Live Business - CMU | the music business explained

Kneecap’s replacement for cancelled gig cancelled

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Kneecap • 2 min read

Kneecap’s replacement for cancelled gig cancelled

Calls continue for UK festivals to pull Kneecap from their line-ups following the recent controversies, with MPs even discussing their planned Glastonbury set in Parliament. After an Eden Sessions show was cancelled the band booked a replacement gig in Plymouth, but that’s now also been axed…

Chris Cooke • 02 May 2025

Sharon Osbourne calls for Kneecap’s US visa to be revoked over pro-Palestine statements during Coachella set

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Kneecap • 4 min read

Sharon Osbourne calls for Kneecap’s US visa to be revoked over pro-Palestine statements during Coachella set

Sharon Osbourne has criticised Kneecap for projecting anti-Israel statements onto screens at the end of their Coachella set. She even calls for the US to revoke the band’s visa, a call that comes amid increased concern that activist artists may be refused entry into the US with Trump as President…

Chris Cooke • 23 Apr 2025

FTC action against junk fees on tickets is good but might actually make junk fees harder to spot, say US talent agents

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Ticketing • 3 min read

FTC action against junk fees on tickets is good but might actually make junk fees harder to spot, say US talent agents

Last month the FTC in the US announced a new rule that says ticketing companies must declare the full price of a ticket upfront including any additional venue or ticket agent fees. The live sector has welcomed the rule, but agents point out those fees will remain and will now be easier to hide…

Chris Cooke • 15 Jan 2025

Government opens consultation on “potentially game-changing” new rules for ticket touting

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Secondary Ticketing • 3 min read

Government opens consultation on “potentially game-changing” new rules for ticket touting

The UK government has launched its previously promised consultation on the ticketing business. It will consider new regulations for ticket touting, including a price cap on tickets resold on platforms like Viagogo. The impact of dynamic pricing on primary ticketing sites will also be reviewed…

Chris Cooke • 10 Jan 2025

Live Nation expands venues business in South Africa and Portugal

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Live Nation • 2 min read

Live Nation expands venues business in South Africa and Portugal

Live Nation continues to expand its venues business, this week announcing the launch of its first permanent venue in Africa, The Dome in Johannesburg, and the acquisition of a majority stake in Lisbon’s MEO Arena…

Chris Cooke • 29 Nov 2024

Major breakthrough for drugs safety as The Loop announces year round drug monitoring at key London and Manchester venues

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The Loop • 3 min read

Major breakthrough for drugs safety as The Loop announces year round drug monitoring at key London and Manchester venues

The Loop has secured a licence from the Home Office that will allow it to undertake year-round drug monitoring at venues in London and Manchester, to better “inform our understanding of the UK’s changing drug market”, with learnings communicated to the public and emergency services…

Chris Cooke • 18 Nov 2024

UK government warns live sector: sort out ticket levy ASAP or we will force people to the negotiating table

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Ticket Levy • 5 min read

UK government warns live sector: sort out ticket levy ASAP or we will force people to the negotiating table

Earlier this year Parliament’s culture select committee said the live sector should set up a ticket levy and the government introduce a VAT cut to support grassroots venues and shows. The government has responded agreeing the industry should swiftly set up a levy system, but rejecting the VAT cut…

Chris Cooke • 14 Nov 2024

Matt Hanner, founder of live agency Runway, on this year’s Agents x Managers Conference

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Agents x Managers Conference • 7 min read

Matt Hanner, founder of live agency Runway, on this year’s Agents x Managers Conference

With the second edition of the Agents x Managers conference coming up in December, Matt Hanner, founder of live agency Runway, sat down with CMU’s Sam Taylor to talk about what being a live agent means today, not checking email at weekends, and why he wants his team to make more money than he does…

Sam Taylor • 24 Oct 2024

Abu Dhabi next city to have a Sphere following Las Vegas - and after London knock-back

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Sphere Entertainment • 3 min read

Abu Dhabi next city to have a Sphere following Las Vegas - and after London knock-back

Plans to build a Sphere venue, like the one in Las Vegas, in London were scuppered when mayor Sadiq Khan blocked the project. Sphere Entertainment said it would instead find “forward-thinking cities” in which to expand its venue network. The first of those cities has been confirmed as Abu Dhabi…

Chris Cooke • 16 Oct 2024

Ticketmaster pauses ticket transfers on Taylor Swift shows following disappearing tickets problem

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Ticketmaster • 2 min read

Ticketmaster pauses ticket transfers on Taylor Swift shows following disappearing tickets problem

There has been a flurry of reports in US media recently of concert-goers seeing digital tickets disappear from their Ticketmaster accounts as hackers use transfer tools to steal those tickets. Ticketmaster has now paused ticket transfers for Taylor Swift shows until three days before the concert…

Chris Cooke • 08 Oct 2024

BookMyShow boss questioned by police following Coldplay ticket touting controversy in India

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BookMyShow • 3 min read

BookMyShow boss questioned by police following Coldplay ticket touting controversy in India

Tickets to Coldplay’s 2025 shows in India sold out in minutes last month before appearing on resale sites at significantly marked up prices. There were allegations primary seller BookMyShow had connections to the resellers, something it denies. Though its CEO has now been questioned by Mumbai police…

Chris Cooke • 02 Oct 2024

The Great Escape drops Faroe Islands as lead country partner following protests

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Great Escape Festival • 2 min read

The Great Escape drops Faroe Islands as lead country partner following protests

The announcement last week that the Faroe Islands would be lead country partner at 2025’s Great Escape prompted criticism from the Sussex Dolphin Project because of the islands’ involvement in whaling. In response, TGE has decided to “withdraw the Faroe Islands as our lead country partner”…

Chris Cooke • 25 Sep 2024