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Kanye West sets new livestream record on Apple Music

Kanye West’s second album listening party at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (cap. 71,000) in Atlanta last Thursday (5 August) was reportedly Apple Music’s biggest-ever live stream.

The live stream of West previewing his upcoming album ‘Donda’ attracted 5.4 million viewers on Apple Music – more than double the current livestream record on Twitch – which set a new record for the streaming service, according to Billboard.

The previous record was set by West’s first listening event at the stadium on 22 July, which saw 3.3 million people tune in.

West also livestreamed from a dressing room at the stadium ahead of the show, with fans able to watch him recording, exercising and sleeping for a number of hours.

Billboard also cites sources who claim that West made $7 million (€5.9m) from in-person merch sales during the second ‘Donda’ event, which recorded 40,000 ticketed fans in attendance.

West made $7 million (€5.9m) from in-person merch sales during the second ‘Donda’ event

Of the 400,000 fans, a stadium rep told Billboard that four people got a vaccine shot offered by the event that evening.

The event provided Pfizer shots for those who haven’t already taken the shot to help slow the transmission of Covid-19 but very few took up the offer – despite the venue promoting its efforts.

The event’s push for fans to get vaccinated comes as Live Nation and AEG, the world’s biggest live entertainment companies, have announced various vaccine mandates.

Live Nation announced that artists would be given the choice as to whether they require all concertgoers and venue staff to be vaccinated for their US shows, and it is understood a similar model will likely be rolled out internationally.

While AEG Presents, AEG’s concert promotion division, will additionally require all fans in the US to be vaccinated from 1 October.

 


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AEG Presents partners with Zero Mile Presents

AEG Presents has announced a partnership with Georgia-based independent live music and concert promoter, Zero Mile Presents, expanding the venue operator’s presence through the southeast of the United States.

Independent promoter Zero Mile currently books and operates Atlanta venues Variety Playhouse (1,000-cap.) and Terminal West (625-cap.), as well as the Georgia Theatre (800-cap.) in Athens, Georgia.

The partnership with Zero Mile expands AEG Presents’ presence throughout the southeast, adding to the Bowery Presents’ coverage in Atlanta and Birmingham, as well as the AEG Presents Carolinas portfolio.

The partnered businesses will form a unified concert promotions company, working under the Zero Mile Presents banner and focusing on the states of Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina.

“Our relationship with AEG was getting strong enough to make it obvious that we should join forces and tackle this region together”

Zero Mile co-founder, Scott Orvold, will oversee the booking and growth of the new partnership, along with AEG Presents Carolinas’ Allen Corbett. The new team includes AEG Presents’ Chris McLane, The Bowery Presents’ Patrick Hill and Zero Mile’s Alan Sher, Walker Beard, and Trent Allison.

“As Zero Mile continued to grow, it became clear that adding a partner with extensive experience and reputability would be beneficial,” says Orvold. “Our relationship with AEG was getting strong enough to make it obvious that we should join forces and tackle this region together.”

AEG Presents and Zero Mile have also announced plans for the Eastern, a new 2,200-capacity venue based in Reynoldstown, Atlanta.

Mueller adds that, “Scott and the team at Zero Mile share AEG’s passion for finding great concert venues and producing amazing events for music fans. We are excited to break ground with them on a great new venue that is long overdue in Atlanta.”

 


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Liberty eyeing more music in ATL with The Battery

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei has told investors Liberty is “increasingly a company [involved] in live performance”, as he unveiled plans to leverage his company’s stake in Live Nation to bring more live music to Atlanta, Georgia.

In an investors’ meeting yesterday afternoon, Maffei said The Battery – an under-construction entertainment district surrounding the new SunTrust Park (41,149-cap.) stadium, home to the Liberty-owned Atlanta Braves baseball team – said his focus is on “getting the rest of The Battery leased [and] seeing increased events around the whole experience, like more concerts from Live Nation”, with the promoter a “big part of” the company’s future plans.

The Battery has already hosted several live events, with John Mayer, TI, Glass Animals and comedian Dave Chappelle already having placed the 3,000-cap. Coca-Cola Roxy venue and a “strong line-up of concerts” planned for the summer and autumn, Maffei said.

The stadium itself, operated by Liberty’s Atlanta National League Baseball Club Inc. company, has also hosted headline shows by Billy Joel and Metallica.

“The Braves have begun a path to creating an awful lot of experience which is more than just putting a baseball team on the field”

Other major stadia in Atlanta include Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium (55,000-cap.) and GWCCA’s Georgia Dome (80,000-cap.), the latter soon to be replaced by the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“Liberty is increasingly a company which has investment and operations in live performance, whether it’d be live concerts or live sporting,” Maffei told investors. “And I think you’ll see that the Braves have begun a path to create an awful lot of experience which is more than just putting a baseball team on the field. [The] Battery’s a part of that.”

In addition to Live Nation, Liberty’s other investments include motorsports series Formula 1, which it agreed to acquire last September, and satellite radio service Sirius XM, which last month pumped US$480 million into Pandora as the company sold off Ticketfly.

Live Nation rival AEG has of late been investingly heavily in Battery-style mixed-use entertainment districts, including in Tennessee’s Nashville Yards and Puerto Rican capital San Juan.

 


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Spotify, Live Nation partner on RapCaviar concerts

Live Nation has extended its relationship with Spotify with the launch of RapCaviar Live, a new six-city concert series inspired by the streaming service’s eponymous hip-hop playlist.

RapCaviar Live kicks off at the Tabernacle (2,600-cap.) in Atlanta, Georgia, on 12 August with a show by Gucci Mane (pictured), Mike Will Made It and other “special guests”. Additional details of shows in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and Houston, Texas, will be announced by Spotify soon.

“[I’m] proud to partner with Gucci Mane on this incarnation of the RapCaviar vibe,” comments Tuma Basa, head of hip hop at Spotify, who has been called “the most important tastemaker in hip-hop music today” for his role as curator of the RapCaviar playlist.

“This is an important milestone for Spotify, for RapCaviar and for hip hop in the streaming age”

“Gucci was an early believer in what we are doing and it’s going to be beautiful to see it manifest live. Taking RapCaviar on the road was just a dream for us a few years ago. This is an important milestone for Spotify, for RapCaviar and for hip hop in the streaming age.”

With its Spotify branding, RapCaviar Live brings to mind Drake’s Views from the 6 North American tour, which was also promoted by Live Nation but billed as being presented by Apple Music – Spotify’s main rival in the music streaming space.

Live Nation in November struck a deal with Spotify to integrate Ticketmaster ticket listings into Spotify artist pages, emails and concert-recommendation emails.

 


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Ticketmaster for new Atlanta stadium

Ticketmaster has been named the exclusive ticketing partner of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, set to open in late August.

The multi-year agreement with the stadium’s operator, AMB Sports & Entertainment (AMBS&E), sees Ticketmaster becoming the official ticketer for American football team Atlanta Falcons, football team Atlanta United and other live events, including concerts, at the 71,000-cap.venue.

AMBS&E will also leverage Ticketmaster’s marketing and distribution reach to establish an ticket resale platform on which fans can “buy and sell verified tickets in a safe environment”, reads a statement from the company.

“We selected Ticketmaster because of their longstanding, proven track record in the ticket industry,” says Tim Zulawski, AMBS&E’s chief commercial officer. “They are making significant investments into both their consumer and venue platforms, improving the overall experience as well as enabling the organisation to reach and protect our fans more effectively through a robust secondary marketplace.”

“We are thrilled to be a part of Atlanta’s history in the making”

Key to the securing the deal, says Ticketmaster, was offering AMBS&E access to marketing and performance data via the Ticketmaster platform, including via its Live Analytics data-enhancing service and other “advanced technologies” it says will “help create a more personalised in-venue experienced for fans”.

“Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be one of the most advanced sports and entertainment venues in the world, and is providing a dynamic step forward for major stadiums,” Jared Smith, president of Ticketmaster North America, adds. “We are thrilled to be a part of Atlanta’s history in the making and proud that Ticketmaster’s technology will help the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United better understand and connect with their fans.”

Mercedes-Benz Stadium will open on 26 August, with Atlanta United playing the first league game in the stadium, against FC Dallas, on 10 September. It is intended to replace the George Dome, which is due to be demolished.

 


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