AEG clinches deal for US Stones tour

UNITED STATES  Apparently after some last-minute wheeling and dealing, it will be AEG Live and not Virgin Live that stages the Rolling Stones' nine-city, 18-date North American arena tour, celebrating the band's 50^th anniversary.

More specifically, it will be AEG Live subsidiary Concerts West that presents the tour, while AEG Live in the UK stages the band’s two 65,000-capacity shows in London’s Hyde Park. Read more



SFX goes global with dance pioneers

WORLD  SFX Entertainment, which entered into a joint venture two months ago with Netherlands based electronic dance music (EDM) promoter ID&T (see Audience issue 156), has since acquired 75 per cent of the company, which is valued at $130 million. 

The New York Times reports the deal as being worth $102 million in cash and stock. It will also see ID&T’s acclaimed Belgium festival Tomorrowland (cap. 60,000) expand into America under the banner, TomorrowWorld. The new event will take place in Atlanta from 27-29 September. Read more



MAMA plans to open office in Asia

WORLD  UK-based festivals and venues owner MAMA & Company has announced it is to open an office in Singapore, as part of its international expansion.

The operation will be directed by Paul Hugo, who was appointed MD of MAMA’s GlobalGathering International earlier this year and has extensive knowledge of the region, says the company. Read more



AEG agrees deal to run Brussels arena

BELGIUM  AEG Facilities is to run the new 15,000-capacity Brussels National Arena, Palais 12, which opens in June.

The development is part of the Brussels Expo complex, which has 12 exhibition halls and attracts three million visitors a year. It will be the largest arena in the country. Read more



Site-share festivals given green light to expand

UNITED STATES Goldenvoice, a division of AEG Live, has received approval from the city of Indio, California, for the expansion of its Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, at the Empire Polo Club, with a renewed licence until 2030.

As a result, the capacities of the spring festivals will be increased next year to 99,000 for Coachella and 75,000 for Stagecoach. Read more



Agency enters the label business

UNITED STATES  Paradigm Talent Agency has launched a new music label, Big Picnic Records that is being funded by private investors.

Agent Marty Diamond, head of Paradigm's East Coast music, will provide A&R support to the label's general manager Patti Hausema. Read more



Trucking pioneer Edwin Shirley dies

UNITED KINGDOM  Edwin Shirley, a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll tour transportation, has died following a long battle with cancer.

An ex-actor, Shirley founded Edwin Shirley Trucking (EST) with partners Roy Lamb and Dell Roll in 1974 and the trio formed Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS) in 1980. Both companies grew to be world leaders in their respective fields, working with artistes such as Led Zeppelin. ABBA, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones and Queen. Read more



Tourist team keen for more shows

MALAYSIA  Tourism organisation the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) is encouraging more international acts to stage shows in the country.

Established in 2009 by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, MyCEB has already worked with events such as the Future Music Festival Asia (cap. 45,000) and the Sepang F1 Circuit, which featured Armin van Buuren, PSY, Rita Ora, The Prodigy, Bloc Party and The Chemical Brothers. Read more



Touring legends take centre stage at CMW

CANADA Global touring heavyweights Arthur Fogel and Michael Cohl were among the big-name speakers at the 31^st edition of Canadian Music Week (CMW).

Held at the Downtown Marriott Eaton Centre in Toronto from 19-24 March, the event’s Live Touring Summit saw the Canadian duo take the stage for separate interviews with music journalist Larry LeBlanc. Read more



Live industry upbeat at ILMC

WORLD Time travel was the theme of the 25^th edition of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), and industry figures found plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the future, despite the challenging economic climate in most markets.

The event, which was held at London’s Royal Garden Hotel, kicked off with The Open Forum: A Time Experiment panel. Read more



SMG expands island influence with arena

PUERTO RICO  SMG Latin America has signed a deal to run the new Multipurpose Arena and Performing Arts Center in Humacao. 

Its arena can host up to 8,000 people while the Performing Arts Center has a capacity of 1,000. The company is expecting to stage around 90 events a year between both facilities. Read more



Top scores for talent exchange schemes

EUROPE  The European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP), which helps emerging artistes perform at festivals across the continent, is on course to top last year’s success.

Organised by the Netherlands-based team behind the the Eurosonic Noorderslag showcase and conference events, ETEP has already confirmed 133 appearances by 55 artistes from 18 countries for the coming festival season. Read more



Live Nation and Gaga sue insurers for non-payout

UNITED STATES  Live Nation Entertainment, production company LGTours, Lady Gaga's production vehicle Mermaid Touring and The Atom Factory (owned by Gaga’s manager Troy Carter), are suing three Lloyd’s of London insurance syndicates for not paying out on terrorism cover, after the cancellation of a sell-out Lady Gaga stadium concert in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Members of the Islamic Defenders Front threatened to disrupt the 3 June 2012 show, claiming it amounted to “satanic worship". Read more



EDM world set for Ibiza summit

SPAIN  Business leaders from the world of EDM will be heading for the Medierranean island if Ibiza in late May for the annual International Music Summit (IMS), which is celebrating the successful launch of a spin-off event in America.

Around 200 people attended IMS Engage in Los Angeles in early April, where speakers included Swedish House Mafia manager Amy Thomson, Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter, artistes Skrillex and Pete Tong, and executives including Shelly Finkel of SFX Entertainment and Matthew Adell of Beatport. Read more