On this week’s show we discuss the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee recommending that the government implement a levy on ticket sales for large scale shows and cut VAT for grassroots music venues, and the concerns surrounding the launch of a new SXSW festival in London.
SECTION TIMES
01: Grassroots venues report (00:06:50)
02: News in brief (00:14:18)
03: SXSW London (00:17:38)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)
THIS WEEK’S MAIN STORIES
SXSW London told to reconsider June 2025 date
SXSW is coming to London backed by a shadowy web of offshore companies, endorsed by the Mayor of London – and with a PR boss who conveniently worked as a senior press advisor in the London mayor’s office for sixteen years
NEWS IN BRIEF
TikTok sues US government in battle to block the ban
TikTok has filed its lawsuit to try to block the sell-or-be-banned law that was recently passed by US Congress. It insists that it is not practical for China-based owner ByteDance to sell TikTok, even just within the US, meaning the new law is a ban. And that ban, it argues, is unconstitutional
2023 was “a turning point for the music industry”
Goldman Sachs has published its annual ‘Music In The Air’ report, reviewing the wider music sector and making predictions through to 2030. Streaming price rises, AI and superfan opportunities, and a resurgent live sector mean analysts have increased their predicted annual growth rate to 7.6%
Universal Music’s CEO Lucian Grainge faces pay vote at AGM
Lucian Grainge is inches away from getting a massive bonus as the UMG share price nears €30 per share, while investors are looking for signs that his STIs could be out of control. That’s short-term incentives, you filthy dogs
All but one Astroworld wrongful death lawsuit settled
Live Nation yesterday told a court in Houston that nine of the ten wrongful death lawsuits filed after the Astroworld tragedy have now been settled, including the one that was originally due to get to trial this week. A trial date for the one remaining case is yet to be set
Fine Facebook over ticket scams, says Which?
Which? says that OfCom should take action against social media platforms that fail to deal with ticketing scam posts as it implements the new UK Online Safety Act. The consumer rights group was responding to a BBC report about the sale of fake Taylor Swift tickets via hacked Facebook accounts
Music Venue Properties acquires The Ferret, Preston
A second venue has been acquired by Music Venue Properties, the charitable community benefit society set up as part of Music Venue Trust’s Own Our Venues initiative. It means The Ferret in Preston will now have a landlord that exists to support local grassroots music communities
Apple admits destructive iPad advert “missed the mark”
Apple put out a new iPad advert this week, which showed musical instruments, books, pots paint and more being crushed in a hydraulic press. It was supposed to depict the amazing creative things you can do on an iPad, but people just saw it as a metaphor for the tech industry’s attitude to creators