Dom Stokes’ Post

The circle is now complete. I doubt ticket prices in London will change much, but more tours are being routed to Live Nation/Oak View Group managed venues and box offices than ever before. London's schedule is packed, and growing by the week. Once Hamilton's arena is completed, even more tours will likely be routed to London, Hamilton, and beyond, with less incentive to stop in cities where independent operators fully control the venues, such as Kitchener, Peterborough, or Sault Ste. Marie. The recent antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster highlights Oak View Group (OVG) 73 times, alleging collusion to stifle competition in the live entertainment sector. What ultimately will happen is when a promoter or venue does wrangle a date away from the larger promoters it will likely pay more for the artists passing those costs onto the concert goer in non-Live Nation/Oak View Group markets. #london #livenation #concerts #ticketing

So here’s my opinion. 👍 What a great advert for a great city. ‘You’re new arena isn’t ready? No problem, we’ll take that 35 truck tour and do it in our other arena’ Something no other city in the UK could do by the way. 💡Maybe this is a moment to build on. Maybe instead of being competitors we could see closer collaboration between these two giants to build on Manchesters reputation as an entertainment/sports centre. Let’s imagine a city based festival with both part of the picture. But, maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part. 💭 In games world we talk a lot about legacy, let’s unpack that a little here. - the AO Arena opened in 1995, it was the first event I worked. It was built as part of an Olympic bid. Although the bid failed, it helped bring the Commonwealth Games to Manchester in 2002. - The Commonwealth Games needed a stadium, which was built and later became the home of Manchester City. - The Stadium, now Etihad Stadium grew to be a campus for sporting excellence. - The Campus is now home to Co-op Live arena. It’s having hard times, but it will open. It will be successful and all this termoil will fade into the background. And yes, I will be there on opening night too. 🔗 Like it or not. The paths of Manchester Arenas are linked and I’m proud of my association with both these venues. I’m proud of this city, its attitude and resilience. Its a place where I’ve spent many years and have many friends and colleagues. 🐝 I love the attitude of this city. “Think we can’t do it? Watch us!’” It’s been a difficult time. It’s regrettable that fans have been inconvenienced and disappointed in the past weeks. But, Co-op Live, will open, it will be a success and Manchester will have two giants of the event industry to be rightly proud of. 👀 Think differently? Watch us! Take That move Co-op Live shows to rival arena after chaos https://lnkd.in/eNZutqwH

This is a good plan (and I don't say that often) and highlights that the region should be focussing on the brownfields of Parramatta before the greenfields of far western Sydney to minimise environmental impacts of new construction and long distance travel. This plan takes advantage of the City's location and its transport assets and potentials, correctly identifying missing Metro stations (Rosehill and Silverwater) that need to be accounted for, and missing links (Parramatta to Epping) that should be high priority.

Dont know if it drives up prices, but it certainly drove me up the wall and definitely drove my heart beat and blood pressure, trying to buy concert tickets at the Sports Hub earlier this year. Interesting to see how the legal case pans out and how or if it would affect ticket sales in Singapore. *** "The Justice Department and more than two dozen states sued Live Nation on Thursday, alleging the entertainment giant has a monopoly in ticketing and concert promotion and should be broken up. The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court, alleges Live Nation used its power to squelch competition and retaliate against promoters and venues that threatened its dominance. The company chokes off competition in key pieces of the concert system, driving prices and fees higher for fans, the department said... ...Among the exclusionary practices the department challenges are long-term ticketing contracts that Ticketmaster has with venues where high-profile acts perform. Those agreements typically run between three and five years and Ticketmaster often gives lucrative financial advances that entice the venues to sign up for long-term deals. The lawsuit will also claim that Live Nation cooperated too closely with Oak View Group, an operator of stadiums, arenas and convention centers. The department says Oak View Group avoided bidding against Live Nation to attract tours and influenced venues to sign exclusive agreements with Ticketmaster. Live Nation’s head of corporate affairs, Dan Wall, defended the company against claims that it has a monopoly, in an essay published on the company’s website earlier this year. Ticketmaster doesn’t set prices, he wrote, artists and teams do, and they are subject to high demand and low supply, while the majority of fees go to venues..." https://lnkd.in/gNxeid6J

https://lnkd.in/egjQAxqZ And so.................after many delays, many cancellations and many teething problems, the Co-Op Live Arena will finally host its first live event next Wednesday. But at what cost? The collective gnashing of teeth, the security problems, and the acts that had to cancel their gigs because the venue "wasn't ready yet" - I feel sorry for Peter Kay, Take That and all the other acts that have suffered and have had to either reschedule their dates or move their gigs elsewhere. For me, these delayed gigs at a new arena smacks of the time of - dare I say the word - COVID, when the Hospitality industry was hit with all venues closing for what it would seem like for ages. Even the government didn't even have a care as to what happened to the Hospitality industry and, to this day, not all venues are back with us. But the backroom boys at the Co-Op Arena assure us that it's only been teething problems with the venue itself, and nothing to do with science. How much information are they really covering up though? And in other news................Barry Manilow is moving his gigs to another venue. It'll be some time before the venue gains trust in the entertainment industry. Until then.............if you're going...............enjoy A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Olivia Rodrigo and Keane set to play dates at the venue's first week Maybe not high-brow names to introduce to a new arena, but it's a start at least.

The Financial District could be a new hot spot for festivals and events thanks to this transformation.

How to turn a farm into the world's greatest music festival? Of course, it demands a huge amount of money, people and efforts. But the return is absolutely worthy, for the producers, the sponsors and specially for those who build this event or get the ticket to enjoy it. From the perspective of a music lover, I personally think that a festival is a celebration of life for many reasons, starting from the intense emotions and the life-changing experience that it can be. But also because a festival is also a great opportunity for people who: - Build the infrastructure. - Prepare the food and deliver the drinks. - Provide security for musicians, technicians and festival goers. - Offer transportation and accomodation, among other services. This video shows how the Glastonbury festival ("Glasto") is built in 26 days, and also part of its history, from the first edition in 1970 as the "Pop Folk & Blues" festival with nearly 1000 attendants, until today, with over 400 workers and 210.000 attendants. I have not attended many festivals, but I do follow them and dream with enjoying some ones with my kids. Check the best 9 rock festivals from the link in comments (use your browser's translation tool), Which one have you seen in person or would love to go? #musicfestivals | #musicindustry | #musicbusiness | #musicbiz | #livemusic | #music | #musicmarketing

The O2 is celebrating another stellar year of ticket sales, with over 2.5 million arena tickets sold in 2023 – a 9% increase from 2022. These strong sales have been supported by record-breaking figures across a broad range of genres at the venue this year – from comedy to country, and standout artist residencies with Elton John, Peter Kay, and Madonna which was by some margin my favourite show of the year.   On top of multiple award wins this year, the venue is celebrating a series of milestones including surpassing 30 million tickets being sold at the venue since 2007, and hosting its 3000th event earlier this week with the legendary Tom Jones. Once again we are the busiest arena in the world, ahead of MSG and many other wonderful venues and that is a record that all the team at The O2 should be very proud of. It's no mean feat to stay ahead of the competition year after year and continue to deliver a best in class experience. As I approach 10 years with AEG I am more excited than ever about the next few years ahead. The live events market is constantly evolving, so the opportunity to innovate is greater than ever before. The future looks extremely positive for our industry, with new bands breaking all the time and an incredible pipeline of talent coming through to complement existing artists capable of headlining arenas. On the supply side, at our end of the spectrum demand from fans is greater than ever before.   AEG are committed to investing in The O2 to ensure that we remain the market leading venue in the world, at a time when new venues are being built and landscape is ever evolving. Those investments over the coming years will touch every part of the venue from the artist areas and premium through to next generation fan experience and technology to ensure that we deliver on our core brand experience principles. In addition, we will continue to drive to net zero and ensure that we put sustainable practices at the heart of every decision.   I am surrounded by an incredible team of people, who I feel honoured to lead and I so incredibly humbled to work alongside. Over the next few years I am excited to see what more we can achieve together. #theo2 #teamwork #liveevents https://lnkd.in/ehMZMFUU

There's more to a Taylor Swift concert than meets the eye. As hundreds of thousands of unaware patron’s flock to stadiums in Sydney and Melbourne, all eyes are on Taylor. Yet, these events wouldn't be possible without the tireless work of industry professionals who dedicate countless hours to set up. This is where Find Me Labour comes in. While we may not be Taylor Swift, we certainly know "All Too Well" the ongoing difficulties and planning that goes into these events. That's why FML has designed an easy-to-use application that will take one of the biggest problems out of the planning stage: finding industry professionals. Just like Taylor's song "Begin Again," each concert is a new start, requiring meticulous planning and execution. FML understands the importance of finding the right people for the job, ensuring that every aspect of the event, from "State of Grace" to "Enchanted," is executed flawlessly. Our platform streamlines the process, making it as smooth as "Red" and ensuring that you can "Stay Stay Stay" focused on the big picture. With FML, you can leave the "Trouble" of finding industry professionals behind and focus on creating an unforgettable experience for concertgoers. So, whether you're planning the next "Love Story" tour or a smaller event, FML is here to help you "Shake It Off" and make it a success. #swifties #getitdone #entertainment #findmelabour

LIVE Nation has broken news that could be beneficial and is more appealing to artists, but detrimental to independent promoters. Let's break it down... 1. LIVE Nation's venues/clubs will no longer charge merchandise fees - This allows artists to keep 100% of merch profits. 2. Performers recevie an extra $1,500 per show - the value of Gas & Travel 3. Additional payment may be provided to tour, promoter and venue staff Benefit #1 >Artists now have the opportunity to increase their cashflow and payout when performing at venues under the LIVE Nation umbrella. Benefit #2 >Venues will now be able to book better talent that they wouldn't originally have booked due to deal agreement structures and limited cashflow. Benefit #3 >The Artist and Venue now have the chance to work together rather the game being... one vs. the other Disadvantage #1 **Increased competition - the Artist** >Artists now have even more competition. They are competing against high-tier performers that are now choosing to book at LIVE Nation venues over an independent venue. **Increased competition - the Venue** >Venues now have even more competition with each other as they are attempting to book attendance-attracting artists and cut a better deal appealing deal than other independent venues. They no longer have the upper-hand against LIVE Nation owned venues. Disadvantage #2 >Artists and Venues will now slowly see a lower amount of revenue generated. >Artists will now ask for more. Higher performance payout, lower merch % taken by the venue or both. >Venues will now increase prices covering every aspect of their business. Disadvantage #3 >Artists will expect more from venues as venues are expecting more from Artists. There is no longer mutual ground and everything is now dealt with tension. What will this lead to? How will Artists and Independent Venues react to the situation at hand?