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NEWS
NIVA Tells Judge to Reject DOJ-Live Nation Settlement, Calls Penalty "1.7 Hours" of Revenue
Live Nation attorney pushes back, says no evidence company acted illegally
The National Independent Venue Association is asking a federal judge to throw out the proposed settlement between the Department of Justice and Live Nation Entertainment, arguing the deal leaves the company's core ticketing monopoly almost entirely untouched.
In comments filed with the Antitrust Division on September 4 and made public September 8, NIVA — which represents independent venues, promoters, festivals and presenters in all 50 states — argues that under the Tunney Act, the court can't approve the settlement unless it finds the deal serves the public interest. NIVA's position is that it doesn't come close.
NEWS
Vanderbilt Report Puts a Number on Ticket Scalping's Toll
Report estimates ticket resale costs consumer $11 Billion a year — and the independent venue lobby is ready to weaponize it
A new white paper out of Vanderbilt's Policy Accelerator lands where a growing chorus of state legislators, artist managers, and independent venues have been pointing for years: online ticket brokers and the platforms that host them, the paper argues, are draining more than $11 billion a year out of American concertgoers' pockets — and neither Congress nor most states have done anything close to enough to stop it.
The report, "How to Save Audiences $11 Billion on Live Events," was written by Brian Shearer, VPA's director of competition and regulatory policy and a former CFPB official, and released August 25. Within hours, the National Independent Venue Association had a statement out the door endorsing it, and NIVA's fingerprints — along with those of the National Independent Talent Organization — are all over the numbers themselves.
Kustom’s $147 Million Ticketing Gamble
The tiny publicly traded owner of TicketSmarter has agreed to acquire Tickets For Less, a company generating $238 million in annual revenue. But the announcement leaves one rather large question unanswered: Where will Kustom find the money?
Kustom Entertainment’s proposed acquisition of Tickets For Less is being presented as a $112 million transaction that will turn the little-known festival operator into a vertically integrated ticketing company with significant reach across professional sports, college athletics and live music.
That description is technically accurate. It also understates both the size of the deal and the risk Kustom is taking on.
Under an agreement signed Aug. 31, Kustom will pay $89.6 million in cash and $22.4 million in restricted stock to acquire all of TFL LLC, the Overland Park, Kansas, company that operates reseller Tickets For Less. Kustom has also agreed to repay $35 million of TFL debt at closing—and that payment will not reduce the purchase price.
Put together, Kustom’s total economic commitment is closer to $147 million. More importantly, the company must produce approximately $124.6 million in cash to close the transaction: $89.6 million for TFL’s owners and another $35 million for its lenders.
As of June 30, Kustom had approximately $830,000 of cash.
That disparity is what makes this deal so unusual. Kustom is attempting to acquire a business many times its own size with money it does not presently have. Its purchase agreement makes obtaining sufficient financing an express condition of closing, meaning the transaction may be signed but it is not yet funded.
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Blu Dot surpasses 2,000% ROAS with self-serve CTV ads
Home furniture brand Blu Dot blew up on CTV with help from Roku Ads Manager. Here’s how:
After a test campaign reached 211,000 households and achieved 1,010% ROAS, the brand went all in to promote its annual sales event. It removed age and income constraints to expand reach and shifted budget to custom audiences and retargeting, where intent was strongest.
The results speak for themselves. As Blu Dot increased their investment by 10x, ROAS jumped to 2,308% and more page-view conversions surpassed 50,000.
“For CTV campaigns, Roku has been a top performer,” said Claire Folkestad, Paid Media Strategist, Blu Dot. “Comping to our other platforms, we have seen really strong ROAS… and highly efficient CPMs, lower than any other CTV partner we've worked with.”
Using Roku Ads Manager, the campaign moved from a pilot to a permanent performance engine for the brand.
PODCAST
Confronting The Ticket Resale Crisis at the U.S. Open - How Stubhub and Seatgeek Have Turned Live Entertainment Upside Down
SIZZLIN’ SHOWS CHART
The Sizzlin’ Sales chart is compiled using data from Ticketdata.com and is ranked by highest get-in-the-door price — that’s the price of the cheapest ticket to the concert — on the secondary ticketing market. |
Spin It Again
By the time Levon Helm cut “Growing Trade” in 2009, he'd already spent a career as The Band's soul — the Arkansas cotton farmer's son who gave "The Weight" and "Up on Cripple Creek" their backbone. "Growin' Trade" was cowritten with Larry Campbell, marking Helm's first cowriting credit since his debut solo record. It's a farmer's-eye ballad, drawn straight from Helm's roots: a landowner turning to a riskier crop just to hold onto his acreage, caught between the threat of thieves and the threat of the law. Daughter Amy Helm joins him on harmony, and the arrangement — loose, horn-warmed, unmistakably Southern — recaptures the atmosphere of some of The Band's finest recordings. It's a quiet highlight on an album that won the first-ever Grammy for Best Americana Album — proof that even in his final years, Helm was still writing from the dirt he came from
Small Type:
NEP Group Names Thomas See President of Creative Technology, filling void left by Founder's retirement See, who most recently served as Live Nation's Chief Strategy Officer for International Venues, starts in the role based in Las Vegas. See takes over from Graham Andrews, who founded Creative Technology 40 years ago and is retiring at the end of 2026. The company provides technical and production services for live events. See's move to NEP follows a brief stint outside the corporate live-entertainment world: he founded SeeWorks Studio in April, a hospitality-focused strategy and creative consultancy for brands, artists and venues, which he launched after departing Live Nation earlier this year. 🕶️
Glastonbury tickets breach £400 barrier as the UK's most iconic festival announces November on-sale dates. Standard entry jumps to £373.50 plus £5 booking fee—a 378-quid total that marks the first time Worthy Farm has crossed the £400 threshold (approx $540 dollars). Coach packages hit £428.50. Emily Eavis confirmed tickets drop November 13 at 6pm GMT, with a second batch November 16. The hike reflects rising artist fees, production costs, and inflation pressures squeezing even heritage festivals. With 200,000 fans competing for tickets annually, demand remains bulletproof despite the premium pricing. The 2026 lineup remains under wraps, though industry chatter suggests legacy rock headliners are in play. 🎪
Anyma's Istanbul Show Canceled over alleged "satanic content" as Turkish authorities pull the plug on the Italian DJ/producer's planned concert just days before the event. Promoter CKM Entertainment has filed an appeal, arguing the cancellation violates artistic freedom and contractual obligations. The decision follows complaints from conservative groups citing Anyma's signature visual content—dark, AI-generated imagery featuring religious iconography. Turkey's Directorate General of Security ordered the venue to deny access, leaving thousands of ticket holders in limbo. CKM estimates losses exceeding €500K if the appeal fails. Anyma's team hasn't commented, but the incident threatens his upcoming Middle East tour dates. 😈
Spotify and Live Nation deepen their partnership with 'RNB X Live,' a new concert series launching in Dallas this fall. The streaming giant will curate lineups using its playlist data while Live Nation handles production and venue operations. The collaboration builds on their existing ticketing integration, now extending into co-branded live experiences. Sources say the R&B focus tests whether Spotify's algorithmic insights can drive ticket sales in mid-sized markets. If successful, expect genre-specific rollouts in other cities by Q1 2027. The deal signals streaming platforms moving beyond discovery into live event promotion, directly competing with traditional promoters. Live Nation gets exclusive data access to target high-engagement listeners, while Spotify positions itself as a full-spectrum music company. First shows announced for November. 🎤
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🛠️ Next Up On The Agenda
Option 🕘: It was a rough weekend in Long Beach, according to the Post which details how ‘Waves demolished this beach and tore at homes’ foundations: why this storm was different’ » Link »
Option 🕧: Deadline explains ‘The Talk Of Telluride: Secret Screening Of Elizabeth Holmes Documentary ‘You Can See Everything’’ » Link »
Option 🕤: More reasons to be skeptical of Sam Altman, as the Fortune reports ‘OpenAI’s AI agents secretly used a German wiki website as a message board. OpenAI stayed quiet about it for weeks. » Link »
