Index In Brief

IN BRIEFINDEX

The concert business digest

Evolution Artists, a UK-based international agency for DJs and MCs, joins forces with Londonbased Earth Agency.

South Korea’s performing arts sector remains cautious despite rebounding by nearly 80% year-onyear in 2021.

Australian trade bodies repeat calls for a government-backed insurance scheme for live music and events.

Sweden introduces a 500-capacity limit on live events following a request from the country’s public health agency.

LA-based startup AmazeVR closes a $15million (€13.4m) round of funding to support its vision for virtual reality concerts.

Move Concerts boss Phil Rodriguez says the company will be “100% open for business” by March as he shares his bullish projections for the year ahead.

AEG Presents CEO of European Festivals Jim King says the live business will need to “up its game” in 2022 to meet fans’ raised expectations. The global surge in Covid-19 cases is continuing to wreak havoc on the international live calendar, with a growing number of early 2022 tours cancelled or postponed.

StubHub Holdings, which operates ticket resale platforms StubHub and Viagogo, considers going public via a direct listing.

CAA’s merger with ICM Partners is delayed while the US department of justice investigates its impact on the entertainment industry.

Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Ye are set to headline the 2022 edition of Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival.

The Dutch events industry calls for a fresh approach to the Covid-19 crisis as prime minister Mark Rutte begins his fourth term in office.

Germany’s €2.5billion event cancellation fund has hardly been used so far, according to a new report.

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis leads tributes to the festival’s long-serving commercial director, Robert Richards, who died aged 65 following a short illness.

The Netherlands is set to gain a brand-new one-day rock and metal festival, Headbangers Parade.

Scotland and Wales announce plans to roll back their Covid-19 restrictions.

Industry executives in Asia warn that the ‘groundhog day’ caused by enduring restrictions could long continue. Leading venue bosses give their insight into the Covid protocols that are expected to remain in a post-pandemic world.

Flesh Festival, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ electronic music and camping festival, is set to launch this year.

The Bay of Islands festival becomes the latest event to fall by the wayside in New Zealand as a result of the uncertainty around Covid.

Sustainability heads say the pandemic has prompted a “real sea change” in the industry’s attitude towards green issues. A man sues AEG Presents in the US after allegedly being injured when he tripped on a cable at a reggae festival.

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings reportedly plans to acquire gaming smartphone manufacturer Black Shark in a move that could help the company build its own metaverse.

ASM Global acquires a controlling interest in AV technology specialist Anthony James Partners.

The New South Wales government establishes a AUS$43m (€27m) support fund to boost the confidence of event organisers.

UTA names Lindsay Wagner as chief diversity officer.

Sound Diplomacy appoints experienced executive and board member Rob Hain as global chief executive.

The Keychange initiative for gender equality in music unveils its 2022 class of artists and music industry innovators.

Live Nation will take fans back to the “golden age of emo” with a new festival in Las Vegas this October, When We Were Young.

European festival chiefs share their optimism for the summer season while warning of the challenges ahead on the opening day of ESNS (European Noorderslag).

Emporium Presents, a joint venture with Live Nation, announces three senior appointments, as well as a relocation to Nashville, Tennessee.

Venues in the Netherlands temporarily turn themselves into hairdressers and beauty salons in protest at the ongoing shutdown.

Scam artists pose as Ariana Grande’s agents, claiming to offer 2022 European tour dates for the singer.

The National Independent Venue Foundation announces the relaunch of its Emergency Relief Fund to provide economic relief to independent music and comedy venues, festivals, and promoters across the US.

Live-streaming will play a supporting role in the live industry’s return to touring, according to Driift CEO Ric Salmon.

The German events business warns that the industry faces a fresh round of layoffs without an extension to the short-term work allowance. France announces a gradual easing of restrictions on live events, starting from the beginning of February.

Adele postpones her entire Las Vegas residency just 24 hours before opening night.

The UK’s live music business repeats calls for government support measures after a snap survey reveals close to half of remaining international shows planned for Q1 2022 have been cancelled.

Top agents call for a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable industry during ESNS.

New Zealand sees a “staggering” number of event cancellations following the country’s move to red in the Covid traffic-light system.

Montreux Jazz Festival

announces a partnership with TikTok for the festival’s new music initiative, MJF Spotlight.

US hip-hop festival Rolling Loud will finally make its European debut when it lands in Portugal this summer.

CAA announces that it will relocate to a larger space in 2026 to accommodate the company’s “tremendous growth.”

The Netherlands, Norway, and Northern Ireland announce the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions that were introduced in December. Sydney-based live entertainment group TEG promotes Tane Oakes to chief technology officer.

Belgium festival behemoths Tomorrowland and Rock Werchter join forces to launch a new two-day festival in Brussels.

UK promoter Kilimanjaro Live is to launch a new “indie and alternative sounds” festival called Neck of the Woods.

The first round of Sweden’s Melodifestivalen 2022 will go ahead with capacity restrictions at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena from 4-5 February.

Denmark’s live music business cheers “a day to celebrate” after it becomes the first country in the EU to announce it is ending all coronavirus measures.

ASM Global unveils tech giant Sage as the naming partner for its Newcastle Gateshead Quays arena and conference centre development in the UK.

Twenty One Pilots delivered the most popular music concert experience on Roblox in 2021, according to a new report.

Live entertainment discovery platform Fever raises $227m (€203m) in a funding round that values the company at more than $1billion (€900m).

AEG earns 100% on the 2022 Corporate Equality Index, the 20th annual scorecard on LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

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F7 Entertainment Group, a new full-service national music promoter, launches in Canada.

Family members of Drakeo the Ruler are to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation, C3 Presents and Bobby Dee Presents after the rapper was fatally stabbed backstage at last month’s Once Upon a Time in LA music festival.

Warner Music Group is to create the first music-themed world in The Sandbox gaming metaverse, following a deal between the two companies.

Oak View Group announces ten-year naming rights deal with financial services firm Acrisure for its new arena in Palm Springs, California.

Chinese powerhouse Modern Sky Entertainment plans to launch a virtual edition of its Strawberry Music Festival.

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