NFT-TiX has sold its most expensive ticket ever after a music fan purchased a high-end VIP experience for the forthcoming Exit festival. NFT-Tix received $10,690 for the NFT ticket for Serbia’s Exit Universe via smart contracts platform Avalanche. The Exit Beyond Infinite Experience Diamond ticket gives two people access to a personal host and accommodation …
Festival organisers slam Government stance on drug testing
The UK Home Office’s withdrawal of support for drug safety testing at festivals has been labelled “dangerously irresponsible”. Sacha Lord, the co-founder of Parklife festival, and Melvin Benn, the managing director of Festival Republic, are among those to speak out after Home Office officials blocked testing organisation The Loop from carrying out its on-site work …
Live Nation Spain ready to sue local authority over Guns N Roses gig
Live Nation Spain is set to take legal action against a local authority after it withdrew its financial backing for a Guns N Roses gig earlier this month. Some 28,000 fans attended the American rock band’s concert at Vigo’s Estadio Abanca Balaidos on June 12, but the event had been temporarily cancelled just days before …
MLB baseball attendance surge continues with Sunday best
Major League Baseball (MLB) saw its best Sunday figures in 15 years over the weekend as more than 600,000 attended games. The 15 games played on Sunday attracted an average crowd of 37,706, which was the best average crowd on a Sunday since June 2014. MLB said last week that internal projections point to a …
Covid led to loss of 1 in 6 UK festivals, report shows
One in six UK festivals came to an end during and in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, new data from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) suggests. A study carried out by AIF in the first half of 2023 shows there were 600 music festivals held in the UK in 2019, but only 482 …
LIVE backs UK Creative Sector strategy
LIVE has welcomed the UK Government’s new Creative Industries Sector Vision, which has promised £77m in new funds. The document was published last week, and features the expansion of Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music Venues Fund, providing an additional £5m over two years to support around 400 grassroots music venues projects. LIVE, the industry …
BBC documentary claims Pollen wilfully overcharged customers
A new BBC documentary claims a senior employee at Pollen was behind a scam that overcharged customers before the music and festival company went bust last year. The programme, called ‘Crashed: $800m Festival Fail’, found that a huge proportion of Pollen customers it contacted were still owed money by the now defunct British company. Among …
Brighton Fringe boosted by Name Your Price success
Brighton Fringe, the largest arts festival in England, attracted almost 500,000 attendees during its 2023 event. Over four weeks and five weekends, over 160,000 tickets were sold to circus, comedy, theatre and cabaret events. Including free and non-ticketed events, overall attendances were nearly 500,000 people, both in person and online. Brighton Fringe held 880 events, …
German launches €200 KulturPass for all 18-year-olds
Germany has launched its €100m voucher scheme which gives all 18-year-olds €200 towards attending cultural events, institutions and pursuits. The KulturPass is intended to support attractions, festivals and theatres hit hard by the pandemic and still struggling to win back their audience. The aim of the Minister of State for Culture and the Media-backed scheme …
Nederlander backs Hollywoodcom Live theatre ticket venture
Entertainment news website Hollywoodcom and Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment (NWE) have announced the formation of a joint venture that will sell tickets for Broadway, West End and regional theatre shows. Hollywoodcom Live will leverage the news website’s reach to drive user traffic towards ticket sales. It will also cross-sell tickets to theatrical productions via youth-focussed theatre …