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Will Glass

Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Ticket Industry Practices

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Senate Judiciary Committee held its highly anticipated hearing on competition in the ticket industry. “That’s the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment” lasted over three hours, during which lawmakers questioned entertainment industry executives, artists and antitrust experts while Taylor Swift fans gathered outside in opposition to the current operations.

Critics have accused Ticketmaster of being a monopoly, particularly after its merger with Live Nation in 2010. Outrage reignited during Swift’s botched presale process for her Eras tour back in November, which led to extended waits, excessive fees and website outages, leaving fans without their coveted entrance to the much-anticipated tour stops.

Judiciary chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) spoke first and added some context to the situation. He stated: “Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 in a deal that joined the country’s largest ticketing company with its largest event promoter. The Justice Department and Attorneys General from many states, including Illinois, sued to block the merger. The plaintiffs ultimately allowed the merger to go through, but put in place a consent decree with a set of conditions and divestitures designed to ensure competition in ticketing and live entertainment markets. Unfortunately, that consent decree does not appear to have been effective in the decade-plus since the merger Live Nation has consolidated its dominant position in the ticketing and live entertainment markets. And the result is a competition-killing strategy that has left artist and fans paying the price.”

Later in the day, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, added, “I just want to dispel this notion, that this is not a monopoly and then we can go from there about solutions.” She also added, “I believe in capitalism and to have a strong capitalist system, you have to have competition. You can’t have too much consolidation. Something that unfortunately for this country as an ode to Taylor Swift, I will say we know all too well.”

During yesterday’s hearing, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) spoke directly to the president and CFO of Live Nation Entertainment, Joe Berchtold, stating: “Mr. Berchtold, I want to congratulate and thank you for an absolutely stunning achievement. You have brought together Republicans and Democrats in an absolutely unified cause. And may I suggest respectfully that unfortunately your approach today in this hearing is going to solidify that cooperation because as I hear and read what you have to say, it’s basically, it’s not us, it’s everyone but us.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Tuesday stretched on for over three hours while addressing years of frustration and disapproval over high fees, questionable resale practices and other issues stemming from Swift’s ticket debacle. Attorney generals in many states set into motion consumer protection investigations, while many Democratic lawmakers requesting that Ticketmaster be broken up. Lawsuits filed by fans for what they believe is the company’s fraud and antitrust violations remain unresolved…………..

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Rick Rubin on his creative process: “I know nothing about music”

Rick Rubin has opened up about his creative process, claiming that he “know[s] nothing about music”.

The acclaimed music producer, who’s worked with the likes of Adele, The Strokes and Red Hot Chili Peppers, recently sat down for a lengthy interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes to promote his new book The Creative Act: A Way Of Being.

At one point in the conversation, host Anderson Cooper asked Rubin whether he played any instruments. “Barely,” he replied (via Stereogum).

Rubin went on to admit that he doesn’t even know how to work a soundboard in the recording studio. “I have no technical ability,” he told the programme. “And I know nothing about music.”

Cooper then put it to Rubin that he “must know something” having worked across numerous genres over the decades.

“Well, I know what I like and what I don’t like,” he responded. “And I’m, I’m decisive about what I like and what I don’t like.

Rubin was pressed on what he is actually “being paid for”, to which he replied: “The confidence that I have in my taste and my ability to express what I feel has proven helpful for artists.”
Read more on NME.com 

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP OPENS ITS FIRST ‘MUSIC-BASED EXPERIENTIAL HOTEL’ IN MADRID

The other day, MBW noted that Universal Music Group is targeting a 25% annual EBITDA margin over the next few years – and that it’s likely to need to explore innovative new revenue streams to get there.

Exhibit A: Over two years since announcing that it was making a foray into the hotel business via a partnership with investment group Dakia U-Ventures, UMG has now opened its first “music-based experiential hotel” in Madrid.

The UMUSIC Hotel Madrid is now operating at full capacity after opening its doors on November 14, 2022, at a 60% capacity, UMG-run website uDiscoverMusic confirmed on Monday (January 9).

The first-ever UMUSIC Hotel is located inside the historic Albéniz Theater building in the Spanish capital. The theater, inaugurated in 1945, closed its doors in 2009. Its owners originally wanted to demolish the building and replace it with a luxury residential building, but a group of citizens banded together to stop the demolition, which was granted in 2016, uDiscoverMusic says.

As a result, negotiations for what is now the UMUSIC Hotel Madrid started, according to the report.

UMG launched the UMUSIC Hotels brand in October 2020, at a time when the hotel industry and the whole hospitality sector was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Spain wasn’t its first location target. UMG and Dakia identified the first three locations as Atlanta, Georgia; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Orlando, Florida.

The Mississippi hotel is expected to be completed this year, said Robert Lavia, Chairman at Dakia U-Ventures, at a press conference in 2020. The executive revealed at the time that the UMUSIC Broadwater hotel complex is valued at $1.2 billion.

Each UMUSIC Hotel is planned to draw inspiration from where they were located, promoting their local cultures, UMG said earlier.

“UMUSIC HOTELS WILL BOTH HIGHLIGHT THESE CITIES’ RICH MUSIC HERITAGES AND PROVIDE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS TO REACH FANS IN IMMERSIVE, INNOVATIVE AND AUTHENTIC WAYS.”

BRUCE RESNIKOFF, UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES

“Through music’s unique power to inspire and unite – especially given UMG’s unparalleled roster of artists and labels – UMUSIC Hotels will both highlight these cities’ rich music heritages and provide new opportunities for artists to reach fans in immersive, innovative and authentic ways,” Bruce Resnikoff, President and CEO of Universal Music Enterprises, said at the time.

Unlike traditional hotels, UMUSIC Hotels offer fans, guests and artists with immersive music experiences, incorporate elements of the local music scene, says UMG.

To celebrate the launch of UMUSIC Hotel Madrid, Antonio Banderas’ take on the musical Company will be showing at the theater until February 14.

It will be followed by Spanish singer-songwriter David Bisbal’s 20th music career anniversary show, which will take the stage for 20 days between March and April.

A one-night stay at the UMUSIC Hotel Madrid costs around EUR €266.00 to €392.

Aside from a theater, the 130-room hotel also features a fitness room, an outdoor pool, a bar ampitheater, three meeting rooms, a two-level solarium, a rooftop bar, an onsite restaurant, an event space and a pool bar.

The hotel joint venture between UMG and Dakia builds on their previous agreement signed in August 2019 to create immersive music experiences.

The companies have also planned on identifying other potential projects including “next-generation retail.”

UMG’s entry into the hospitality sector comes as the music company expands its revenue sources. In recent years, it delved into the NFT space, the medical sector, fitness technology, and social media, among others.

 

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Primus Announce Three-Track EP

Primus Announce Three-Track EP Ahead of A Tribute to Kings Tour, Share 11-Minute Opening Song

 

Today, ahead of their 64-date world tour, ‘A Tribute To Kings,’ Primus have announced a three-song EP, Conspiranoid, set to release on April 22 via ATO Records. In conjunction with the announcement, the band released the EP’s 11-minute opening track, “Conspiranoia.”

“I’d been itching to record an opus–basically a long, winding, bastard of a song, reminiscent of some of the compositions I cut my teeth (or ears) on, in my music-hungry adolescence,” bassist Les Claypool told Consequence. “’Conspiranoia’ was sprouted from a seed I had planted in my notebook a year or so ago–a few lines commenting on the mental state of the contemporary world.”

The EP will release during the second leg of Primus’ A Tribute To Kings Tour, which will see the Bay area trio playing homage to Rush by performing their 1977 album A Farewell To Kings in full along with a set of original music.

Primus’ A Tribute To Kings Tour is set to kick off at The Criterion in Oklahoma City and make stops at notable locations around the U.S., including Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tenn., the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans and The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. They’ll also make stops in Canada with two dates in Toronto on May 13 and 14 – the city where Rush was founded in 1968. The North American performances will welcome special guests Battles, Black Mountain, and The Black Angels. In the fall, they’re also set to make stops in Europe. Find the full dates below.

Additionally, a handful of shows have recently been announced for the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre in Vail, Colo., which will take place on Aug. 12 and 13. Presale tickets for the shows will go on sale tomorrow, April 7, at 10 a.m. local time, and general admission will go on sale the next day, April 8, at the same time. Find tickets here.

Stream “Conspiranoia” here and pre-order the EP here.

Listen to “Conspiranoia” below:

 

Conspiranoid Tracklist

1. Conspiranoia

2. Follow The Fool

3. Erin On The Side Of Caution

PRIMUS ‘A TRIBUTE TO KINGS’ TOUR DATES

North American Tour

April 15 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion *

April 16 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre *

April 19 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre *

April 20 – Kansas City, MO – Grinders KC *^

April 22 – Cedar Rapids, IA – McGrath Amphitheatre *^

April 23 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee *

April 25 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre*

April 27 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre *^

April 30 – Huntsville, AL – Mars Music Hall, Von Braun Center *

May 3 – Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore *

Wed, May 4 – St. Petersburg, FL – Mahaffey Theater, Duke Energy Center for the Arts *

May 6 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center *

May 7 – Saint Augustine, FL – The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre *

May 9 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *

May 10 – Fort Wayne, IN – The Clyde Theatre *

May 13 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall +

May 14 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall +

May 16 – Montreal, QC – L’Olympia +

May 17 – Quebec, QC – Videotron Centre +

May 18 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre *

May 20 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre *

May 21 – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theater *

May 22 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount *

May 24 – Washington, D.C. – Warner Theatre *

May 25 – Bethlehem, PA – The Wind Creek Event Center *

May 27 – Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa *

May 28 – LaFayette, NY – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards *

May 30 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall *

May 31 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe *

June 2 – Milwaukee, WI – BMO Harris Pavilion  *^

June 3 – Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre *

June 4 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts +

June 6 – Regina, SK – Conexus Arts Centre – Capital Auto Theatre +

June 7 – Saskatoon, SK – TCU Place – Sid Buckwold Theatre +

June 9 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle Event Centre, Grey Eagle Resort & Casino +

June 10 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Expo Centre +

June 12 – Vancouver, BC – The Orpheum +

June 14 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield ~

June 15 – Redding, CA – Redding Civic Auditorium ~

June 17 – Sacramento, CA – Sacramento Memorial Auditorium ~

June 18 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre, Grand Sierra Resort and Casino ~

June 19 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic ~

June 21 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre ~

June 23 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium ~

Fri, June 24 – Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center ~

June 25 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas  ~^

Aug. 12 – Vail, CO – Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre

Aug. 13 – Vail, CO – Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre

EUROPE TOUR

Sept. 9 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fryshuset Arenan

Sept. 10 – Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum

Sept. 12 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega

Sept. 14 – Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s Neue Welt

Sept. 16 – Warsaw, Poland – Klub Stodola

Sept. 17 – Prague, Czechia – Forum Karlin

Sept. 18 – Munich, Germany – TonHalle München

Sept. 20 – Zürich, Switzerland – Kaufleuten

Sept. 21 – Padova, Italy – Gran Teatro Geox

Sept. 23 – Bogerhout, Belgium – De Roma

Sept. 24 – Paris, France – L’Olympia

Sept. 25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live

Sept. 27 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – 02 Academy Glasgow

Sept. 29 – London, United Kingdom – Eventim Apollo

Sept. 30 – Manchester, United Kingdom – Manchester Academy

Oct. 1 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia Theatre

* with Battles

+ with Black Mountain

~ with The Black Angels

Fall 2015 Update!

2015 has been an exciting year for Powderfinger Promotions’ publicity department. We’ve incorporated new services to our digital promotions package including a new E-blast where our team creates a marketing email for the artist including press photo, streaming link, video, and marketing pitch to be sent to approximately 500 indie press contacts. Our goal is to obtain reviews and coverage for your new release. Check that out more details and pricing here.

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