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Having grown up in the small town of Strafford, Vermont, local businesses were a vital part of Noah Kahan’s upbringing. Reflecting on some of his favorite local shops, he couldn’t help but shout out Coburn’s General Store, which the 27-year-old singer still considers to be the “heart of the town.”
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Now, to celebrate all mom and pop stores, the “Dial Drunk” singer has teamed up with American Express to put on an intimate concert in celebration of the company’s 15th annual Small Business Saturday celebration.
The small concert will take place Saturday, Nov. 30, at The Riviera in Charleston, South Carolina, and unlike his sold-out stadium shows, Kahan will be prepping for this small concert a little differently.
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“I actually think there’s more pressure on the small and intimate shows because you can pretty much see every person’s face in there,” he says in an interview with Billboard. “In an arena, I can just be like, ‘Oh, they’re probably having a good time,’ but in a small venue, you can see people start to be mad at you if you’re not doing well. It’s important to bring your A-game, first of all, but also just making sure you do justice to the occasion and to the venue.”
Small Business Saturday 2024
American Express
He also hinted that concertgoers can look forward to stripped-back and acoustic versions of songs, which he doesn’t always get the opportunity to do in a large venue.
“We have a lot of songs that the band and I are working on, where we’re going to have a chance to really strip some things back and play some older music, which would be really fun, and maybe play a couple of songs that people haven’t heard yet,” Kahan adds.
Big-box stores may be your first thought when thinking of the ultimate gifts to surprise everyone on your list, from music lovers to aspiring musicians and singers, but the “Dial Drunk” singer wants to remind you to think of small businesses first. Some of his personal favorite local shops include Hanover Strings in Hanover, New Hampshire, where the Grammy-nominated singer learned to play guitar. And for foodies, some of his favorite Mexican food spots include Salt Lake City’s Red Iguana and Mas Tacos Por Favor in Nashville.
And if you want more recommendations from the Billboard Hot 100-charting artist, he told ShopBillboard the products he relies on to get ready for shows, as well as some Stick Season essentials below.
Noah Kahan’s Pre-Show Must-Haves
Besides supporting local businesses, Kahan is most looking forward to performing in front of a small crowd, which he feels is another way he can give back.
“I’m excited for the folks coming to the show to feel like they’re being supported, that their community is being supported,” he says.
Before he gets onstage, there are a few things he must use beforehand to feel fully prepared to give fans the best experience possible. In addition to some Vermont local honey he was given, he also relies on a Vicks steamer and Throat Coat tea to prep his vocal cords.
Amazon
Vicks Personal Steam Inhaler
$42.98
$49.99
14% off
$58.99
Whether you have allergies or are an aspiring singer, Vicks’ steam inhaler will help provide relief while keeping your throat nice and relaxed. Each treatment can last a minimum of five minutes and uses a non-medicated steam that is released in just a push of a button.
Amazon
Traditional Medicinals Tea Organic Throat Coat (6 Pack)
More than 3,000 Amazon shoppers have picked up Tradition Medicinal’s throat tea for its organic ingredients and ability to support throat health without leaving a bad taste behind. Flavors you can expect include licorice paired with slippery elm for a more silky and sweet feel.
Noah Kahan’s Stick Season Essentials
Before snow coats the ground, there is a moment of time in between fall and winter that Kahan has called Stick Season (which is also the title of his highly praised album). During this period, you can expect cloudy skies, cold weather and, like the name suggests, lots of sticks on the ground. To help you get through the chilly weather, the “Orange Juice” singer has a few essentials that’ll help keep you cozy even through the winter.
Amazon
Verilux HappyLight
$39.99
$44.95
11% off
$39.99
$39.99
For those especially cloudy days, Kahan suggests adding a vitamin D light to your setup to help add some extra sunshine. HappyLight comes with a simple one-touch design that lets you instantly change the brightness with a single tap. The device comes with its own stand that you can adjust to sit vertically or horizontally depending on your preferences, and since it’s lightweight you can take it with you on the go.
L.L. Bean
Scotch Plaid Flannel Shirt
Kahan couldn’t help but shout out L.L. Bean, which he has partnered with twice on exclusive merch collections. For him, there’s nothing cozier than an L.L. Bean flannel, which he claims “is classic, like sweater weather.” The lifestyle brand’s popular style comes made with cotton brushed eight times for ultimate softness and a button-up construction that you can adjust to your liking. There are even 13 patterns to choose from depending on your style.
Amazon
Green Mountain Coffee Roaster Dark Magic K-Cup Pods (32 Count)
$15.97
$16.99
6% off
$12.98
$15.69
The artist can’t resist a cup of Green Mountain Coffee, specifically the Dark Magic flavor, which is available in K-cups for less than $20. You can expect notes of chocolate and dried fruit that result in a subtly sweet finish and made from 100% Arabica beans.
For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best Latinx brands to shop, black-owned businesses and woman-owned small businesses.
StubHub must pay more than $16 million in legal damages after a jury decided that the ticketing giant intentionally torpedoed a smaller company’s lucrative concierge partnership with American Express.
Following a month-long trial, a Los Angeles jury on Friday (May 24) sided with Spotlight Ticket Management — a tech startup that had sued over allegations that StubHub failed to pay Spotlight millions in commissions and then used false statements to “poison” the company’s relationship with Amex.
Leading up to the trial, StubHub had argued it paid Spotlight everything that was owed and that the smaller firm had killed its Amex deal itself by being an “unreasonable partner” to the financial giant: “The true cause of Spotlight’s demise was Spotlight itself.”
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But in Friday’s verdict, the jurors found for Spotlight on both issues. They ordered StubHub to pay $3 million over the commissions; $5.3 million over money lost from the terminated Amex partnership; and another $8.1 million that they said Spotlight would have earned from Amex in the future.
StubHub did not immediately return a request for comment. Amex was not named as a defendant in the case or accused of any wrongdoing. In a statement, Spotlight called the verdict “a victory for Spotlight, for affiliate partners more broadly, and for ticket purchasers across the country.”
Launched in 2007, Spotlight offers ticketing management software to help companies provide event access to their employees or customers. One of its major clients was Amex, which used Spotlight as part of its concierge system to buy concert and sports tickets for premium cardholders.
In its lawsuit, Spotlight claimed that it had successfully partnered with StubHub for years, sending as much as $85 million in ticket sales to the company’s platform and receiving a 7% commission on those sales.
But starting in 2016, Spotlight claimed that StubHub began underpaying those commissions. And when the smaller company raised the dispute, it claimed that StubHub retaliated by tanking its relationship with Amex with false and disparaging claims.
“StubHub gave Amex an ‘ultimatum’ that it could not work with Spotlight for these reasons and Amex would lose access to StubHub’s entire ticket inventory, crushing the availability of secondary market tickets to the Amex Concierge program overnight, unless Amex got rid of Spotlight,” the company’s attorneys wrote in a pre-trial briefing.
StubHub sharply disagreed. In its own filings, the company argued that it had paid Spotlight all the commissions that it was actually owed under its affiliate program. And it said that the smaller company had “destroyed its own relationship with Amex” through “erratic behavior.”
“Spotlight has taken a modest dispute about payment of affiliate commissions and morphed it into a conspiratorial web to support its claim for hundreds of millions of dollars,” StubHub’s attorneys wrote. “Amex witnesses have testified that they decided not to renew based on Spotlight’s unreasonable demands and that StubHub had nothing to do with Amex’s decision.”
But following a three-week trial, jurors believed Spotlight’s version of events, finding StubHub liable for breach of contract over the unpaid commissions as well as intentional interference with contract and intentional interference with prospective economic relations over the Amex partnership.
StubHub can appeal the verdict, first by asking the judge to order a new trial and then by taking the case to a California appeals court.
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The BET Awards takes place this weekend in Los Angeles, Calif. at the Microsoft Theater and the star-studded event is poised to draw large crowds online and in person to take in the festivities. American Express and BET are partnering to present The Watch Party at the House of BET ahead of the awards program with fun surprises, drinks, and special performances on deck.
American Express & BET Present: The Watch Party at House of BET will go down Sunday, June 25, from 3 PM to 8 PM local time, and features a live performance from R&B star 6LACK with DJ Earry Hall on the tables providing the vibes. Hosted by La La Anthony, the House of BET will be located inside Hollywood’s Nya Studios and will have refreshments for fans and more.
The event will be interactive and designed for comfort as attendees will be encouraged to take in the lush scenery, relax in style, and watch the BET Awards together as a family and crew.
The event was open to all but Amex cardholders and their plus ones will have their own expedited entry point to the party. We would like to add that RSVPs for the event are now closed. Our apologies.
In addition to the party, American Express is offering cardholders the Shop Small Excellence Guide, which lists a number of Black-owned business establishments throughout Los Angeles. For guests who use their Amex card to check in at hotels near the event space, they will get a copy of the guide.
Last but not least American Express will present the BET Viewer’s Choice Award on-air and fans will have an opportunity to vote on their top “Song Of The Year” selection by placing their votes here.
To learn more about the 2023 BET Awards, click here.
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Photo: Getty
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