EXCLUSIVITY CLAUSES are “the biggest threat to small festivals”, the organiser of 5,000-capacity Y-Not Festival has said. Ralph Broadbent told eFestivals in an interview that it’s not just the headliners that command such clauses, but acts much further down the bill. “Whenever we try and book any small artist more often than not they’re already under exclusives, normally with the [...]

FOUR CORNERS of the event industry came together at the Event Production Show to talk about RFID wristbands, a topic hot on the lips of fans and organisers around the world. The panel, consisting of Isle of Wight Festival’s Rob Langford, Steve Daly from ID&C, Steve Jenner from Intellitix and Ticketmaster’s Adam Newsam, provided a mix of experience and insight [...]

FESTIVAL REPUBLIC will host the fourth national Crime at Major UK Music Festivals conference on 22nd February 2012 following the success of the previous conferences. The aim of the conference is to review the crime encountered during the 2011 festival season, the actions taken and outcomes and to look forward to improvements and continued intelligence and tactic sharing for the [...]

TICKETING COMPANY WeGotTickets is expanding their festival offering in 2012 with the launch of their custom-built festival ticketing site, WeGotFestivals. WeGotFestivals will offer customers easy access to WeGotTickets’ 200 plus music and non-music festivals, many of which might otherwise go undiscovered. Already on the site are Field Day, Bearded Theory, Electric Elephant, Meadowlands, Wychwood, All Tomorrow’s Parties (curated by Jeff [...]

AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL promoter Big Day Out has announced a partnership with US-based C3 Presents, promoters of Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival. This is a massive market leading move by Big Day Out founder Ken West to establish greater artist buying power, and a genuine platform for expansion. In light of the evolving festival market, this is a potential [...]

THE ORGANISERS of an annual Elvis festival in Porthcawl say they are interested in taking over Brecon Jazz. They are joining forces with the seaside resort’s Celtic music festival to bid for the event after the Hay Festival ended its involvement. Other parties to have expressed an interest include a Cardiff events company and a Carmarthenshire brewery. Elvis festival promoter [...]

IRELAND’S OXEGEN music festival will not take place next year, according to a report in the Irish Times. The newspaper says MCD promoters confirmed the festival will be suspended in 2012 in a move similar to what is happening to the Glastonbury festival in the UK. According to the report, a text from MCD spokesman Justin Green said: “Oxegen, like [...]

THE FOUNDER of Glastonbury festival, Michael Eavis is to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s European Festival Awards ceremony. Each year the prize is dedicated to an individual whose personal vision and energy has propelled the entire festival industry forward in a dynamic, creative and positive way. Michael is to be given the Lifetime Achievement Award [...]

A SUCCESSOR to Ilkley’s Party in the Park weekend could be part of next year’s Ilkley Summer Festival, but organisers are considering charging for the event. The loss of the weekend of free music and entertainment in Ilkley’s Riverside Gardens park was felt by festival-goers this year, said the event’s director, Councillor Anne Hawkesworth. The event, which included a performance [...]

HMV GROUP is considering selling its live division – MAMA Group – which operates festivals including The Great Escape, Lovebox and High Voltage. In an interim results statement today the company said like-for-like sales in the 26 weeks to October 29 dropped 11.6%. Pre-tax losses hit £36.4m, compared to a £27.4m loss in the same period in 2010 – with [...]