Veeps, the ticketed streaming platform founded by Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte and acquired by Live Nation, has announced a new series of consumer apps, as well as a raft of concerts.

Forthcoming livestreamed concerts include Kings of Leon from London’s O2 Arena, Galantis from Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and his group with Conspirators from House of Blues in Boston.

With the launch of the Veeps app on Apple TV and Roku, viewers can now stream the concerts directly onto their televisions without having to cast from a phone, screen-share or connect with cables.

“We think that the future of concert streaming is fans in all corners of the globe having access to every tour”

The streaming platform has also launched apps for iOS and Android smartphones.

“We think that the future of concert streaming is fans in all corners of the globe having access to every tour, and getting concert streams natively into TVs and phones is a gamechanger for artists and their fans,” says Joel Madden. “It puts Veeps shows right next to your favourite TV show, documentary or blockbuster movie and gives live concerts the same viewability and discoverability as any other type of premium content.”

Last year, Live Nation and Veeps equipped more than 60 venues around the US with a permanent livestreaming setup.

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Live Nation and Veeps, the ticketed livestreaming platform developed by Joel and Benji Madden, are equipping more than 60 venues around the US with a permanent livestreaming setup.

The Fillmore in San Francisco and Philadelphia, House of Blues in Chicago and New Orleans, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, and a raft of amphitheatres including Shoreline Amphitheater in California and The Gorge in Washington will be the first to go live with the turnkey livestreaming.

The Wiltern has already announced a livestream series, From the Wiltern, which will kick off on 7 May.

Artists who perform at one of the 60+ venues that are being kitted out will have the opportunity to add the element of livestreaming to their concert and ‘double down on revenue’, says Live Nation.

“Amongst artists, it’s often said that the one side of our careers that truly belongs to us is touring,” says Joel Madden, cofounder, Veeps.

“Now, with the flip of a switch, every artist playing in these venues can make their show a global event”

“To help an entirely new touring vertical become readily available to artists is such a huge win for our community and we couldn’t be happier. It’s the exact type of thing that shows what our partnership with Live Nation can really mean for artists.”

“Now, with the flip of a switch, every artist playing in these venues can make their show a global event. We’ve already seen how livestream shows drive engagement across every other area of an artist’s business and the added ticket revenue will allow them to re-invest in their art and make what they’re offering their fans even better. It’s a real dream come true for us at Veeps and our mission to help empower artists in their careers.”

Michael Rapino, president and CEO, Live Nation Entertainment says: “Artists and fans are eager to get back to shows, and livestreams will continue to unlock opportunities for them to connect more than ever before.

“Veeps is the best at what they do, with Benji and Joel tapping into their own experience as artists to help other artists thrive, and we look forward to bringing this innovative idea to life in these iconic venues.”

Earlier this year, Live Nation acquired a majority stake in Veeps, which in 2020 alone hosted around 1,000 paid livestreamed shows by artists including Liam Payne, Pete Yorn, Brandi Carlile, Louis Tomlinson, Architects and Rufus Wainwright.

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Live Nation has acquired a majority stake in Veeps, a ticketed livestreaming platform developed by Good Charlotte’s Joel and Benji Madden.

Established by the Maddens in 2017, Veeps has in 2020 alone hosted around 1,000 paid livestreamed shows by artists including Liam Payne, Pete Yorn, Brandi Carlile, Louis Tomlinson, Architects and Rufus Wainwright.

The brothers – along with co-founders Sherry Saeedi and Kyle Heller and the entire Veeps team – will remain in place following the acquisition, terms of which were not disclosed.

According to Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino, the Veeps platform – which, in addition to commission-free ticketed live streams, offers functionality for merch sales, VIP offerings, social-media marketing, and chat between artists and fans – stood out in the increasingly crowded livestreaming marketplace.

“Livestreaming is a great complement to our core business, and essentially gives any show an unlimited capacity”

“We are impressed with what Benji and Joel have created with Veeps, and their platform will create new ways to enjoy thousands of Live Nation concerts,” comments Rapino. “Livestreaming is a great complement to our core business, and essentially gives any show an unlimited capacity.

“Looking to the future, livestreams will continue to unlock access for fans – whether they are tuning into a sold-out show in their hometown, or watching their favourite artist play in a city halfway around the world. The most critical element of live streaming is the artist on stage, and with Live Nation’s unmatched inventory feeding into Veeps, together we will help fans enjoy more live music than ever before.”

“Benji and I have worked extensively with Live Nation over the last two decades, and we’re very happy to be joining a company that is such a big supporter of artists and artist-led businesses. It’s a natural fit and evolution for our business,” says Joel Madden. “This partnership is a demonstration that premium, ticketed live streams have earned themselves a permanent place in the verticals of every artist business.

“Last year Veeps live streams helped artists, both big names and new acts, make over [US]$10 million for themselves, their families, their crew and their chosen causes, and we’re looking forward to helping even more artists connect with fans this year in ways that support their art and their development.”

“Last year Veeps live streams helped artists, both big names and new acts, make over $10m”

Veeps marks only the second merger or takeover for traditionally acquisitive Live Nation since the tail end of 2019, when it wrapped up the decade by acquiring a controlling interest in Malaysia’s PR Worldwide, its 20th of the year. It managed just two in 2020 – Taiwan’s Tixcraft (via Ticketmaster) and Norway’s Bergen Live – before the pandemic hit and it embarked on a near-US$1 billion programme of cost-cutting.

According to Live Nation, Veeps will act as a complement to in-person concerts when they return later this year, offering “exclusive content, new vantage points, sold-out shows and unparallelled access” to LN events in the real world.

“We’ve always believed that taking an art-first approach to livestream shows helps artists create the kind of performance they can be proud of and an experience that fans love,” comments Benji Madden. “This means applying as much creativity and thoughtfulness as you would with any in-person show.

“We will only see this platform get more innovative as concerts return and we layer into shows in even more ways. We’re incredibly grateful for our team, who continue to hustle non-stop, and we look forward to amazing things ahead alongside Live Nation.”

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LA-based agency ICM Partners and Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden have joined forces to launch an initiative aimed at developing emerging talent and brands across the music industry.

Through the partnership, ICM also hopes to enhance the level of personal service received by established clients.

Madden, who co-founded Good Charlotte along with his twin brother in 1996, will bring new talent to the agency and offer creative support to existing ICM artists.

The Good Charlotte co-founder launched his own artist development and management company, Mddn.co, in 2015, in collaboration with his two brothers, Benji and Josh.

“We have the opportunity to create something which will be very impactful in supporting the growth of artists”

“The agents we have worked with at ICM share our passion and entrepreneurial spirit for artist representation,” says Madden. “We have the opportunity to create something very special which I believe will be very impactful in supporting the growth and success of artists.”

Rob Prinz, co-head of worldwide music at ICM Partners, says he is “excited to be in business” with Madden, whom he describes as “a uniquely gifted artist and entrepreneur”.

Prinz commends ICM agent Mike Hayes for being the “driving force” behind the company’s relationship with Madden.

ICM Partners agent Kevin Jergensen was the winner of the Tomorrow’s New Boss award at this year’s Arthur Awards, picked from IQ’s New Bosses 2018 shortlist. The New Bosses of 2019 will be announced in the upcoming IQ 85.

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