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Trending on Billboard Live Nation Australia and the Australian Open are expanding the Grand Slam’s entertainment footprint with AO Live Opening Week, a new four-night concert series launching Jan. 13–16, 2026. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The announcement arrives under a growing trend of major sporting events integrating large-scale live music programming, aligning […]
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Music fans would choose a concert over having sex if it meant seeing their favorite artists perform, according to a recent survey from concert promoter giant Live Nation.
Titled “Living for Live,” the global report includes insights from more than 42,000 fans (defined as anyone who attended a concert in the last year) aged 18 to 54 across 15 different countries, including all of North America, most of Western Europe, Australia, Japan, Thailand and Brazil.
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According to the survey, fans have named concerts as the world’s top form of entertainment, outranking attending movies, sporting events and even having sex, with 70% of respondents saying they would choose a concert by their favorite artist over lovemaking.
“This report confirms what we’re seeing on the ground everywhere,” said Russell Wallach, Live Nation’s global president of media and sponsorship, in a statement. “Live music isn’t just growing, it’s shaping economies, influencing brands, and defining culture in real time. Fans have made live the heartbeat of global entertainment, and it’s now one of the most powerful forces driving connection and growth worldwide.”
The study is meant, in part, to drive new insights about the millions of fans who attend concerts every year on behalf of the 1,500 major brands and sponsors that spent $1.2 billion with the company in 2024, according to Live Nation’s year-end financials.
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The study found that 35% of fans plan to attend at least four concerts per year, while 29% of festivalgoers plan to attend at least four festivals per year. The report also found that 85% of fans said music was a core part of their identity, that 77% felt part of something bigger at shows, and that, among parents, the number one passion many hoped to pass on to their children was a love for live music.
The report also found that demand for female artists was continuing to grow, with 76% of responding fans reporting that they wanted more female-led lineups and 60% reporting a desire to see more festivals spotlight female talent.
The report covers a broad range of how fans view the importance of live music in their lives, the global nature of touring and the economic impact touring can have on local markets. A complete summary of the report can be found at livingforlive.livenationforbrands.com.
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There were flames, fireworks, and an unexpected blast of “Smoko,” as Metallica’s M72 tour stopped by Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night, Nov. 12.
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The Rock Hall-inducted metal giants have been extra sweet to audiences on this trek, their first down under since 2013, by playing a homegrown classic on each tour date.
For their tour opener Nov. 1 at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the Bay Area legends carved out a rendition of John Butler’s “Zebra,” which the Western Australian native responded to with his own cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”
Then, at Adelaide Oval on Nov. 5, the rockers covered INXS’ Billboard Hot 100 leader “Need You Tonight,” and segued into the Angels’ classic from 1976, “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again,” led by bass player Robert Trujillo at the mic. For their Melbourne show, at Marvel Stadium, Metallica covered “Prisoner of Society” the alternative rock trio the Living End.
The rumor mill was grinding away ahead of Metallica’s lone show in the Sunshine State. Would they cover a Powderfinger song, or the Go-Betweens? Perhaps the Saints? Or maybe a leftfield choice by performing the Bee Gees, the Veronicas or even Keith Urban.
As it turned out, Metallica hit the right note with a cover of the Chats’ “Smoko,” originally released on the Sunshine Coast punk rock act’s 2017 EP, Get This in Ya!!. Trujillo once again took vocal duties, accompanied by lead guitarist Kirk Hammett. “We like to celebrate music from your hood,” Trujillo remarked.
A “smoko” is, for those uninitiated, an Australian expression for a break from work, or more specifically, a pause to smoke.
Eamon Sandwith and Co. were thrilled with the nod. “Stoked to make it to the ‘doodle’ section of the set, thanks Metallica,” reads a social post from the ARIA Award-winning band.
Metallica opened the show with a mainscreen montage of the fan photos, set to “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)” by AC/DC, whose own tour of Australia kicked off at the same time, 1,000 miles south of Brisbane, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. AC/DC will visit Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, twice, in December.
“Thank you, we missed you a lot,” frontman James Hetfield told the audience, gathered on an unusually cool November night. “We’re very grateful to be here. This is love.”
Hetfield also insisted that he had “the best job in the world,” which he well could, before Metallica launched into “Sad But True,” an anvil of a song.
Metallica may have mellowed through the years, but they’re still hard as hammers, which they proved with a set that flew high and never came down. The encore, of “Master Of Puppets,” “One,” and “Enter Sandman” could’ve woken the dead. Maybe the fourpiece was tipped off that the venue was once Paddington Cemetery, a burial ground.
Late in the set, Hetfield welcomed the capacity house as members of the “Metallica family,” some as veterans, others newcomers. “That’s why we’re here. To forget all the bull**** in life.” As good parents, Hetfield, Hammett, Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich stayed on stage well after the last chord rung out, to share gifts of drumsticks, guitar picks and take turns in thanking the fans.
Produced by Live Nation Australia, the tour continues at Sydney’s Accor Stadium (Nov. 15) and wraps up Nov. 19 at Auckland’s Eden Park. Evanescence and Suicidal Tendencies are the support on this leg of the M72 World Tour.
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Music stocks had their worst week in three months, as most companies that reported earnings this week were penalized for not offering more to investors. Spotify, Live Nation, SM Entertainment and Reservoir Media all finished the week ended Nov. 7 in the red — though live entertainment companies Sphere Entertainment and MSG Entertainment bucked the trend by posting sizable gains after putting out their quarterly earnings reports.
The 19-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) fell 5.0% to 2,703.11 as losers outnumbered winners 15 to 4. After soaring earlier in the year, the BGMI is now 13.3% below its all-time high of 3,117.20 (in the week ended June 30) and is now equal to its value in early May.
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iHeartMedia was a notable exception to the carnage. The radio company’s shares jumped 55.9% to $4.63 after a report at Bloomberg said the company is in talks to license its podcasts to Netflix. Netflix is known to be seeking video podcast content and has also reportedly approached SiriusXM about distributing its podcasts. The week’s high mark of $4.77, reached on Thursday (Nov. 6), was iHeartMedia’s highest mark since March 17, 2023.
Sphere Entertainment Co. rose 12.6% to $77.08 after the company’s earnings report on Tuesday (Nov. 4) showed an improvement in the Sphere segment’s operating loss. Led by the popularity of The Wizard of Oz, the number of film viewings, called The Sphere Experience, rose to 220 from 207 in the prior-year period. Sphere’s shares are now up 81.5% year to date.
MSG Entertainment (MSGE) shares gained 5.3% to $46.51 following the company’s earnings report on Thursday. MSGE’s revenue jumped 14% to $158.3 million while its operating loss deepened to $29.7 million from $18.5 million a year earlier. J.P. Morgan raised its price target to $47 from $41, citing management’s comments on pricing and higher expectations for the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.
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Companies such as Live Nation and Spotify reported solid results but suffered a large share price decline — part of a trend that extends well beyond music companies, Bernstein analysts wrote in an investor note on Thursday: “We’ve seen a brutal theme emerge across the consumer [technology, media and telecommunications] sector: stocks that deliver perfectly in-line or modestly better than expected results are still getting sold.” Growth is not good enough, they explained, and investors are “shooting first and asking questions later” when a company doesn’t have a “bulletproof guide” for the next year or two.
Live Nation shares ended the week down 6.0% to $140.51 after the company reported third-quarter earnings on Tuesday (Nov. 4). Despite showing continued revenue and adjusted operating income growth, Live Nation’s share price fell 10% the following day, though the price recovered some losses in each of the next two trading days. Bernstein maintained its $185 price target and called the sell-off a buying opportunity, but numerous other analysts lowered their Live Nation price targets, including Oppenheimer (from $180 to $175), Evercore (from $180 to $168), Morgan Stanley (from $180 to $170), J.P. Morgan (from $180 to $172) and Roth Capital (from $180 to $176).
Also releasing third-quarter earnings on Tuesday was Spotify, whose stock fell 5.9% to $616.91 in the aftermath. The company reported 12% revenue growth, but the title of Bernstein’s investor note on Tuesday perfectly captured Spotify’s need to constantly impress investors: “When you trade at 50x EPS, you’d better make sure everybody’s happy.” Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan called the company’s fourth-quarter outlook “slightly mixed”: The company’s guidance on monthly average users and gross margin were “above expectations,” it said, but guidance on subscribers, revenue and operating income were lighter than expected. Guggenheim lowered its price target to $800 from $850, noting that results met expectations but that “questions remain” on Spotify’s ability to improve margins through price increases.
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Elsewhere, Reservoir Media fell 3.0% to $7.37 following the release of its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, while Warner Music Group, which reports earnings on Nov. 20, fell 5.4% to $30.23. Universal Music Group, which reported earnings on Oct. 30, dropped 3.4% to 22.48 euros ($26.01).
K-pop company SM Entertainment fell 14.1% to 102,600 KRW ($70.47), having dropped 9.6% in the two days following the release of third-quarter results on Thursday. Other K-pop companies also experienced large declines as HYBE dropped 10.4%, JYP Entertainment dipped 11.0% and YG Entertainment sank 21.3%, likely because of a report that BLACKPINK’s next album has been delayed until January 2026.
Most indexes had an off week. In the U.S., the Nasdaq composite fell 3.0% to 23,004.54, marking its worst week since April. The S&P 500 dropped 1.6% to 6,728.80. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 sank 0.4% to 9,682.57. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index plummeted 3.7% to 3,953.76. China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.1% to 3,997.56.
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Live Nation reported an 11% increase in total revenue in the third quarter on Tuesday (Nov. 4), the result of continued fan demand for live music and a shift to stadiums from amphitheaters and arenas.
On a call with analysts and investors, CEO Michael Rapino and COO Joe Berchtold discussed the finer points of the results. Although it’s only November, all signs point to more growth in revenue, ticket sales, attendance and sponsorships in 2026. Fan demand isn’t falling back to earth any time soon, and Live Nation has made investments — renovations, new venues and acquisitions — to capture as much of that demand as possible.
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Here are some of the highlights from the earnings call and Tuesday’s earnings release.
Stadiums Dominated 2025 and Will Be Big Again in 2026
In the concert business, the venue matters. Live Nation’s owned and operated amphitheaters historically generate better margins than other venues, but in 2025, there have been more stadium shows. “A lot of artists decided not to play arenas and amphitheaters and go for stadiums,” said Rapino. In fact, in the third quarter, Live Nation had 250 fewer amphitheater shows and 120 more stadium shows, according to Berchtold. But because Live Nation operates some of those stadiums — such as Rogers Stadium in Toronto and Estadio GNP in Mexico City — those shows boosted the quarter’s per-fan profitability, Berchtold said.
With the FIFA World Cup taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2026, there have been some concerns that soccer matches would limit stadiums’ availability and put a damper on North America tours. But those fears “haven’t seemed to come to life,” Rapino said, adding that stadiums should have “a very strong year [in 2026].”
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Fans Keep Spending
People may be suffering through nagging inflation and feeling economic jitters, but music fans are proving to be a resilient bunch, as per-fan spending at Live Nation’s owned and operated venues rose 8% through October. Part of the growth comes down to offering the right products. Non-alcoholic drink sales were up by 20%, and ready-to-drink options were up, too. The growth can also be attributed to renovations at amphitheaters that created VIP areas with premium food and beverage options.
Amidst the growing importance of VIP options to Live Nation’s business, the company said it’s not seeing any pullback from lower income brackets. “No, we have not seen any of that,” Rapino said when asked by Citi analyst Jason Bazinet if there was evidence of “bimodal” consumer behavior. Many shows for 2026 are already on sale, Rapino noted, and the company saw “no pull-back anywhere.”
More Gains into the Fourth Quarter and 2026
The fourth quarter and 2026 are expected to continue the trends seen in the first three quarters of 2025. Deferred revenue — money collected but not yet recognized as revenue for accounting purposes — is an important metric for assessing demand for upcoming events. Live Nation’s deferred revenue is up big from a year earlier: Event-related deferred revenue of $3.5 billion was up 37% from the prior-year period, and Ticketmaster’s deferred revenue of $231 million was up 30%. In addition, Live Nation says its large venue show pipeline for 2026 is up by double-digits, and ticket sales for concerts in 2026 have already reached 26 million. Sponsorship commitments for 2026 are up double-digits, too, according to the company.
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An International Tipping Point is Coming
Fans at international concerts are on track to surpass U.S. fans, the company revealed on Tuesday. In fact, international business is driving Live Nation’s growth. Whereas total fee-bearing gross transaction value (GTV) was up 7%, it rose 16% in international markets. And of the 26.5 million net new tickets from Ticketmaster enterprise clients, 70% came from outside the U.S. Additionally, more than half of the 5 million fans expected to attend concerts at Live Nation’s large (over 3,000 capacity) venues in 2026 will come from international markets.
Confidence in the Federal Antitrust Lawsuit
The U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster is set to go to trial on March 6. While the company’s latest quarterly SEC filing admits the case “could involve significant monetary costs or penalties,” its executives are publicly confident the lawsuit won’t lead to a nuclear option: namely, breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Berchtold pointed to the remedies decision in September in the Department of Justice’s case against Google, which aimed to restore competition in the internet search and search advertising markets. The court placed certain remedies on Google — a ban on exclusive distribution of Google Search and Chrome, for example — but didn’t break up the company. To Live Nation, the decision “very much validated our view that the claims in our case can’t lead to a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster even if the DOJ prevails on one claim or another,” said Berchtold.
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Live Nation’s revenue grew 11% year over year to a third-quarter record of $8.5 billion, the company announced Tuesday (Nov. 4).
The world’s largest concert promoter and ticketing company continued to benefit from vigorous consumer demand for live music since the touring business came back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjusted operating income (AOI) of $1.03 billion was a 14% increase from the prior-year period. Importantly, event-related deferred revenue and Ticketmaster deferred revenue were up 37% and 30%, respectively, suggesting Live Nation is well situated for upcoming quarters.
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“Strong fan demand drove another record quarter, as we continue to attract more fans to more shows globally,” CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement. “With these tailwinds, 2026 is off to a strong start with a double-digit increase in our large venue show pipeline and increased sell-through levels for these shows.”
Foreign exchange had a small impact on reported results. In constant currency, revenue was up 9% (compared to 11% as reported) and AOI was up 12% (compared to 14% as reported).
Within the concerts division, record-high stadium show attendance drove revenue up 11% to $7.3 billion and AOI up 8% to $514 million. Live Nation hosted 51 million fans, and attendance was up by double-digits in all major markets. International markets were led by Europe and Mexico, where attendance growth reached double-digits.
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Fan demand has undergone explosive growth since the COVID-19 pandemic. Live Nation’s third-quarter revenue of $8.5 billion was 38% greater than the $6.15 billion it generated in the same quarter of 2022. That improvement is dwarfed by the 125% revenue growth the company has experienced since the third quarter of 2019, a time before Live Nation acquired a majority stake in Mexican promoter OCESA in 2021.
Within the Venue Nation segment, Live Nation’s division that owns and operates venues worldwide, fan spending through October rose 8% at amphitheaters and 6% at major global festivals. Investments in renovations have helped some venues improve fan spending. For example, onsite fan spending at Jones Beach in New York was up 35% through October, while onsite spending at Estadio GNP in Mexico City tripled in the first ten months of the year.
At Ticketmaster, Live Nation’s ticketing division, revenue climbed 15% to $798 million while its AOI jumped 21% to $286 million. The improvement came from a combination of more ticket sales and higher average ticket prices: In the quarter, fee-bearing tickets rose 4% to 89 million, while fee-bearing gross transaction value (GTV) rose 12%.
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Through the first nine months of 2025, Ticketmaster’s total fee-bearing GTV rose 7% due to a 16% increase in international markets. Primary fee-bearing GTV improved 8% while secondary GTV declined 1% on lower sports activity.
Live Nation’s sponsorships division had record revenue of $443 million, up 13% from the prior-year quarter. With a gross margin percentage of 71%, the highest of the company’s three divisions, sponsorship’s AOI of $313 million, up 14% year over year, bested Ticketmaster on 44% less revenue.
The number of the sponsorships division’s strategic partners rose 14%. New agreements include consumer brands Hollister, Kraft Heinz and Patrón. The division added a multi-year deal with Trips.com in Asia and expanded its partnership with Mastercard to additional markets, including Hong Kong, South Africa and the Middle East.
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Live Nation is on pace for a record-setting 2025. Through the first nine months of the year, revenue is up 8% to $18.89 billion and AOI is up 9% to $2.17 billion. The record-setting third quarter is expected to flow into a strong fourth quarter. Arena, theater and club shows will bring the company to full-year attendance of approximately 160 million, which would be a 6% increase from the 151 million fans it saw in 2024. Live Nation expects to deliver double-digit AOI growth for the full year.
Looking ahead to 2026, the company expects continued growth. In addition to growth in deferred revenue — money received for future events — Live Nation expects a double-digit increase in large venue shows in 2026. Average grosses for 2026 concerts are up double-digits on strong sell-through levels.
As demand for concerts appears strong heading into the busy summer months, Live Nation led nearly all music stocks this week by jumping 7.7% to $148.87. On Friday (June 20), the concert gian surpassed $150 per share for the first time since Feb. 25, and its intraday high of $150.81 was roughly $7 below its all-time high of $157.49 set on Feb. 24. Earlier in the week, Goldman Sachs increased its price target on the stock to $162 from $157, implying Live Nation shares have an 8.8% upside from Friday’s closing price.
The 20-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI), which tracks the value of public music companies, finished the week ended June 20 down 2.4% to 2,853.13, its second consecutive weekly decline after nine straight gains. Despite large single-digit gains by Live Nation, MSG Entertainment and SM Entertainment, the index was pulled down due to losses by its two largest components: Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG). The week’s decline lowered the BGMI’s year-to-date gain to 34.3%, though it’s still well ahead of the Nasdaq (down 0.9%) and the S&P 500 (up 0.4%) on that metric.
Markets sagged in the latter half of the week as investors expressed concerns about tensions in the Middle East and thepotential impacts on global oil supplies and gas prices. The tech-heavy Nasdaq finished the week up 0.2% to 19,447.41 while the S&P 500 fell 0.2% to 5,976.97. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 dropped 0.9% to 8,774.65. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index jumped 4.4% and China’s SSE Composite Index dipped 0.5%.
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New York-based live entertainment company MSG Entertainment rose 5.6% to $38.44, bringing its year-to-date gain to 7.1%. Elsewhere, SM Entertainment stock saw a 4.5% improvement, taking its 2025 gain to 90.4% — the best amongst music stocks save for Netease Cloud Music, which has seen a 111.2% year-to-date gain.
With streaming stocks posting the biggest gains of the year, Spotify shares reached a record high of $728.80 on Wednesday (June 18) but stumbled over the next two days and finished the week down 0.5% to $707.42. That decline took Spotify’s year-to-date gain down to 51.6%.
UMG shares fell 4.2% to 26.73 euros, marking its largest one-week decline since falling 9.2% in the week ended April 4. At the same time, Bernstein restarted coverage of UMG shares this week. Analysts believe it’s a “best in class” music company, which “implies predictability, a capital allocation framework consistent with industry trends, and steady operating leverage,” analysts wrote. Bernstein set a 33 euro ($38.03) price target, implying 23% upside over Friday’s closing price.
Shares of music streaming company LiveOne fell 6.5% on Friday and finished the week down 10.0% after the company released earnings results for its fiscal fourth quarter and year ended March 31. Fiscal fourth-quarter revenue fell 37.6% to $19.3 million due primarily to a decrease in Slacker revenue. For the full year, revenue slipped 3.4% to $114.4 million and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 18.7% to $8.9 million.
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Billboard Canada Power Players is back for a second year, and it comes at a pivotal time for Canadian music. Canadian Content regulations — a principle that built the domestic industry — are up for review for the first time in a generation, with ongoing hearings taking place with the CRTC. The Online Streaming Act, meanwhile, is attempting to regulate major foreign streaming services to contribute to CanCon as the CRTC once did for radio — but companies like Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music aren’t taking it without a fight.
Those issues shadow the industry, which has recently seen both struggles and successes. The country was recently named the 8th largest music market in the world by the IFPI, and Toronto has emerged as a marquee live music market. That’s been reflected in the successes of and investments in new venues by companies like Live Nation Canada, MLSE and Oak View Group, who all appear on the list.
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As top execs at Live Nation Canada, Erik Hoffman, Riley O’Connor and Melissa Bubb-Clarke are orchestrating one of the most ambitious stretches in the company’s history. Together, the trio claims the No. 1 spot on Billboard Canada Power Players 2025. Already the biggest players in the Canadian music business, Live Nation is just getting bigger — and it’s on track for a record-breaking summer.
In the new Billboard Canada cover story, the three talk about their ambitious plans — including the about-to-open Rogers Stadium in Toronto, which will bring Oasis, Coldplay and BLACKPINK to the city this summer and triple the number of stadium shows.
Derek “Drex” Jancar of OVO Wins the Impact Award
As part of Billboard Canada Power Players, Derek “Drex” Jancar took the No. 1 spot in the Foundations category and accepted the Impact Award at the celebration in Toronto on Wednesday (June 11).
In the mid-2000s, Drex, Gavin Sheppard and Kehinde Bah co-founded The Remix Project, a community initiative that continues to influence global culture. Now, he’s doing it again as CEO of October’s Very Own (OVO).
On Wednesday night (June 11), Derrick Ross of Slaight Music presented Drex with the Impact Award as part of Billboard Canada Power Players 2025, with a donation to the Remix Project — a testament to the immense influence Drex has had within Canadian music and culture.
In an interview, Drex tells Billboard Canada about the impact of the Toronto community on all the work he does.
“It’s the nucleus of everything. It’s the thing you constantly come back to and think about: ‘Does this represent us, honestly and authentically?’” he says. “It’s where everyone worked on their skills and put blood, sweat and tears into their career paths. We obviously are global thinkers, but we’re always coming from that place. That’s our identity. It’s shaped us and it’s what makes us unique.”
Drex recalls meeting the key figures at OVO at Remix, including Oliver El-Khatib, Future The Prince, Niko Carino and Drake. The dedication that they poured into Drake’s burgeoning career in the late 2000s created a special energy in Toronto. He was already the hottest artist in the city, Drex recalls, but you could feel he was on the verge of becoming a global phenom — all while wearing his local connections on his sleeve.
“You could see what was happening behind the scenes, and it was really special to see everyone rally around and build such an amazing brand around him,” Drex says. “It was a time where you really started to believe in the city and the talent and the potential in the city and you were like, ‘Anyone can do anything from here. This is possible, it’s happening right in front of us.’”
The First Canadian Edition of Managers to Watch
Also this week, Billboard Canada unveiled its first Music Managers to Watch list.
Managers are the unsung heroes of the music industry. They are the hard-working decision makers behind some of the country’s most beloved artists. They make deals, orchestrate partnerships and make key strategic decisions. And though fans rarely know their names, they are key to the success of Canadian musicians. They don’t do it for personal glory, but to fulfill artistic visions that can break barriers and move millions.
These talented managers on the rise have helped some of the biggest artists tour stadiums, stun at the Met Gala or go gold without any label support. That’s an extra feat in Canada, where managers often have to navigate a tight-knit industry and geographic barriers to breakout success. In the feature, they share their tips for people new to the business and those who want to help introduce their artists to a global audience.
The list includes managers for Kaytranada, Jessie Reyez, Charlotte Cardin, Connor Price and more.
The Beaches’ manager, Laurie Lee Boutet, was named Manager of the Year. In an interview, she talks about how she helped navigate the Toronto band’s 2023 viral moment into sustained momentum on its way to its first hometown arena tour this fall.
In honor of the FIFA World Cup coming to North America next year, Liberty State Park in New Jersey — located across the Hudson River from Manhattan — has been selected as the official site of the FIFA Fan Festival, produced by Live Nation and DPS.
Met Life Stadium will host eight FIFA World Cup 26 games, including the Final Match. As a result, the NYNJ Host Committee chose Liberty State Park due to its stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and proximity to Ellis Island and the iconic Statue of Liberty. The FIFA Fan Festival NYNJ is expected to attract tens of thousands of fans during the 39-day tournament, which is set to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Besides concerts and chances to participate in soccer challenges, fans can watch real-time match broadcasts and interactive fan activations, as well as activations for FIFA’s various corporate sponsors.
“The FIFA Fan Festival NYNJ will be the largest and most visible fan experience of the entire tournament,” said Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee, in a statement. “This isn’t just about watching matches, it’s about celebrating the game” and “creating lasting impact for our communities, partners, and millions of fans.”
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As part of its role programming FIFA Fan Festival NYNJ, Live Nation will present a number of premier concerts on non-match days, “creating marquee moments that celebrate the intersection of soccer, music, and culture,” according to a press release.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is one of the world’s most prestigious events and an unparalleled opportunity to highlight the region’s diversity and deliver unforgettable fan experiences,” added Geoff Gordon, Chairman of Live Nation Northeast Region. “We’re honored to support the NYNJ Host Committee on this historic moment.”
Production company Diversified Production Services will handle most of the logistics of the FIFA Fan Festival, said Darren Pfeffer, president of DPS, who said in a statement, “The FIFA World Cup draws billions of viewers from all over the planet, and the FIFA Fan Festival NYNJ will enable hundreds of thousands of fans to experience it in an immersive way.”
Christie Huus, chief events officer of the FIFA World Cup 2026 NYNJ Host Committee, added, “There’s nothing more powerful than bringing people together, and the FIFA World Cup will ignite our region with energy and excitement. The depth of experience Live Nation and DPS bring will ensure success in transforming NYNJ into one big block party.”
Tickets for the FIFA Fan Festival go on sale soon at FIFA.com/tickets.
Live Nation announced a deal to operate Arena Cañaveralejo in Cali, Colombia, in partnership with Mexican promoter OCESA and Colombian promoter Grupo Páramo. The 15,000-capacity arena is the concert giant’s first venue in the country. Notably, Live Nation acquired a 51 percent interest in OCESA in 2021 for $416 million and a majority stake in Páramo in 2023. Upcoming concerts to be hosted at the venue, which was built in 1957 and underwent a major renovation in 2021, include a show by Fonseca and Andrés Calamaro. “This venue will allow us to bring more world-class artists to Cali while also supporting local talent and growing the live music ecosystem in Colombia,” said Live Nation president/CEO Michael Rapino in a statement. “Live Nation is committed to investing in Latin America’s thriving music scene, and this partnership with Grupo Páramo will help us create unforgettable experiences for fans in the region.”
Management at music video streaming service ROXi completed a buyout of the ROXi business in partnership with investors that include U.S. TV broadcasters Sinclair and Gray Media. The new company created under the deal, FastStream Interactive Limited, has struck distribution deals with U.S. broadcasters that will bring FastStream’s new interactive TV channels to their customers. The first FastStream-powered TV channel will be ROXi, which is touted in a press release as “America’s first Interactive TV Music Channel.” The channel will be available for free on NEXTGEN TV, a “new digital TV standard” in the U.S. “By 2028, over 75% of all US TVs sold will be NEXTGEN TV sets,” the release states. Shareholders in the new venture include Sinclair and Gray Media; U2 bassist Adam Clayton; Terra Firma founder Guy Hands; British billionaire businessman Jim Mellon; and Warner Mandel, a global co-head of telecom, media and technology at Rothschilds Warner Mandel.
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British indie label Cherry Red Records acquired U.K.-based Dome Records from directors Peter and Santosh Robinson. Dome’s catalog primarily consists of soul and R&B from artists including Lulu, Beverley Knight, Incognito, Hil St Soul, the James Taylor Quartet, Shaun Escoffery, Brenda Russell, George Duke, Anthony David, Jarrod Lawson and Andrew Gold. Peter Robinson will continue working with Dome as a consultant.
Independent New York-based rock label Equal Vision Records announced a partnership with kill iconic records, the label that sprang from the quarterly heavy and progressive music magazine kill iconic. Through the deal, kill iconic brings current artists Moondough, Lobby Boxer, ahh-ceh and Gold Necklace along with new signings Dwellings, Mella and Resilia. The first release under the agreement is the single “IDGAF2” by Dwellings, a Sacramento, Calif.-based post-hardcore band. Equal Vision also announced it has partnered with Burlington Record Pressing to open a boutique solar-powered manufacturing plant located in Albany, N.Y., that uses recycled and lead-free materials to create custom vinyl records.
SongTools, a marketing and ad tech solutions platform for music creators, teamed up with Latin American radio monitoring company monitorLATINO to launch digitalLATINO, a new platform that offers digital charts, playlist promotion, automated advertising campaigns and more for musicians. In other SongTools news, the platform has also been integrated into the marketing dashboard for Symphonic via a new partnership with the distributor.
ALTER Music, a new indie record label founded by former 300 Entertainment executives Rob Stevenson and Matt Signore, signed a joint venture partnership with Firebird, a multi-sector music company that invests in and services labels and publishers, with an emphasis on management and label services. Through the deal, Firebird will provide ALTER with financial, analytical and strategic support.
Web3-based distribution and label services company Unchained Music struck a manufacturing and distribution partnership with vinyl pressing plant Sonic Wax. Under the deal, select artists on the Unchained Web3 services platform will enjoy physical releases of their music. Sonic Wax is a global vinyl distributor that has served artists including Raye, Swedish House Mafia, Boy George, Masters At Work and Chase & Status.
Loaded Dice Entertainment, the newly launched full-scale label services and distribution company, signed a deal with e-commerce storefront and supplier Amaze Holdings. Through the agreement, Amaze — which utilizes a print-on-demand model to reduce merch overproduction — will host Loaded Dice-branded merchandise and artist-specific items. The first Loaded Dice artist to be hosted on Amaze is Hudson Thames.
