Vol 127: An Unimaginable Tragedy 🇮🇱
First...
These were just kids going to a party.
260 lives, the majority of them young, were tragically taken at an Israeli music festival, as a result of Hamas' terrorism. At least 150 more were taken hostage, while approximately 500 remain missing.
What should have been a joyous event turned into a nightmare. The atrocities seen in the videos Hamas live streamed are reprehensible in ways I can't articulate.
Our deepest condolences to the families enduring this unimaginable pain.
Next...
Writing about music and tech seems really insignificant at the moment, and I was going to postpone this volume, but I know some of us can use a momentary diversion.
Discogs Dilemma
A Vinyl Community's Future in Jeopardy
Discogs, a cornerstone of the vinyl-collecting world, faces challenges that may threaten its reputation as a haven for record enthusiasts. Rising fees, outdated technology, and mounting seller frustrations may signal trouble for this iconic online marketplace.
From Vinyl Niche to Tech Strife
A Treasure Trove of Tunes: Founded in 2000, Discogs is the internet’s largest database for recorded music. It allows users to catalog collections, compare prices, and buy/sell records.
Old Tech, New Problems: Sellers complain about the platform's outdated tech and recent changes. They fear these issues could transform Discogs from a revered hub for music enthusiasts to another clunky, dysfunctional website.
Discogs’ Financial Drama: In a contentious move, the company increased its fee from 8% to 9% and started charging on shipping costs, a significant blow to sellers dealing internationally.
Modern Day Troubles in a Vintage Paradise
Economic Challenges: The fee hike coincided with USPS price increases and a shift to PayPal transactions, which imposed its own fees. This came after the pandemic-induced vinyl sales bubble, setting up a steeper sales decline.
Platform Alternatives: Although Discogs is still cheaper than eBay or Amazon, its competitive edge is narrowing. Some sellers have started favoring these alternatives due to the broader customer base and more robust infrastructure.
Website Woes: With a much-criticized redesign and various bugs, the website is a persistent source of seller frustration. The anticipated improvements remain elusive, causing doubts about the company's direction.
A Community at Risk
Database Decline: Discogs’ impressive database risks becoming less exhaustive if sellers migrate to other platforms. Fewer new albums are being added, impacting the core of Discogs' offering.
Community Concerns: Many sellers feel the recent changes undermine the original spirit of Discogs. They once saw the platform as an ally, but now there's a growing feeling of alienation.
A Familiar Tale: This situation echoes the story of many beloved platforms that, when commercialized, lost their charm and utility.
Discogs remains a special space in the world of vinyl, with many rooting for its survival. However, the platform must revisit its changes, address sellers' concerns, and stay true to its roots to ensure it continues to resonate with its passionate community.
Power Outage
There was a stark contrast between published reports and the fans' experiences. Many music + entertainment journalists bent over backwards to give praise to the festival, while social media was overflowing with harsh criticism.
The trend of taking the free passes and heaping praise on an event out of fear of the artist/promoter/publicist will cut off access is nothing new. But it's still annoying to see journalistic integrity continue to crater.
Here's some sweet highlights found in the Powertrip subreddit:
We paid $600 for GA, and we can’t even see the stage. I stood on my toes (I am 6’3) and I couldn’t even make out Bruce Dickinson because of how far away they were. Besides the stupid phones, there was seat section signs EVERYWHERE obstructing the view.
The monitors are horrible and on a delay!!! It was bad enough that we couldn’t even see the stage, but the monitors were on a DELAY and NOT EVEN SYNCED UP TO THE AUDIO PROPERLY!!!!! There is a solid one and a half to two second delay from what we were hearing to what we are seeing on the screens. Other festivals sink up the audio and video properly.
Axl Rose can't sing. Couldn't believe how many people were leaving during their set!
There is literally not a single place to sit. We decided to sit under a tree and were attacked by fire ants. The crowd skewed way older, and all you saw was people holding their backs.
There is also no lighting anywhere. I can barely even see what is in front of me half the time. The lines are dreadful and the lack of lighting meant lots of cutting and chaos.
Priest ruled the weekend, and all the bands played longer and did cool songs except Metallica. They played a short and boring set. They even looked bored.
We wanted to buy a shirt, but the lines would take at least two hours. There is only ONE merch tent for 60,000+ people
Our friend preordered merch thinking it would save him time, but after 3 hours he was told he'd have to come back the next day!
The prices for food and drinks are ridiculous. We waited 30+ minute AFTER we ordered for a $47 dollar pizza.
Vegas’ Glittering Globe Is London Calling, or Hanging Up?
While the newly launched $2.3 billion Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas is receiving applause, its proposed London sibling is facing hurdles. But MSG’s top executive still sees a global Sphere future.
Sphere's Global Ambitions
The Sphere in Las Vegas started with a bang, featuring a U2 residency. This venture could be a harbinger of similar venues worldwide.
MSG’s CEO, James Dolan, affirms the company's vision to build more Sphere venues globally. This includes venues of varied sizes tailored to different markets.
London’s Sphere
Announced over five years ago, the London Sphere, which will be MSG’s maiden venture outside the US, secured preliminary approval last year. However, it has faced various objections.
Last year I wrote to Govt and @MayorofLondon about stopping the monstrous MSG Sphere.@michaelgove has now issued a legal notice & I'm hoping he'll act.
Undemocratic LLDC steamrolled all local elected opposition, so it's only right to take the final decision out of their hands.— Lyn Brown 🌹 (@lynbrownmp) February 13, 2023
AEG, worried about Sphere’s proximity to its own venue, The O2, has urged Michael Gove to halt the project. This pause is to decide if the project requires deeper examination.
If approved, the London Sphere, with a capacity of 21,500, will stand four miles from The O2. MSG has emphasized London's shortage of sizable entertainment venues in comparison to other major cities.
Financial Concerns & Expectations
The Las Vegas Sphere's cost overshot its original budget by $1 billion, reaching a total cost of $2.3 billion. Those costs forced layoffs at former parent Madison Square Garden Entertainment, and contributed to the company selling a majority interest in Tao Group Hospitality. This has led to speculations about the feasibility of future venues, especially with London's pre-pandemic estimate at £800m.
Despite the cost overruns, Dolan believes the Vegas Sphere will be lucrative. He mentions their well-established construction design, experience, and potential for the Sphere to be less pricey than its Vegas counterpart.
Dolan envisions profitability through marketing, ticket sales, and sponsorships. The Las Vegas Sphere's success and its global reception further bolster his confidence.
Lights Out in London
In January 2023, London approved MSG's plan to display advertising around the dome’s facade for the next 25 years.
There's been tremendous pushback from local residents who say the black-out blinds they have been offered by developers are insulting and will not make up for the light-pollution and nuisance.
The Stop MSG Sphere campaign group says its supporters are "terrified" of the plans for the new Sphere, which they believe "will severely blight the area."
INTERMISSION
Can't believe I'm winning!
Wish me luck, so this handsome fella can bestowed with the name he deserves: Peter Mensch.
Live Beats & Seats
Beyoncé
Inglewood: 155567/155567*** (100%) $45,540,402
Vancouver: 38342/38342 (100%) $7,900,024
Seattle: 56763/56763 (100%) $12,459,518
Arlington: 52953/52953 (100%) $13,849,491
Houston: 123308/123308** (100%) $31,332,332
New Orleans: 49265/49265 (100%) $10,802,708
Kansas City: 53150/53150 (100%) $9,290,057
**Two Shows
***Three Shows
The Renaissance World Tour has come to a close, leaving a trail of depleted bank accounts in its wake.
Beyoncé's ninth tour raked in $592 million, making it the highest-grossing tour by a female artist in history, and the seventh-highest-grossing tour overall.
Here's the breakdown:
$592,388,129 Revenue ($10,578,359 avg.)
2,776,855 Tickets Sold (49,587 avg.)
$213.33 Average Price
56/56 Reported Shows
Pearl Jam
Austin: 27898/27898* (100%) $4,415,567
Chicago: 36608/36608* (100%) $5,980,753
St Paul: 33894/33894
Foo Fighters
Note: These are Ticket Counts
JOBS!
Concord is hiring an Business Affairs Administration Coordinator to assist with the managing of publishing contracts, fielding of inquiries and the maintenance of various tracking reports for a subset of the songwriter/composer roster in Nashville, TN.
Sound is hiring a Head of Artist Relations to manage externally-facing artist communications and develop, grow, and maintain relationships with the artist roster in Los Angeles, CA.
INK Entertainment is hiring a Senior Events Manager to oversee their roster of events in Toronto, ON.
Marriott is hiring a Senior Special Events Manager to lead the Christmas attractions production and operations in San Antonio, TX.
Freeman is seeking a hybrid Technical Director - Live Events out of Dallas, TX, Chicago, IL, Nashville, TN, or Washington DC.
ASM Global is hiring an entry-level Event Coordinator at Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA.
THE NEWS DESK
Bruno Mars Was Instructed to Evacuate Israel Amid Terrorist Attacks, Leaving His Band’s Gear Behind
Won't Someone Think of The Gear?!
Multiple big brains at Billboard decided in the midst of everything happening in Israel, this deserved its own headline.
Parking for Sphere events to cost as much as $125
I Still Haven’t Found Spot I’m Looking For
Self-parking on site will be $100, while valet parking will cost $125. This sets a new record for Las Vegas parking, which up until seven years ago, was free everywhere on the Strip that a concert was ever staged.
Taylor Swift Box Office: ‘The Eras Tour’ Heads for Record $150M-$200M Global Opening
Taylor Conquers Yet Another Industry
Theaters get their turn to participate in the Swiftie Economy as the movie opens this weekend. I can't wait to see the lines of people wrapped around the block to buy a $15 tub of popcorn and $12 Coke.
It’s 2023, and the Rolling Stones Have Made a Record You’ll Want to Play More Than Once -- Seriously
Well, this could be the last time
It's not hard to imagine James and Lars retiring and passing the torch to hologram avatars to play Vegas, while the Stones still tour stadiums.
And Finally...
Congratulations to my good friend Matthew over at Charity Bomb for selling out the VIP bowling event and Sideshow at the When We Were Young festival! Matthew's origin story that led him and his brother, Nathan, to found Charity Bomb is tragic, but inspiring. I've proudly worked for and supported the organization since its inception and couldn't be happier for their continued success.