLD OUT

November

• 07 | RAC Arena — Perth, AU | SOLD OUT
• 11 | Adelaide Entertainment Centre — Adelaide, AU
• 13 | Rod Laver Arena — Melbourne, AU | SOLD OUT
• 14 | Rod Laver Arena — Melbourne, AU | NEW & SOLD OUT
• 15 | Rod Laver Arena — Melbourne, AU | NEW & SOLD OUT
• 20 | Qudos Bank Arena — Sydney, AU | SOLD OUT
• 21 | Qudos Bank Arena — Sydney, AU | NEW & SOLD OUT
• 22 | Qudos Bank Arena — Sydney, AU | NEW
• 25 | Brisbane Entertainment Centre — Brisbane, AU
• 26 | Brisbane Entertainment Centre — Brisbane, AU | NEW
• 29 | The Outer Fields at Western Springs — Auckland, NZ

Rüfüs Du Sol is also partnering with Notes for Notes to fundraise for the launch of a new recording studio to give youth free access to a safe space to explore, create, and record music. Notes for Notes is dedicated to providing youth with free access to music instruments, instruction, and recording studio environments so that music may become a positive and profound influence in their lives. Live Nation is also making a generous contribution to further support Notes for Notes’ impactful work.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation Urban and Amazon Music join forces to livestream Lil’ WeezyAna Fest, available on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.

Live Nation Urban and Amazon Music have joined forces to livestream the sold-out Lil’ WeezyAna Fest exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The highly anticipated event kicks off on Saturday, November 2, broadcast live from Smoothie King Center in Lil Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans, starting at 7:30 PM CT.

Presented by Rotation, the hip-hop and R&B brand from Amazon Music, the festival’s livestream will be hosted by influential hip-hop commentators Loren Lorosa, Mouse Jones, and Wayno.

Following its announcement in September, Lil’ WeezyAna Fest sold out instantly. The lineup includes a Hot Boys reunion with Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., and Turk, plus sets from Big Tymers (Birdman and Mannie Fresh), Rob49, and more. Through the livestream, Amazon Music and Live Nation Urban will provide fans with the unique opportunity to take part in the festivities from the comfort of their homes, sharing a taste of New Orleans with the rest of the world.

In addition to Lil’ WeezyAna Fest, Live Nation Urban and Lil Wayne have an exciting weekend in store for New Orleans, beginning with the DJ Drama & Friends Pre-Party at 7:00 PM CT on Friday, November 1. The following day, Lil Wayne brings Weezycon, which will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM CT at The Fillmore.

The free event will be hosted by Culture Creators and feature inspiring conversations from the likes of HaSizzle, Tarionna Tank Ball (Tank of “Tank and The Bangas”), Sony Digital, and more. Capping off the weekend will be a special Thank You Brunch on Sunday, November 3, hosted by Cita and Reginae Carter with Rude Jude.

Since 2015, Lil Wayne has hosted one of the most dynamic events for his hometown of New Orleans. Lil’ WeezyAna Fest has cemented itself as an annual homecoming for Wayne that celebrates the city’s musical history and is a way for him to give back to the community.

Photo Credit: U.S. State Department / Recording Academy (Dolly Parton)

The U.S. State Department and the Recording Academy announced Dolly Parton has received the 2024 Peace Through Music Award.

The award honors American music industry professionals, artists, or groups who play an invaluable role in cross-cultural exchanges and whose music work advances peace and mutual understanding globally.

Parton was celebrated at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles where she gave her acceptance speech in an event hosted by the Recording Academy and the U.S. Department of State. The event also recognizes the first-ever cohort of the American Music Mentorship Program.

“Over the course of her career, Dolly Parton has been committed to enriching communities across the globe, and it’s a privilege to celebrate her dedication to service with the Peace Through Music Award Today,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “We are grateful to partner with the Department of State on the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, which represents an important part of the Academy’s work to support music people across the globe.”

Dolly Parton is an icon and a force in the music industry, reaching audiences at home and abroad for generations. She was chosen because she embodies all that the Peace Through Music Award represents—understanding, peace, inclusion, and unity. Her selection this year is grounded in her music and public persona and her commitment to children’s education through her Imagination Library. She was also instrumental in funding research for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Dolly Parton represents the best of America—her excellence in music, her servant’s heart in giving back to those in need, and her unique ability to always bring people together,” adds Lee Satterfield, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. “On behalf of the American people and Secretary of State Blinken, we are honored to celebrate all of her contributions to people around the world with the Peace Through Music Award.”

The Peace Through Music Award is determined through a nomination process, with U.S. embassies from around the globe submitting nominations to be considered by a selection committee created jointly by both the State Department and the Recording Academy. The selection committee is represented by Recording Academy members, U.S. Department of State leadership, music industry professionals, and academia. The recommended honorees are approved by the CEO of the Recording Academy, then presented to the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, who makes the final determination.

Photo Credit: Tool Live in Birmingham by Lugnuts / CC by 4.0

Tool announces an all-inclusive destination festival for superfans in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Maynard James Keenan’s prog metal band Tool has announced an all-inclusive destination festival at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino & Royalton Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The three-day event takes place from March 7 through March 9, 2025, headlined by Tool, with Primus, Mastodon, and more.

The festival will also feature Coheed and Cambria, Eagles of Death Metal, King’s X, Fishbone, Wheel, CKY, and Moonwalker. Tool will play two unique sets over the weekend, joined by their longtime visual collaborators Alex Grey and Allyson Grey. To make the event a reality and mark the band’s first performance in the Caribbean, Tool is partnering with live event company Festication.

Tickets for “Tool Live in the Sand” will go on sale first for members of the band’s official fan club, the Tool Army, beginning Tuesday, October 29, at 10 AM PST. Existing members will receive a unique code enabling them to purchase passes before the general sale. The general on-sale starts Wednesday, October 30, at 10 AM PST.

Packages include a luxury resort room, unlimited food and drinks for each guest, and three days of music. Off-site excursions will also be available, including snorkeling, catamaran expeditions, rappelling, visits to eco-parks, and more activities. All packages and general ticket info can be found on the official website.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to share the news that Primus, Mastodon, and Coheed and Cambria will be joining us for our first-ever Caribbean performance at ‘Tool in the Sand,’” said the band’s bassist, Justin Chancellor. “2025 is shaping up nicely. See you all there for what should be an unforgettable weekend of music!”

Fans of Tool singer Keenan’s other bands, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, can catch them next spring at the Sessanta 2.0 Tour alongside Primus. That outing kicks off on April 24 in Palm Springs, California, running through June 7 in Auburn, Washington, with stops in Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Philadelphia, and more.

Photo Credit: Michael Rapino

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino is being deposed in ongoing litigation surrounding the Astroworld case following the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling.

Despite Live Nation’s insistence that CEO Michael Rapino had no reason to be deposed over the deadly crowd crush event during Astroworld in 2021, the Texas Supreme Court sees things differently.

Rapino is being deposed in the ongoing litigation over the tragedy after the Texas Supreme Court agreed with the victims’ lawyers that the Live Nation CEO had direct involvement in key decisions. In a ruling last week, the court denied Live Nation’s petition seeking to block the deposition.

Live Nation’s attorneys argued Rapino was the sort of high-level “apex” executive who simply can’t be dragged into court cases, asserting that he was far removed from the actual decision-making surrounding the festival.

But the victims’ attorneys insisted that Rapino’s role in Astroworld was much more direct than the company would admit. Part of their evidence to that end included an email Rapino sent on the night of the disaster, instructing Live Nation’s festival director to wait for more information about the total death toll before canceling the rest of the festival. In that email, Rapino wrote, “If 5 died we would cancel.”

“Live Nation claims that Rapino was not the decision maker on whether to cancel the festival,” wrote the victims’ attorneys. “This email proves otherwise, and plaintiffs want an opportunity to examine Rapino about it.”

The ruling comes almost three years after the incident at the 2021 Astroworld festival during Travis Scott’s headlining set that left 10 dead and hundreds more injured. The tragedy led to hundreds of lawsuits against organizer Live Nation, Scott, and other key figures, seeking billions in damages altogether. Some of those cases have been settled privately, but some victims and their families are still moving toward a jury trial.

It’s as yet unknown when Rapino’s deposition will ultimately take place.

Machine Gun Kelly wrapping the North American leg of his Mainstream Sellout Tour. Photo Credit: Amber Patrick

The NFL has officially tapped Machine Gun Kelly for a halftime performance at its final international game of the 2024 season.

The league confirmed MGK’s headlining halftime slot just moments ago, ahead of the Carolina Panthers’ November 10th clash with the New York Giants in Munich. According to the NFL – and as backed up by multiple YouTube videos – Germany-based football fans, notwithstanding the over 4,000 miles separating them from West Virginia, are big into “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

As described by the NFL, Machine Gun Kelly will “pay homage” to the John Denver classic with his recently released “Lonely Road,” which interpolates the 1971 hit. (Jelly Roll, who also recorded the newer song, will be in Indiana to deliver a concert on the same day as the Munich game.)

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Machine Gun Kelly to the stage as the halftime performer for the 2024 NFL Game in Munich — capping off an incredible season of international games with a performance from one of the most dynamic talents in music today,” NFL director of event and game presentation Tim Tubito elaborated in part.

Stateside, the early morning game (scheduled for a 6:30 AM PT kickoff) as well as the halftime show will air exclusively on the NFL Network, with MGK’s set poised to arrive on social media sometime later in the day.

Shifting the focus to the bigger picture, music is playing an increasingly significant role in the football world – and not solely when it comes to the Super Bowl’s Apple Music-sponsored Halftime Show.

Amazon Music Live, having followed Prime-exclusive Thursday Night Football broadcasts with livestream music for years now, initiated 2024’s seven-concert series last week with the aforementioned Jelly Roll.

Meanwhile, in terms of forthcoming performance opportunities at NFL games in Europe and elsewhere, the league has already confirmed it’ll take a regular-season game to Madrid in 2025. Overall, next year will bring as many as “eight league-operated international games,” up from four and not including additional “club-operated games, such as the Jaguars hosting a game at Wembley Stadium in the U.K.,” per the Jay-Z partnered league.

Despite these points, recent headlines haven’t been entirely positive at the intersection of football and music. The legendary Lil Wayne, a longtime Packers fan and a New Orleans native, has spoken publicly about being snubbed from the Kendrick Lamar-headlined Halftime Show at Super Bowl LIX, which will take place in his hometown on February 9th.

Photo Credit: AXS

AXS has announced a collaboration with the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado to integrate tickets at the venue with Apple Wallet.

The new feature will debut with the upcoming Shawn Mendes concert at Red Rocks on October 28. Mendes is playing the iconic amphitheatre in support of his new album Shawn, which is dropping on November 15. This partnership between AXS and Red Rocks for Apple Wallet ticket integration will continue throughout the 2024 season.

After a Red Rocks Amphitheatre ticket has been added to Apple Wallet, fans can then access real-time information and features at their fingertips. That includes key event details such as venue maps, parking information, and direct links to services such as mobile food ordering, ticket management, and more. Fans can also access an Apple Music playlist, check local weather forecasts, and location sharing to help friends find them when they arrive at the venue. That’s extremely useful at Red Rocks, where internet connections can be spotty.

“We are incredibly proud to collaborate with Apple to bring the new event tickets in Apple Wallet to Red Rocks Amphitheatre,” says Justin Burleigh, Chief Product Officer at AXS. “This will make one of the most iconic venues even more special and engaging for our fans.”

“The Apple Wallet integration is the next cool iteration of an upgraded fan experience for Red Rocks fans,” adds Red Rocks spokesperson Brian Kitts. “Our partners at AXS are providing new ways to see a favorite artist and Red Rocks features including maps, friend finders, and more.”

Fans who want to add their AXS tickets to Apple Wallet will need to be on the latest version of iOS 18.0 or later. The enhanced ticketing experience is available for all events at Red Rocks sold through AXS.com and will continue to be rolled out at additional AXS ticketed venues. The move follows Ticketmaster, who became the first to integrate their tickets with Apple Wallet earlier this month.

Ticketmaster’s implementation used the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) as their guinea pig event, so AXS is stepping up with the first music integration. AXS is the ticketing partner of choice for 1,300 brands in sports an entertainment including Coachella, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The O2, BNP Paribas Open, and more.

Photo Credit: The Independent

Romanian officials have indicted rapper Wiz Khalifa after he lit up and smoked a joint on-stage at the Beach Please! festival on the Black Sea coast.

Local news sources report that prosecutors from the country’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) have indicted the rapper under his real name—Cameron Jibril Thomaz. The indictment for illicit drug use comes after an investigation by the Costanta Territorial Service.

Wiz Khalifa was arrested on July 13 after performing his set at the Beach Please! Festival in Costinesti. The rapper later took to social media to apologize for the incident, saying he didn’t mean any disrespect when he lit the joint on-stage.

“Last night’s show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up onstage,” Wiz Khalifa wrote on X/Twitter. “They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time.”

According to DIICOT officials, when the rapper was arrested he was found to be in possession of over 18 grams of cannabis and “consumed another amount of cannabis in the form of an artisanal cigarette.” Possession of any amount of cannabis is illegal in Romania and could carry with it a sentence between three months and two years.

Wiz Khalifa has several high profile cannabis brands in the United States and often regularly tweets about the amount of weed he smokes. He operates Khalifa Kush, a cannabis brand build around a strain of weed developed specifically for the brand in the early 2010s. In 2023, the rapper took to Twitter to state he planned to get high before throwing the first pitch at a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Guardians.

“Finna get stoned af and throw this first pitch at the pirates game,” the rapper wrote on X/Twitter. Just a few minutes later, he sent a follow up: “Shroomed out throwin’ a baseball is crazy.”

Total CISAC member collections from live and public performance usages, 2017-2023. Photo Credit: CISAC

CISAC member societies achieved 7.6% year-over-year collections growth to hit a record $14.14 billion/€13.09 billion in 2023 – including $12.69 billion/€11.75 billion specifically for music usages (also up 7.6% YoY).

The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) revealed these stats in its 2024 annual report, which is based on data from 227 member CMOs. Diving directly into the relevant numbers, the €13.09 billion in total collections marks a nearly 30% improvement from pre-pandemic 2019, the resource shows.

Behind the 2023 sum for music, $3.65 billion/€3.38 billion derived from television and radio (down 28% from 2019; the same category slipped about 4% YoY for all collections), $4.89 billion/€4.53 billion came from digital (up 2,463% from 2019), and $3.31 billion/€3.06 billion was attributed to live and public performance usages (up 345% from 2019 and, once again for total collections, 22% YoY).

Like total collections, overall live/background has now rebounded well past 2019 levels ($3.14 billion/€2.91 billion) due in part to recoveries throughout Latin America and Asia-Pacific, according to the analysis.

Furthermore, an increasingly AI-focused CISAC noted that live music had continued to outpace the public performance category’s other areas for growth across 2019 and 2023 – with, for instance, a 24% expansion (from 2019) for live to $1.11 billion/€1.031 billion compared to a 6.1% improvement for background music (€1.032 billion).

At the risk of diving too far into the breakdown – CISAC’s 2024 report runs over 60 pages and covers a substantial amount of ground – the data suggests that live/background recoveries are still picking up in regions like the aforementioned Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Eastern Europe.

A telling recap of CISAC members’ 2023 live and background collections by region. Photo Credit: CISAC

Meanwhile, digital’s 9.6% YoY royalties jump (overall and for music in particular) did, of course, derive in large part from streaming.

However, against the backdrop of relative subscribership plateaus in established markets, it was the category’s first single-digit boost since at least 2019 and marked a fall from 35.1% YoY growth in 2022, the resource indicates.

Closing by rounding out 2023’s music-specific collection figures, CD and video kicked in $410.36 million/€380 million (down 40% from 2019), private copying contributed $300.18 million/€278 million (up 59% from 2019), and other sources generated the remaining $136.08 million/€126 million (up 22% from 2019).

Digital accounted for 87.2% of 2023’s music collections, and in terms of percentage royalties growth by region, Latin America (up 26.2% YoY to $749.45 million/€694 million) and Europe (up 8.3% YoY to $6.49 billion/€6.01 billion) led the pack, according to the report.

Lastly, the top-10 countries by music collections (save Japan and Spain, both down 3% YoY) turned in largely modest growth, with stronger results in Italy (up 22.3% to $539.95 million/€500 million) and South Korea (up 9.6% YoY to $323.94 million/€300 million).

Photo Credit: Simon Emmett

Following the announcement of the return of Oasis to North America for their long-awaited reunion tour, several new dates have been added.

The OASIS LIVE ‘25 world tour produced by Live Nation has seen overwhelming demand across all announced dates. New dates will see Oasis play two nights each at stadiums in Toronto, East Rutherford, Los Angeles, and Mexico City. They’ll appear for one night in Chicago, with Cage the Elephant supporting the tour as a special guest for all the announced dates.

Ticket sales for the Oasis tour have been insane, leading to high demand among secondary ticket markets. Following the backlash of high ticket prices for their announced UK tour dates, the duo issued a statement saying they would not use Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing for concert sales in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

“When unprecedented ticket demand (where the entire tour could be sold many times over at the moment tickets go on sale) is combined with technology that cannot cope with that demand, [dynamic pricing] becomes less effective and can lead to an unacceptable experience for fans,” Oasis said in a statement. “We have made this decision for the North America tour to hopefully avoid a repeat of the issues fans in the UK and Ireland experienced recently.”

All of the UK and Ireland dates announced for the original tour run have sold out, with tickets available on the secondary market for exorbitant prices. Tickets on the Ticketmaster Verified Resale platform are currently going for €463.65 each ($499) for essentially nosebleed tickets.

FULL OASIS LIVE ‘25 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

August 2025

• 08 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, ON
• 09 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, ON (JUST ADDED)
• 28 | Soldier Field — Chicago, IL
• 31 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ

September 2025

• 01 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ (JUST ADDED)
• 06 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles, CA
• 07 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles, CA (JUST ADDED)
• 12 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, MX
• 13 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, MX (JUST ADDED)

Photo Credit: Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is announcing the world premiere of her new symphonic experience, ‘Threads: My Songs in Symphony’ with the Nashville Symphony in March 2025. After that, select stops around the United States will continue throughout 2025 and 2026. Tickets go on sale for the Nashville appearance on November 1.

‘Threads: My Songs in Symphony’ features Dolly’s music and the stories behind them in an innovative multimedia symphonic experience. Dolly will lead audiences on screen in a visual-musical journey of her songs, her life, and her story.

“The threads of my life are woven together through my songs. That’s why this proejct, ‘Threads: My Songs In Symphony’ is so special to me,” Dolly Parton says. “It’s about sharing my music and my musical journey with audiences in a new way. I’m really excited for fans to experience it for the first time with the Nashville Symphony!”

The symphonic performance will include Parton’s beloved hits including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You,” in addition to her personal favorites. The world premiere performance will take place on March 20, 2025 in Nashville with the Nashville Symphony, led by Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez and will include a special appearance by Dolly Parton.

Following the world premiere, performances will take place across the United States in the 2025/2026 season. The initial list of orchestras include:

• March 20, 2025 — Nashville Symphony Orchestra
• May 17, 2025 — Fort Wayne Philharmonic
• June 17, 2025 — Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
• June 29, 2025 — San Diego Symphony Orchestra
• September 7, 2025 — The Cleveland Orchestra
• September 18-20, 2025 — Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
• October 10, 2025 — The Alabama Symphony Orchestra (Birmingham)
• January 23-25, 2026 — Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
• February 14-15, 2026 — Oregon Symphony (Portland)
• March 28, 2026 — Phoenix Symphony Orchestra
• May 1, 2026 — Eugene Symphony Orchestra

‘Threads: My Songs in Symphony’ is produced by Dolly Parton together with Schirmer Theatrical and Sony Music Publishing. You can sign up for notifications and on-sale information at Dolly’s Symphony website.

Parton’s current album Rockstar made history by scoring the biggest album debut sales week of her seven-decade career and earning her six #1s on the Billboard charts — Top Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Country Albums, Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, and Independent Albums. Rockstar landed at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart, her highest position on that chart in her career.

Photo Credit: BMG x Tomorrowland Music

Tomorrowland Music has announced an exclusive deal with BMG to manage and administer the company’s music publishing rights. BMG will also co-sign new songwriters and producers. The partnership marks a significant step in Tomorrowland Music’s growth as a full-service music company.

The collaboration with BMG enhances Tomorrowland Music’s ability to offer more comprehensive services to the electronic music industry. Building on its recorded music division the label has seen steady releases from top global electronic music artists including Vintage Culture, Martin Garrix, Alok, Timmy Trumpet, Jengi, Denis Sulta, and many more.

Tomorrow Music has expanded its operation into a full-service music operation that includes a team of A&Rs, marketing and DSP specialists, a sync manager, and finance and legal support. With the addition of a dedicated publishing team through this new partnership with BMG, Tomorrowland Music is set to offer even stronger support to the global electronic music community—particularly in music creation and sync opportunities.

“Tomorrowland Music aims to collaborate with the world’s best electronic music producers and writers, helping them create exceptional music that resonates globally,” says Michel Van Buyten, Head of Tomorrowland Music. “Leveraging the power of the broader Tomorrowland and CORE ecosystems, the partnership with BMG will push the boundaries of what electronic music can achieve.”

“Our first Lab of Tomorrow songwriting camp brought together 32 artists and songwriters in three studios, resulting in amazingly creative collaborations and unforgettable moments,” adds Erroll Antonie, BMG Senior Director of A&R. “Goodboys and Blazey performed a song they wrote during the camp on the Tomorrowland main stage; Henri PFR, Repiet and Julia Kleijn, performed a song they wrote and recorded in just two days at The Gathering, Tomorrowland’s campsite. Tomorrowland Music and BMG have the capability to bring the most inspiring people together at exactly the right time.”

Photo Credit: jelly Roll testifying before U.S. Congress / C-SPAN

Jelly Roll puts the music world on blast, vowing to expose the “slimy” music business, accusing major companies of buying fake streams. “This whole thing is smoke and mirrors, y’all,” the star says on social media.

Jelly Roll recently took to the former Twitter to announce his intentions to expose “how slimy the music business is.” His message asserts that fellow rapper and songwriter Russ, who took the internet by storm earlier this year for his claims about the music industry, was entirely correct.

“Learned a lot about how slimy the music business is this week,” wrote Jelly Roll. “Don’t worry — y’all know I’m going to expose it soon. This whole thing is smoke and mirrors, y’all. All that s—t Russ be talking about is real!”

Earlier this year, New Jersey native Russ spoke on Andrew Schulz’s podcast “Flagrant,” accusing major record labels and companies of buying fake streams.

“I learned that the whole industry is ran by […] a couple people,” said Russ. “You know that guy at Spotify, that guy at Apple; you know this person at Rhythm Radio and this person at Urban Radio… Between four people, you can run the whole s—t.”

“Album goes #1, but then they can’t fill up a show,” Russ explained. “So the math is not mathing. […] The reality is the labels are spending money [to fake streams] — devil’s advocate, they’re treating it like a marketing expense.”

Russ said that although he had asked certain music industry elites about the logistics, none had disclosed to him “the mechanics of how they actually fake the streams.”

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, previously collaborated with Russ on the song “Really Gone.” In what capacity the rapper-turned-singer intends to expose the claims about the music industry made by Russ remains to be seen.

Photo Credit: Sand in my Boots

Country superstar Morgan Wallen is throwing his own music festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama—borrowing the title of one of his hits. The ‘Sand In My Boots’ Festival will be produced in conjunction with AEG.

Hitting the beach in Gulf Shores from May 16-18, the festival will be a multi-genre bash featuring some of Wallen’s closest friends and favorite artists. Headliners for the three-day festival include Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, Brooks & Dunn, and Hardy—with performances by many other artists from several different genres.

“Creating a festival with Morgan has been a dream come true, and some of the most fun I have ever had booking a show,” adds Stacey Vee, EVP of Goldenvoice and Producer of Stagecoach. “I can’t wait for fans to come and experience one of the most eclectic and electric lineups and on-site experiences the world has ever seen.

While the Morgan Wallen-led festival is new, it takes the place of the Hangout Festival, which was slated to take place at the same time. The former music festival will not take place in 2025 and its future is unclear. For fans who want to attend the Sand In My Boots festival, access passes are available via the official website. Fans can reserve tickets for 25% down and hotel packages are available. General admission and VIP tickets will go on sale starting October 25 at 10 am CST.

So far, the announced line-up for Sand in My Boots includes:

• Riley Green
• Bailey Zimmerman
• T-Pain
• Diplo
• Wiz Khalifa
• The War on Drugs
• 2 Chainz
• Chase Rice
• Three 6 Mafia
• 3 Doors Down
• Paul Cauthen
• Future Islands
• Ernest
• Ian Munsick
• Nate Smith
• Moneybagg Yo
• Treaty Oak Revival
• Ella Langley
• Kameron Marlowe
• 49 Winchester
• Josh Ross
• Morgan Wade
• Hailey Whitters
• Ole 60
• Bigxthaplug
• Real Estate
• Lauren Watkins
• Wild Nothing
• John Morgan
• Laci Kaye Booth

Photo Credit: Chrissie Hynde by Peter Tea / CC by 2.0

The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde asks fans who attend multiple concerts in the front row to give local fans a chance for a front-row seat.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders shared a somewhat strange request for fans attending the band’s gigs. According to her Facebook post, Hynde says “the whole point” of touring is so the band can play to a different audience every night — so superfans who attend multiple shows should give other fans a chance at front-row seats.

“So if we’re in Edinburgh (like we are tonight), we look forward to seeing local faces. This is what makes it new for us every night,” the singer explained. “We appreciate those of you who follow us and buy tickets for multiple nights, so please don’t be offended if we request you to move out of the front row.”

While Hynde’s specific request might be an unusual one, the topic of concert etiquette has been oft discussed over the last couple of years. Miranda Lambert told fans not to take selfies in the front row while she was performing last year, and Ethel Cain recently asked fans to behave better at her shows and while waiting in line. Meanwhile, numerous musicians have had things thrown at them onstage this year alone.

But Chrissie Hynde’s request was definitely met with some fan backlash. “Taking your loyal fans for granted,” commented one person. “Glad I’m not one. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that from any artist.”

“You have just stepped way over the line, especially with people who have loved, followed, and supported you since the beginning,” said another angry fan. “Time to take a step back.”

Others agreed with the Pretenders singer.

“Totally makes sense to me. If you’re performing the same set for the same faces every night, it can make you feel a bit phony,” said one fan. “Someone who has been to like five shows in a row shouldn’t mind stepping back a couple rows to give another fan a chance to have a great experience.”

“I totally see her point of view,” commented another. “I don’t think it’s right that people who have the time and money on their hands constantly grab the front row seats. How about giving others a chance?”

The 73-year-old lead vocalist and guitarist didn’t specify how fans would be asked to move, or if she was referring to general admission crowds, or only the front-row seats. The Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, with hits like “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” “Brass in Pocket,” and “I’ll Stand By You.”

Photo Credit: Vans Warped Tour / Insomniac

The Vans Warped Tour makes its triumphant return in 2025 for its 30th anniversary with stops in three cities.

The Vans Warped Tour is making a return in 2025, after having shuttered in 2018. To mark its 30th anniversary and to catalyze the platform for the future, Warped Tour is making three two-day festival stops in Washington, D.C., Long Beach, CA, and Orlando, FL.

The iconic festival makes its return in partnership with Insomniac, behind some of the world’s largest music festivals and live events, to revive the magic for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

After concluding its final cross-country tour in 2018 and hosting a memorable 25th anniversary event, the festival will have a continued focus on community and nurturing the next generation of artists, musicians, and skateboarders.

Each stop will showcase 70 to 100 bands, reflecting a wide range of genres, including but not limited to rock, punk rock, alternative, pop punk, emo, and more. The return of Warped Tour will combine beloved festival favorites from the last 30 years of Warped Tour as well as a diverse lineup of newer acts.

Warped Tour 2025’s full weekend passes start at an all-inclusive price of $149.98 ($119.99 for the ticket and $29.99 in fees), available for presale beginning October 24 at 9AM PT / 12 PM ET.

Fans in Washington, D.C. can kick off the summer at the Festival Grounds at RFK Campus on June 14 and 15. Then, the festival heads to Long Beach, CA, where it will take place on July 26 and 27 at Downtown Long Beach Shoreline Waterfront. Finally, the tour will wrap up the year in Orlando, FL, with performances at Camping World Stadium Campus on November 15 and 16. Each location promises an unforgettable experience filled with music, community, and nostalgia.

Confirmed brand sponsors include Vans, BeatBox Beverages, Ernie Ball, hiyo, and 805 Beer, with additional sponsors to be revealed. Ghost Energy will also take center stage as the official energy and hydration drink partner.

The 30th anniversary edition of the tour will combine the festival’s rich history with new immersive elements, creating a vibrant, community-driven atmosphere that will engage both longtime fans and newcomers.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Rüfüs Du Sol announce the final stops on their Inhale/Exhale World Tour 2025, including North and South America.

Australian electronic group Rüfüs Du Sol announced the final stretch of their Inhale/Exhale World Tour 2025, following announcements in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the UK earlier this week. The trio now invite fans from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and more across North and South America to come experience their latest album live.

Known for their emotive live shows and impressive visual production, Rüfüs Du Sol will perform at some of their biggest headline shows to date, including stops at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Estadio 3 de Marzo, Red Bull Arena, and Q2 Stadium. Special guests Glass Beams, Neil Frances, Overmono, and Sofia Kourtesis will join as support across various shows.

“The energy and passion we get from our fans in North and South America is incredible. The US was the first place to really embrace us outside our home country, and in the past few years we’ve seen that love grow throughout Mexico and South America. It’s something we never imagined would happen!” said Rüfüs Du Sol.

“We’ve spent the past seven years living out here among you and being part of the music-loving community here; being able to play our music to crowds like this all over the Americas is something we’ll never take for granted.”

Rüfüs Du Sol: Inhale/Exhale World Tour 2025 America Dates

March

• 12 | Estadio 3 de Marzo — Guadalajara, MX
• 14 | Estadio Banorte — Monterrey, MX
• 19 | Costa 21 — Lima, PE
• 21 | Lollapalooza Chile — Santiago, CL
• 23 | Lollapalooza — Buenos Aires, AR
• 26 | Qualistage — Rio de Janeiro, BR
• 28 | Lollapalooza Brazil — São Paulo, BR
• 30 | Estéreo Picnic — Bogotá, CO

April

• 23 | Dos Equis Pavilion — Dallas, TX
• 24 | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion — The Woodlands, TX
• 26 | Q2 Stadium — Austin, TX
• 27 | Walmart AMP — Rogers, AR
• 30 | Lakewood Amphitheatre — Atlanta, GA

May

• 01 | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre — Tampa, FL
• 03 | FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park — Miami, FL
• 06 | Ascend Amphitheater — Nashville, TN
• 08 | Merriweather Post Pavilion — Columbia, MD
• 09 | Coastal Credit Union Music Park — Raleigh, NC
• 10 | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater — Virginia Beach, VA

June

• 11 | Plaza Mayor at Poble Espanyol — Barcelona, SP
• 14 | Uber Eats Music Hall — Berlin, DE
• 17 | AFAS Live — Amsterdam, NL
• 21 | Auditorium Cavea — Rome, IT
• 24 | Zénith — Paris, FR

July

• 05 | Crystal Palace Park — London, UK
• 25 | Red Bull Arena — New York / New Jersey, NJ
• 27 | Xfinity Center — Mansfield, MA
• 29 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, ON

August

• 03 | Ruoff Music Center — Noblesville, IN
• 05 | Pine Knob Music Theatre — Clarkston, MI
• 09 | DICK’s Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City, CO
• 10 | Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre — West Valley City, UT
• 12 | Hayden Homes Amphitheater — Bend, OR
• 14 | Shoreline Amphitheatre — San Francisco Bay Area, CA
• 16 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles, CA

November

• 07 | RAC Arena — Perth, AU
• 11 | Adelaide Entertainment Centre — Adelaide, AU
• 13 | Rod Laver Arena — Melbourne, AU
• 20 | Qudos Bank Arena — Sydney, AU
• 25 | Brisbane Entertainment Centre — Brisbane, AU
• 29 | The Outer Fields at Western Springs — Auckland, NZ

The trio is partnering with Notes for Notes to fundraise for the launch of a recording studio, which will give youth free access to a safe space to explore, create, and record music. The initiative is dedicated to providing youth with free access to music instruments, instruction, and recording studio environments so that music may become a profoundly positive influence in their lives. Live Nation is also joining the cause, making a generous contribution to further support Notes for Notes’ impactful work.

In partnership with Live Nation’s Green Nation team, Rüfüs Du Sol will support sustainability initiatives on their tour, focusing on reducing single-use plastics, enhancing recycling, and minimizing food and other waste. Tour stops at venues operated by Live Nation will additionally provide zero waste green teams to hand-recover organics and recyclables, donate food, and use eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic.

Photo Credit: Blake Wisz

Payment processor Stripe continues to withhold nearly $6.5 million in Festicket sales more than two years after the latter’s collapse.

Payment processor Stripe still holds around $6.5 million (£5 million) relating to Festicket sales more than two years since the company stopped trading, according to administrators. Stripe has not yet honored a request for the return of Festicket funds since the company went into administration in 2022 and was acquired by US company Lyte, which itself ceased trading just last month.

Stripe says it holds a lien and security interest regarding the funds it holds in relation to things like customer chargebacks. Festicket’s administration asserts they have received claims from potential unsecured creditors of around $30 million, $23 million of which is related to amounts claimed by event promoters.

The payment processor holds just shy of £6 million across multiple currencies relating to ticket and event related sales made by Festicket, compared to the £7.6 million it held when administrators were appointed in 2022. They report that processing by Stripe of chargeback requests received from ticket buyers has “largely ceased.”

Stripe reportedly advised that it is not currently prepared to return any funds as it does not have visibility of the claims that creditors of the company may bring against it in relation to trust claims. Stripe also stated that certain accounts used by the company are actually held under the name of Ticket Arena Limited.

A court ruled earlier this year that Festicket does not hold money on trust for dozens of ticketing agencies and promoters. This enables administrators to apply for directions to make distributions to creditors after two years in limbo — but there are certain contracts amounting to $5 million (£3.9 million) with AEG Presents Limited and other promoters making claims under German law. Those contracts could result in claims for funds held in the administration that could still be subject to trust claims.

Photo Credit: NBC News

While the live music festival scene is not exactly booming, arena tours are having plenty of problems keeping unruly crowds in their place. Nick Jonas is the latest victim of crowd disrespect after a laser pointer forced him off stage.

Video of the Jonas Brothers member running off-stage mid-performance while making the ‘time-out’ gesture from sports went viral online. Nick Jonas was performing at the O2 Arena in Prague on October 15 when the event happened. In the clip, which you can view below, the 32-year-old singer can be seen sprinting away from the secondary stage while gesturing to his crew.

“We can confirm that the Jonas Brothers’ performance had to be interrupted for several minutes due to the use of a prohibited laser pointer by the person,” a spokesperson for O2 Arena confirmed. “The organizing service responded to this fact immediately. After a few minutes, the band continued their performance and went back on the stage.”

These tour dates are part of the Jonas Brothers’ rescheduled European dates for their ongoing world tour. The final show was tonight at the Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland. While a laser pointer may seem benign, it can blind people and touring artists are on high-alert after several incidents this year.

Green Day were recently ushered off-stage after an unauthorized drone flew over the stage in Detroit. Meanwhile, the terrorist threat that shut down several Taylor Swift Vienna concert dates still looms in concert-goers minds. The plot was foiled before it could seriously injure several thousand people, but the result has been tightened security at all major arena events in Europe since.

Harry Styles, Bebe Rexha, and Kelsea Ballerini have all had things thrown at them while on stage—sometimes with serious damage caused. Adele spoke out on crowds not respecting the artists, thanking her crowd for not “forgetting f*cking show etiquette.” But the singer added—”I f*cking dare you. Dare you to throw something at me and I’ll f*cking kill you.”

An aerial shot of Sydney, Australia. Photo Credit: Jamie Davies

Amid continued concert-price pushback from fans, the Australian government has revealed plans to ban dynamic pricing outright and implement a number of other measures targeting the ticketing sector.

Regional outlets just recently highlighted the promised regulatory initiatives, billed by the current administration as components of a broader policy package that will roll out ahead of the island nation’s 2025 elections.

Keeping the focus on the package itself as opposed to the early regional coverage, the Australian government today underscored plans to tackle dynamic pricing, referring specifically to any online listing where “a product’s price changes during the transaction process.”

As many already know, that description definitely extends to live-event tickets, the prices of which frequently enter the stratosphere due to consumer demand as well as dynamic pricing. Last month, for example, Australian fans saw Green Day concert passes begin fetching massive sums.

Importantly, however, acts themselves can choose to forgo dynamic pricing – Iron Maiden recently did so, as did Oasis for its North American tour leg – and it’s unclear whether eliminating the option will bring about the desired effects.

Without diving too far into the multifaceted topic, dynamic pricing can only elevate ticket costs in the first place because customers are willing to shell out considerable amounts of cash to attend limited-availability happenings.

Halting these automatic pricing adjustments, which have admittedly gone off the rails in some instances, probably won’t curb the underlying demand or the pricing-related byproducts thereof. But from a policy perspective, the move might make sense; even those who score hard-to-get tickets are presumably far from thrilled about paying an arm and a leg.

Besides the possible demise of dynamic pricing Down Under, fans could see an attempt to do away with “‘drip pricing’ practices where fees are hidden or added throughout the stages of a purchase.”

Of course, “hidden” and “junk” fees are also the target of stateside scrutiny, but like with axing dynamic pricing, the ultimate effects of outlawing the charges by mandating “all-in” models remain the subject of continued discussion.

Lastly, in terms of the regulatory measures that could affect concert tickets in Australia, the current administration says it’s further plotting a crackdown on “online practices that aim to confuse or overwhelm consumers, omit or hide material information, or create a false sense of urgency or scarcity.”

This includes “warnings that a customer only has limited time to purchase a product,” per the relevant text. As to where things go from here, the Treasury Department intends to “consult on the design before the Government legislates a general prohibition on unfair trading practices,” according to the government-penned outline.

Bigger picture, we aren’t without ticketing laws (and laws in the making), investigations, and litigation outside Australia, where, incidentally, Four Corners recently took aim at Live Nation with an exposé. Internationally, perhaps most conspicuous on this front is the DOJ antitrust suit aiming to separate Live Nation and Ticketmaster, though the latter is facing a new dynamic-pricing probe in the U.K. as well.

Photo Credit: Aniket Deole

California’s music festival scene is deflating like a punctured raft in river rapids. So what happened, and why are music festivals sinking?

There was plenty of reason to feel optimistic about the music festival scene in the “post-early-pandemic” return. Eager to get out after lockdown, festivalgoers went out in droves, and early-bird ticket sales in 2023 were “gangbusters,” according to a spokesperson for Sierra Nevada World Music Festival.

But over the summer, things took a turn for the worse. Usually, ticket sales for the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival see a surge in June, but in 2024, that never happened. Between slowing sales and mounting bills to arrange the festival (deposits, talent, security, etc.) things were looking grim.

Just days before its planned start date, the festival announced its cancellation. To avoid issuing cash refunds, ticketholders were told their festival passes would be honored at Humboldt County’s Reggae on the River.

And Sierra Nevada’s story isn’t unique: a new deep-dive by SFGate has explored the tumult surrounding California music festivals, with many quietly dying out.

Many a beloved event in California has been canceled at the last minute, citing financial strain, while fans may or may not get refunds. Events like Desert Daze, Lucidity Festival, the Grateful Dead-themed Skull & Roses Festival — even events outside of California felt the pinch, such as Float Fest in Austin, with cancellation just days before the festival was slated to kick off.

Notably, even Coachella, reliably sold out year after year, saw tickets move at a snail’s pace they hadn’t seen for well over a decade. Beyond the US, the problem proliferates: over 60 UK music festivals have been canceled or postponed this year.

So what the heck is going on?

For independent promoters, throwing a music festival has always been about risk. “I always joke that we’re professional gamblers,” says Amy Sheehan, co-owner of Good Vibez Presents, which promotes California Roots and several other West Coast music festivals. “We are in the business of risk and we are well aware of that.”

Sheehan explains to SFGate that independent promoters work on very thin margins, lacking the “robust financial war chests” of their corporate competitors. Without financial backing from generous donors or wealthy sponsors, festivals rely on ticket sales and sometimes loans to pay their bills as they go.

“If independent promoters had to wait until they had all of their money to produce the festival, they would never do the festival,” she continues. “That’s just not the way it works.”

And that business model has been increasingly difficult to sustain in 2024. Last year, Good Vibez paid $10,000 for portable toilets for California Roots Music and Arts Festival, but this year that price had increased to $16,000 for the same service.

“Inflation is f—ing real,” says Sheehan. The price tags for amenities continue to climb as the costs of labor, gas, and transportation rise. According to Sheehan, the cost of insuring the Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival has more than doubled over the last two years, even when the scope of the festival remains largely the same.

Inflation, naturally, affects would-be festivalgoers too. People who had saved up money during the pandemic already spent those funds on festivals in 2022 and 2023. The costs associated with travel and lodging — not to mention ticket prices — have continued to rise, while wages and personal savings have not. It simply isn’t financially feasible for people to attend the festivals that are themselves becoming financially unfeasible to arrange in the first place.

“I’m probably not the best businessperson because I could raise prices, but I can’t do that,” says Scott Stoughton of Bonfire Entertainment. Last month, he canceled next year’s WinterWonderGrass Tahoe, an annual bluegrass festival at the Palisades Tahoe Resort. “I can’t in good conscience constantly say, ‘Well, let’s just pass it off to the consumer.’ I would rather just take a pause and reevaluate and see who comes to the table to help me subsidize in the future.”

The outlook was much brighter two years ago as the COVID lockdowns were ending. But in 2024, festivals that managed to go ahead often lost money. And independent promoters in particular are looking to 2025 with similar trepidation.

“They’ll survive,” said Stoughton of the major festivals. “The question is, will we?”

Photo Credit: 티비텐 Olensglobal / CC by 3.0

NewJeans singer Hanni testifies to South Korean parliament about the K-pop industry’s notoriously brutal practices.

K-pop is a notoriously brutal industry, but a member of the group NewJeans has testified to South Korean lawmakers about workplace harassment.

Hanni, a 20-year-old member of the chart-topping group, claimed that the K-pop entertainment agency had deliberately undermined NewJeans, and alleged that senior managers had purposely ignored her in the company’s ongoing dispute with subsidiary Ador.

“I came to the realization that this wasn’t just a feeling,” she said, following multiple incidents. “I was honestly convinced that the company hated us.”

In response to Hanni’s testimony, Ador CEO Kim Joo-young vowed to “listen more closely” to her artists going forward, and wonders “if there was more I could have done.”

The Vietnamese-Australian artist was testifying at a hearing as part of an investigation by the Labour Committee of South Korea’s National Assembly into workplace harassment. Hanni was called last month to provide evidence, after NewJeans went public with allegations that Hybe mistreated them.

The mistreatment followed the dismissal of Ador’s previous CEO, the band’s mentor Min Hee-Jin, who co-founded the company. Min was a prevalent figure in NewJeans’ success, but the company dismissed her from her position during the summer, after allegations that she planned to split Ador from Hybe and take the K-pop group with her.

Though Min denied the allegations, NewJeans went public with their claims that the band had been snubbed repeatedly as a result of the feud. Hanni cited one incident in which she greeted members of another group at their record label offices, who were told by their manager to “ignore her like you didn’t see her.” When she reported the incident, her concerns were brushed off.

Hanni said she didn’t feel it was appropriate to “say something like that in the work environment.” She also said this wasn’t an isolated incident, and senior members of Hybe management had similarly ignored her.

“I understood from living in Korea that I have to be polite to older people and that’s part of the culture — but I think it’s just disrespectful as a human being not to greet us, regardless of our professional status.”

“There was a certain [disrespectful] vibe that I felt within the company.”

The performer also claimed to have seen employees bad-mouthing her band on Blind, an internal communications app similar to Slack or Teams. She said Hybe’s PR department contacted a journalist and asked them to downplay NewJeans’ achievements in articles about the band’s sales. Hybe has denied these accusations, and said there had been attempts to correct a factual error.

“I believe I did everything I could, but seeing that Hanni felt this way and that the situation escalated to this point, I wonder if there was more I could have done,” said current Ador CEO Kim Joo-young, who was also called to testify at the hearing.

Kim said she believed Hanni’s claims of being shunned by another band’s manager. However, she had been “unable to find supporting evidence” in CCTV footage, which had expired before she became aware of the situation and requested it. NewJeans, formed by Ador in 2022, are committed to a seven-year contract that expires in 2029.

Photo Credit: Sphere at the Venetian Resort by Y2kcrazyjoker4 / CC by 4.0

Sphere Entertainment announces a second Sphere project in Abu Dhabi, after the planned London Sphere project falls through.

Sphere Entertainment and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) announce a second Sphere project, this time in the United Arab Emirates. The news comes on the heels of the announcement in January that the London Sphere project is a bust.

“The vision for Sphere has always included a global network of venues, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that goal,” said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment. “Sphere is redefining live entertainment and extending the reach of its transformative impact. We are proud to collaborate with DCT Abu Dhabi to develop Sphere in their city.”

Since opening the first Sphere in Las Vegas in September 2023, Sphere Entertainment has actively pursued its plans to develop a global network of Sphere venues. The expansion is expected to provide significant growth potential and drive new revenue streams by leveraging Sphere Entertainment’s expertise, proprietary technology, and original content.

“We are excited to bring Sphere to Abu Dhabi in partnership with Sphere Entertainment, providing our residents and visitors with an extraordinary new form of entertainment,” added H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. “Sphere Abu Dhabi will seamlessly integrate advanced technology with captivating storytelling, creating unforgettable memories for everyone who visits.”

“This partnership aligns with our Tourism Strategy 2030, further establishing Abu Dhabi as a vibrant hub for culture and innovation,” he continues. “By embracing cutting-edge entertainment like Sphere, we’re not only elevating our global profile but also setting new standards in immersive experiences and cultural offerings.”

Located in a prime spot in Abu Dhabi and echoing the scale of the 20,000-capacity Sphere in Las Vegas, the new venue promises to redefine entertainment in the region. Sphere in Abu Dhabi is expected to be a major year-round draw for both residents and visitors from around the world, offering opportunities to experience events, concerts, and shows like never before, in an unforgettable setting.

Under the terms of the partnership, which is still subject to finalization of definitive agreements, DCT Abu Dhabi will pay Sphere Entertainment a franchise initiation fee for the right to build the venue, utilizing Sphere Entertainment’s proprietary designs, technology, and intellectual property. Construction will be funded by DCT Abu Dhabi, with Sphere Entertainment’s team of experts providing services related to development, construction, and pre-opening of the venue.

Once the venue opens, Sphere Entertainment plans to maintain ongoing arrangements with DCT Abu Dhabi that are expected to include annual fees for creative and artistic content licensed by Sphere Entertainment. These include Sphere Experiences, use of Sphere’s brand, patents, proprietary technology, and IP, as well as operational services related to venue operations and technology, and commercial and strategic advisory support.

Photo Credit: Ashley King

After hackers ran amok in Ticketmaster’s servers, stealing data and reverse engineering its Safe Tix feature—Live Nation is now facing a class action lawsuit over its response to the incident.

The lawsuit alleges Live Nation failed to adequately protect the data of its users and only alerted users of the hack months after it occurred. The lawsuit says Live Nation was negligent in its duties to protect customers’ data and seeks unspecified damages of at least $5 million on behalf of millions of users who were impacted by the hack.

“Ticketmaster operates a digital ticketing platform that requires customers to provide their personality identifiable information (PII) prior to purchase. [Ticketmaster] revealed in a June 28, 2024 notice to the Maine Attorney General that a hacker gained unauthorized access to Defendant’s cloud database, owned an operated by Snowflake, Inc. on April 2, 2024.”

“[Ticketmaster] did not discover the data breach until May 23, 2024, nearly seven weeks later. It did not notify plaintiff or class members until July 17, 2024—almost two months after the data breach was discovered. Plaintiff’s and class members PII was compromised in a data breach including personal details like name, contact information, and payment card information of about 560 million Ticketmaster customers.”

“The hackers are demanding a ransom payment of $500,000 to prevent the data from being resold on the dark web; a clear indication that the data breach was for the purpose of using the Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ personal information to perpetuate identity theft and other fraud.”

The lawsuit faults Ticketmaster for retaining PII that should have been deleted after a purchase. It also claims that Ticketmaster’s business involves selling data on users including when they purchase merchandise, a ticket to an event, emails, IP addresses, information about transactions to business partners and data brokers.

“As a result of the data breach, plaintiff and class members have been exposed to a substantial risk of fraud and identity theft. Plaintiff and class members must now and in the future closely monitor their financial accounts to guard against identity theft,” the lawsuit reads. “Plaintiff and class members may also incur out of pocket costs, for purchasing credit monitoring services, credit freezes, credit reports, or other protective measures to deter and detect identity theft.”

Ticketmaster has not responded to the lawsuit, which was filed in California federal court.

Photo Credit: Peluche En El Estuche / CC by 3.0

Peso Pluma cancels a pair of shows in Florida due to Hurricane Milton, donating funds to local relief causes.

Peso Pluma has canceled a pair of shows in Florida after Hurricane Milton raged throughout parts of the state. The singer was scheduled to perform in Tampa on October 16, and Miami on October 17, as part of his Éxodo Tour.

Peso, his label, Double P Records, and his management, Prajin Parlay, also announced the donation of funds to local relief organizations.

“Due to the natural disasters affecting the communities of Florida, Peso Pluma has announced today that he will cancel his Tampa and Miami ‘Éxodo Tour’ shows to stand in solidarity with those affected by the recent hurricanes that impacted the state,” reads a statement from the artist’s team.

“Our entire family at Double P Records/Prajin Parlay Inc. prays for everyone affected to have a speedy recovery,” the statement continues. “We are committed to supporting our communities during these difficult times.”

Those who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster will be refunded automatically, while those who purchased through a third party are encouraged to contact their point of purchase for more details.

Peso Pluma recently performed at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, on October 11, and the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, NC, on October 13.

He is the latest celebrity to donate to relief efforts following the series of hurricanes that hit Florida and other states. Feeding America thanked Taylor Swift last week for donating $5 million to the organization’s hurricane relief efforts in Florida, North, and South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Tom Brady also recently announced a $100,000 donation to relief efforts, which was matched by Give with Gopuff.

Other artists to have made significant donations to organizations assisting those affected by natural disasters in the area include Bad Bunny, Luis Fonsi, and J Balvin.

Photo Credit: ABC Promotional Videos

Live Nation slams ‘falsehoods and unsubstantiated allegations’ in the Australian Four Corners’ investigation into its operations.

Live Nation wasted no time in firing back at the upcoming Four Corners investigation into its Australasian operations in an episode set to air on ABC on October 14. The company released a strongly worded statement calling the episode “inaccurate and unbalanced.”

The teaser for the episode, which is expected to scrutinize Live Nation’s influence over Australia’s live music industry, features criticisms from high-profile Australian figures like Michael Chugg and Peter Garrett. “I don’t think Live Nation cares at all about Australian artists and they are basically calling the shots,” said Garrett, while Chugg asserts Live Nation’s entry into the Australian market “f—ed it up.”

But Live Nation’s statement pushes back against these remarks and more. “Despite our best efforts to engage with Four Corners and present them with facts about the live entertainment industry, the promotional video contains a range of falsehoods and unsubstantiated allegations.”

Live Nation claims it provided detailed responses to Four Corners’ questions, but alleges its input was “largely ignored” in favor of a more “sensationalized narrative.” The company clarifies that its actual market presence only comprises six of the approximately 2,700 live music venues across Australia.

“Australia’s live entertainment industry is highly competitive,” said Live Nation. “We are one of many promoters, with TEG and Frontier among the top. Our investments in artists, venues, and events have enriched Australia’s cultural landscape, creating thousands of jobs.”

The company also noted its efforts to support local talent, claiming it has promoted over 900 shows for developing Australian talent since 2016, while ensuring 85% of its international tours feature local opening acts.

On the issue of ticket pricing, Live Nation asserts that its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, does not set ticket prices — artist teams and event organizers do. “Ticket prices need to compensate touring artists and ensure that Australia continues to attract many of the world’s most popular acts,” the company said, noting the rising production and touring costs since the COVID pandemic.

Live Nation said it is proud of its work promoting Australian talent. “We won’t let this noise detract from doing what we do best — servicing our artists, clients, and fans.”

The Four Corners episode airs Monday, October 14, at 8:30 PM Australian Eastern Daylight Time on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Photo Credit: Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster becomes the first to integrate with Apple Wallet’s new ticketing experience, with LAFC as their first guinea pig.

Ticketmaster has become the first ticketing company to integrate with the new Apple Wallet, which now includes key event information, like a map of the venue and parking details. To kick off the new functionality, Ticketmaster’s first new tickets to take advantage of these new features are the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) at their home game at BMO Stadium on Saturday, October 19.

Fans on iOS 18.0 or later can add their ticket to Apple Wallet through the Ticketmaster app or LAFC team app. The offering complements existing ticketing tools, such as Ticketmaster Ignite, to facilitate a seamless multi-channel connection between venues, teams, and fans.

Further, fans can interact with the new ticket experience in Apple Wallet on their iPhone to gain easy access to venue details, but there are plenty of other features. Users can find links to purchase merchandise, ticket management features provided by Ticketmaster, local forecasts from Weather, location sharing to help them find their friends, and even recommended playlists from Apple Music.

The Miami HEAT will be next to debut the new ticket experience for their fans, and the experience will be made more widely available starting in 2025.

“With the new, enhanced ticket in Apple Wallet experience, fans are closer to the action from the moment they add their pass to their iPhone,” says Mark Yovich, President at Ticketmaster. “We’re extremely proud to work with Apple to bring this enhanced ticketing experience to fans.”

Ticketmaster worked closely with Apple on this new ticketing experience for iOS 18 users. Apple Wallet in iOS 18 also features Tap to Cash — a new way to transfer money instantly by holding two iPhones together. The update enables users to authenticate Apple Pay transactions to Windows PCs through an iPhone.

Photo Credit: AXS

AXS has reached an agreement with AEG’s Uber Arena in Berlin and Barclays Arena in Hamburg to provide premium ticketing at both venues. These are the first German operations established for the global ticketing provider.

In partnership with AEG Germany’s Premium Sales Team, AXS’ suite management and access control platforms will replace Barclays and Uber Arenas’ legacy suite ticketing platforms. Both venues collectively hold 400 events per year, for which AXS will handle premium and suite tickets and streamline guest management for suite holders, providing them with the access to the platform and direct control over handling of their tickets.

Germany joins AXS’ growing global footprint which includes iconic venues, sports teams, festivals, and live events across the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. AXS serviced venues include BST Hyde Park, All Points East, The O2, OVO Arena Wembley and Stockholm Live!.

“AXS has the privilege of working with the most iconic venues in the world,” adds Blaine Legere, President, International, AXS. “there is no better way to kick-start our business in Germany than by bringing our industry-leading suite management and access control platform to these two world class venues.”

“We are excited to introduce AXS ticketing to our Premium customers,” adds Jan Kienappel, COO & CFO of AEG Germany. “The platform will improve our service and enhance our marketing capabilities in that segment, which sets us up to further grow our business.”

Colleagues across Europe work together to create world-class live entertainment and sports experiences. AEG’s venue teams develop and operate best-in-class arenas and districts; AEG Presents promotes and manages concerts and tours, oversees renowned venues and produces some of the world’s leading music festivals; AXS Ticketing connects fans to events through specialist technology solutions; and AEG Global Partnerships links corporate brands into the company’s world-leading network of assets.

Photo Credit: atVenu

Sixth Street Growth makes a $130 million investment in atVenu to further its position as a leading live event software and payments solution provider.

Leading global provider of live event software and payments solutions, atVenu, has announced a $130 million equity investment from Sixth Street Growth. The partnership will build upon and accelerate the company’s impressive historical growth into new live event markets, including sports, food, and beverage, while maintaining its position as the industry standard in music merchandise.

Founded in 2012, atVenu provides a purpose-built live event platform to the world’s largest touring artists, merchandisers, record labels, venue operators, festival promoters, and food/beverage concessionaires. The platform’s inventory management, forecasting, and multi-stakeholder financial settlements, coupled with its integrated point-of-sale, aim to deliver a unique value proposition catering to the complex needs of pop-up commerce environments.

Customers using atVenu have reported upwards of 20% revenue uplift compared to generic point-of-sale systems due to event-specific inventory management, multi-location sales controls, and faster throughput.

During an event, atVenu makes managing locations, inventory, and the deployment of point-of-sale hardware easy while also providing real-time data required for organizers to optimize their events. This platform, unlike others designed for traditional retail, ensures maximized revenue within the limited window of an event.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Sixth Street for atVenu’s next chapter,” said Ben Brannen, atVenu Co-Founder and President. “The firm’s vision and conviction on the growth opportunities in live events entirely aligns with ours. The opportunity to join forces with their team and deploy our combined resources to expand atVenu’s reach is incredibly exciting.”

“Over the past decade, atVenu has been intensely focused on helping our customers execute successful and profitable events,” said Derek Ball, atVenu Co-Founder and CEO. “Sixth Street clearly shares this mission and clarity of purpose and will add tremendous value as our impact on this industry continues to accelerate.”

Currently, atVenu processes over $1.6 billion in merchandise and food and beverage volume annually. It is trusted at over 125,000 events each year, ranging from small clubs and mid-size amphitheaters to some of the to some of the largest stadiums, venues, festivals, and sporting events worldwide. The company has established itself as the leader in the music merchandise space and continues to grow into new event markets and geographic territories.

“atVenu’s innovative solutions, inspired by the founders’ deep roots and firsthand experience in the live events world, empower stakeholders across the value chain,” concluded Michael Bauer, Principal at Sixth Street Growth. “We are confident that atVenu is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the exciting opportunity set ahead and we look forward to supporting them on that journey.”

Sixth Street’s investment is a result of cross-platform collaboration between its sports and media investing expertise as well as its growth investing business and experience supporting companies across the payments and fintech space.

Photo Credit: Lyft

AXS has partnered with Lyft to help redefine travel convenience for sports and live entertainment fans both to and from their chosen venue.

The partnership makes Lyft an official partner of AXS in North America and centers on providing live-event goers across the United States with seamless transportation options. By uniting their expertise, AXS and Lyft set a new standard for accessibility, offering fans a streamlined journey through ticket purchase to event arrival.

In October, AXS will begin to feature Lyft as an official partner across the ticketing platform’s mobile app and digital channels. AXS ticket buyers, whether attending a concert, sporting event, or family show, will benefit from event-specific push notifications, exclusive promotions and offers including the ability to reserve a discounted ride in advance using Lyft’s scheduled rides.

AXS is the ticketing partner for over 1,300 venues in the world, from sports teams, concerts, and live events across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Around 58% of Lyft users already use the service to get to and from entertainment events, making the partnership a natural fit. The partnership will connect Lyft with a vast network of event goers and brings added value to both Lyft drivers who will see increased demand and passengers, offering an easy pick-up, drop-off transportation experience.

“We’re excited to partner with AXS to make attending live events even more accessible and enjoyable for fans,” adds Shane Dwyer, Head of Sales at Lyft. “This partnership is about more than just transportation from A to point B — it’s about connecting people to the experiences they love.”

For fans who attend live events, the partnership means less time worrying about the logistics of transportation. Lyft’s scheduled rides bring a new layer of convenience and is just one of the many features that will be highlighted, offering an enhancement to the perfect day or night out.

“We’re always looking for new and improved ways to enhance the fan experience and add value to our ticket buyers, and this partnership does just that,” shares Tom Andrus, President, AXS North America. “By integrating Lyft across our channels, we’re providing a complete event experience from start to finish, making it easier than ever for fans to enjoy their favorite events. Our shared mission to connect people to live events makes this collaboration an ideal fit and we can’t wait to bring Lyft’s innovative solutions to fans.”

The partnership also includes promotion of AXS-ticketed events across Lyft’s omnichannel media network, Lyft Media, which has the potential to reach passengers before, during and on their way to their destinations. With millions of rides taking place a day, Lyft is uniquely positioned to reach a diverse and highly engaged audience. Passengers typically keep the app open for 20% of ride time on average.

Downtown Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: Carol M. Highsmith

A federal judge has rejected a venue-transfer push from Live Nation in the antitrust lawsuit filed against it by the DOJ and a number of states.

District Judge Arun Subramanian recently ruled against the Ticketmaster parent’s transfer motion, which was specifically looking to shift the high-stakes case from New York to Washington, D.C. We previously covered the sought venue change – and the Justice Department’s opposition – in detail.

Just to recap, though, Live Nation argued in many more words that the legal battle should play out in D.C. owing to a jurisdiction-retention provision in the 2010 consent decree that gave it the green light to merge with Ticketmaster. That’s largely due to the litigation’s attempt to unwind the Live Nation-Ticketmaster union, which is at the core of the decree, according to the defendants.

But Judge Subramanian doesn’t feel the same way, spelling out in the relevant opinion and order that the “case doesn’t fall within the scope of that [consent-decree] provision, and defendants can’t otherwise carry their burden to show that transfer would foster convenience or the interests of justice.”

The alleged violations in the antitrust action, the judge proceeded, concern “the Sherman Act and various state laws, not the consent decree.” Moreover, the plaintiffs “aren’t trying to vindicate the decree’s requirements; they say that defendants have violated separate legal duties,” per the text.

“True, the practical effect of the decree was to remove an immediate barrier to defendants’ merger,” continued Judge Subramanian. “But nothing in the decree insulated the merged entity from future antitrust challenges, including this case. … This case doesn’t run up against the decree because the decree doesn’t reach beyond the specific pre-merger challenge that it helped resolve.”

And with that clear-cut answer to the transfer question, the suit (which Live Nation is confident it’ll beat) is chugging right along. A different order from the judge has given the parties until Friday, October 11th to jointly propose “dates for another conference in late October.”

While it perhaps goes without saying, the multifaceted case is proving involved on several levels. The City of Orlando was apparently subpoenaed in September to provide venue- and agreement-related documents from across a decade, for instance.

Earlier this month, ahead of a deadline to send along the materials later in October, the city moved to receive reimbursement for fees because the associated tasks “will undoubtedly require significant labor by both attorneys and staff.”

Photo Credit: Spirit of the Beehive / David Brandon Geeting

Philadelphia-based indie band Spirit of the Beehive loses everything, including their touring van, gear, and merchandise, while touring in Seattle.

Spirit of the Beehive, a Philadelphia-based indie rock band, reported the theft of “pretty much everything” — their van, trailer, gear, and merchandise were all stolen while on a tour stop in Seattle. Members of the band told Seattle’s KING 5 that the theft happened around 4 AM outside their hotel near SEA Airport.

“I think all of us had a little bit of a cry,” said Zack Schwartz, when he and bandmate Corey Wichlin spoke to KING 5. The group said surveillance video captured the theft on Friday at their hotel near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), after they performed in the city last week.

The video shows two cars pulling up next to the band’s trailer hitched to the van. One person is seen getting out and walking toward the van, and within a minute, the suspect was able to gain access to the vehicle and drive it away.

“We had a boot on it. Everything was padlocked,” said Schwartz. “They just drove straight through the boot to break it. We had an Apple air tag in there that apparently died.”

The band said the trailer was recovered that afternoon in West Seattle, but it was cleaned out. On Sunday, police told the band they found the stolen van, which had been taken to a nearby impound lot. But only hours later, they received another call that the van was stolen yet again, this time from the impound lot.

“[We] kind of just burst out laughing, honestly, at that point. It’s just kind of comical,” Schwartz said. “I don’t know. Just another instance of hope that was immediately taken away,” added Wichlin.

Altogether, the band lost over $65,000 in gear and equipment, $8,000 worth of merchandise, as well as the members’ own priceless belongings. They estimate the loss is greater than $100,000.

“Our live show files from our recordings, that we cannot physically get back,” said Wichlin. “So that stuff is probably what hurt the most.”

The band said the rest of their US tour is canceled, but they do hope to return to Seattle despite the experience. “We’ll be back. We love Seattle,” said Wichlin. “It was a great show. It usually is. We’re just never going to stay in Seattle,” added Schwartz. The group also expressed appreciation for the support they’ve received, which has included donations of money and equipment.

Photo Credit: Kenny Eliason

Ticketmaster pauses ticket transfers for all remaining Taylor Swift Eras shows until three days beforehand in the face of reported hacks and theft.

As the final leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour rapidly approaches, Ticketmaster has paused ticket transfers for all remaining shows until three days before each event. This change comes in the face of continued reports of fans having their accounts accessed and tickets transferred without their knowledge.

Numerous stories have emerged online of fans surprised to receive an email from Ticketmaster explaining their tickets to Taylor Swift and other big-name shows were inexplicably transferred to another account. Many of these have been reversed by Ticketmaster after media outlets reached out to the ticketing giant for comment, but others reported on social media remain unresolved, with some fans out thousands of dollars.

More troubling still, some ticketholders who had their issues resolved have since had their tickets revert back to the alleged hacker’s account. And some of those affected are being told they will have to wait until three days before the show to have their tickets once again returned to them.

“Having that digital history is also how we are able to investigate the situation and restore fans’ tickets,” a spokesperson for Ticketmaster told The Toronto Star. “The top ways fans can protect themselves is setting a strong unique password for all accounts — especially for their personal email, which is where we often see security issues originate. Scammers are looking for new cheats across every industry, and tickets will always be a target because they are valuable, so Ticketmaster is constantly investing in new security enhancements to safeguard fans.”

Despite boasting about its digital ticketing innovations having greatly reduced fraud “compared to the days of paper tickets and duplicated PDFs,” Ticketmaster was the target of a data breach earlier this year that exposed “some” users’ names, contact information, payment information, and more. But the company insists that users’ passwords were unaffected in this data breach.

Strangely, for all the company’s talk about security enhancements, Ticketmaster doesn’t even employ two-factor authentication (2FA) for account logins, much less for ticket transfers, despite 2FA being an account security standard online for years. Even more odd is the fact that Ticketmaster does utilize 2FA for things like printing tickets or changing your email address, so the functionality exists on the platform.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour returns in less than a fortnight on October 18 when she hits the stage in Miami. She then heads to Canada next month with six shows in Toronto and three in Vancouver in December.

Photo Credit: cuzinmank / CC by 3.0

Coachella’s tepid ticket sales last year have led to a new problem—major headliners don’t want to constrain themselves to the Coachella stage. A new report suggests both Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna said ‘no thanks’ to headlining the festival this year.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival hasn’t had great luck with its headliners the last few years, either. Frank Ocean’s closing set for Coachella 2023 led to many a post mortem dissection, explaining what went wrong. From the show starting an hour late to completely changed stage production—fans who pay $500 per ticket plus more for amenities expect more when they attend.

In 2022, Coachella partnered with FTX to sell ten ‘lifetime passes’ for the concert via NFTs—which promptly became unavailable after FTX collapsed into bankruptcy after its founders’ fraud was revealed. Ticket purchasers who kept their NFTs stored on the FTX platform no longer had access to them. Those who did withdraw the NFT say its functionality stopped working when FTX collapsed. Those ten lifetime passes accounted for $1.5 million in sales, but Coachella partnered with FTX for other NFT promotions that year.

The result of those disasters left Coachella ticket sales tepid last year, when tickets for the second weekend were available right up until the event. That’s almost unheard of in the world of live music, where Coachella tickets used to sell out within hours of availability. Coachella promoter Goldenvoice appears to be interested in returning some of the hype for this major music festival, but not everyone is on board. Goldenvoice President Paul Tollett is reported to have reached out to potential headliners like Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna—only to be declined.

Kendrick Lamar is no stranger to Coachella, cutting his musical teeth on the stage in 2012 and then headlining the festival in 2017. His very public beef with Drake has led to massive interest in his music and speculation that Kendrick Lamar will be touring in 2025. Meanwhile, Rihanna hasn’t toured in years though she did accept a gig as the Super Bowl Halftime Show entertainer for 2023. Kendrick Lamar is headlining the Super Bowl Halftime performance this year. Both seemed like safe bets for headliners at Coachella 2025—the only problem? Both of them declined.

“Lamar is scheduled to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl and then plans a tour of major stadiums. Rihanna, head of a growing business empire, didn’t need the money or the exposure,” reads a Bloomberg report citing industry sources. “With six months to go until next year’s festival, Tollett is scrambling to secure the kind of headliner that can restore the luster of the largest music festival in North America.”

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

Live music fans all over the country are reporting that their purchased tickets are disappearing from their Ticketmaster accounts. One couple in Denver had no luck resolving the issue until they got in contact with a local news outlet.

One Denver resident purchased tickets from Ticketmaster for both an Eagles and a Garth Brooks show in Las Vegas. After spending thousands on flights, a hotel, rental car, and tickets for The Eagles show at The Sphere, the couple noticed a week before the trip that the tickets were missing.

“This is very extravagant for us,” Annette Barsick told Denver local news outlet 9News. “But I was just like, it’s a once in a lifetime trip. Let’s just do it.” Barsick says she woke up to numerous emails from Ticketmaster stating that the tickets she bought were transferred to someone named Jack in The Netherlands.

“I looked in my Apple Wallet, and my tickets were gone. I was like wait, what? I immediately checked my Ticketmaster account, and sure enough, my tickets were claimed by some stranger,” Barsick says. “[Ticketmaster’s representative] said he had thousands of calls similar to mine in the last two weeks—and that it was not unusual,” Barsick continues.

There are numerous such cases reported by local news outlets all over the United States. A man in Florida had his Morgan Wallen tickets stolen. A woman in San Francisco lost six pre-sale tickets for the New Kids on the Block residency in Las Vegas. The Ticketmaster representative who spoke to Barsick said scammers have been hacking into people’s email accounts and transferring their tickets.

Ticketmaster suggests fans update their passwords, using a unique password for individual accounts like email and the Ticketmaster website. “Especially for their personal email, which is where we often see security issues originate,” a Ticketmaster spokesperson told Digital Music News. “Ticketmaster is constantly investing in new security enhancements to safeguard fans.”

But Barsick says she received no notification checking to see if she was transferring the tickets. “All they had to do was text me and ask if I was trying to transfer these tickets. They’re allowing this to happen, they know it’s happening, and they’re not doing enough to make security better,” Barsick told 9News. Minutes after 9News reached out to Ticketmaster about Barsick’s stolen tickets, they were recovered and transferred back to her account.

Ticketmaster controls more than 70% of the market for ticketing and live events. Earlier this year the service was hacked, with the hacker group dropping a tranche of Ticketmaster tickets to shows like Taylor Swift to prove the intrusion.

While Ticketmaster is pointing at poor personal security habits for these disappearing tickets, those same hackers shared a tutorial online for how they reverse engineered Ticketmaster’s SafeTix. SafeTix are supposed to keep concertgoers safe by rotating barcodes inside the Ticketmaster app.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor will headline ‘Concert for Carolina,’ a special benefit show presented by Explore Asheville.

On Saturday, October 26, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority present a special benefit show for those affected by the tremendous devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

Headliners Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor will take the stage in a state which is profoundly special place for all four artists. Combs, Church, and Taylor grew up in North Carolina, while Strings has performed there numerous times throughout his career.

The event will be hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley, and will feature additional artists still to be announced.

When news of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene first began, the group mobilized and started outreach to put together an event to raise critical funds for the relief efforts. The call to David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC, and Bank of America Stadium, and his wife, Nicole Tepper, was met with overwhelming generosity and decisive action. The Teppers immediately offered Bank of America Stadium as a venue, and everyone united to make the benefit concert a reality as swiftly as possible.

Tickets for the show will go on sale this Thursday, October 10, at 10 AM ET. Full details can be found on the benefit’s website. All proceeds from the event, including sponsorships, will be split 50/50 between Combs and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation to administer to organizations of their choosing in support of relief across the Carolinas and the Southeast.

Combs’ portion will be distributed between Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, as well as one more organization still to be announced. Church’s Chief Cares is focused on helping established charities and organizations that are well managed, organized, and can expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene.

For those unable to attend the concert but still looking to support, donations can be made now to The North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, or to various organizations listed on the benefit’s website.

“Concert for Carolina” is made possible due to the support and generosity of David and Nicole Tepper, Tepper Sports & Entertainment, Explore Asheville, T-Mobile, Atrium Health, Jack Daniel’s, Whataburger, Miller Lite, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

Photo Credit: Simon Emmett

The demand to see Oasis live continues with all North American tour dates for the Oasis Live ‘25 tour now sold out.

Tickets for the events sold out within an hour of going on sale, showcasing the huge demand for the reunion tour. Nearly 500,000 tickets were sold for the North American leg of the tour, with two stops each at stadiums in Toronto, East Rutherford, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and a single night in Chicago. It’s possible that with such huge demand, more tour dates will be added at a later date.

Live Nation says planning for the Oasis Live ‘25 tour for other continents outside of North America and Europe are continuing for next year. Earlier this week, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) took aim and secondary ticket platforms and their role in proliferating the repeated sale of ‘fake tickets.’

NIVA said that resale passes sold on StubHub and Vivid Seats were presumably put up before a single ticket went on sale to the public. Meanwhile, StubHub says the tickets offered on its platform were obtained during a pre-sale that occurred on October 3 via private ballot only. Official pre-sale for those tickets opened on October 1, while general on-sale was available on October 4.

“Ticketmaster prohibits anyone from listing resale tickets before an official onsale,” an official Ticketmaster spokesperson told Digital Music News. “StubHub and other resellers chose to look the other way. This continuing pattern of deception requires Congress to pass and enforce a comprehensive ban on speculative ticketing.”

OASIS LIVE ‘25 — North American Tour Dates (SOLD OUT)

JULY 2025

• 04 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff [SOLD OUT]
• 05 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff [SOLD OUT]
• 11 | Heaton Park — Manchester [SOLD OUT]
• 12 | Heaton Park — Manchester [SOLD OUT]
• 16 | Heaton Park — Manchester [SOLD OUT]
• 19 | Heaton Park — Manchester [SOLD OUT]
• 20 | Heaton Park — Manchester [SOLD OUT]
• 25 | Wembley Stadium — London [SOLD OUT]
• 26 | Wembley Stadium — London [SOLD OUT]
• 30 | Wembley Stadium — London [SOLD OUT]

AUGUST 2025

• 02 | Wembley Stadium — London [SOLD OUT]
• 03 | Wembley Stadium — London [SOLD OUT]
• 08 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh [SOLD OUT]
• 09 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh [SOLD OUT]
• 12 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh [SOLD OUT]
• 16 | Croke Park — Dublin [SOLD OUT]
• 17 | Croke Park — Dublin [SOLD OUT]
• 24 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto [SOLD OUT]
• 25 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto [EXTRA DATE] [SOLD OUT]
• 28 | Soldier Field — Chicago [SOLD OUT]
• 31 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford [SOLD OUT]

SEPTEMBER 2025

• 01 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford [EXTRA DATE] [SOLD OUT]
• 06 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles [SOLD OUT]
• 07 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles [EXTRA DATE] [SOLD OUT]
• 12 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City [SOLD OUT]
• 13 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City [EXTRA DATE] [SOLD OUT]
• 27 | Wembley Stadium — London [SOLD OUT]
• 28 | Wembley Stadium — London [SOLD OUT]

Photo Credit: StubHub

Earlier this week, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) took aim at secondary ticketing platforms – and urged congressional action – following an alleged wave of “fake” Oasis tickets. Now, one of the accused platforms is firing back and stirring an ugly war-of-words with Ticketmaster.

We covered NIVA’s letter and adjacent Fans First Act push in detail yesterday. To summarize, the organization called out StubHub and Vivid Seats in particular over thousands of allegedly fake/speculative tickets to the North American leg of Oasis’ forthcoming tour.

These resale passes, the organization indicated, had presumably inflated price tags and were allegedly listed before there was “evidence of a single ticket going on sale to the public” for the high-demand concert series. Lawmakers, NIVA emphasized as well, should promptly address the “widespread deceptive practices perpetuated by predatory ticket brokers and resale platforms.”

Of course, there are two sides to every dispute, and unsurprisingly, the accused ticketing platforms have much to say about the allegations. Running with StubHub’s response for now, a representative told us that the Oasis tickets in question weren’t fake/speculative at all.

Rather, the company maintained, the passes derived from more targeted pre-sales that initiated before the main pre-sale. As we noted yesterday, Oasis’ North American pre-sale – at least as billed in a tweet from the band itself – is said to have kicked off on October 3rd.

In the interest of clarity, September 30th saw Oasis address the matter on X. “A ticket pre-sale will be held this Thursday, 3rd October,” the group wrote. “Entry is by private ballot only. Ballot registration is open now and closes 8am ET tomorrow, Tuesday 1st October.”

Meanwhile, Ticketmaster on September 30th formally announced the tour leg via a media release. “Registration for the presale is currently open at www.oasisinet.com until Tuesday, October 1st at 8am EST,” the Live Nation subsidiary wrote in part. “General ticket onsale will begin Friday, October 4th at 12pm local time and will be available from www.ticketmaster.com.”

Absent from both messages is any mention of different pre-sales. But according to StubHub, which added a relevant email screenshot for good measure, individuals including but not limited to Chicago Bears season ticketholders were invited to buy Oasis tickets on the 30th. (The NFL team’s home stadium is set to host an Oasis show in late August of 2025.)

“CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW TO ACCESS YOUR EXCLUSIVE PRESALE STARTING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, AT 12PM (CT),” that all-caps notification, sent by what appears to be the Bears’ official email account, reads in part.

Not stopping there, the platform provided an in-depth statement from global head of government relations Laura Dooley, who called on Ticketmaster to “do their part to better protect fans.” We included those comments in full at the time of publishing; shortly after that, Ticketmaster reached out with a response of its own, bluntly declaring that “StubHub is lying.”

In other words, the decidedly public verbal sparring suggests that the broader dispute probably won’t be ending anytime soon. On the policy side, especially given NIVA’s initially highlighted push for legislation – and the House’s quick passage of the TICKET Act, which NIVA also supports, earlier in 2024 – it’ll be interesting to see how (or whether) StubHub’s disclosure affects the Fans First Act’s path forward.

Here’s the full statement from StubHub global head of government relations Laura Dooley:

“It is clear that Live Nation Entertainment-Ticketmaster and National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) have partnered to spread false information about ticket availability in an attempt to further their own policy agenda and create distrust in the secondary market. There is a lack of transparency around how tickets are allocated, sold, and distributed in the primary ticket market, preventing consumers from understanding how the ticket industry works and allowing dominant players to manipulate the marketplace. Tickets may appear on resale marketplaces before public on-sale because many industry stakeholders, such as season ticket holders, sponsors, and professional resellers, receive early access – this was the case with Oasis. 

At StubHub, our top priority is getting fans into events. We prohibit the sale of speculative tickets and call on Ticketmaster to open lines of communication, offer ticket verification services, and do their part to better protect fans.” 

And the retort provided by a Ticketmaster spokesperson: 

“StubHub is lying. Oasis tickets were offered for sale on StubHub immediately after the North American dates and venues were announced, before any onsale, and before anyone had rights to particular seats – as the listings explicitly claimed. The season ticket holder excuse is baseless. For the shows in Pasadena, Toronto, Mexico City and New Jersey, no one had season ticket holder rights to receive tickets. Even in Chicago, no one had advance rights to the particular seats listed for sale on StubHub.   

Ticketmaster prohibits anyone from listing resale tickets before an official onsale. StubHub and other resellers choose to look the other way. This continuing pattern of deception requires Congress to pass and enforce a comprehensive ban on speculative ticketing.”

Photo Credit: Roblox

Coldplay are headed to Roblox for the first time in a multi-game takeover to promote the release of their tenth album, Moon Music.

In partnership with Gamefan, the leading metaverse media company for Gen Z & Alpha communities, Warner Music Group and Parlophone Records, the activation will reach and engage millions of Roblox’s 79 million daily active users. The activation will take place in an immersive cross-game quest through four of Gamefan’s highly popular games including Car Dealership Tycoon, Tower of Misery, Starving Artists, and Really Easy Obby.

The limited time event is inspired by frontman Chris Martin’s original studio notebook for the album. Players that drop in and explore these games while the activation is live will get a chance to listen to new songs and complete exclusive Moon Music challenges to unlock a collection of Coldplay-themed limited UGC items for their avatars.

“This unique partnership with Gamefan on Roblox delivers an exciting, interactive environment for Coldplay’s community, to explore and experience the band’s tenth studio album,” says Rebecca Rees, Community Manager at Parlophone. “Coldplay’s music is all about connection, and this is a great opportunity to bring people together, crossing generational boundaries. The Roblox experience will provide an immersive adventure that reflects the spirit of the band’s music, making sure both old and new fans can feel part of the Coldplay journey.”

• Car Dealership Tycoon — Unlock a Moon Music-themes electric car that plays “feelslikeiamfallinginlove” and jam out while cruising around town; collect Moon Music notebook drawings hidden around the city.
• Tower of Misery — Navigate through a vertical obstacle course featuring moon-shaped platforms and collect moon iconography throughout the course.
• Starving Artists — Moon Music art fair takeover with exclusive installations and features celebrating the album; test art skills by competing the limited-time Moon Music fan art contest; vote on your favorite Moon Music fan art.
• Really Easy Obby — Clear crazy obstacles without falling, and collect moons as they move through the obby; celebrate when you reach the winner’s room with Moon Music.

In-game rewards for completing quests include a Coldplay Alien Head, a Coldplay Crown, a Coldplay Heart Aura, and a Coldplay Moongoggle Classes. Players that complete every challenge across all four games will earn the ultimate reward of a Coldplay Angel Moon Head for their Roblox avatars.

The Coldplay takeover is the latest step in Gamefam and WMG’s highly successful history of bringing iconic artists and events into the metaverse with impactful experiences. These include launching Cher’s hit holiday album, the first virtual Super Bowl concert featuring Saweetie, and Bebe Rexha’s top 10 virtual concert, all within the Gamefam and WMG-designed and operated Harmony Hills experience on Roblox.

Pointing to thousands of resale-platform listings for allegedly fake Oasis tickets, NIVA is once again urging Congress to pass the Fans First Act. Photo Credit: National Independent Venue Association

Citing an influx of allegedly “fake tickets” to Oasis’ North American stops, NIVA is urging congressional approval of the Fans First Act, which it says will address “deceptive practices perpetuated by predatory ticket brokers and resale platforms.”

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) just recently entreated senators from both sides of the aisle to enact related reforms, pointing specifically to the Fans First Act as a possible solution. That bipartisan bill surfaced towards 2023’s end and received a renewed public push from multiple artists this past April.

In other words, though the relevant legislation isn’t exactly new, the alleged influx of higher-priced Oasis tickets on secondary platforms represents another opportunity to advocate on behalf of the Fans First Act.

As used here, “fake” refers mainly to speculative tickets. NIVA’s letter is dated October 2nd, and Oasis’ North American pre-sale didn’t kick off until today, ahead of a general on-sale tomorrow.

But even before the pre-sale, NIVA found “at least 9,000 fake tickets on sale” through the likes of StubHub and Vivid Seats, per the letter to lawmakers. These findings, the organization spelled out, preceded “evidence of a single ticket going on sale to the public.”

(As a pertinent aside, amid ticket-price complaints and regulatory scrutiny across the pond, Oasis isn’t utilizing Dynamic Pricing for the North American dates.)

The “egregious” alleged examples of fake tickets include 4,354 such passes on StubHub and approximately 3,450 passes on Vivid Seats, all identified between 8 PM and 11 PM ET on October 1st. Hundreds (and potentially thousands) more fake tickets were allegedly listed soon after Oasis yesterday announced four additional shows.

Leaving no stone unturned, the letter features as exhibits a number of screenshots that appear to show the appropriate Oasis tickets, complete with seemingly hefty resale price tags.

Meanwhile, NIVA also took aim at “messaging on Vivid Seats sharing misinformation with fans” – referring to an alleged indication that “‘1% of tickets [were] left’” even before the pre-sale – and took a shot at Live Nation to boot.

The letter, NIVA wrote on the Live Nation front, “is not a defense of the publicly-traded, multinational conglomerate that’s promoting the tour, as they are under legal scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice and 40 state attorneys general.”

As to where things go from here, the entity is calling for a Senate Commerce Committee hearing centering “on predatory ticket practices, including the sale of speculative tickets,” as well as the previously mentioned passage of the Fans First Act in “a comprehensive year-end legislative package to reform ticketing practices.”

If NIVA gets its wish, the latter package would undoubtedly include the fast-moving TICKET Act, which is now awaiting a Senate vote after passing the House in May.

Photo Credit: Netflix

Olivia Rodrigo teams up with Netflix to release the ‘Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour’ concert special on October 29.

Grammy award-winning singer Olivia Rodrigo is spilling her guts as she partners with Netflix for the release of her first concert special, “Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour.”

Launching on October 29 and filmed at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the special will give fans a special peek inside Rodrigo’s sold-out arena tour. “Prepare to scream, cry, dance, and sing your heart out to songs from her latest album, GUTS, and her debut album, SOUR,” says Netflix.

“I am so excited to share the GUTS World Tour with my fans,” says Olivia Rodrigo. “For those of you who didn’t get a chance to rock out in-person, now you can have the best seats in the house! And to the fans who cheered, screamed, and danced with me, I am so glad we get to do it all over again!”

Directed by James Merryman and produced by BLINK Inc. in association with Lighthouse Management + Media and Interscope Films, the “Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour” concert special is executive produced by John Janick, Steve Berman, and Sam Wrench, alongside producers Aleen Keshishian, Michelle An, Tom Colbourne, Zack Morgenroth, and Merryman.

Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS, was released in September 2023, featuring hits like “Vampire,” “Bad Idea, Right?” and “Get Him Back!” The album appeared on numerous ‘Best of 2023’ lists, including those by Rolling Stone, NPR, Pitchfork, and The New York Times. Rodrigo became the first female artist in nearly a decade to debut her first two albums atop the Billboard 200, with GUTS having skyrocketed to #1.

Five months after the album’s debut, Rodrigo embarked on a 93-date arena world tour, which is set to conclude in March 2025. The tour saw her stop across North American, Europe, the UK, Asia, and Australia.

Photo Credit: Music Cities Awards

The Music Cities Awards nominations have been revealed. Hearby, Music Innovation Hub, and Opulous were nominated for the ‘Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities’ category.

The Music Cities Awards Ceremony will take place December 7-9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The award is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward outstanding applications of music for economic, social, environmental, and cultural development in cities across the world. Since its launch in 2020, the MCA’s have become a global showcase of projects using music to make cities better.

The competition covers 11 categories from rewarding the ‘Best Global Music City,’ to spotlighting initiatives working at the intersection of music and technology, diversity, youth engagement, sustainability, real estate, health tourism, night time economy, city planning, and more. With over 300 applications from 19 countries across six continents, the year’s competition highlights the vital role that music plays in shaping the cultural, economic, and social fabric of cities.

Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities

The aim of this award is to showcase a leading innovation that is positively impacting the lives of musicians or supporting music in cities. Eligible initiatives include but are not limited to digital innovations that have improved the ability to musicians to make money, improved access to key information, improved how live music is showcased in a city, or improved the lives of musicians when touring. This year’s nominees include:

• Music Innovation Hub (ITA) — Supports Innovative Music Startups
• Hearby, By Area4 Labs (USA) — Reveals the Abundance of Live Music
• Opulous (SGP) — Help Artists Get Funding

The selection process for each category was led by a global jury of 10 high-level professionals working at the front end of music cities topics. They include:

• Annika Park (HKG), Freelance Strategist, Brand/Culture/Innovation
• Christina Ballico (GBR), Lecturer, Music and Visual Culture, University of Aberdeen
• Enrique Avogadro (ARG), Cultural and Creative Promoter, Pulmón Creativo
• Helen Glengarry (AUS), Music Industry Lead, City of Gold Coast
• Khadija El Bennaoui (UAE), Head of Performing Arts, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi
• Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell (USA), GRAMMY Award-winning engineer, producer, composer, Owner, Royal Studios
• Nada Alhelabi (KSA), General Manager, MDLBEAST Foundation
• Panos A. Panay (USA), President, The Recording Academy
• Raoul Rugamba (RWA), Founder at Hobe Agency & Africa in Colors

Photo Credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya

Numerous fans are discovering concert tickets suddenly disappearing from their Ticketmaster accounts within the past few weeks.

Fans are finding concert tickets suddenly disappearing from their Ticketmaster accounts within the past few weeks, costing ticketholders potentially thousands of dollars.

First reported by Virginia Lasky in Gig Harbor, Washington, who told local news outlet KIRO7 that her family is out more than $1,200 for 14 tickets that were transferred to another account. Lasky says she was getting ready for work when she received multiple emails from Ticketmaster notifying her that her tickets to several upcoming shows and musicals were transferred to someone else.

“When I clicked on the tickets, they had one-by-one all been transferred and claimed,” said Lasky, noting she didn’t recognize the stranger’s account that received them.

And the same thing happened to Amanda Shaffer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who told WGAL News 8 that the Pink tickets she received as a Christmas gift from her husband last December were transferred to another account. “This morning when I woke up is when I saw an email saying, ‘Hey, your transfer to this person was successful,’” said Shaffer. “And I was like, ‘Wait, I’m sorry — what?’”

Shaffer says her tickets were transferred to an account called “bdbddh,” which, when she searched the exact seats on Ticketmaster, said they were being resold under “verified resale.”

Meanwhile, Blaine Heck in Connecticut had a pair of $3,500 Taylor Swift tickets taken from her account. She told MarketWatch that someone hacked her account and transferred the tickets to another account. Reportedly, those tickets were restored to their rightful owner within hours of the outlet reaching out to Ticketmaster for comment.

Another pair of Swift tickets swiftly vanished from the account of an Indiana resident who reached out to her local TV station WTHR after “numerous attempts” to contact Ticketmaster about the incident. Only when the TV station reached out to the company did Ticketmaster restore the tickets to her account.

The increasing number of reports of users having tickets taken from their accounts follow the massive data breach earlier this year by “hacker group” ShinyHunters. The group claimed to have accessed around 1.3 terabytes of data from Ticketmaster, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, phone numbers, and payment details. That information was reportedly up for sale on the dark web for an asking price of $500,000.

The incident led to a class action lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, with half a billion user accounts reportedly affected. Ticketmaster claims that user passwords were not exposed in the breach, telling KIRO7 “the vast majority of what we’re seeing is because scammers have accessed a fan’s email account.”

Ticketmaster has a lot on its plate. The antitrust lawsuit led by the Department of Justice, alongside 39 states and the District of Columbia, who aim to break up the Live Nation and Ticketmaster marriage for anticompetitive practices, still rages on.

Photo Credit: Lauryn Hill by Peter Tea / CC by 2.0

Pras Michel sues fellow Fugees member Lauryn Hill for fraud and breach of contract over their canceled 2023 tour.

Lauryn Hill is being sued in federal court by her former Fugees bandmate Pras Michel for alleged breach of contract and fraud over their 2023 tour that was cut short.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday (October 1) in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Hill “grossly mismanaged” the planning, marketing, and budgeting of their failed 2023 tour, “actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself.”

The list of claims includes fraud, fraud in the inducement, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, accounting, and refusal to permit an audit of the Fugees’ tour. In a statement to Variety, Hill called the lawsuit “baseless” and “full of false claims and unwarranted attacks.”

Pras’ lawsuit claims the 2023 Fugees tour should have been “a huge commercial success,” as most of the shows for the arena tour were “sold out in advance.” But because Hill controlled the budget tour, Michel says he came away empty-handed. “[The tour budget] was so bloated with unnecessary, and most likely fictitious, expenses, that it seemed designed to lose money.”

The tour was cut abruptly short when Hill canceled the second half in November, citing vocal strain. Michel asserts Hill has “narcissistic tendencies,” citing an incident in which she turned down a $5 million offer for the Fugees to perform at Coachella when she allegedly felt snubbed that the festival put No Doubt’s reunion at the top of the bill.

Pras claims she never told him about the offer, or that she had rejected it; he only learned about it after the fact, when Hill, “in an astonishing display of hubris,” asked Pras to perform some Fugees songs “for free” as the opening act for her son, YG Marley, who was also performing at Coachella.

According to the lawsuit, Hill exploited Michel’s financial situation, as he needed money for mounting legal fees in the middle of his four-year legal battle with the US Department of Justice as a co-defendant of Jho Low. Low allegedly stole $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, IMDB, in what is now one of the world’s biggest financial scandals. Low remains on the run, believed to be hiding in China, while Michel was convicted in April last year for his role in the scandal, though he was not directly involved in the theft.

“Hill was taking 40% of the tour guarantees and tour net profits ‘off the top’ for herself, leaving the remaining 60% to be split equally between Hill, Pras, and Wyclef [Jean],” the lawsuit states, further alleging that Hill entered into a new agreement with Live Nation for a slew of Fugees shows this year, which she never disclosed to Michel. Ticket sales fell short of expectations, which Michel blames on Hill for having “taken far too long to close the deal,” and there was “little or no marketing for the tour.”

Live Nation pulled the US tour in August, which Hill blamed on the media. “Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows,” she said in a statement at the time. “Regrettably, some media outlets’ penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour.”

The suit also asserts that Hill has “tarnished the Fugees brand” with her “chronic tardiness,” which has drawn the ire of fans. Hill reportedly arrived on stage over four hours late for a show this week in Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo Credit: ABBA Voyage

After strong ticket sales and economic indicators pointed to financial success for ABBA Voyage in 2023, the lucrative hologram show’s full-year financials have officially released.

Aniara Limited, the UK-based company behind London’s ABBA Voyage, just recently filed its complete 2023 financials. As mentioned, evidence was already suggesting solid commercial results for ABBA Voyage in 2023 (and the current year) – with other massive hologram shows possibly in the works to boot.

Now, however, we know the precise details of these commercial results. As laid out in Aniara’s full-year report, ABBA Voyage’s 2023 performances numbered 374 and attracted 1,097,597 attendees for an occupancy rate of 97.8%.

Adjacent to those figures, Aniara’s total revenue hit $137.58 million (£103.67 million) in 2023, with profit coming in at $10.68 million (£8.06 million), according to the document.

Both revenue and profit climbed year over year; ABBA Voyage only debuted in May of 2022. But thanks mainly to sizable non-ticketing sales in 2022, the prior year came close to matching 2023 revenue (at $128.70 million/£97.12 million for 2022) with a comparatively small 228 showings, the report states.

Sticking with 2023 revenue, the lion’s share of the figure, $134.61 million (£101.58 million), derived from ticket sales, per the text. The remaining sum came from the “sale of stage rights” (at $1.19 million/£899,416) and from film-rights sales ($1.57 million/£1.19 million)

Also in the annual report, Aniara confirmed indications of continued ABBA Voyage demand for 2024. As things stand in the year’s final quarter, the hunch looks to be proving correct. At the time of writing, fans had already purchased a substantial portion of the show’s tickets for October, with dates currently scheduled into May of 2025.

Shifting the focus to the bigger picture, the success of ABBA Voyage (for which an arena was custom-built at a reported cost of around $185.57 million/£140 million) almost certainly means other high-profile hologram concert series will come to fruition.

Running with the idea and the initially mentioned shows that could be forthcoming, June reports revealed discussions between Björn Ulvaeus-founded Pophouse, Sony Music, and Authentic Brands Group on an Elvis hologram.

Time will tell if the talks ultimately produce a new residency. Importantly, this rumored project shouldn’t be confused with the Elvis Evolution “immersive experience,” which a company called Layered Reality intends to bring to London in March of 2025, the appropriate website relays.

Meanwhile, Pophouse in April purchased a variety of KISS IP, about four months after the famed rock group confirmed an avatar concert of its own. KISS’ hologram show is reportedly set to kick off sometime in 2027.

Photo Credit: Simon Emmett (Oasis)

Oasis has finally announced the beginning of their North American tour dates for the Oasis Live ‘25 world tour. The North American leg is produced by Live Nation and SJM and will see the band head to Toronto, Chicago, East Rutherford, Los Angeles, and Mexico City for now.

It has been 16 years since the last Oasis performance in North America. Cage The Elephant will join the duo as a special guest across all dates. “America. Oasis is coming. You have one last chance to prove that you loved us all along,” says the duo.

Previously announced dates on the Oasis Live ‘25 tour sold out immediately in the largest concert launch ever in the UK and Ireland. More than 10 million fans from 158 countries queued to buy tickets to those UK shows.

Oasis remain a huge draw in the streaming era, with over 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone—an increase of 50% since their announced return. The duo has achieved nearly 12.5 billion streams to date across all streaming platforms.

Registration for pre-sale is currently open on the Oasis website until October 1 at 8 am EST. General ticket on-sale will begin on October 4 at 12 local time at Ticketmaster.com. It’s worth noting that Oasis has confirmed the group will not use Ticketmaster’s controversial dynamic pricing feature for these upcoming North American tour dates.

OASIS LIVE ’25 TOUR DATES

JULY

04 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, UK
05 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, UK
11 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
12 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
16 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
19 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
20 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
25 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
26 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
30 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK

AUGUST

02 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
03 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
08 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, UK
09 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, UK
12 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, UK
16 | Croke Park — Dublin, IE
17 | Croke Park — Dublin, IE
24 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, ON (NEW)
28 | Soldier Field — Chicago, IL (NEW)
31 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ (NEW)

SEPTEMBER

06 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles, CA (NEW)
12 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, MX (NEW)
27 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
28 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK

Photo Credit: American Music Awards

The AMAs announce the lineup ahead of the 50th anniversary event, featuring Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Brad Paisley, and more.

The American Music Awards is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and CBS has announced the lineup alongside Dick Clark Productions for the star-studded event. Brad Paisley, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Green Day, Jennifer Hudson, Kane Brown, Mariah Carey, RAYE, and Stray Kids will all perform for the AMAs 50th Anniversary Special.

The two-hour event will also feature appearances by Carrie Underwood, Gloria Estefan, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as a special appearance by Jimmy Kimmel. More performers and guest appearances will be announced in the coming days.

Airing on Sunday, October 6, at 8:00-10:00 PM ET and 5:00-7:00 PM PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, the AMAs 50th Anniversary Special celebrates half a century of “groundbreaking music, iconic moments, unforgettable performances, and rich pop culture history.”

Two-time AMA winner Brad Paisley will honor the late Charley Pride, the first AMA winner for Country Male and Country Album, as well as perform his new single. Chaka Khan will celebrate 50 years of achievements by female artists at the AMAs with a special performance of her classic hit, “I Am Every Woman.”

The incomparable Gladys Knight — a seven-time AMA winner who first performed at the event in 1974 — will return to the stage for a performance of “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Three-time AMA winners Green Day will perform their latest No. 1 hit, “Dilemma,” to celebrate the history of rock music at the AMAs.

Jennifer Hudson will honor 22-time AMA winner Whitney Houston — one of the top AMA winners of all time — with a tribute performance. Five-time AMA winner Kane Brown will celebrate the legacy of country music at the AMAs with a performance of classic and current hits.

Meanwhile, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Emancipation of Mimi, ten-time AMA winner Mariah Carey will perform a medley of hits from her album. Singer-songwriter RAYE will perform the James Brown classic, “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” for a retrospective on the American Music Award of Merit. Finally, K-pop sensations Stray Kids will deliver a special performance honoring the legacy of boy bands at the AMAs.

The program will feature themed highlights from the AMAs’ expansive show archives, with segments looking back at the evolution of specific artists and genres, as well as award and performance milestones.

The world’s largest fan-voted award show, the American Music Awards, will return in May 2025.

Photo Credit: Oasis

For North American fans who couldn’t stomach the high dynamic pricing for Oasis tickets in the United Kingdom—good news! Oasis is ready to embark on their North American tour dates.

The duo recently shared several photos of large advertisements on buildings in New York City, Chicago, and Toronto. “Be careful what you wish for,” the advertisement reads, with images of both Noel and Liam Gallagher gracing the huge billboards. The advertisement teases an announcement tomorrow (September 30) at 8 am ET.

The Times Square billboard in New York also appeared to reveal that Amazon Music will be a sponsor of their North American tour. “If we need to put up a billboard to get these guys to come to the States, here it is,” the message reads. These teasers follow the massive surge in interest for Oasis following the announcement of their reunion tour dates in August.

The Gallagher brothers have slated multiple dates in the United Kingdom, including visits to Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Cardiff for what are described as their only shows in Europe for 2025. Both Liam and Noel have teased an extended international tour. “Plans are underway for Oasis Live ‘25 to go to other continents outside of Europe later next year,” the statement says.

Oasis split in 2009 after several years of in-fighting between the brothers. Noel Gallagher officially left the band just before a performance at a festival near Paris that year. Both Gallagher brothers have long had an antagonistic relationship, leaving many fans to joke that the group will break up again before this reunion tour is over.

“People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,” Noel wrote in a statement about his departure at the time. While the brothers never worked together again since that breakup, both often featured Oasis songs at their solo gigs. One catalyst for the reunion could be Noel’s recent divorce.

Noel Gallagher and Sara MacDonald announced their divorce in January 2023 after 22 years of marriage. Speculation from fans suggest Noel is seeking to rebuild his fortune, or that he wanted to reunite with Liam post-wife since she reportedly did not like Liam. Liam himself has blamed Sara for the group’s split. “”[Noel’s] desperate to get Oasis back but he knows he’s crossed that bridge. I know for a fact, deep down, he wants to be playing stadiums… You can only play stadiums when I’m there,” Liam said.

Photo Credit: Myznik Egor

For the first time in 46 years, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) musicians have called a strike against their employer, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Here’s the latest.

More than 90 musicians have joined the strike after negotiations began in May but have not progressed as both parties remain far apart on wages and other important issues. The musicians are supported by their union, the DC Federation of Musicians, Local 161-170, American Federation of Musicians. They are seeking reasonable wage increases that average a 6.25% increase over the next four years.

Those increases recognize that the musicians have seen their pay decrease by about 15% since the beginning of their last contract, which took effect September 2019 and expired September 2024. The 15% decline in real wages does not account for the fact that each NSO musician voluntarily gave back a minimum of $60,000 in salary during the pandemic.

After walking off the job this morning, the musicians set up a picket line outisde the Kennedy Center. They are taking advantage of their unique talents to supplement the demonstration with musical performances. The strike imperils the musicians’ Season Opening Gala this Saturday, and it will continue until the Kennedy Center agrees to fair terms in a new collective bargaining agreement.

“All across the country, we’ve seen employers agree to contracts with substantial wage increases in recognition of the impact that inflation has had on employees’ cost of living,” says Ed Malaga, President of the DC Federation of Musicians, Local 161-170, American Federation of Musicians. “The music world is no different. Just a few weeks ago, the New York Philharmonic demonstrated its commitment to compensating its musicians in the manner they deserve, agreeing to wage increases of 10% per year over three years.”

“The Boston Symphony negotiated a similar contract last August. The musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra are standing together and demanding that the Kennedy center show the same respect.”

AFM President Tino Gagliardi also released a statement in support of these striking musicians. “The full resources of the AFM will be utilized in maximum to support the musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra in their strike,” Gagliardi told Digital Music News. “I find it particularly abhorrent that Deborah Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center, feels she deserves to be paid commensurate with her peer group but does not respect the orchestra similarly.”

“Nobody pays to see Deborah Rutter perform; they pay to see the world-class musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra. We have bargained in good faith with the Kennedy Center, but it is clear they have no respect for the orchestra and Rutter and her team do not recognize the value of the musicians. The musicians bring cultural integrity to the United States and world audiences, and Rutter and the Kennedy Center bring disappointment and embarrassment to their iconic cultural organization. Shame on them.”

Music festivals in the States and Down Under are still grappling with the consequences of the abrupt Lyte implosion. Photo Credit: Hanny Naibaho

The Lyte shutdown’s fallout isn’t finished yet, as two music festivals are pushing back against claims that they used the defunct platform to scalp their own tickets. Meanwhile, the episode’s ripples are still being felt all the way in Australia.

These developments stem from the well-funded ticketing company’s abrupt cessation of operations earlier in September. We’ve covered the trainwreck situation every step of the way since then, including with a deep-dive analysis, multiple looks at the impacted festival organizers’ responses, and a breakdown of lawsuits filed by Lost Lands as well as North Coast Music Festival (NCMF).

In brief, the companies behind those happenings are suing Lyte for owed ticket-sale payments that failed to go out due to the platform’s shutdown. DMN obtained the Lost Lands suit, much of which is redacted, and conveyed the brass-tacks takeaways.

Beyond that analysis of the actual complaint, we also cited allegations made in a report from Billboard, which maintained in more words that the events’ organizers had transferred certain passes to Lyte, marked up the prices, and then taken a piece of the resulting revenue.

However, that’s not actually how things went down, according to statements from NCMF and Lost Lands as well as remarks forwarded to DMN by a rep for the former. Long story short, Billboard has updated its piece “to more accurately describe NCMF’s lawsuit against Lyte,” while The Festive Owl, another early coverer, then offered a clarification on its Billboard citation.

Stated bluntly, though the festivals are ticked off about the situation and concerned with potentially negative coverage, the ticket-scalping claims don’t appear too damaging in a sub-sector where astronomically inflated prices are in many ways the norm.

Furthermore, ongoing fan demands to receive compensation for passes sold via Lyte seem comparatively pressing for Lost Lands, which announced a related reimbursement program earlier this week. Despite warning of the “very high cost” and many moving parts involved with coughing up cash for Lyte’s apparent operational failure, Lost Lands is still facing a steady stream of related fan complaints on social media.

In the interest of leaving no stone unturned on the scalping-allegation side, Lost Lands also addressed the topic, writing: “Each year of the festival, there are some payment plans that fail close to the event date.

“This year, there were a very small number of tickets released in this process due to the event being sold out. LYTE had a significant waitlist of people hoping to attend the event, so instead of relaunching tickets on [Live Nation’s] Front Gate, we fulfilled a few hundred tickets to this waitlist on LYTE at final tier pricing,” proceeded the event.

Admittedly, that statement might seem curious in light of the estimated $600,000+ Lost Lands’ organizer said it could be owed from Lyte in the appropriate complaint. Nevertheless, there are, as noted, bigger fish to fry for the festival than any scalping claims.

Shifting to the initially mentioned Lyte-related ripples hitting Australia, we’ve provided several updates on the ticketing struggles of Lost Paradise (set to kick off on December 28th) and Rabbits Eat Lettuce (teed up for an April 17th start).

With more time to spare before its next edition, Rabbits Eat Lettuce promptly pivoted its tickets to Humanitix; Lost Paradise, on the other hand, had tapped Lyte for primary ticketing and has seen its sales paused as a result.

Lost Paradise doesn’t appear to have revealed new ticket-sale plans of its own, but per Pollstar, the 5,000-capacity event has about 500 unsold passes at present.

Lost Lands has announced a program to compensate fans who are owed ticket-sale cash from Lyte following its abrupt shutdown. Photo Credit: Krists Luhaers

As music festivals grapple with continued fallout from ticketing platform Lyte’s abrupt shutdown, Lost Lands is now offering to compensate fans for owed payments.

Lost Lands took to social media to reveal the support plan, with less than a week having passed since its 2024 edition’s start. As we previously covered, the Apex-organized event is one of the many festivals affected by Lyte’s sudden cessation of operations.

DMN Pro’s latest weekly report provides a deep-dive analysis into the multifaceted situation, including the circumstances surrounding Lyte’s apparent implosion and the far-reaching consequences it’s bringing about.

Long story short, several festivals say they received no notice whatsoever before Lyte went dark. For Lost Lands and others that have already taken place, this means fans are out cash for sold passes (justifiably irked individuals are still penning related posts on Reddit) and organizers are seemingly awaiting their share of sizable ticket-sale payments.

(Forthcoming festivals are facing different but equally pressing problems. Australia’s similarly named but distinct Lost Paradise, set to kick off on December 28th, confirmed on Tuesday that the sale of passes remains “on hold” due to the absence of Lyte.)

At an especially difficult time for festivals, the missing revenue is, of course, a very big deal. Lost Lands’ Apex organizer is suing Lyte for its share of allegedly due ticket-sale revenue (over $600,000), besides damages and more to boot.

But against the backdrop of slipping festival attendance and recession concerns, perhaps just as important for organizers is keeping attendees and would-be attendees happy. And on this front, one needn’t look far to find frustrated social-media comments directed at festivals affected by the Lyte shutdown.

That these festivals aren’t responsible for the turn of events appears to be of little concern to the complaining customers, whose various remarks, making for a steady stream of less-than-positive feedback when considered as a whole, are hardly good for business.

Enter Lost Lands’ decision to reimburse fans who “are stuck in limbo as their money is being held by the company which has ceased operations.”

The same image message emphasizes that Lyte “has gone silent” and drives home the “very high cost” of the payments move for Lost Lands itself.

Fans who sold passes via Lyte can now submit to Lost Lands “a claim with proof of what they are owed.” From there, the festival’s team will take until November 6th “to review and verify” the submissions “due to the complexity of this issue.” Eligible parties should then receive payments by November 20th, according to Lost Lands’ post.

“We hope this will be received as a gesture of goodwill from us to our community, who we want to support through this situation,” the text indicates closer to its end. (Incidentally, it’s unclear whether the plan is, in fact, being received as a gesture of goodwill from the entirety of the Lost Lands community, certain members of which are currently taking aim at the festival’s email response times.)

As for the fate of Lyte, a liquidator is reportedly working to find a buyer for the business’s assets – though the results of this process, not to mention fan and festival reimbursements as well as creditor recoupments, remain to be seen.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation has plans to build a temporary, open-air music venue for 50,000 people on the grounds of the former Downsview Airport (YZD) in north Toronto.

“This was a natural response to an unprecedented level of stadium-level artists on the road today,” said President, Music, Live Nation Canada Erik Hoffman at a press conference alongside Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “We now have another home for them to perform. The Rogers Stadium will host its first concerts in June 2025.

Live Nation says there will be an emphasis on catering to the diverse communities of the greater Toronto area, with some of the acts scheduled including some of the biggest names in K-pop, Afrobeats, Latin, and Punjabi music. The new venue is being positioned as a major upgrade from the current stage at Downsview, which has a capacity of 40,000. Hoffman described the new venue as a “premium music festival.” Live Nation has declined to share the expected cost of the project.

Rogers Stadium will operate seasonally and is expected to provide a boost to the province’s arts, culture, and tourism sectors. The 150-hectare Downsview Airport Lands are in the early phases of a three-decades long residential and commercial redevelopment plan led by Northcrest Developments. The Rogers Stadium will operate for several years before the land is turned into neighborhoods intended to house more than 55,000 people.

“The number of stadium-level acts touring today is unprecedented, with more acts than available nights at existing venues,” Hoffman continues. “That’s why we’re making this investment—to ensure Toronto fans don’t miss out on world-class artists. Rogers Stadium will not only meet this demand but also offer a premium stadium show experience, combined with the festival vibe that our fans love.”

“This is a natural evolution of our stadium programming and we’re excited to bring this new venue to life with our partners at Rogers while continuing to book world-class shows at Rogers Centre as well.”

“I’m so pleased to welcome Live Nation and the future Rogers Stadium to YZD,” adds Premier Doug Ford. “This exciting venue will bring even more tourists and investment to our province, boosting local business, creating new jobs, and drawing in artists and events from around the world.”

Rogers Stadium will be strategically positioned at the north end of the former airport’s runway, serving as the temporary live venue as the $30 billion construction masterplan unfolds over the coming years. The stadium is centrally located, with easy access to highways and public transit connections. Live Nation expects the stadium to inject an estimated $80-$100M into the local economy during its operation.

After $53 million in investor funding, ticketing platform Lyte is melting down—complete with a shuttered website, a rapid-fire selloff, and major disruptions for music festivals and fans. Here’s our preliminary finding on what led to the crash and the industry-wide damage.

Scrutiny of the available clues tells us that Lyte may have shown signs of distress well before it suddenly suspended operations. Evidently, these signs weren’t too obvious; clearer indicators of trouble probably would have prompted preemptive action on the part of affected festivals.

But what were the red flags that were missed?

Report Table Of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Was Lyte’s Downfall Months In the Making? Subtle Signs Suggest Trouble In The Lead-Up to September’s Shutdown

III. Sorry, Festivals — The Lyte Shutdown’s Substantial Fallout For Event Organizers and Attendees

IV. Lyte’s Rapid-Fire Sale And Future — Which Festivals And Creditors Stand To Possibly Recover Funds?

V. Lyte’s Implosion And The Bigger Picture — Are We Witnessing The Start Of a Wider Ticketing Platform Trend?

This report is for DMN Pro subscribers only. Please do not redistribute. Thank you!

Photo Credit: Macklemore by Amanda Rhoades / San Francisco Foghorn / CC by 2.0

Less than a week after he was announced as a headliner at the debut Neon City Festival in Las Vegas, Macklemore has disappeared from the lineup following his ‘f—k America’ remark.

After being announced as a headliner at the inaugural Neon City Festival in Las Vegas just last week, rapper Macklemore is now absent from the lineup “due to unforeseen circumstances” coinciding with his recent anti-America comment.

The music festival opted not to disclose a specific reason as to the “Thrift Shop” singer’s sudden absence. But the change comes a few days after Macklemore’s “f—k America” remark while on stage performing at a pro-Palestinian benefit concert, Palestine Will Live Forever, in Seattle. Neon City Festival’s headliners were announced on September 19; Macklemore made headlines on September 21 for his comments at the benefit concert. By September 24, he was dropped from the Las Vegas festival’s roster.

Today (September 25), Macklemore released a statement on his social channels. “My thoughts and feelings are not always expressed perfectly or politely,” he began. “Sometimes I slip up and get caught in the moment. Saturday night was one of those times.”

“Unfortunately, the historic event in my hometown that brought thousands of people together to raise awareness and money for the people of Palestine has become overshadowed by two words,” he continued in part, explaining his frustration and disappointment in the United States in the face of ongoing violence in the Middle East.”

“But do not misconstrue the word ‘f—k’ for the word ‘hate.’ It’s different to be angry than to disown,” Macklemore’s statement went on. “I’ve lost endorsements, I’ve lost business ties. I am still here, unwavering in my support for a Free Palestine.”

The musician has been outspoken in his support of Palestine amid the war between Hamas and Israel. His signature was among those on an open letter calling for a ceasefire, and he released a protest song in May, “Hind’s Hall,” in support of the student protestors on college campuses. Proceeds from the song have gone toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The inaugural Neon City Festival takes place in downtown Las Vegas from November 22 through the 24. Headliners now include Seven Lions, Alison Wonderland, Russell Dickerson, and Neon Trees.

DJ Excision, the founder of music festival Lost Lands, the organizer of which is now suing ticketing platform Lyte for breach of contract and more. Photo Credit: Live Nation/Terrence Blanton

Seemingly shuttered ticketing platform Lyte is now grappling with multiple lawsuits filed by festival organizers who say they’re owed sizable sums following the company’s abrupt shutdown.

Lost Lands organizer Apex Event Management and the team behind North Coast Music Festival just recently fired off those complaints, amid continued operational woes for Lyte. We first covered the ticketing platform’s apparent issues last week, after its website was taken down for purported maintenance.

This maintenance process is still underway – as is a rapid-fire selloff of the assets owned by Lyte, which has parted with its founder and reportedly laid off its team to boot. Evidently without the resources to continue operating, the well-funded business looks set to find a new owner sometime next month.

Closer to the present, though, the unexpected turn of events has left multiple festivals and ticket sellers in a decidedly difficult spot. With Lyte completely offline, several happenings have lost access to their primary and/or secondary ticket sales as well as the resulting revenue.

Also on the resale front, a number of ticked-off Reddit users are claiming that they’re owed payments for transactions carried out via Lyte pre-shutdown. Running with the point, Billboard has described in more words Lyte’s alleged business practice of receiving VIP tickets directly from organizers, marking up the prices, and then cutting in said organizers on the inflated proceeds.

While time should reveal additional details about that arrangement – which isn’t surprising given the potential for event passes to fetch sizable sums – it’s worth keeping in mind when it comes to the initially highlighted lawsuits.

(Regarding those additional details, days after this piece was published, Billboard updated its original coverage “to more accurately describe NCMF’s lawsuit against Lyte.” North Coast Music Festival, the edited piece clarified, had actually been selling passes on Lyte “below their original check out price.” We then covered the update, pushback against similar scalping allegations from Lost Lands, and more about the ongoing Lyte meltdown on Friday, September 27th.)

To be sure, a substantial portion of the action from Excision’s Lost Lands has been redacted pending a formal application to seal. Nevertheless, the available details tell us quite a bit about the positioning of Lyte-partnered festivals.

According to the legal text, Lost Lands 2024 kicked off on September 17th – or shortly after Lyte, its “exclusive seller of secondary market tickets,” appeared to go belly up.

In “essentially shutting down the secondary ticket market” for the event, per the breach of contract and fraud suit, the defendant allegedly inflicted “untold damage” on the organizer and on the “many thousands of consumers who” were using the service to buy, sell, and/or access passes.

Whatever the precise terms of its Lyte agreement, Lost Lands says it ceased receiving the contractually outlined payments in August. That refers specifically to $79,773.81 due as of August 21st, $330,917.07 due as of September 4th, and an estimated total of over $600,000 due with the festival’s latest installment now in the books.

Apex/Lost Lands is further seeking interest on the sum, damages, and an order preventing the sale-minded defendant “from transferring assets that may be used to satisfy any judgment.”

Photo Credit: Iron Maiden

Heavy metal rockers Iron Maiden have announced their 50th anniversary tour for 2025-26, with a note that dynamic pricing is not enabled. Resale value for tickets is also capped through approved vendors.

The ‘Run For Your Lives World Tour’ will see the band performing hits from their first nine studio albums. That includes their 1980 debut, Iron Maiden, to 1992’s Fear of the Dark—which is the last album vocalist Bruce Dickinson performed on before exiting the band (he returned in 1999).

“Next year is a very special one for Iron Maiden and we’re going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience,” says Bruce Dickinson. “This is a tour that’s gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat. If you’ve seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a whole new level. If you’ve never seen us before, then what the hell have you been waiting for? Now’s your chance to find out what you’ve been missing!”

A recent post on Instagram revealing the dates also included an interesting note. “FYI there will be no dynamic ticket pricing for the 2025 Run For Your Lives Tour. Ticket resale in the UK will be capped at face value and won’t open until much closer to the start of the tour. As always, we urge fans to only purchase tickets from approved outlets.”

It’s unclear if the U.S. tour dates will see capped resale value tickets, but many artists are taking a stand against dynamic pricing as it sours the artist-fan relationship. Coldplay recently announced $20 tickets for its upcoming show with a blind grab for seats—you’ll only pay $20 for the tickets but you don’t get to pick where they’re located.

Iron Maiden — ‘Run For Your Lives World Tour’ 2025-26

MAY

• 27 | Budapest Aréna — Budapest
• 31 | Letnany Airport — Prague

JUNE

• 01 | TIPOS Arena — Bratislava
• 05 | Trondheim Rocks (Festival) — Trondheim
• 07 | SR-Bank Arena — Stavanger
• 09 | Royal Arena — Copenhagen
• 12 | 3Arena — Stockholm
• 13 | 3Arena — Stockholm
• 16 | Olympic Stadium — Helsinki
• 21 | Utilita Arena — Birmingham
• 22 | Co-op Live — Manchester
• 25 | Malahide Castle — Dublin
• 28 | London Stadium — London
• 30 | OVO Hydro — Glasgow

JULY

• 03 | Eurockéennes Festival — Belfort
• 05 | Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano — Madrid
• 06 | MEO Arena — Lisbon
• 09 | Hallenstadion — Zurich
• 11 | Veltins-Arena — Gelsenkirchen
• 13 | Stadio Euganeo — Padova
• 15 | Bürgerweide — Bremen
• 17 | Ernst Happel Stadium — Vienna
• 19 | Paris La Défense Arena — Paris
• 23 | GelreDome — Arnhem
• 25 | Deutsche Bank Park — Frankfurt
• 26 | Cannstatter Wasen — Stuttgart
• 29 | Waldbühne — Berlin

AUGUST

• 02 | PGE Narodowy — Warsaw

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

Cybersecurity defense firm Mandiant is stalking the Ticketmaster hacker known as Judische who was behind the massive Snowflake breach. This breach impacted Ticketmaster, AT&T, Lending Tree, and more than 165 companies who utilized Snowflake’s services.

A new 404 Media report highlights the cat-and-mouse game that cybersecurity experts are playing with the hacker in an attempt to track them down. The hacker, using the pseudonym Judische, spoke with 404 Media about the hack. Judische says he’s made around $2 million by stealing data from these companies and extorting them to pay up for the data’s supposed deletion.

Judische has published tranches of data from companies who refused to give in to the extortion scheme, including a tranche of Ticketmaster tickets for live shows including Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour.’

In these extortion attempts, Judische would contact the victim company and offer to produce a video proving the heisted data was deleted in exchange for payment. “But Judische often made terrible mistakes in those videos,” the report says. “In at least one case, the video showed his system’s hostname, which is how the computer identifies itself on a network.”

“Armed with that information, Austin Larsen, a senior threat analyst with Mandiant, identified where the server hosting some of Judische’s data was located. Larsen provided information to the relevant parties and the server was removed—delaying Judische from publishing a victim’s stolen data.”

Mandiant is coordinating with both U.S. and international law enforcement to take down Judische, who says he’s not too worried about what he calls “civilian law enforcement.”

While we don’t know if Ticketmaster paid Judische any ransom (he asked for $8 million), we do know that AT&T ponied up at least $370,000 to the hackers to delete the data they obtained. Mandiant has build a ‘moderate confidence’ profile of the hacker, saying they believe it is a male in his 20s who possibly lives in Canada. The hacker has an interest in video games, geopolitics, and catgirls. The cat-and-mouse game resulted in servers hosting stolen data in Moldova being taken down and moved to Ukraine—with Ukrainian officials eventually seizing those servers.

Mixcloud has announced the acquisition of Encore, through which clients can book musicians to play private events. Photo Credit: Mixcloud

Superfan-geared streaming platform Mixcloud has announced the acquisition of Encore, through which clients can book musicians for live performances.

The London-based companies just recently revealed their agreement, pointing out as well that the transaction coincides with Mixcloud’s 15th anniversary. Decade-old Encore, on the other hand, bills itself as today’s “fastest way to find and book great musicians.”

Offering access to talent across a variety of categories, genres, and event types, per its website, UK-focused Encore is said to have facilitated north of 50,000 bookings to date.

Now, the businesses (which opted against publicly disclosing the sale’s financial specifics) say they’re poised to coordinate on a “united effort to build tools for communities to grow, monetize and connect through music.”

At the top level, that will see Encore keep on operating independently while Mixcloud drives “the next stages of the company’s product.”

Additionally, Mixcloud co-founder Nikhil Shah (who first backed Encore half a decade ago) is set to sign on as Encore’s chairman. In this role, the longtime angel investor is expected to “provide strategic guidance as Encore enters a new phase,” the involved parties indicated.

Addressing the deal, Encore co-founder and CEO James McAulay touched on the inherent opportunities associated with uniting the community and talent-booking platforms.

“Teaming up with Mixcloud,” the exec communicated in part, “a company we’ve long admired who have made an enormous impact on music culture, feels like the perfect next step. I’m excited about unlocking the next chapter of Encore’s growth with the support of Mixcloud to build a larger ecosystem and deliver more opportunities, earnings, and tools to our incredible musicians.”

In comments of his own, Mixcloud co-founder and longtime CEO Nico Perez emphasized an objective of capitalizing on his company’s “global reach and resources” to help musicians “earn a living and connect with their audiences in new and innovative ways.”

Especially amid the continued industry-wide embrace of superfan monetization, it’ll be worth monitoring the byproducts (possibly including an expansion into new markets) of Mixcloud’s Encore buyout. Of course, it stands to reason that a portion of diehard supporters are interested in booking proper musicians for various special occasions and events.

And particularly in light of the eye-watering costs attached to attending certain gigs at present, it might prove easier than ever for prospective customers to justify tapping talent for private happenings.

Photo Credit: Lyte

Last week, warning signs pointed to major operational trouble for Quincy Jones-backed ticketing platform Lyte. Now, new evidence is continuing to suggest a meltdown at the well-funded Ticketmaster competitor.

DMN first reported on the apparent woes of 11-year-old Lyte six days ago, when, among other things, the business’s website was down. At the time of this writing, that less-than-encouraging issue hadn’t resolved; navigating to Lyte.com brought up a “scheduled maitenance (sic)” message and an indication that the site “should be back shortly.”

To put it mildly, that’s a problem for multiple parties – including the investors who’ve pumped north of $50 million total into Lyte in recent years.

Unfortunately, though, there’s even more to the fallout than potentially lost investments. At a particularly precarious time for many in the live entertainment sector, large and small music events alike “have hundreds (if not thousands) of tickets currently stuck in Lyte’s system with no resolution,” according to Festive Owl.

The same source cited Michigan’s Big Fam Music & Arts Festival, set to kick off on October 4th, as one such event. DMN reached out to Big Fam for comment on the extent of the Lyte-related turmoil but didn’t immediately receive a response.

Not helping the situation is the seeming radio silence from Lyte, the founder and CEO of which, Antony Taylor, departed the company last month, according to his LinkedIn profile. Once again at the time of writing, Taylor didn’t appear to have publicly elaborated on the precise circumstances surrounding his departure.

Predictably, a closer look at the LinkedIn profiles of other (now-former) Lyte higher-ups shows that Taylor isn’t alone in exiting the company.

These September (not August) departures include but aren’t limited to head of sales Chandler Abbott, head of commercial for APAC Tim Glenane, and operations director Jeanette Savell. Furthermore, in what was in retrospect a far-from-positive sign, execs like Lyte president Andy Donner had stepped away earlier in 2024.

Shifting the focus back to the present, TheTicketingBusiness today described an already-underway “quickfire sale” process for Lyte and the assets at hand. This bankruptcy alternative will reportedly field closed offers until October 11th.

Ironically, as some will recall, it was only about two years ago that Lyte itself scooped up the distressed assets of Festicket and Event Genius. (TicketingBusiness noted Lyte employees’ belief that the multimillion-dollar deal was a mistake and marked the start of the purchasing company’s decline.)

The developments underscore the stiff competition in the live arena and especially ticketing. Most obviously, that refers to Live Nation’s Ticketmaster.

But CTS Eventim’s See Tickets, Tixr, DICE (which could be exploring a sale of its own), TickPick (now boasting $250 million in investor capital), Seat Unique, OPEN (formerly GET Protocol), and StubHub (evidently still delaying its long-awaited IPO) are also hunting for bigger pieces of the ticketing pie.

Photo Credit: Jun Seita / CC by 2.0

Under a new labor contract announced Thursday, New York Philharmonic musicians will receive a raise of 30% over the next three years. That will bring the musicians’ base pay to $205,000 per year, making them one of the highest paid orchestras in the country.

The New York Philharmonic’s leaders praised the new agreement, which the 100 musicians are expected to ratify on Friday when the existing contract expires. “It’s transformative,” Colin Williams told The New York Times. “It speaks to the commitment from the Philharmonic’s leadership to making sure this place is really a destination orchestra.”

Some of the other changes in this new labor contract include provisions that require musicians to play from behind a screen in the final round of auditions. Previously, screens were optional in this final round of auditioning. The rule is intended to make the hiring process fairer and more transparent for all involved. The orchestra will also put into place new protocols to ensure that votes on auditions and tenure are done by secret ballot “to eliminate any possibility of undue influence by individual committee members.”

This contract is the first that the NY Philharmonic has negotiated since the COVID-19 pandemic, which put strain on the ensemble during its closures.

The NY Philharmonic has an endowment of about $237 million and a budget of $90 million, but faces rising costs and a cash deficit of around $8 million. The Philharmonic will pay for these wage increases through fund-raising and other means. It is in the early phases of a money-raising drive called the Dudamel Visionary Fund Campaign, led by Philharmonic chairs Peter W. May and Oscar L. Tang.

Under the terms of the contract negotiated, NY Philharmonic musicians will receive a 15% raise for this 2024-2025 season; a 7.5% raise for the 2025-26 season; and a 7.5% raise for the 2026-27 season.

The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) is officially urging the FTC to launch additional BOTS Act investigations into alleged ticket-scalping operations. Photo Credit: NITO

Nearly eight years after the BOTS Act became law, the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) is urging the FTC to investigate alleged “widespread” violations of the anti-scalping measure.

NITO reached out with word of its formal complaint, which arrives almost four years following the first charges under the BOTS Act. Full title the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, the law has seemingly failed to produce any additional charges in the interim.

But scalping (and runaway ticket prices generally) has, of course, hardly ceased to be an issue for fans both in the States and abroad. Following BOTS Act enforcement scrutiny in 2022, 2023 saw the introduction of expanded federal ticketing legislation, the Fans First Act.

However, the newer bill (which would, among other things, strengthen the BOTS Act with a web portal for FTC scalping complaints) is still tied up in committee. Consequently, it’s under the existing law that NITO is urging the government agency to spearhead investigations.

Far from calling for those investigations based on unspecific claims about vague problems like expensive tickets, the organization in its letter to FTC chair Lina M. Khan rather directly named a number of the companies allegedly responsible for selling tech used to violate the BOTS Act.

As described by NITO, it identified the companies when attending 2024’s National Association of Ticket Brokers-organized World Ticket Conference. At the Nashville happening, NITO allegedly “observed a sold-out exhibition hall filled with vendors selling and marketing products designed to bypass security measures for ticket purchases.”

Without mentioning the vendors’ names here – few if any of the businesses are regularly part of industry conversations – NITO narrowed down the alleged violations (and the culprits) to five main categories. Each complete with a thorough explanation of how the appropriate tools factor into scalping schemes, these categories are browser extensions, VPNs, virtual credit card services, data scraping tools, and “comprehensive resale platforms.”

Where, then, should rightsholders and especially the FTC go from here? Per NITO’s recommendations, subpoenaing customer lists from the above-described types of companies and prioritizing “investigations into large-scale ticket reselling operations, focusing on those using multiple technologies to circumvent purchasing limits” are good starting points.

Also recommended are bolstered FTC and rightsholder collaborations with leading ticket platforms “to identify patterns of behavior” suggesting BOTS Act violations, updated legislation, “a public awareness campaign to educate consumers about the negative impacts of scalping,” anti-bot tech development, a push for stricter high-volume-seller verification processes on resale sites, and related collaborations with global regulatory bodies.

Time will tell whether NITO’s effort leads to concrete results. As things stand, one needn’t search far to find customers’ ticket-price qualms – Green Day has now tagged out Oasis in that hot seat. And passes are already on sale for the 2025 World Ticket Conference, which is set to take place in late July.

Photo Credit: Green Day, WMG, Crush Music by Greg Schneider

Tickets to Green Day’s tour in Australia go up to $500 in the initial presale thanks to Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing structure.

The first presale for Green Day’s Saviors tour in Australia went on sale this week for three locations: Melbourne, Sydney, and the Gold Coast. But those wanting specific seats were gobsmacked with prices as high as $500 as Ticketmaster’s “In Demand” pricing strikes again.

The cheapest general admission tickets for these shows were capped at $200, plus a booking fee. But fans who wanted seated tickets were stuck paying upwards of $500 — leading to posts on social media calling the pricing scheme “a joke.”

“What in the dynamic pricing is going on here?” one fan asked. “Ticketmaster, explain why your seats for Green Day [are] at $400-$500?” They continued, “I got a golden circle collector ticket for $280, but my mum can’t get seats because they’re literally pushing $500.” Others said they’d have to give this tour a miss due to the high priced tickets.

On its website, Ticketmaster states that In Demand tickets “give fans fair and safe access to sought-after seats at market-driven prices.” Further, a spokesperson for Ticketmaster said tickets cap out at $500, and that Ticketmaster itself does not set the prices — the artists and their teams do.

“Rather than fans paying limitless prices on the secondary market and being unsure if tickets are actually genuine, the relatively small number of tickets that some tours price at ‘market value’ enable the general price of the majority of tickets to be more affordable by a larger number of fans,” the Ticketmaster spokesperson explained.

This means the revenue benefits the artist rather than scalpers, the spokesperson said, which is important as artists become more reliant on touring as their primary source of income. “Pricing isn’t about charging people more; it’s about looking at prices fans are already paying on secondary [markets] and shifting that value back to the artist.”

If nothing else, the Green Day tickets shift the focus away from Oasis, whose reunion tour saw demand for the limited tickets skyrocket, leading to prices jumping from £135 standing-only to £355 due to the same dynamic pricing structure. The backlash led to an investigation from the UK competition regulator, while the EU Commission said it was looking at dynamic pricing and ways to potentially ban the practice.

Photo Credit: Raph PH / CC by 2.0

Coldplay delights fans with tickets for their world tour available for just $20 — but the exact seats are randomly selected.

Coldplay has announced tickets available for their ongoing world tour for the equivalent of only $20. These Infinity Tickets will be released in a limited number for every show on the Music of the Spheres World Tour to give fans an opportunity to attend.

“They cost the equivalent of £20 / $20 / €20 per ticket and must be bought in pairs,” the notice on the band’s website reads. “Infinity Tickets are randomly allocated anywhere in the venue — from the back row to the floor to the best seat in the house.” Fans are encouraged to sign up to receive alerts ahead of the sales.

The news comes as the band hinted at two additional shows in 2025 to support the Music Venue Trust. Handwritten notes from the group confirmed two concerts at Craven Park and Wembley Stadium next summer. Additionally, 10% of the proceeds from those shows will go to the Music Venue Trust, which helps grassroots venues as well as emerging artists.

Fans were quick to praise the move on social media, especially as controversy abounds with Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing structure. With the much anticipated Oasis reunion shows, fans have balked at the steep pricing in the face of such high demand.

“Coldplay doing a limited run of £20 tickets for their upcoming UK shows just proves that bands have a choice to make their gigs more affordable,” wrote one fan on the former Twitter. “Wouldn’t normally mention things like this, but bravo to Coldplay chaps — supporting Music Venue Trust with a significant slice of ticket revenue. Will make a huge difference to our scene,” wrote another.

And in true Coldplay form, the upcoming shows will be entirely powered by solar, wind, and kinetic energy. Next year sees the band hit venues in Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Athens, Bucharest, Lyon, Rome, Dusseldorf, Helsinki, Munich, Vienna, Dublin, Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland.

Photo Credit: Amazon Music

Amazon Music smartly zeroed in on country and its prized demographic. Now, the platform is shining the spotlight on the influence of Música Mexicana with a two-part documentary, original songs, live-streamed concert, and more.

Amazon Music has announced a month-long celebration and campaign to highlight the global impact of Música Mexicana, with a focus on the genre’s growing influence and its knack for connecting fans across generations, genres, and nations. The campaign — outlined to DMN earlier this morning — will see Amazon Music release content including new Amazon Original songs, a two-part documentary, exclusive live-streamed concerts, playlists, and more.

“During the past years, we’ve witnessed the tremendous growth and impact of Mexican music in the world. At Amazon Music, we want to emphasize that influence and dive deeper into the story behind its evolution,” emailed Rocio Guerrero, Amazon Music’s Head of Music, Latin-Iberia.

Guerrero further broke down the strategy behind Amazon’s genre close-ups: “Every year, we shine a light on the different genres that break barriers and impact culture: Dembow in 2022, and Latin Hip Hop in 2023. Fans speak for themselves, and in 2024, Música Mexicana grew +249% year-over-year globally on Amazon Music, becoming the number one Latin genre on our service.

The first episode of “GEN MEX: Your Generation of Música Mexicana,” the new two-part documentary from Amazon Music, is available to watch now exclusively on the Amazon Music app. The second episode will premiere on September 30.

Executive produced by Jessy Terrero and directed by emerging filmmaker Alejandra Hinojosa, the documentary traces the global takeover of Mexican music through the voices of the artists, producers, songwriters, executives, and tastemakers who created it. The documentary will feature interviews with artists, including Fuerza Regida, Natanael Cano, Banda MS, Alicia Villareal, Grupo Frontera, Estevie, Grupo Firme, and Joss Favela.

“Música Mexicana has always had a deep cultural influence, and now its impact is being felt globally in ways we’ve never seen before,” said Terrero. “GEN MEX tells the story of this musical movement and the artists leading the charge.”

To soundtrack the documentary and further illustrate how Música Mexicana connects generations, new genre star Xavi releases an Amazon Music Original cover of one of the beloved Marco Antonio Solis’ greatest hits, “Invéntame.” Additionally, on September 24, Eden Muñoz will release “Piensa en Mi,” a new Amazon Music Original and Spanish-language cover of “Pense em Mim,” a sertanejo song first recorded by Brazilian duo Leandro e Leonardo.

Further, to highlight the strong connection and impact of the genre in other territories and genres, Amazon Music has also released a new original from Texas country star William Beckmann. Together with New Wave Sad Sierreño trio Los Aptos, Beckmann introduces “Desde Ayer” for the Amazon Music playlist “Whiskey & Tequila,” which spotlights the crossover between country music and Música Mexicana.

An exclusive global livestreamed concert from Mexico hits Amazon Music on September 24, headlined by superstars Eden Muñoz, Xavi, Chiquis, and Michelle Maciel. The concert will be available for fans to stream on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel and on Prime Video.

Photo Credit: Chappell Roan by Jason Martin / CC by 2.0

Chappell Roan recently won her first VMA Award, but she’s not so sure she wants to go through it all again in an industry that thrives on ‘burnout.’

Chappell Roan may be on the fast track to reaching new heights in her career, but she’s not so sure that’s a good thing. After recently winning her first VMA Award for Best New Artist this year, the 26-year-old admitted during an interview with The Face that she’s dreading having to go through the experience again next year.

“I’m kind of hoping I don’t win, because then everyone will get off my a—,” she said. “Like, ‘See guys, we did it and we didn’t win, bye! I won’t have to do this again!’” The star admitted feeling overwhelmed by the stress that comes with such a meteoric rise to fame, especially combining the demands of the industry with the expectations of fans, and the invasion of her privacy.

“This industry and artistry f—ing thrive on mental illness, burnout, overworking yourself, not sleeping,” Roan continued. “The ambition is, how do I not hate myself, my job, my life, and do this? Because right now, it’s not working. I’m just scrambling to try to feel healthy.”

While emphasizing that she wants to make her music career “sustainable,” Roan further admitted that she’s entertained the thought of quitting music altogether — or maybe just taking a break. “My brain is like, quit right now, take next year off,” she confessed.

But fellow pop divas have been quick to offer Roan their support, even if the star didn’t quite understand why at first. Figures like Lady Gaga and Charli XCX reached out to her early on in her breakout career, just to make sure she was okay.

“I was like, ‘Mm, this isn’t that big. Everyone is so dramatic!’” But now she recognizes the outreach for what it was: a lifeline. “They were immediately, immediately supportive. Immediately. It’s been so amazing, because I’m very scared and confused.”

Photo Credit: Lyte

After snapping up $53 million in funds since 2014, it appears ticketing platform Lyte is shutting down. The website went dark without word and a report from Billboard suggests founder Ant Taylor has resigned from the company. Here’s the latest.

Heading to lyte.com will display an ‘Undergoing Scheduled Maintenance’ sign that has been up since last week. Visitors are unable to view ticket inventory or other sections of the website, though the lyte.com/blog link still shows recent blog posts. The most recent one is from September 9 and is attributed to Lyte Crew, while the most recent post authored by Ant Taylor is from July 2024.

As recently as the beginning of last week, Lyte was promoting its Lyte Groups solution and at the beginning of September, it announced a partnership with Revolt World Festival in Atlanta. Several posts on social media refer to the company as no longer operational, though no further details on the shut down are provided.

When asked about the company he helped found, Ant Taylor confirmed to Billboard that he has resigned from Lyte as the CEO. An emergency board and creditors effort is currently underway to find a potential buyer, though it’s unclear if anyone is interested.

Lyte was billed as a fan-to-fan ticket exchange were tickets could be ethically resold to other fans. But Billboard’s report suggests the Lyte business model changed, with the company helping “promoters scalp their high-end tickets and VIP festival tickets while quietly splitting the profits with event organizers.”

High profile clients for Lyte include Baja Beach Festival, the Lost Islands Festival in Ohio, Pitchfork Music Festival and Newport Folk Festival. It’s unclear if Lyte has gone out of business without paying any of its clients the revenue from tickets it sold on their behalf, especially for small event organizers. Lyte was founded in 2014 and some of its biggest investors include venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya and hedge fund manager Joseph Edelman.

Photo Credit: Gene Simmons by Tilly Antoine / CC by 4.0

Gene Simmons shrugs off Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing of Oasis’ reunion tickets as capitalism in action. ‘Don’t like [it]? Don’t buy a ticket.’

Oasis’ reunion tour has shined the light yet again on Ticketmaster, with the Live Nation ticket provider under scrutiny for its dynamic pricing practices affecting the highly sought-after tickets. But KISS’ Gene Simmons believes that’s just capitalism in action, baby.

In an in-depth interview with Forbes, the 75-year-old rocker said Oasis fans who are upset by the price of the band’s reunion tickets and feel entitled to fair pricing are actually “entitled to f— off.”

“You have the ultimate power, supply and demand!” said Simmons. “Whatever the pricing is, it’s all academic. Somebody sits in a room and tries to figure out how far the rubber band can stretch. And if you’re not selling tickets, guess what happens? The price goes down. Capitalism! If you don’t want to pay that amount, don’t go.” He concluded, “Vote with [your] money. You don’t like the ticket pricing? Don’t buy a ticket.”

Oasis announced their highly anticipated reunion tour in late August — nearly 15 years since brother Liam and Noel Gallagher broke up in 2009. Tickets for the initial dates sold out within hours on August 31, leaving many fans empty-handed. Those who did secure tickets were met with dynamic pricing due to the extremely high demand, which led to prices surging, sparking an investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The Gallagher brothers spoke out about the dynamic pricing earlier this month, clarifying that they “leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management,” and were unaware that dynamic pricing was going to be used. “All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible fan experience,” the band’s statement read. “But due to the unprecedented demand, this became impossible to achieve.”

The band added more shows, the tickets for which can only be secured through “a special invitation-only ballot ticket sale strategy.”

Photo Credit: Justin Timberlake by Kevin Mazur for Getty Images

Justin Timberlake finishes up 53 performances across North America and Europe before announcing several new 2025 shows on his world tour.

After completing 53 performances across North America and Europe, Justin Timberlake seems to have already put the DWI he pled his way out of in the rearview mirror. The performer announced a slew of new 2025 dates on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour during his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where he also teased a new track on Fallon’s upcoming Christmas album. But no mention of his recent headline-grabbing traffic stop was uttered.

Justin’s first tour in five years, the Forget Tomorrow World Tour offers two hours of the singer’s career-spanning hits and new favorites from his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was. The show provides a medley-style performance of 29 songs across two stages, including fan favorites like, “Cry Me a River,” “My Love,” “Rock Your Body,” “SexyBack,” “Suit & Tie,” and more.

Timberlake concludes the night with a unique performance of “Mirrors” where he floats over the audience on an LED screen of tiny mirrors. The screen tilts in multiple angles to allow Timberlake to lean toward the crowd for the last chorus singalong.

Tickets for his newly added shows will be available beginning with Verizon and Citi on Wednesday, September 18 through Sunday, September 22. The general onsale begins Monday, September 23 at 10 AM local time.

Justin Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow World Tour Dates

October 2024

• 04 | Centre Bell — Montreal, QC
• 07 | Barclays Center — Brooklyn, NY
• 08 | Prudential Center — Newark, NJ
• 11 | Wells Fargo Center — Philadelphia, PA
• 13 | Capital One Arena — Washington, DC
• 17 | Scotiabank Arena — Toronto, ON
• 18 | Scotiabank Arena — Toronto, ON
• 21 | KeyBank Center — Buffalo, NY
• 23 | Nationwide Arena — Columbus, OH
• 25 | Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, MI
• 27 | United Center — Chicago, IL
• 28 | Fiserv Forum — Milwaukee, WI
• 31 | Xcel Energy Center — St. Paul, MN

November 2024

• 02 | Van Andel Arena — Grand Rapids, MI
• 08 | Amerant Bank Arena — Sunrise, FL
• 09 | Kia Center — Orlando, FL
• 12 | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena — Jacksonville, FL
• 14 | Spectrum Center — Charlotte, NC
• 16 | State Farm Arena — Atlanta, GA
• 19 | Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center — Knoxville, TN
• 20 | KFC Yum! Center — Louisville, KY
• 23 | FedExForum — Memphis, TN
• 25 | Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, LA

December 2024

• 02 | Paycom Center — Oklahoma City, OK
• 04 | Toyota Center — Houston, TX
• 06 | American Airlines Center — Dallas, TX
• 08 | INTRUST Bank Arena — Wichita, KS
• 10 | Simmons Bank Arena — North Little Rock, AR
• 12 | Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, TN
• 14 | PPG Paints Arena — Pittsburgh, PA
• 16 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Indianapolis, IN
• 19 | Enterprise Center — St. Louis, MO
• 20 | T-Mobile Center — Kansas City, MO

January 2025 — New Shows

• 13 | Moda Center — Portland, OR — NEW SHOW
• 15 | Golden 1 Center — Sacramento, CA — NEW SHOW
• 18 | Honda Center — Anaheim, CA — NEW SHOW
• 20 | Acrisure Arena — Palm Springs, CA — NEW SHOW
• 23 | Footprint Center — Phoenix, AZ — NEW SHOW
• 25 | Delta Center — Salt Lake City, UT — NEW SHOW
• 28 | Ball Arena — Denver, CO — NEW SHOW

February 2025

• 03 | Moody Center — Austin, TX — NEW SHOW
• 07 | Palacio de los Deportes — Mexico City, MX
• 08 | Palacio de los Deportes — Mexico City, MX

Photo Credit: Sean R (YouTube)

Jane’s Addiction has canceled the remaining dates on its reunion tour following Friday’s on-stage row between the lead singer and guitarist.

Frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro while on stage in Boston, requiring the singer to be restrained by his bandmates and crew. Following the incident, the band posted an apology to those in attendance and announced they had canceled the upcoming Bridgeport, Connecticut date.

Dave Navarro took to Instagram to post a black and white image of himself on stage, holding an acoustic guitar with ‘Jane’s Addiction’ emblazoned across the back. The one-word caption for this image is “Goodnight,” which led many to speculate that Navarro was quitting the band. Jane’s Addiction has broken up and reunited several times throughout its 40 years. This reunion tour marks the first time since 2010 that members Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins were all together in the lineup.

Now a brief statement posted on the Jane’s Addiction Instagram confirms that the band is taking a break. “To all the fans, the band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group. As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour.” Refunds for the canceled dates will be available from the point of purchase. Navarro went into more detail on his personal Instagram.

“Due to a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to discontinue the current US tour. Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs.”

“We deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets. We can see non solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis. Our hearts are broken.” This statement is signed, ‘Dave, Eric, & Stephen.’

The cancellation of the entire tour comes less than a month after Live Nation announced that seven more dates were being added to the end of the tour.

Perry Farrell issued a statement of his own on Monday morning, sent to Digital Music News via his agency. “This weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family, and friends for my actions during Friday’s show. Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.

Jane’s Addiction Canceled Tour Dates

September

• 16 | Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater — Bridgeport, CT
• 18 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, Canada
• 20 | Meadow Brook Amphitheatre — Rochester Hills, MI
• 22 | BMO Pavilion — Milwaukee, WI
• 24 | Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom — Chicago, IL
• 26 | Everwise Amphitheater — Indianapolis, IN
• 28 | Forest Park — St. Louis, MO
• 29 | Junk Hunt Park — Huntsville, AL

October

• 02 | Fillmore Auditorium — Denver, CO
• 04 | Sandy Amphitheater — Sandy, UT
• 08 | WAMU Theater — Seattle, WA
• 09 | Veterans Memorial Coliseum — Madison, WI
• 11 | Grand Sierra Resort & Casino — Reno, NV
• 13 | SF Masonic Auditorium — San Francisco, CA
• 16 | YouTube Theater — Inglewood, CA

Photo Credit: Roblox

A new concert experience is available inside Roblox, this time from Comic Relief US and Wonder Works Studio. Here’s the latest.

Starting today, Roblox users can experience songs from Imagine Dragons, Conan Gray, d4vd, Poppy, and Alexander Stewart in the first-of-its-kind immersive music festival. Users can play their way through a series of dream-like concert experiences, inspired by the artists’ lives, music, and signature visuals.

The concert is part of Comic Relief US’ second annual Kids Relief campaign, launched in partnership with Nickelodeon. The star-studded, weekend-long event taps into the joy and excitement of music and gaming to inspire kids young and old to help make the world a better place. Special guest Tony Hale joins the show as a benevolent wizard who guides users to and from the concert, which is available inside the Kids Relief Simulator game.

Users can also access the festival through Nickelodeon activations on Roblox including SpongeBob Simulator and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Battle Tycoon.

“I’ve been a huge Roblox fan for a while now, and I’m excited to get in the game and support the Kids Relief community to bring some kindness to the world,” shares d4vd, a 19-year-old visionary artist. “Bringing happiness through music and gaming is all of my worlds colliding.”

Concert attendees will be guided by a soundtrack of new and chart-topping music, collecting karma as they run, fly, drive, and bounce their way through several fantastical environments. Events include:

• Running through the woods and floating past the bucolic mountains and lakes inspired by Alexander Stewart’s childhood
• Speeding toward a mysterious keyhole with Poppy
• Journeying on a vine of d4vd’s signature roses
• Taking a road trip to Conan Gray’s world tour
• Falling through a dream with Imagine Dragons

Comic Relief US is a non-profit committed to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. It harnesses the power of entertainment to drive positive social change. To date, the non-profit has raised over $436 million by mobilizing donors of all ages to engage with causes through powerful content-driven campaigns and new digital platforms.

Photo Credit: YouTube

Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro while the band was performing in Boston, forcing the cancellation of an upcoming date.

The band has issued an apology for the frontman’s behavior, which was captured on video and uploaded to social media on Friday night. Farrell can be seen having an on-stage meltdown, screaming at the crowd “f**k you” before heading over to Navarro and getting into his face.

When he begins throwing elbow jabs, Navarro puts his hand up on Farrell’s chest to push him away and keep him from getting in his face. Farrell was restrained by crew members and bassist Eric Avery—throwing punches at everyone involved.

“We want to extend a heartfelt apology to our fans for the events that unfolded last night,” the band wrote on Instagram after the incident on Saturday. As part of that announcement, Jane’s Addiction said its upcoming show in Bridgeport, Connecticut would be canceled. Those impacted can seek refunds from their point of purchase.

After the video of the incident went viral on social media, Etty Lau Farrell, Perry Farrell’s wife, took to Instagram to address the speculation over the incident. Farrell says there was a lot of tension and animosity between the members of the band, calling it “the magic that made the band dynamic.” She says her husband was frustrated on the tour and said the volume on stage was “extremely loud,” drowning out his voice.

“But when the audience in the first row, started complaining up to Perry cussing at him that the band was playing too loud and they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it,” Farrell writes on Instagram. “The band started the song ‘Ocean Size’ before Perry was ready and did the count off. The stage volume was so loud at that point that Perry couldn’t hear past the boom and the vibration of the instruments and by the end of the song he wasn’t singing, he was screaming just to be heard.”

Farrell notes that the bassist put her husband in a headlock and punched him three times in the stomach, while Dave Navarro tried to de-escalate the situation. “Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour, he finally did not calm down, but did have a breakdown and cried and cried. Eric, well he either didn’t understand what de-escalation meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry.”

While the Bridgeport, CT date has been canceled, Jane’s Addiction is slated to to perform again on September 18 in Toronto. They’ve got a full September and October slate of tour dates that have not been canceled as of yet.

Jane’s Addiction Upcoming Tour Dates

September

• 18 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, Canada
• 20 | Meadow Brook Amphitheatre — Rochester Hills, MI
• 22 | BMO Pavilion — Milwaukee, WI
• 24 | Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom — Chicago, IL
• 26 | Everwise Amphitheater — Indianapolis, IN
• 28 | Forest Park — St. Louis, MO
• 28 | Junk Hunt Park — Huntsville, AL

October

• 02 | Fillmore Auditorium — Denver, CO
• 04 | Sandy Amphitheater — Sandy, UT
• 08 | WAMU Theater — Seattle, WA
• 09 | Veterans Memorial Coliseum — Madison, WI
• 11 | Grand Sierra Resort & Casino — Reno, NV
• 13 | SF Masonic Auditorium — San Francisco, CA
• 16 | YouTube Theater — Inglewood, CA

Photo Credit: Warner Music Korea (Olivia Marsh)

Warner Music Korea has announced the launch of MPLIFY, a progressive label dedicated to supporting Korean artists with international connections. By concentrating on English-language music, MPLIFY aims to help these artists engage with a worldwide audience and succeed in the international music scene.

The first artist to join the label is Olivia Marsh, a talented Korean-Australian singer-songwriter, who is set to showcase her unique sound in her debut single which will be available on all major digital service providers (DSPs) in October.

Drawing inspiration from a diverse array of artists, including ABBA, John Denver, Tame Impala, and Vera Blue, Olivia seamlessly blends pop and R&B to create an enchanting musical experience. Marsh honed her skills at the University of Melbourne, where she studied Interactive Composition and collaborated with various producers and songwriters in the K-pop scene.

MPLIFY is headed by Samuel Ku, the Executive Producer at Warner Music Korea. Ku is a Korean-American music producer, songwriter, and executive with over 15 years of industry experience. Samuel is known for his foward-thinking approach to music production and talent development. He has collaborated with a diverse range of artists across multiple genres and is poised to make a significant impact on the global music landscape.

“I am delighted to sign with MPLIFY and to work with such a warm, passionate and innovative team,” adds Olivia Marsh. I am grateful for their support and kindness, and I am excited to begin my journey with them. I can’t wait to share my music with you all.”

MPLIFY represents a fresh approach to music production and artist management, granting musicians the creative freedom to express their distinctive voices while targeting audiences worldwide. It aims to build a global fanbase and support artists in navigating the complexities of the international music landscape.

“Warner Music Korea is excited to announce the launch of a new label dedicated to nurturing artistic talent and helping artists like Olivia thrive creatively,” adds Samuel Ku, Head of MPLIFY. “This platform aims to connect artists with fans globally, leveraging Warner Music’s extensive network and resources. Our commitment is to support exceptional talent by providing the tools they need to achieve success. MPLIFY embodies our mission to elevate unique voices within the music industry.”

Photo Credit: Netflix’s Fyre Fest Documentary

Fyre Festival II: Electric Boogaloo is a go according to festival founder Billy McFarland, who served four years in prison for defrauding attendees.

In March 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges. In July 2018, he pleaded guilty to separate fraud charges to another ticket-selling scam and was sentenced in October 2018 to six years in prison. McFarland served about four years in prison before being released in May 2022. In August 2023 he announced he was planning Fyre Fest II—like a con man to a honeypot proven to work.

The first iteration of Fyre Fest fell short of its lofty promises of private bungalows on a Caribbean island once owned by notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. So what’s the plan for Fyre Fest II? McFarland says this time he’s serious about the endeavor, don’t even worry about it.

“We have the chance to embrace this storm and really steer our ship into all the chaos that has happened, and if it’s done well, I think Fyre has a chance to be this annual festival that really takes over the festival industry,” McFarland told NBC News. He says the first festival fell apart because he was a 24-year-old trying to plan an event with his friends. The now 32-year-old believes he’s now better equipped to throw a festival that is more than an unmitigated disaster for everyone involved.

McFarland hopes to attract around 3,000 people for Fyre Fest II—which is tentatively scheduled for April 25 – 28, 2025. Ticket prices will range from $1,400 at the low end up to $1.1 million for the most expensive festival package. That package is supposed to include luxury yachts, scuba diving, and island hopping tours.

McFarland says he has hired a festival production company to “handle the stages and the bathrooms and all the stuff I clearly don’t know how to do.” He has declined to name the private island where the festival will take place, nor has he named the island itself. He also adds that there are currently no artists on board to perform—so it’s all sounding a bit like a con man’s pipe dream.

“It’s not about 10,000 people staring at a stage with their hands in the air,” he says in the NBC News interview. “It’s about getting on a plane with six people—two might be your friends, three might be people you met that morning—and going and exploring an island or a beach or a reef that you didn’t even know existed until you got in the airplane.”

For anyone who wants to do those things (and actually do them)—Caribbean luxury cruises typically include several island-hopping stops and will actually include all the amenities advertised. It’s unclear why McFarland believes anyone should trust him to deliver on his lofty promises. The first Fyre Festival promised luxury villas, gourmet food, and an extravagant music festival in the Bahamas. What attendees got were cloth disaster relief tents, barebones mattresses still needing assembly, and pimento cheese sandwiches in plastic foam boxes—with no lavish music festival in the background.

“I was totally guilty. I committed a crime. Obviously went to prison, and I deserved that prison sentence,” McFarland continues. “But it wasn’t until the day after the festival was canceled and I had one of my early investors call me and basically say, ‘We need to do this, this and this, or else you’re going to be in the front page of The Wall Street Journal in handcuffs.”

McFarland offered a drop of 100 early-bird tickets for Fyre Fest II at $499 a piece in August 2023. That limited-edition ticket drop sold out immediately, despite no lineup or specific locations listed. McFarland says he believes there’s a large number of people who are willing to part with their money to see if Fyre Fest II ends up being another disaster.

“I think there’s a large number of people who want to go to Fyre II because they’re unsure of the outcome, and they would like to have a front-row seat no matter what happens,” McFarland says. “Thankfully we have good partners who will make sure they’re safe and obviously make sure things work out.”

Photo Credit: Too Lost

Too Lost is switching up how music conferences reach the industry with a focus on reaching as many people as possible in a brand-new format. Say goodbye to the usual panels and lectures and get ready for an event that focuses on hands-on learning and real connections. The ‘Game From The GAUDs’ (Goats & Underdogs) music conference is hosted by top industry professionals Ray Daniels, Damien Ritter, and Nyla Symone.

The following was created in collaboration with Too Lost, a company DMN is proud to be partnered with.

Each date will feature music, live games, and prizes from Mackie, so industry vets should come ready to network with their fellow creators in a dynamic and inspiring atmosphere. Whether you’re an artist, producer, manager, label owner, or songwriter—’Game from the GAUDS’ is the ultimate opportunity to elevate your career while making connections with industry peers. Ready to get your learning game on? Here’s the who, what, why, when and where you need to know.

Too Lost Presents ‘Game From The GAUDS’ — Live Music Industry Experience Dates

• Philadelphia — October 9
• Washington D.C. — October 11
• Atlanta — October 12
• New York City — October 14

Ready to attend a date near you? Tickets are available at www.gamefromthegauds.com. General Admission price is $45. Remember—this multi-city music conference experience offers a new way to network in the music industry. It is not divided into panels to attend—instead there will be established music professionals present in every city to give their opinions on industry happenings while participating in the interactive sessions available.

About Ray Daniels

Ray Daniels is an entrepreneur, visionary, and media personality who intimately understands the intersection of music and culture. Daniels has found success weaving these two worlds together. Through his work as the founder of LYI Agency (Leverage Your Influence), the host of The GAUDS Show, and Founder of RAYDAR LLC, Daniels and the artists he represents have played a role in powering some of the most iconic artists and hits of our generation.

Daniels is the power player that every major artist, executive, and culture mover knows. Daniels was born in New York and raised in Atlanta with a contagious drive and passion that has lived on as he rose to prominence—first through his A&R work at Warner Music Group. That drive has continued through his management endeavors, with Daniels understanding the magic it takes to create a hit, as well as the collaboration that goes into delivering chart toppers for artists like Lizzo, Ciara, Usher, Saweetie, Latto, Future, and many more.

About Damien Ritter

Damien Ritter is the Director of Marketing at Too Lost, the former COO of BeatStars and a former Co-Founder of Funk Volume—a Los Angeles-based record label cited as a leader among independent rap labels. Funk Volume ranked up over 600 million YouTube views, consistent Top 10 chart placements on Billboard and iTunes, as well as high profile write-ups in media outlets including Forbes, Billboard, SPIN, and more.

About Nyla Symone

Born in Germany, raised in Maryland, made in Manhattan — DJ Nyla Symone brings her expertise in the music industry as well as her networking experience. She DJs and co-hosts alongside Charlamagne Tha God on Comedy Central’s ‘Tha God’s Honest Truth’ and Revolt TV’s ‘Off Top’ with Big Tigger and Rapsody.

Nyla Symone also hosts a weekly spot on Power 105.1, New York City’s #1 radio station for hip-hop and R&B and became the station’s youngest DJ at 23. In addition to the station’s YouTube channel, Nyla has done deep dives and sit-downs with some of the most prominent figures in the music business. On her own channel, Nyla Symone — The Pretty Tomboy, she has interviewed Roddy Rich, Megan Thee Stallion, Migos, Saweetie, Blueface, Masego, and many more.

About Too Lost

Too Lost is a music and technology company that provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for independent music rights holders. Their distribution and publishing services deliver, monetize, and protect songs across the globe for over 250,000+ musicians, record labels, studios, brands, investors, and platforms. Too Lost is a proud member of The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) and MERLIN. The company is headquartered in New York City with satellite offices located in Los Angeles, Barcelona, and Reykjavik.

Photo Credit: IFPI

Puerto Rico remains an underrated powerhouse in the music industry — and here’s the latest proof. Separated from the US, this tiny island was still the third-largest exporter of top 10 singles worldwide in 2023.

New data from the global recording industry trade group IFPI reveals that Puerto Rico — if separated from the United States and treated as a separate country — still ranked third on a list of exporters of top 10 singles worldwide last year. In fact, Puerto Rico was barely edged out for number two by Colombia.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the United States dominated that list, and it isn’t even close — 113 singles from the US reached the Top 10 worldwide in 2023. But Puerto Rico came in at an impressive third place with 45, and only one hit behind Colombia at 46. And that’s still miles ahead of the UK’s 29, followed by South Korea’s 16.

Puerto Rico is actually an extreme powerhouse in the music industry in its own right, even when viewed in a bubble and not as an extension of the US, as a US territory. Already, the country is top-ranked against huge nations like the US, UK, and Japan in terms of its industry presence.

The US (including Puerto Rico) simply overwhelmed the tallies in 2023, making an extreme global impact with hits from household names like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Bad Bunny. It seems unusually lopsided and brings into question the endless industry discussions about globalization of music and cultural exports.

Interestingly, continuing the trend of local music acts in European countries doing exceedingly well in those territories, nine of the singles in the Top 10 tracks in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden were domestic. Only Miley Cyrus managed to break the mold and hit each of those countries’ Top 10.

Similarly, Croatia and Italy’s Top 10 lists also featured nine local acts. Greece and Hungary, meanwhile, had only domestic Top 10 tracks. Poland had eight out of 10 local acts, while France and Germany both had seven.

“The data in this report shows us that other parts of the world are developing and growing rapidly and the EU risks falling behind,” said IFPI CEO Victoria Oakley.

Where the EU truly fails to shine seems to be in the exporting department. The EU’s recorded music economy grew by just 0.4% year-over-year in 2023, which is even less impressive when compared globally.

China’s recorded music grew more than 25% year-over-year, while Sub-Saharan Africa saw slightly less growth at 24.7%. Mexico saw 18.2% growth, and the Middle East/North Africa is up 14.4%.