Live music industry news

Ticket touts on trial over £6.5 million "dishonest enterprise"

public

Ticket Touting • 2 min read

Ticket touts on trial over £6.5 million "dishonest enterprise"

Two people have gone on trial in Leeds over their involvement in a £6.5 million ticket resale operation set up to "simply rinse consumers for as much profit as they are willing to pay". Two other defendants last week pleaded guilty as proceedings began…

Chris Cooke • 18 Jan 2024

Tramlines agrees new deal to use Sheffield park after washout 2023 edition

public

Tramlines • 1 min read

Tramlines agrees new deal to use Sheffield park after washout 2023 edition

Sheffield’s Superstruct-owned Tramlines festival has signed a new agreement to use the city’s Hillsborough Park after torrential rainfall during its 2023 edition resulted in damage to the council-owned space…

Chris Cooke • 16 Jan 2024

UK's largest nightclub operator heading into administration

public

Rekom UK • 2 min read

UK's largest nightclub operator heading into administration

Rekom UK, the largest operator of nightclubs in the UK, has called in administrators as it faces an assortment of issues, including higher energy costs, minimum wage increases and poor midweek trading…

Chris Cooke • 16 Jan 2024

UK’s Advertising Standards Authority raps Viagogo over NME paid editorial

public

Viagogo • 2 min read

UK’s Advertising Standards Authority raps Viagogo over NME paid editorial

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints made against two advertorial pieces written by Viagogo and published by NME, because they failed to point out that touted tickets for the shows mentioned in the articles could be cancelled by the relevant promoters…

Chris Cooke • 10 Jan 2024

MSG formally withdraws application to build “political football” Sphere venue in London

public

MSG Sphere • 2 min read

MSG formally withdraws application to build “political football” Sphere venue in London

MSG Entertainment has formally withdrawn its application to build a new Sphere venue in London, saying that the perfectly round building has become a “political football”…

Andy Malt • 09 Jan 2024

public

Live Nation • 1 min read

Live Nation buys Margate's Dreamland

Live Nation has taken a controlling stake in the Dreamland amusement park and music venue in Margate with a promise to “enhance … this much-loved resort”…

Chris Cooke • 18 Dec 2023

NTIA welcomes moves to strengthen laws against drink and needle spiking

public

Night Time Industries Association • 1 min read

NTIA welcomes moves to strengthen laws against drink and needle spiking

The Night Time Industries Association has welcomed moves by the UK government to clarify and strengthen laws against drink and needle spiking…

Chris Cooke • 18 Dec 2023

New call for witnesses to come forward one year on from Brixton Academy crowd crush

public

Brixton Academy • 2 min read

New call for witnesses to come forward one year on from Brixton Academy crowd crush

The families of the two people who died during a crowd crush at an Asake show at the Brixton Academy last year have renewed their calls for witnesses to come forward on the one year anniversary of the tragedy…

Chris Cooke • 15 Dec 2023

Taylor Swift fan dismisses lawsuit filed of Eras Tour ticketing meltdown

public

Ticketmaster • 2 min read

Taylor Swift fan dismisses lawsuit filed of Eras Tour ticketing meltdown

One of the Taylor Swift fans who sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster after the debacle around ticket sales for The Eras Tour has dismissed her case - it’s not clear if an out-of-court settlement was reached with the live giant…

Chris Cooke • 15 Dec 2023

UK Music calls on government to convene summit to tackle ticket touting

public

Ticket Touting • 2 min read

UK Music calls on government to convene summit to tackle ticket touting

UK Music has called on the government to convene a summit to discuss ticket touting in a bid to stop the “multi-million-pound scourge of rip-off festival and concert ticket prices”…

Chris Cooke • 14 Dec 2023

MSG in talks with Abu Dhabi over Sphere venue as South Korea seeks to fast-track planning approval

public

MSG Sphere • 2 min read

MSG in talks with Abu Dhabi over Sphere venue as South Korea seeks to fast-track planning approval

MSG is reportedly in talks with Abu Dhabi about building its second Sphere venue there, while the South Korean government recently said it would fast-track planning processes to allow another to be built as part of a K-pop complex in the city of Hanam…

Chris Cooke • 13 Dec 2023

AEG and Eventim among the bidders for See Tickets

public

See Tickets • 1 min read

AEG and Eventim among the bidders for See Tickets

Both AEG and Eventim have made bids to buy See Tickets, according to reports - current owner Vivendi hopes to make €300 million from the sale of the ticketing business…

Chris Cooke • 12 Dec 2023

Live industry news including ticketing, venues, festivals and more