Latest news with #liveentertainment
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Entertainment Firms Oak View, Legends Face DOJ Antitrust Probe
The US Justice Department has been investigating whether live entertainment companies Oak View Group LLC and Legends colluded over bidding to develop a large arena in Texas, according to people familiar with the matter. The criminal antitrust probe is focused on whether the companies illegally coordinated on the bidding to develop and operate the Moody Center, a $338 million arena at the University of Texas at Austin, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential investigation. Oak View ultimately won the contract in 2018 and the venue opened in 2022. Legends isn't involved in the project.
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Do Lady Gaga's Singapore shows signal end to ticket-buying mayhem, slow demand?
Singapore 's concert boom may be cooling with reports of underwhelming resale prices for Lady Gaga's shows, as tourism experts point to geopolitical uncertainty and softer demand putting the brakes on the city state's runaway success as an live entertainment hub after it hosted megastars Taylor Swift and Coldplay last year. Advertisement Ahead of Swift's Singapore-only concerts in March last year, fans from around the region and beyond competed feverishly to catch the American singer during her Eras Tour, with about 300,000 tickets for all her six shows sold out. In contrast, some resellers had advertised prices for Lady Gaga's Asia-exclusive Mayhem shows in Singapore that were far below ticket value, according to media reports. Coldplay had earlier broken Singapore's record for the most number of tickets sold by an artist in a single day, with more than 200,000 tickets snapped up for four of the British rock band's concerts in January last year. All 300,000 tickets for Coldplay's six concerts in the city state were sold out after two shows were added in response to overwhelming demand. Lady Gaga's return to Singapore after more than a decade initially drew feverish anticipation, with over 2 million fans reportedly queuing online for presale tickets in March. Advertisement Originally billed as a one-night-only event on May 18 at the 55,000-seat National Stadium – the same venue for the concerts by Swift and Coldplay – strong initial sales prompted organisers to add three more Lady Gaga shows on May 19, May 21 and May 24.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Morgantown WüdStonk 2025: Rocking the ‘Across the Pond' vibes
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) – The Encore in Morgantown came alive Sunday with the energy and talent of nine local bands as they took the stage for the annual WüdStonk concert, a showcase of the musical growth and creativity fostered during their spring session. The highly anticipated event, presented by PopShopWV, drew an enthusiastic crowd eager to experience this season's theme: 'Across the Pond.' Drawing inspiration from iconic English and Irish artists, each band brought its own unique interpretation to a setlist that spanned decades of influential music. Admission to the event was just $5, allowing the community to support the young talented artists and enjoy an afternoon of live entertainment. 'Some of the kids have never picked up an instrument you'll see them playing today before the start of this session. So, it starts really with just seeing what they are interested in playing and then kind of motivating them to really challenge themselves. And it is amazing, a kid can never touch a guitar and then play full rock song by the end of seven weeks,' music instructor at PopShopWV Mason Fanning told 12 News. EMS Week kicks off with rescue squad open house in Fairmont Beyond the music, attendees were able to further support the bands through the sales of band stickers. Also, PopShopWV debuted its new line of WüdStonk merchandise, with limited-edition shirts also available for purchase. 'If you always wanted to be in a band, this is for you, because you won't get very much people for now but after a while, you get a lot of people to look at you. And it is so exciting being in it,' student drummer and member of The Bananas Who Lived Band, Logan Gilleland said. WüdStonk continues to serve as a platform for emerging musicians, providing not only performance experience but also a sense of community and artistic expression. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Harris Northwest Advisors Represents The Complex in Sale to AEG Presents
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, May 15, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- In a landmark transaction uniting two powerhouses in live entertainment, Harris Northwest Advisors advised on the sale of The Complex — Salt Lake City's iconic live music and events venue — to AEG Presents, one of the globe's foremost leaders in music and entertainment. The acquisition marks a significant milestone for both parties with AEG Presents expanding its footprint in the Rocky Mountain region by acquiring its first owned and operated venue in Salt Lake City. Located at 536 West 100 South, The Complex has long been regarded as a cornerstone of the city's vibrant music scene, offering a diverse range of indoor and outdoor performance spaces and hosting over two million music fans since its founding in 2010. "This transaction was especially meaningful given The Complex's cultural impact on Salt Lake City and its legacy as a top-tier venue," said Ed Harris, founder and CEO of Harris Northwest Advisors. "We were honored to help guide the ownership through this milestone and ensure the venue's continued success under AEG Presents." "This acquisition is not only a testament to the venue's strong market position and loyal fan base, but also a powerful endorsement of Salt Lake City's growing influence in the national live entertainment landscape,' added Jabarie Campbell, Partner at Harris Northwest Advisors. 'Working with Harris NW Advisors was one of the best decisions of my life," said Gabe Elstein, founder and CEO of The Complex, praising Harris Northwest Advisors for their role in the sale process. "From start to finish, our deal took nearly a year. Throughout that time, they were there—every step of the way. Saturday evenings, early mornings—it didn't matter. He always picked up the phone, always brought fresh insight, and always made me feel like I was their top priority. I easily spent hundreds of hours on the phone with him, and never once did they make me feel like a burden." Elstein found the entire process a positive experience, adding "Their ability to navigate negotiations, analyze every angle, and calmly guide me through tough decisions was extraordinary. In the end, we secured a deal far better than I had ever imagined." The Complex includes multiple event spaces, most notably the 2,500-capacity Rockwell, the 850-capacity Grand, and the 4,000-capacity Lot for outdoor summer concerts. Over the years, the venue has welcomed top-tier artists across genres, including Billie Eilish, Travis Scott, Slayer, Lil Wayne, Macklemore, and J. Cole, among many others. AEG Presents plans to build on The Complex's strong foundation while preserving its unique character. 'The Complex is the backbone of live music in Salt Lake City,' said Don Strasburg, President of the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest Regional Offices at AEG Presents. 'We have always loved promoting shows at The Complex and are so thrilled to bring AEG Presents' knowledge, relationships and resources together with the entire management team. We are diligently reviewing every opportunity to enhance the already stellar patron and artist experience to make sure the live music fans get even better world class experiences.' The existing staff of The Complex will remain in place, including General Manager Paul Brucks, ensuring a smooth transition and continued excellence in operations and event curation. 'After 15 years as an integral part of the Salt Lake City music scene, we're looking forward to taking things to the next level as an AEG Presents venue,' said Paul Brucks. 'We've always been focused on providing the exceptional live music experience for our community and this will allow us to expand on that endeavor." The sale of The Complex to AEG Presents highlights the continued growth and evolution of Salt Lake City's live music ecosystem, promising increased opportunities for both artists and audiences alike. About Harris Northwest Advisors Harris Northwest Advisors is a leading boutique M&A advisory firm. We specialize in representing privately-held middle market companies pursuing exits. With roots in the Pacific Northwest and a national presence, we provide trusted, independent market expertise and a relentless client focus. Our firm has a global reach and our team of professionals has worked on over 100 transactions. The M&A professionals at Harris Northwest Advisors have over $20 billion of deal experience across a variety of industries and deal types. For more information, visit Media Contact Jabarie Campbelljabarie@ ### SOURCE: Harris Northwest Advisors Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
P.E.I. considers updating 'outdated' liquor laws to let minors stay during entertainment
Prince Edward Island's finance minister says it's time to modernize the province's liquor laws. At the P.E.I. legislature on Wednesday, a question came up about the rules around families with young children being present in restaurants that serve liquor when live entertainment begins. "A local brewery was fined and a waitress lost her liquor serving privileges because the entertainment commenced before the family with a minor finished their meal," Liberal MLA Robert Henderson said to Finance Minister Jill Burridge. "Minister, do you think that is fair, and will you change the regulations so that they're the same [as] in every other province, as we're supposed to be doing with our internal trade mechanisms?" Burridge responded: "We are working through modernization of our Liquor Control Act, so that is something we can absolutely take back and bring into consideration when we're going through that review." Local brewery calls for change Though not mentioned by name in the legislature, the restaurant Henderson was describing was Lone Oak Brewing Co., with multiple locations across P.E.I. "There's what we would refer to as an outdated policy within the Liquor Control Commission that changes our licence as an operating restaurant whenever we have live music or trivia," Lone Oak co-owner Jared Murphy told CBC News. "And what happens is that minors are no longer allowed to be present while those events are taking place." Murphy believes these policies were established long ago, when the assumption was that live entertainment and trivia were linked to drinking. "We believe as operators that times have changed. A lot of local breweries now are supporting local artists. They're having live music during brunch. They're having live music in the evening as sort of background music, or, as you know, for our audience to listen to… And the same thing with trivia," he said. "This policy… it's created a bit of friction with consumers, because they don't quite understand why a family can't come in with their children to dine if our kitchen is open, and they're accompanied by a guardian." He added that the brewery had been fined a couple of times for having a minor present during live music or trivia events, resulting in one of their servers having their liquor serving licence revoked. "So not only were we fined for the situation, but our server had to retake their Safe Serve licence in order to be able to work again," he said. Murphy also pointed out that the policy applies all day, even if a live artist is performing during brunch, say at 11 a.m. In that case, a minor is technically not allowed in the establishment. "A change to this policy would be best for the operators, and I believe it would be best for the liquor commission as well, so they don't have to again, enforce something that just — again, doesn't make sense," he said.
