Touring
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LONDON — The British government has launched a public consultation into the ticketing industry, including the heavily criticized use of dynamic pricing for popular tours, as part of wider efforts to stop music fans from “being fleeced” by “greedy ticket touts.”
The 12-week consultation was announced by the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Friday (Jan. 10). It sets out a range of measures to transform the U.K.’s secondary ticket market, including a proposed cap on the price of ticket resales and new legal regulations for ticket platforms around transparency and the accuracy of information they provide to fans.
“From sports tournaments to Taylor Swift, all too often big events have been dogged by consumers being taken advantage of by ticket touts,” said business secretary Jonathan Reynolds in a statement. “These unfair practices look to fleece people of their hard-earned income, which isn’t fair on fans, venues and artists.”
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Government ministers are additionally reviewing pricing practices across the entire live events business, including the use of dynamic pricing by primary vendors whereby prices surge based on demand.
The use of dynamic pricing for concert tickets came to the fore in the U.K. in September when it was used on the U.K. and Ireland legs of Oasis’ Live ‘25 reunion tour, prompting hundreds of complaints from fans after tickets unexpectedly soared from around £150.00 ($200) for standard admission to £355.00 ($470) without prior warning.
The angry consumer backlash was accompanied by fierce condemnation from British politicians, including the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, who called the “vastly inflated” prices “depressing to see.”
Soon after, the U.K. competition regulator launched an investigation into Ticketmaster examining whether the Live Nation-owned company broke consumer protection laws and engaged in “unfair commercial practices” by failing to notify ticket buyers in advance about the price rises. Ticketmaster has consistently stated that ticket prices are set by the artist team and event organisers, not itself.
Starmer had previously vowed to cap resale prices on secondary ticketing platforms, such as Viagogo and StubHub, in the run up to July’s election win.
According to the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), around 1.9 million tickets were sold through secondary platforms to British consumers in 2019, accounting for between 5% and 6% of all tickets sold that year. Tickets sold on secondary sites are typically priced more than 50% higher than their face value, reports CMA, which estimated the U.K. secondary ticketing market to have been worth around £350 million ($430 million) a year pre-pandemic.
“For too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices,” said Nandy announcing the three-month-long consultation, which closes April 4.
The government said it was seeking views from live industry stakeholders and music fans on a number of proposed measures designed to make ticket resales fairer and more transparent.
They include capping the price of resale tickets at up to 30% above face value and banning resellers from listing more tickets than they can legally buy on the primary market. These measures would disincentivise industrial scale touting, said the government.
Ministers are also proposing to pass tougher regulations for ticket resale companies and issue tougher fines for offenders. At present, the maximum fine that can be issued by Trading Standards against companies that breach ticketing sale rules is £5,000 ($6,100). The consultation will investigate whether this cap should be increased.
The primary ticketing market is also under scrutiny with ministers calling for evidence on whether fans are protected from “unfair practices,” including the use of new technologies and dynamic pricing.
Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at consumer protection organization Which?, said the government must use the consultation “to regulate the industry properly, ensure ticket resales don’t exploit fans and decide when the use of dynamic pricing is unfair and shouldn’t be allowed.”
As in other countries, the practice of dynamic pricing is commonly used in the U.K. by travel companies, taxis and hotels, but it has only been fleetingly used in the British touring market with Oasis’ comeback tour – which is being jointly promoted by Live Nation, SJM Concerts, MCD and DF Concerts – marking its most high-profile roll out for live music concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland so far.
The British government’s probe of the ticketing business is the latest attempt by authorities to tackle the persistent issue of large-scale ticketing touting in the U.K.
In 2021, watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded its long-running investigation into secondary ticketing platforms by making a series of recommendations to government on how to fix the sector. Those recommendations were rejected by the then Conservative government, but now form the basis of the Labour Party’s proposals.
There has also been a number of investigations by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) into secondary sites, with a particular focus on Viagogo.
When reached for comment, a Viagogo spokesperson insisted the company will “continue to constructively engage with the Government and look forward to responding in full to the consultation and call for evidence on improving consumer protections in the ticketing market.”
Responding to the public consultation, a spokesperson for Ticketmaster U.K. said the company was “committed to making ticketing simple and transparent” and supported plans to introduce an industry-wide resale price cap.
“We also urge the government to crack down on bots and ban speculative ticket sales,” said the U.K. arm of Ticketmaster, which has capped resale prices to face value on its platform since 2018. StubHub did not respond to a request to comment.
Adam Webb from U.K. campaign group FanFair Alliance called the government’s proposed measures “potentially game-changing” and highlighted the success of other countries, including Ireland, in passing legislation that has effectively banned ticket scalping. “The U.K. simply needs to follow their example,” said Webb.
Chris Stapleton is extending his All-American Road Show through summer 2025, and the burly-voiced Kentucky native is using the trek to not only play some iconic U.S. venues such as New York’s Madison Square Garden, but also to highlight the talents of an array of artists who will be opening shows on the tour. Explore […]
Following a recent license review, London dance venue Drumsheds has been allowed to remain open but was ordered to enforce new safety measures at its events.
Located in Tottenham, a northern suburb of the capital, the 15,000-capacity venue was reported as being at risk of losing its license late last year. This followed a number of serious incidents on the premises and a subsequent investigation launched by Enfield Council.
On Oct. 12, 2024, a 27-year-old man died after attending a Drumsheds event, an incident believed to have been drug-related (as per The London Standard). On Dec. 7, a 29-year-old woman also died after a show by Belfast dance duo Bicep at the venue, with police stating the tragedy was also connected to drug usage. An emergency licensing review was called after the latter incident.
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In November, meanwhile, a man was stabbed inside Drumsheds, with emergency services called to the scene. No arrests have been made in connection with any of these three incidents. The stabbing was later confirmed by police to be non-fatal.
Following a meeting held by Enfield Council Tuesday (Jan. 7), it has been ruled that Drumsheds has permission to remain open, but will need to operate under specific safety measures going forward. The space — a repurposed IKEA unit — will now boast an increased police presence during events, and any serious incidents on the premises must be reported to emergency services immediately.
Issues with the organization of the venue were highlighted online last month, when a public petition was launched amid claims of “overcrowding” at Drumsheds events following a surplus of social media posts related to “unsafe queues.” This happened at the 15th anniversary celebration for U.K. bass label UKF, which took place on Dec. 13 and was headlined by Pendulum, Nero and Knife Party.
As per Mixmag, however, the review findings from the meeting have stated that the venue will not have to reduce its capacity, nor implement mandatory ID scanning and “bomb detection dogs.” It isn’t yet clear how the new measures will impact upcoming events at Drumsheds. The first scheduled event following the review, billed as Red Bull’s Culture Clash, is set to be held on Mar. 8. The line-up features London DJs Jyoty, Kenny Allstar and Teezee.
Multi-faceted musician Billy Strings is bolstering his 2025 touring schedule with a slate of added headlining concerts throughout the spring and summer.
The nearly 20 newly-added dates begin April 3 with three concerts in St. Augustine, Fla. at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, with more shows set for states including Georgia, Michigan, Missouri and Illinois. The trek winds down with two shows at Lexington, Ky.’s Rupp Arena on June 20-21.
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Pre-sale for all of his April through June shows launch Jan. 8, and general on-sale begins Jan. 10. These shows follow several of Strings’s show which are slated for January, February and March, including six sold-out shows in Asheville, N.C. in February, and a trio of shows in Nashville, Tenn. in February and March.
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Beyond touring, Strings has issued a pair of collaborations in recent months, appearing on Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion album on the song “M-E-X-I-C-O,” and teaming with Zach Top on the Apple Music Sessions Nashville EP, where they revisited two of Top’s own songs, as well as a cover of Ricky Skaggs’s “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown.”
In October, Strings’s album Highway Prayers became the first bluegrass album to reach No. 1 on Top Album Sales chart since 2002. Strings’s album Live: Vol. 1 is also up for best bluegrass album at the 2025 Grammy Awards, which return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 2.
See the list of added shows for Strings’s 2025 Spring tour dates below:
April 3: St. Augustine, Fla. (St. Augustine Amphitheatre)April 4: St. Augustine, Fla. (St. Augustine Amphitheatre)April 5: St. Augustine, Fla. (St. Augustine Amphitheatre)April 9: Tampa, Fla. (Yuengling Center)April 11: Savannah, Ga. (Enmarket Arena)April 12: Savannah, Ga. (Enmarket Arena)April 15: Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena)April 17: Cary, N.C. (Koka Booth Amphitheatre)April 18: Cary, N.C. (Koka Booth Amphitheatre)April 19: Cary, N.C. (Koka Booth Amphitheatre)May 30: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Van Andel Arena)May 31: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Van Andel Arena)June 6: Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)June 7: Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)June 11: Kansas City, Mo. (T-Mobile Center)June 13: St. Louis (Chaifetz Arena)June 14: St. Louis (Chaifetz Arena)June 20: Lexington, Ky. (Rupp Arena)June 21: Lexington, Ky. (Rupp Arena)
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is set to collect data on the economic impact of the independent live sector with the launch of its State of Live survey, the organization announced Tuesday (Jan. 7). The initiative will seek to capture the economic contributions and operational challenges of independent venues, promoters, performing arts centers and […]
Since notching his first Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping hit in 2022 with “Fall in Love,” Bailey Zimmerman has ascended to headliner status and amassed a total of four Country Airplay No. 1s along the way.
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He’ll bring his arsenal of hits and energetic headlining stage show to 16 amphitheaters across the country this summer when his Live Nation-promoted New to Country Summer Tour launches June 6 in Indianapolis, with opening support from “Boys Back Home” hitmaker Dylan Marlowe and “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” hitmaker Drew Baldridge.
Following the tour’s Indianapolis launch, the trek will hit cities including Alpharetta, Ga., Richmond, Va., St. Louis and Denver, before wrapping Sept. 13 in Laughlin, Nev.
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Tickets for the New to Country Tour will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time at baileyzimmermanmusic.com. Fans can sign up for the artist presale until Wednesday at 8 a.m. CT. Presale access begins Thursday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. local time.
Zimmerman has steadily built his career to towering heights over the past few years. Zimmerman’s Religiously. The Album. entered the all-genre Billboard 200 at No. 7 and reached No. 3 on the Top Country Albums chart. In 2024, he sold out his first international headlining tour and earned his first CMA Award nomination, for new artist of the year. He was featured on the all-star soundtrack to Twisters: The Movie with the song “Hell or High Water” and just released his new song “Holy Smokes.”
See the full slate of Zimmerman’s New to Country summer tour dates below:
June 6: Indianapolis (Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park) *June 7: Sterling Heights, Mich. (Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre) *June 13: St Louis (St. Louis Music Park) *June 14: Rogers, Ark. (Walmart AMP) *June 19: St. Augustine, Fla. (St. Augustine Amphitheatre) *June 21: Alpharetta, Ga. (Ameris Bank Amphitheatre) *July 27: Corning, Ca. (Obsidian Spirits Amphitheater at Rolling Hills Casino) *July 29: Denver (Red Rocks Amphitheatre) *Aug. 9: Canandaigua, N.Y. (CMAC)*Aug. 14: Gilford, N.H. (BankNH Pavilion) *Aug. 22: Bridgeport, Conn. (Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater) *Aug. 23: Richmond, Va. (Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront) *Aug. 29: Durant, Okla. (Choctaw Grand Theater)Sept. 4: Council Bluffs, Ia. (Harrah’s Stir Cove)*Sept. 12: Reno, Nev. (Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resorts) **Sept. 13: Laughlin, Nev. (Rio Vista Outdoor Amp) **
*with support from Dylan Marlowe & Drew Baldridge** with support from Dylan Marlowe
Vivid Seats, an online ticket resale marketplace that went public through a SPAC merger in 2021, is reportedly fielding acquisition offers from several equity firms hoping to take the company private, according to a recent report in Bloomberg. Company officials have brought on an advisory firm to help gauge interest in a potential sale, according […]
Neil Young has announced that he will not be performing at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival.
On Tuesday (Dec. 31), the legendary Canadian rocker, 79, shared a message with fans on Neil Young Archives explaining his decision to back out of the massive music event, which takes place annually at Worthy Farm in Somerset, England.
“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs,” Young wrote in the brief letter. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”
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He continued, “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”
Young did not specify what exactly Glastonbury and the BBC had requested that led to his withdrawal. The BBC has been a long-time broadcaster of the festival, streaming and airing portions of the event, including a global broadcast for the first time last year, according to Rolling Stone.
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Billboard has reached out to Glastonbury’s representatives for comment.
In November 2024, Glastonbury revealed that Rod Stewart would be the first artist announced for the 2025 festival. The legendary musician was the first confirmed act for the event, which is set to take place from June 27-29. Tickets for the festival have already sold out.
While Glastonbury has not yet revealed the headliners for 2025, several names have been speculated, including Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Fender, Harry Styles and Lady Gaga. Young had also been rumored to perform at the festival.
A timeline for the headliner announcements has not been confirmed, but the full lineup is typically revealed in the spring.
In late November 2024, Young revealed plans for a European tour, which will feature mostly outdoor venues. He followed up with another message on Wednesday (Jan. 1), telling Neil Young Archives readers that “tour announcements for the summer are coming very soon.”
Young last performed at Glastonbury in June 2009, with portions of the show broadcast on the BBC. The set included tracks like “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “Words,” “Rockin’ in the Free World” and a cover of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” Rolling Stone reports.
Young’s new band, the Chrome Hearts, features Micah Nelson (guitar), Spooner Oldham (organ), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony LoGergo (drums). The group made its live debut in September 2024 at Farm Aid and recorded a new album last year, tentatively titled Talking to the Trees.
Marcelo Figoli is no stranger to big numbers. As the founder and owner of Fenix Entertainment — the Argentina-based conglomerate that encompasses live shows, amusement parks, soccer teams and media — Figoli has offices in eight countries, produces more than 100 live events per year and has successfully promoted tours by the likes of Ricardo Arjona, Ricky Martin, Romeo Santos and Shakira.
But Figoli capped 2024 with his biggest tour ever: namely, the Luis Miguel 2023-24 Tour — co-promoted alongside Henry Cardenas’ CMN — which became not only the highest-grossing Latin tour of the year but also the highest-grossing Latin tour of all time, according to numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore.
In December, when Billboard published its top tours of the year recap, the Miguel tour had reported more than 2 million tickets sold over 128 shows, generating a gross income of $290.4 million in 2024 alone. That number doesn’t include the 2023 figures or Miguel’s final Mexico City shows.
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“I was very emotional [when I heard the news],” Figoli tells Billboard of his record. “I felt immense happiness, for the artist and for the work we did.”
Below, Billboard speaks with Figoli about the stunning success of the Miguel tour and how it broke all records.
Despite its size, Fenix is an independent company. How do you distinguish yourself from other promoters worldwide?
We offer something different. We do more artisanal work, if you will, and put more thought into each of the artists and the products. I throw myself into it. I’m passionate, I go crazy, I review sales numbers every day, I’m a workaholic. I’m very calm when it comes to handling the stress generated by these massive events that I organize, but I’m very nervous in the day-to-day work leading up to achieving success.
We can provide a plus in markets like Latin America and in some cases — as with Luis Miguel and Arjona— in the entire world. Also, Fenix has partnered with CMN in recent years, and that consolidation continues to open a space for us.
Had you worked with Luis Miguel before?
We did countless concerts with Luis Miguel, but we had worked in the South American markets. Never a global tour like this one. But we’d worked very well because we have great respect and great admiration for his career. For us, he is one of the greatest artists in the world in any language, and we firmly believe in his career and that is why we bet on his tour. I thought the tour was going to be big, solid, strong. It may have exceeded my expectations, but I did know that this tour was going to do what it did. Initially, we were going to partner with CMN only in the United States and we ended up partnering for everything.
There’s a big leap from a “solid” and “strong” tour to the most successful in history. What do you attribute it to?
For me, the key to success was, first, how high we aimed. And second, how we planned the tour launch at the same time at a global scale, rather than market to market. We launched the global tour on the same day. The same day we put all the cities up for sale, and on the same day, with the same launch, we created a global explosion. We were able to get hundreds of thousands of fans around the world talking about it at the same time. We had billboards up in every city that went on sale, and we had digital and radio campaigns in each of those cities from day one. It’s the kind of launch that I have only seen for mass-consumer products. It was important to show that confidence and aggressiveness in the tour, and positioning it as a global tour, not a local tour. The way we framed it made it go viral.
How was working with CMN?
A lot of coming together, a lot of pre-production before launch. We work very well with the CMN team and the artist’s team. Plus, Henry is a legendary promoter.
It strikes me that Luis Miguel didn’t even have a new album or single…
But he was having a good personal and artistic moment, and that had an influence. Also, the launch strategy around the tour. In addition, we did a great job with our marketing teams, influencers, etc. But the basis is in the greatness of the artist. I’ve worked with so many artists, and I can’t think of many who could pull off a tour [of this magnitude and stamina]. He has demonstrated extraordinary professionalism and courtesy.
How do you see next year for Latin tours?
Excellent. We’re trying to convince Ricardo Montaner to do a farewell tour. Obviously we are negotiating for Ricardo Arona’s global tour. And with artists in development, we’ve had extraordinary success with Emilia Mernes and her 10 Arenas Movistar in Buenos Aires, where she played to over 290,000 people. I think Emilia is going to be a big deal in 2025.
A familiar group of faces tops Billboard’s monthly touring report for November: For the third time in 2024, and fifth overall, Coldplay is No. 1 on Top Tours. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the British quartet grossed $71.1 million and sold 609,000 tickets over nine shows in November.
Claiming its fifth monthly victory dating back to the chart’s launch in February 2019, Coldplay sits only behind Bad Bunny and Elton John, who have seven titles apiece. Beyoncé and Trans-Siberian Orchestra have each ruled four times, with the latter currently in the middle of its annual holiday tour.
Coldplay’s November run swept through Oceania, with two shows in Melbourne, Australia; four in Sydney; and three in Auckland, New Zealand. The four dates at Sydney’s Accor Stadium grossed a mammoth $37.4 million, earning the No. 1 position on Top Boxscores. The Auckland run ($19.3 million) follows at No. 2. The Melbourne shows grossed $14.4 million on Nov. 1-2, but were a continuation of a four-night engagement that began in late October. Had all those shows fallen in November, the band’s $28.8 million gross would have given Coldplay a clean sweep of the top three.
The most recent leg of the Music of the Spheres World Tour is, of course, the continuation of a three-year trans-continental trek. Dating back to its March 2022 kickoff in San Jose, Costa Rica, it has earned more than $1.1 billion and sold 10.3 million tickets. That’s a bigger attendance figure for any tour in music history.
It’s been a hard-earned all-time record, with Coldplay meeting demand across the world. The tour has featured sold-out stadium shows in five continents, with 48 more shows scheduled for 2025 in Asia, Europe and North America. Watch the video below to see the band’s road to 10 million tickets, one international city at a time.
Of the tour’s three-year totals, $400.9 million and 3 million tickets came from the 2024 tracking period (Oct. 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2024), nabbing Coldplay the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s year-end Top Tours and Top Ticket Sales charts. It’s the second consecutive year for Chris Martin & Co. atop the latter list.
Pearl Jam follows at No. 2 on Top Tours, with $41.8 million and 314,000 tickets sold in November. Also in Australia and New Zealand, the band’s run featured two dates each in Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney, plus one in Carrara (suburb of Gold Coast).
Coldplay and Pearl Jam each played a pair of shows at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, combining for more than $30 million and the runner-up slot on Top Stadiums, only behind Sydney’s Accor Stadium. Altogether, the two bands helped fuel four spots for Oceania on the Stadiums ranking.
Three former Top Tours champions round out the top five, with Zach Bryan, P!nk and Paul McCartney at Nos. 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Bryan and P!nk both landed in the top five of the year-end Top Tours and Top Ticket Sales rankings, with their recent November totals already positioning them well for 2025’s charts.
While Oceania proved dominant as a continent, Mexico City is the most prevalent city on November’s charts, with three of the top 10 spots on Top Boxscores. Two festivals – Corona Capital and Coca Cola Flow Fest – are at Nos. 5 and 9, while McCartney is sandwiched at No. 7 with two shows at Estadio GNP Seguros. All three engagements delivered eight-figure grosses.
Las Vegas is not far behind, with three in the top 15. Billy Joel and Sting earned $11.4 million from one show at Allegiant Stadium, earning the No. 8 spot. More, two weekends of Sphere shows from the Eagles brought in a combined $18.5 million, split at Nos. 11 and 13.
Sure to crest with the December report, November set the stage for the holiday season. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is No. 10 on Top Tours, while Mariah Carey is No. 17 with the first shows of her fall tour. Further, New York’s Radio City Music Hall towers over the Top Venues (5,001-10K capacity) listing with $33.7 million — more than seven times the gross of No. 2 — with the onset of its annual Christmas spectacular.