Live Nation
Ticketmaster Apologizes to Taylor Swift and Fans for Eras Tour Ticket Disaster
Ticketmaster has issued a formal apology to Taylor Swift and her fans following the chaotic ticket sales process for her 2023 Eras Tour. The ticketing giant took to social media on Friday night (Nov. 18) to share a brief apology message, along with a link to a lengthier explanation on its website about why legions of Swifties weren’t able to buy tickets. “We want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans — especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets,” Ticketmaster tweeted. “We feel we owe it to everyone to share some information to help explain what happened.” We want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans – especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets. We feel we owe it to everyone to share some information to help explain wh...
Live Nation Faces Justice Department Antitrust Investigation: Report
The US Justice Department has reportedly opened an antitrust investigation into Live Nation. According to the New York Times, the Justice Department’s antitrust division has “contacted music venues and players in the ticket market, asking about Live Nation’s practices and the wider dynamics of the industry.” Specific questions have centered around whether Live Nation has honored a consent decree the company made with the Justice Department upon its merger with Ticketmaster in 2010, in which Live Nation promised not to punish concert venues who used competing ticket platforms by withholding access to Live Nation-promoted tours. The Justice Department previously found evidence of Live Nation engaging in such behavior after launching an investigation in 2018. Under terms of the ensuing settle...
Did Taylor Swift Really Have a Choice to Work With Ticketmaster?
Maybe Live Nation chairman Greg Maffei’s statement that Taylor Swift and promoter AEG “chose” to work with Ticketmaster for her calamitous onsale earlier this week should have come with an asterisk. On Thursday (Nov. 17), Maffei attempted to correct criticisms about Ticketmaster and its owner Live Nation operating as a monopoly by pointing out that Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour “is not actually a Live Nation promoted concert” but rather “promoted by one of our largest competitors.” Maffei — who is also the president of Live Nation’s largest shareholder Liberty Media — continued: “AEG who is the promoter for Taylor Swift, chose to use us because, in reality, we are the largest and most effective ticket seller in the world. Even our competitors want to come on our platform.” The...
Halsey’s Cosmetics Brands Partner With Live Nation, Receive Equity Investment From Promoter
Live Nation has partnered with Halsey-backed cosmetic companies about–face and af94 to create branding experiences at its venues and festivals promoting the brands. The promoter has also made an equity investment in about-face and af94 to support the growing brands. “The Live Nation partnership will usher in a new way to experience the intersection of live entertainment and makeup,” says Halsey, who serves as the brands’ co-founder and chief creative officer. “Live Nation has given me a platform to express my vision to my audience on stages across the world. Our future together will mean seeing the audiences’ visions come to life from the crowds.” About-face and af94 activations at Live Nation properties will include product sampling, self-guided application and a range of virtual and...
Live Nation Announces Club Pass Offering Unlimited Access to Concerts Thru End of 2022
Live Nation has announced a new initiative called Club Pass, offering fans access to all general admission shows at their venue of choice through the end of the year. With the purchase of a Club Pass, fans will have access to GA concerts from October 1st to December 31st, 2022. Two versions of the pass are available: The standard Club Pass (priced between $59-$79), which gives fans access to shows at one venue of their choice. Meanwhile, the Multi-Club Pass (priced at $299) opens the door to more than 50 participating Live Nation venues. The Club Pass goes on sale beginning September 19th at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT via Live Nation. Do note that each venue has only a limited number of Club Passes available, while the Multi-Club Pass is limited to 200 nationwide. Advertisement Related V...
Music’s Top Money Makers: The Highest-Paid Executives and Stockholders at Publicly Traded Companies
Kang Hyo-won is not a marquee name in the music industry. The South Korean producer is better known as Pdogg, the studio wizard behind hits by K-pop supergroup BTS and other acts on the roster of Korean entertainment company HYBE. Because Kang played a key role in HYBE’s global success, his employer gave him 128,000 stock options in 2016 that turned into about $35 million when Kang exercised them. (All currency conversions to U.S. dollars in this story are based on the average 2021 exchange rate.) That made Kang the second-highest-paid music industry executive last year among those whose earnings are publicly disclosed. Yoon Seok-jun (aka Lenzo Yoon) and Kim Shin-gyu, co-CEO of HYBE America and chief artist management officer, respectively, also benefited from HYBE going public. Yoon nette...
Baby, Those Tickets Were Born to Run
July 20 is a day many longtime Bruce Springsteen fans would like to forget. That morning, as the first six shows for The Boss’ 2023 North American tour went on sale through Ticketmaster, devotees were shocked to find most seats gone within seconds, and instead only “platinum” or dynamically priced tickets available for purchase — at costs as high as $5,000.“Surely, these multi-thousand-dollar prices were not intended or anticipated, many of us thought,” wrote the editors of the long-running Springsteen fan platform Backstreets. “Some assert the algorithm got out of control — are we sure that it was ever in control? We’d never expect Ticketmaster to balk at making money, but surely, many believed, Springsteen would put a stop to it and demand adjustments to the system, if not an overhaul, b...
The Ledger: Concert Companies Are Maintaining a Rosy Outlook for the Rest of 2022
The Ledger is a weekly newsletter about the economics of the music business sent to Billboard Pro subscribers. An abbreviated version of the newsletter is published online. Strong demand for live music is not a surprise given fans’ time away from concerts in 2020 and 2021. But it’s not straightforward, either. Fans are dealing with inflation and high gas and airfare costs. Companies face staffing shortages and higher costs. Artists are flooding markets’ venues seeking to recapture lost business. Still, judging from some companies’ statements around their latest quarterly results, indications point to an exceptional second half of the year. Live Nation’s second quarter earnings showed a company is primed for a record year. Live Nation sold more than 100 million tickets to its concerts this ...
Dua Lipa Sets Intimate Theater Show In Melbourne
When Dua Lipa makes the long haul to Australia later this year, she’ll warm up with a special, one-off theater show. Announced Thursday (Aug. 11), the English pop superstar will stop by Melbourne’s Palais Theatre for a date ahead of her national arena trek. This is no ordinary gig, and Lipa is no ordinary singer. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The venue in St Kilda, south Melbourne has a capacity of 2,800, a room the Brit can fill many times over in these parts. An Exclusive Evening With Dua Lipa – The Melbourne Theatre Show is presented by The Victorian Government, Live Nation and Always Live, the state-wide festival of live music, which kicked off earlier in the year to restart Victoria’s legendary live scene. Roger Field, pres...
The Ledger: In Strong 2022, Advertising Is Rare Weakness for Music Biz
The Ledger is a weekly newsletter about the economics of the music business sent to Billboard Pro subscribers. An abbreviated version of the newsletter is published online. With a handful of music companies’ quarterly earnings releases now in the books, the outlook for the second half of the year appears strong almost across the board. There is one area of weakness, however: online advertising. On Wednesday, French music company Believe slightly raised its guidance for fiscal 2022 but warned in its investor presentation that organic growth will slow in the second half of the year “as the ad-funded streaming activities should be affected by rising inflation and economic uncertainties.” Spotify also pointed to some weakening in advertising. “For advertising, we did see some softening in tren...
Mark Vaughan to Lead Live Nation’s Promoter Team For Australia and NZ
Mark Vaughan lands at Live Nation, where he leads the promoter team for Australia and New Zealand as vice president – talent and artist development. With effect from Monday (Aug. 1), Vaughan works alongside LN’s existing promoter team to continue to “best serve artists as they hit the road,” reads a statement welcoming the new recruit. The Australian concerts veteran has spent much of his career in Europe, where he served as partner/promoter at Norway’s All Things Live, said to be the largest independent concert promoter in the Nordics. At the Oslo-based live music specialist, he worked with such artists as Rammstein, Justin Bieber, Twenty-One Pilots, Kendrick Lamar, Green Day, Shawn Mendes, Lorde and others. “For a long time I have been closely following the live market in Australia and N...
Live Nation Offering 4 Tickets for $80 All-In Package for Thousands of Summer Concerts
Live Nation is offering an all-in package of four tickets for $80 as part of its Summer’s Live promotion. The deal is good for thousands of shows taking place in amphitheaters and clubs across the US this summer. That includes upcoming concerts headlined by The Killers, Brandi Carlile, Demi Lovato, Jane’s Addiction with Smashing Pumpkins, Wu-Tang Clan and Nas, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Black Keys, Korn and Evanesence, Death Cab For Cutie, Bauhaus, Crowded House, Incubus featuring Sublime with Rome, Lamb of God, Mudvayne, Tenacious D, The War on Drugs, The Gaslight Anthem, Courtney Barnett, and L7. The promotion also applies to Willie Nelson’s “Outlaw Music Festival,” Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, and Julien Baker’s “The Wild Hearts Tour,” and Peter Hook’s “Joy Division: A Celebration.” Plus, ...
