Manchester’s Co-op Live to host 2024 MTV EMAs
The 2024 MTV EMAs will take place in Manchester, UK, it has been confirmed.
The annual show will broadcast from Manchester’s brand-new, purpose-built live entertainment arena Co-op Live on MTV in over 150 countries on Sunday, 10 November.
Now in its 30th year, it will mark the first time the event has been staged in the city, and also marks its return to the UK after seven years.
“Co-op Live has been designed from the ground up to offer, at its core, a truly exceptional live music and fan experience, and we are delighted to be hosting an event which epitomises what our venue stands for,” says Gary Roden, Co-op Live executive director and GM. “We are honoured to become part of the MTV EMAs story, and to cement Manchester’s standing within the global live entertainment industry.”
First held in Berlin, Germany in 1994, the EMAs were last staged in the UK at London’s OVO Arena Wembley in 2017.
“Manchester is a dynamic and innovative city with the infrastructure to deliver a live music event of the scale of the MTV EMAs”
“The MTV EMAs is one of the biggest global music celebrations, bringing together local and international artists to create iconic performances for fans around the world,” says Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming & events, Paramount, and chief content officer, music, Paramount+. “With music at the very heart of Manchester’s rich creative heritage, this vibrant city – with the state-of-the-art Co-op Live – will guarantee a supercharged 2024 show.”
The show will additionally be available in multiple territories on Pluto TV and on-demand on Paramount+.
“Manchester is a dynamic and innovative city with the infrastructure to deliver a live music event of the scale of the MTV EMAs,” adds Lee Sears, president, international markets advertising sales. “We look forward to spotlighting this world-class destination – and the cutting-edge Co-op Live arena – on the global stage.”
The 2023 MTV EMAs were cancelled last October “out of an abundance of caution” amid the escalation of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
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MTV EMAs cancelled out of ‘abundance of caution’
The 2023 MTV EMAs have been cancelled “out of an abundance of caution” amid the escalation of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
First held in Berlin, Germany in 1994, the annual awards show was due to take place in France at Paris Nord Villepinte on Sunday 5 November and broadcast live in more than 150 countries.
Around a dozen acts had been lined up to perform including Anne-Marie, David Guetta, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jung Kook, Rema, Sabrina Carpenter and The Kid Laroi. Paris last hosted the awards in 1995.
“Given the volatility of world events, we have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life,” says a statement from awards organiser Paramount.
“As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration”
As per the BBC, Palestinian health officials say more than 3,700 people have been killed in Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing more than 1,400 people. At least 260 people were killed after Hamas stormed trance music festival Supernova Sokkot as part of the coordinated offensive.
“The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music,” adds the statement. “As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning. Voting is continuing and the winning artists will receive their MTV EMA Awards.”
Paramount adds that it is looking forward to hosting the MTV EMAs again in November 2024.
France has been on its highest security alert since the fatal stabbing of a schoolteacher in the town of Arras last week.
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OneRepublic to headline Isle of MTV Malta 2023
MTV has announced that OneRepublic will headline Europe’s biggest free summer festival, Isle of MTV Malta 2023.
The Ryan Tedder-fronted band will top the bill at the event, now in its 15th year, at the 50,000-cap Il-Fosos Square on 18 July, with additional performers to be confirmed.
The festival, which is staged in partnership with the Malta Tourism Authority, will be followed by Isle of MTV Malta Music Week, a series of club nights and parties across venues on the island from 18-23 July.
“Isle of MTV Malta’s 15th year is going to be bigger than ever as we once again light up il-Fosos Square with epic performances from today’s top artists,” says Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming & events, Paramount and chief content officer, music, Paramount+. “OneRepublic are long-time friends of MTV and, after their epic performance at the 2022 MTV EMAs, we can’t wait to see them wow fans in Malta.”
“It offers a fantastic opportunity for Maltese artists to exhibit their talents on the international stage”
Over its 14 editions, Isle of MTV Malta has welcomed acts such as Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, David Guetta and Martin Garrix.
“Isle of MTV has always been of great importance for Malta as it not only brings together thousands of music fans from all over Europe but is a sterling platform to showcase the island’s unique and vibrant entertainment scene,” adds Malta’s minister for tourism Clayton Bartolo. “In conjunction with renowned names in the music world, it offers a fantastic opportunity for Maltese artists to exhibit their talents on the international stage which in turn promotes Maltese culture and helps to enhance the island’s rich artistic heritage.”
The event will broadcast on MTV on 15 September in more than 150 countries across TV, digital and social channels.
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California’s SnowGlobe to settle benzene lawsuit
MTV’s Snowglobe Music Festival has reached an agreement with an environmental non-profit organisation that initiated court proceedings against organisers over the amount of benzene – a toxic hydrocarbon – produced by the event.
Founded by Chad Donnelly in 2010, SnowGlobe is a 20,000-capacity festival taking place over the new year’s period in South Lake Tahoe, California, each year. MTV acquired the festival in 2018.
Following the 2018 edition of the event, which saw performances from Diplo, Eric Prydz and Gorgon City, US non-profit organisation the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) raised concerns that the use of “a variety of diesel-powered items” at the festival was producing high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen.
The CEH found that the levels of benzene emitted by the festival exceeded the level set by California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. In January 2019, the organisation served SnowGlobe with a 60-day notice of violation of the act, later filing a lawsuit against the festival at the end of last year.
A SnowGlobe representative tells IQ that a lack of proper signage warning about benzene levels “ultimately triggered the claim” by the CEH.
“SnowGlobe disputes that the 2018 Festival operations released ‘significant amounts’ of benzene, as CEH alleged, or any amount of benzene above California’s highly conservative ‘safe harbor’ [sic] levels,” continues SnowGlobe’s statement.
“SnowGlobe also disputes that CEH used a valid method for determining benzene exposures at the 2018 festival. In 2019, as a precautionary measure to avoid further litigation, SnowGlobe posted warning signs. Because of SnowGlobe’s commitment to the environment and to avoid litigation with this environmental group, it has entered into a settlement with CEH regarding the Proposition 65 warning sign requirements.
“Our long-term goal for SnowGlobe is to transition into a completely sustainable event”
“Our long-term goal for SnowGlobe is to transition into a completely sustainable event – an ambition inspired both by the South Lake Tahoe community’s culture of environmentalism and our team’s personal belief in the importance of conscientious and ethical event planning. We’re happy to report that with guidance from the amazing team at Waste Free Earth, we’ve made significant steps year over year towards reaching our goal.”
SnowGlobe is now working in conjunction with the CEH, looking into alternative ways to power the festival, such as using biodiesel and connecting electric power to the site. A motion for a consent judgement – in which two parties resolve a dispute without admission of guilt – has now been filed.
“Many music festivals use a variety of diesel-powered items including the generators and buses and trucks,” CEH senior scientist Caroline Cox told the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
“We were really focusing on the reproductive harm [from benzene] because the typical audience at a music festival is younger people, so there are a lot of young women that either could be pregnant or want to get pregnant so we’re concerned about protecting those people.”
A court date for the consent judgement will take place on 17 March.
A 2019 report found that festivals in the UK alone use 380 million litres of diesel a year, mostly through the use of diesel-powered generators.
The sustainability of live music events will be discussed at the Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI) on Tuesday 3 March, presented by A Greener Festival and the International Live Music Conference. Tickets to the event are available here.
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MTV adds California’s SnowGlobe to events stable
MTV has expanded its live events business in the US with the acquisition of SnowGlobe Music Festival, which takes place annually over the new year period in South Lake Tahoe, California.
The festival – which last year featured performances from Khalid, Travis Scott, Dillon Francis and Zedd – joins the Viacom-owned brand’s stable of music events, including the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), MTV Millennial Awards (MIAWs) in Latin America and the 10,000-cap. Isle of MTV festival in Malta.
“With SnowGlobe, MTV is taking the natural next step in its resurgence by expanding deeper into live events,” says Chris McCarthy, president of MTV, VH1, CMT, and Logo, as we continue to reach our fans and capitalise on our strong brand in new ways.
“With SnowGlobe, MTV is taking the natural next step in its resurgence by expanding deeper into live events”
“In a festival space where many events have become indistinguishable, SnowGlobe stands out with a unique mix of music, sports, and art that makes it a favourite among artists and its growing audience.”
Now in its eighth year, SnowGlobe’s 2018 line-up includes Above & Beyond, Diplo, Eric Prydz, Rezz and RL Grime and more than 35 other artists, along with art installations and extreme-sports demonstrations. The festival takes place from 29 December 2018 to 1 January (new year’s day) 2019, with a new year’s eve countdown on the 31st.
MTV says it plans to take launch the festival in other markets, as well as “leverage its team to launch other new events”. SnowGlobe will also be used as a second location for MTV’s new year’s coverage, alongside its Times Square, New York, studio.
“With SnowGlobe, we’ve always endeavoured to create an event experience that sets itself apart from the typical music festival model,” comments Chad Donnelly, CEO of SnowGlobe, “We are incredibly excited to be joining the MTV family, whose legacy of developing boundary breaking programming and events perfectly aligns with our long-standing ambition of creative innovation.”
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Beyoncé’s VMAs show a hit – on Facebook
Beyoncé’s performance at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) at Madison Square Garden on Sunday has been viewed over 18 million times on Facebook – nearly three times the number of people who watched it on television – further underlining the importance of the social network as a leading platform for concert video.
The American singer, whose Live Nation-promoted Formation world tour will resume on 7 September at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, played a 15-minute medley of songs from her new album, Lemonade, at the annual awards ceremony, which was viewed by 6.5 million people on MTV and sister TV channels.
Beyoncé won eight of the 11 awards for which she was nominated, including the coveted video of the year prize for ‘Formation’.
In June Kelly Clarkson become one of the first musicians to harness Facebook’s new live-streaming feature with a week-long series of mini-concerts from the singer’s home to her 15 million+ Facebook fans.
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