Shared/2013/January

Friday, January 4, 2013 9:09 AM

The London Olympic stadium is making the switch to be a concert venue. Note that LiveNation has lost the contract as the ticketing vendor to AEG. Interesting.

Olympic Stadium to re-open as concert venue

By Caroline Westbrook

The Olympic Stadium in Stratford is reportedly set to re-open in July as a music venue – with a number of performances and festivals planned for the summer months.

According to reports there are plans for the venue to play host to some events more traditionally held in Hyde Park, as well as a celebration to mark the first anniversary of the Olympics.

Meanwhile concert promoters Live Nation, who previously had the contract to stage gigs in Hyde Park, have since lost the deal to rivals AEG – but have hinted at an alternative venue.

"There’s a little project that’s been bubbling away for a while and I’m really excited about." - Live Nation’s Chief Operating Officer John Probyn

Read the rest of the story here

Why do we share this? As a leading provider of ticketing software for venues and events, ThunderTix is privy to new and alternative ways to produce events that you may not be aware of. When we see an emerging trend or successful execution on a new idea, we relish the opportunity to share it with hard working venue owners and event promoters.

Thursday, January 3, 2013 9:15 AM

A #FeeFreeFriday sneak peek and, as always, caveat venditor

Two arrested and charged in One Direction e-ticket scam

By David Shum

Police have arrested and charged two people in connection with an e-ticket sales scam for a One Direction concert scheduled to be held in Toronto next year.

Michael Heys−Walsh, 21, of Toronto and Emily Fraser, 23, of Toronto were apprehended after police executed a search warrant at a home in the College Street and Spadina Avenue area on Friday where they also seized fraudulent e−tickets, including a printer and credit card data.

Read the rest of the story here

Wednesday, January 2, 2013 8:22 AM

A rather gloomy outlook for The Arts from an industry expert. Is it really going to be that bad?

Support our Low Paid 'mission-critical' staff

By Roger Tomlinson

2013 is going to be a tough year for the economy. But tougher for arts organisations as the triple whammy of Arts Council and local authority cuts (in some cases complete cuts) combines with seriously reduced spending power in the majority of the population. Income is going to be down. If raising funds from sponsorships and giving was hard, it is now much harder, especially in the regions.

Arts organisations, especially venues, will be trying to reduce costs where they can. Administrators, unsurprisingly, will be looking at those variable costs where reducing hours and numbers can save money. As one venue manager put it “everyone taking a share of the pain”.