IN BRIEF INDEX The concert business digest
French concert organiser Speakeasy joins forces with Paris rock club Supersonic to launch new national promoter, Take Me Out.
Germany’s Event Management Forum pleads for the government to follow the lead of other European nations and drop all Covid restrictions.
Rolling Stone acquires a majority stake in Life is Beautiful, a music and arts festival held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The International Live Music Conference announces the first round of sessions for the in-person return.
Live Nation is handed a boost in its lawsuit against insurer Factory Mutual over its failure to cover the promoter’s “severe and unanticipated” losses stemming from the pandemic.
The producers behind Baja Beach Fest, Chicago’s Reventon Promotions, and Lollapalooza announce a new Latin Reggaeton festival in the US.
Ticketmaster partners with technology provider Redeam on a “one-stop shop” to help fans buy tickets to live events when booking trips. Runway Artists expands its team with four new hires and launches a new live showcase event for the music industry. Lithuanian promoter 8 Days a Week announces a new festival at a century-old former prison in Vilnius.
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The late Steve Strange is honoured at the annual Pollstar Awards held, at The Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom in Los Angeles. Australian collection society APRA AMCOS announces it will pay members AUS$1.5 million (€940,000) in live performance royalties for concerts that were cancelled due to the latest Covid wave. Foo Fighters and PinkPantheress become the latest big-name artists to announce virtual concerts in the metaverse.
Dansk Live warns promoters that Denmark’s live industry will continue to be challenged despite reopening.
Coldplay perform a free show in Dubai in support of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Programme for People and Planet.
The promoter behind a host of UK open-air concerts by artists such as McFly and UB40 featuring Ali Campbell has gone bust.
Artist-backed metaverse firm Everyrealm closes a $60million (€54m) funding round.
Environmental nonprofit A Greener Festival announces the recipients of the A Greener Festival Award in 2021. Oak View Group is hired by The Football Association to expand and diversify sponsorship, content and other opportunities at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Gracia Live’s Sam Perl tells IQ the company is determined to press ahead with blockbuster shows in Belgium and France in the next few weeks despite ongoing restrictions. The Lumineers partner with environmental non-profit Reverb to embark on another ‘climatepositive’ tour.
ASM Global announces plans to host what is billed as the largest job fair in live entertainment history across four continents next week.
DHP Family links up with alternative independent music festival Bearded Theory’s Spring Gathering.
The Great Escape Festival announces the launch of The Steve Strange Award, in honour of the legendary X-ray Touring cofounder, who died last year.
The New Zealand government announces plans to extend its insurance scheme for large-scale events by another year.
Rock Werchter founder Herman Schueremans tells IQ that the festival’s record sell-out is a sign of things to come, as he gears up for his busiest festival summer in years.
Organisers of Europe’s biggest K-pop festival reveal international expansion ambitions after adding a second day in Frankfurt, Germany.
