| Giants’ merger gets the green light |
AS LIVE UK went to press, the US Department of Justice and Canadian Competition Commission approved the merger of Live Nation (LN) and Ticketmaster Entertainment (TME), subject to a number of changes being made to preserve competition.
The decisions opened the door for two new competitors in the primary ticketing market, by forcing the newly-named Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) to license Ticketmaster’s software to LN’s main rival AEG, and to Comcast Spectacor, parent of multiple arena management company Global Spectrum.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
| Court judgement says MAMA ‘broke non-compete clause’ |
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WEEKEND CLUB nights at Edinburgh’s 1,500-capacity HMV Picture House are to stop after Scottish Law Lords ruled the venue broke a non-compete deal with a nearby nightclub, owned by the building’s former proprietor, Luminar Leisure.
Early last year Luminar started legal proceedings against Picture House parent company MAMA Group, seeking to prevent club nights taking place at the venue.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
Campaign launched to save The Globe |
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CARDIFF’S 350-capacity The Globe has launched a fundraising campaign to pay for £25,000 of soundproofing, which founder Alan Jones hopes will save the venue from the threat of closure.
Shortly after it opened in December 2008, the building began receiving complaints from two local residents about noise levels, and had its music license withdrawn in September.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
Gangs of mobile phone thieves ‘will hit festivals’ |
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GANGS OF pickpockets, who have so far been targeting venues (see LIVE UK, issue 120), are likely to turn their attention to festivals this year, police say.
Speaking at the Crime at Major Festivals conference on 25 January, organised by Festival Republic (FR), the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit’s DS Steve Barnes said the gangs tend to come from Algeria and Romania.
“In one week, the resale value of phones stolen on behalf of one gang leader was £35,000, and the cost of replacing them was £140,000,” he told delegates.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
HMV and clubs chainto pilot co-promotion |
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HMV AND nightclub chain owner Luminar Leisure are to launch a small-scale pilot scheme to cross-promote to each others’ customers.
The initiative will run in four as yet unspecified towns, and could see an act which has a record to promote, perform in an HMV store and then at a Luminar venue that evening.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
| Costs transparency for online buyers |
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TICKETMASTER (TM) customers will be able to see the total all-in cost of their tickets when buying online, following changes to the company’s website.
As the first market to roll-out the initiative, TM UK MD Chris Edmonds says he was keen to use it because of demand from customers and clients.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
| PRS appoints new CEO |
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Robert Ashcroft, former senior vice-president at electronics company Sony, has been appointed CEO of PRS for Music.
Acting CEO Jeremy Fabinyi, who took over the role following the sudden departure of Steve Porter in July, will remain with the performing and mechanical rights collection agency and work closely with Ashcroft.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
| Putney landmark saved from closure |
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FEARS THAT a London pub, which has seen performances by The Who, Kasabian, and Newton Faulkner, may stop hosting live music have been allayed, after the owner came to an agreement with the tenant.
James Harris was told he would have to leave The Halfmoon (cap. 200) in Putney, after building up a £100,000 debt with brewery Young’s (see LIVE UK, issue 120). There were rumours it would be turned into a gastro-pub
(see the full story in Issue 121)
| Former label HQ turned into venue |
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THE FORMER offices of Factory Records in Manchester have been turned into a live music venue by one of the label’s former signings.
Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, and multiple club owner Aaron Mellor of Tokyo Industries, have partnered to transform the empty building into a three-floor, 850-capacity venue called FAC251 – The Factory.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
Ingenious investors seek new adventures |
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VENTURE CAPITAL company Ingenious Media is looking for new live music events to invest in, after what it describes as a successful summer.
The company’s Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), Ingenious Entertainment and Live, have bought into events such as Creamfields (cap. 30,000), Underage (8,000), Field Day (18,000) and ’80s festival Rewind (15,000).
(see the full story in Issue 121)
| Doubts over government license exemption plan |
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Venues under 100-capacity could be exempted from needing an entertainment license, if government proposals get the go-ahead.
Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe says the move would make it easier for a range of venues, including vars, pubs and church halls, to put on live music.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
| Ricoh makes £3m bid to increase live music |
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COVENTRY’S RICOH Arena complex is spending £3 million on improvements, as part of a strategy to attract more live music events.
As a result of the work, which started in January and is due to be finished by June, capacity at its Jaguar Indoor Arena (JIA) will be increased by 2,000 to 10,000. A new 650-capacity seated venue will also be created.
(see the full story in Issue 121)
Newsbite
Dan Waite, former international director of talent and music at MTV Networks, has been appointed head of programming at The O2 arena complex in London. His role will involve finding and developing new content across the entire site, which includes the 20,000-capacity arena, Indigo2 (cap. 1,630), Matter (1,600), the Entertainment District and the British Music Experience. Last year The O2 hosted 179 events, an increase of 28 per cent on 2008, and sold 2,349,252 tickets.
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