Mobile tickets in Canada by Live Nation

Rogers Wireless, Canada’s top cell phone company, recently announced an exclusive partnership with Live Nation to bring mobile ticketing to concerts in Canada. Rogers Wireless allows users with cell phones that support WAP 2.0 browsers to enter credit card information and purchase tickets through their phones anywhere within the country. After a successful purchase, the tickets will be sent to the purchaser via SMS and MMS. (Ticket News)

Bjork defends Tibet outburst

Pop singer Bjork has spoken out after she was condemned by Chinese fans for raising Tibet during a Shanghai concert. The Icelandic musician repeated three times “Tibet! Tibet!” as she finished her song Declare Independence during the last show of her Asian tour this week. In a garbled, typo-ridden statement, the eccentric singer today defended her actions. (Times Online, Music 2.0)

MySpace to stream NME US awards

NME is pushing further into the US through a deal with social networking website MySpace, which will stream the IPC magazine's first US music awards live from Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre next month. MySpace will be the exclusive host for the web coverage of the event on April 23, ahead of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, with live performances from breakthrough bands. The UK title is hoping that the association with MySpace, the biggest social networking site in the US and in the world, will help it grow its audience among new music fans. (The Guardian)

Songkick Launches New Concert Recommendation Site

Songkick, a startup focused on providing resources and recommendations for live music performances, today unveiled the industry’s first comprehensive live music recommendation site targeted at the live music events market. Songkick scans the web, blogosphere and a user’s music library, and alerts users whenever a band that they like or may like is playing in their area. For every concert listed, Songkick provides one-click access to ticket vendors, providing convenient price comparison for music fans. (PR)

SXSW: Ticketmaster CEO on service fees, dynamic pricing

Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty said the ticketing business is likely to move more and more to a dynamic pricing structure, and defended the company's service fees that are added to the cost of a ticket at a Friday afternoon panel at the South by Southwest Music Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. (LA Times)

Live Nation to buy Fantasma Production live music assets

Live Nation has agreed to purchase a majority of the live music assets of late Florida concert promoter Jon Stoll's Fantasma Productions, the company said Wednesday. The purchase includes the Fantasma calendar of shows, leases on two outdoor mid-sized music venues and two outdoor festivals, according to a release. (LA Business)

SXSW music: A primer for the 22nd annual Austin festival

Never mind that CD sales are dropping and record labels are downsizing. As usual, South by Southwest just keeps growing. The annual music-biz schmooze-athon runs Wednesday through Sunday with a record-breaking 1,700 acts playing 80 stages around Austin. (Dallas News)

Live Nation Q4 2007 Earnings Call Transcript

There’s no question the live music is the one shining star in the music business as major artists are looking to live music for 50 to 90% of their earning potential. As a global leader in live concerts we are the number one business partner for artists worldwide and we believe we can leverage this position to expand into complementary businesses with the artist. (Full Transcript)

Fabchannel.com to record and distribute live concert of Universal Music Artists videos online

Fabchannel.com, a multiple-award-winning live music platform, announced a recording and multi-territory digital exploitation agreement with Universal Music Netherlands, a division of the world’s leading music company, for live recordings of Universal Music artists performing at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Fans from around the globe will have access to live concert videos from international and local up-and-coming as well as established Universal Music artists performing at the Paradiso and other Fabchannel related venues. (PR, Billboard)

Kaiser Chiefs' MAMA predicts a live music riot

According to MAMA Group, which manages a host of bands including the Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand, the key to unlocking future profits in the music industry lies in concerts. Adam Driscoll, co-founder of Aim-listed MAMA, says that the role of the record labels is becoming less important. The explosion of digital music - decimating CD sales - has so rattled big labels such as EMI and Warner Music that they haven't been quick enough to notice the potential in live music. (The Telegraph)

Ticketmaster proceeds gingerly as resale competitors swarm

In the 1990s, when Garth Brooks and Michael Jordan filled arenas, the only way to see them live was to go through Ticketmaster, or a scalper. Today, finding a ticket for a Green Bay Packers playoff game or a Rascal Flatts concert is a click away on StubHub.com or other Internet resale sites. (The Columbus Dispatch)

O2 festival scrapped

Plans to hold the third O2 Wireless Festival in Leeds this year have been scrapped. Live Nation, the firm behind the annual musical extravaganza, have pulled the plug on the event which has seen acts like Kaiser Chiefs, The Who and the White Stripes play headline sets in the stunning grounds of Harewood House. Instead, this summer, warm-up gigs featuring acts playing at the Hyde Park festival in July will be held at indoor venues around the country. (Yorkshire Evening Post)

'Chaos' of China's music industry

The huge numbers of pirated CDs and high levels of illegal downloading are forcing Chinese pop stars to find alternative ways to make a living, as a Beijing-based BBC reporter finds out. The singer made about $2000 (£1,000) a month from music royalties and live shows with her band Mika Bomb when she lived in London. But in China, her band Long Kuan Jiu Duan can almost double that by singing just one song at a commercial gig. (BBC News)

SXSW Campaign Coverage: Emerging Trends

With both the expansion of independent music and the expansion of the SXSW brand, many members of the industry has become more critical of SXSW, citing that it has outdone itself in size and marketing clutter; at the same time, SXSW has become more critical of the industry, citing that it is fighting for control and that unsanctioned parties are damaging the SXSW brand. (Paste Magazine)

Live Nation Acquires Leading Concert Promoter in Dubai

Live Nation announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in Mirage Promotions, a leading promoter based in Dubai. Mirage annually stages a wide range of concerts, shows and events in Dubai and other cities in the region, including such international acts as Pink, Aerosmith and Shakira. Mirage also secures acts for corporate clients in the region, with recent bookings including Diana Ross, Bryan Adams, Kenny Rogers, Sarah Connor and the Gypsy Kings. (PR)

Warners, Beggars Team On Gig Stream Service

Billboard.biz has learned that a group of industry giants, including Warner Music Entertainment (WME), Warner Music International's video-production arm, is to launch a U.K. Internet-delivered TV service devoted to live concerts. Called the Lovelive Channel and scheduled to launch this year, the service is being jointly developed with U.K. independent-labels company Beggars Group, live-music organizer Mama Group, and the online-video developer Perform Group. (Billboard)

iTunes Launches London Sessions

Apple iTunes is further making its mark on the live music scene in London with the launch of 11 nights of free collaborative concerts starting next week. The unique acoustic performances include sets by KT Tunstall with fellow singer songwriter Billy Bragg (Feb. 24); former Moloko vocalist and now solo singer Roisin Murphy dueting with pop veteran Tony Christie (March 1); and alternative acts Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds teaming with Spiritualized (March 2). (Billboard)

Live Nation Completes the Divestiture of Its North American Theatrical Business

Live Nation, the world's largest live music company, announced it has completed the divestiture of substantially all of the remainder of its North American theatrical business to Key Brand Entertainment, further focusing the company on its core music operations. The company will use the net proceeds from the sale to repay borrowings under its revolving credit facility and to invest in its core music business. (PR)

Music's Biggest Cash Kings

Forbes looked at how much leading recording artists generated in U.S. music sales and North American concert grosses in 2007. Our estimates, which don't calculate how much income each artist pocketed, include concert revenue data from Pollstar, music sales tallies from Nielsen SoundScan and pricing information from NPD Group. Forget the year's hot new acts. Veterans like the Police and Celine Dion were among the biggest commercial forces of 2007. (Forbes)

Mama Group records £2m profit

Mama Group, the expanding live venue and artist management company, was expected to announce profits of more than £2 million, demonstrating that the music industry can still generate value. Final-year figures, up to August last year, are expected to show that turnover increased by 39 per cent, while group revenues for the period totalled £12.2million. Profit before exceptional items and depreciation for the year amounted to £2.14million, compared with a restated loss of £129,000 for the previous year. (The Times)