Back!

I'm back and hoping I can get away with stealing Largehearted Boy's blogroll style.....

Pollstar discusses one company that is offering ticket insurance

The company, World Access, is also in the travel insurance biz, and VP of Marketing Communications Mark Cipolletti explained to Pollstar that when people travel for big events like concerts and something goes wrong with the trip, those people miss out on the event as well...... And when concertgoers opt to insure their tickets, Cipolletti said they are covered for "unforeseen medical, travel, and other circumstances that would prevent you from attending the event.

"Basically, it covers 100 percent of the ticket price, including any taxes that you've paid or shipping charges that you've incurred," he said. "It totally makes you whole for what you purchased the ticket for and it's coverage up to $10,000."

Line-ups for Al Gore and Live Nation's Live Earth benefit concert in London and New Jersey announced. The benefit concerts are planned for July 7th in seven major cities around the world. The other cities are Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and Antarctica (???).

Here's info about how to obtain those free Ozzfest tickets

Websites for Ozzfest, Live Nation, Monster Energy, Jagermeister Music and F.Y.E have begun posting sponsor websites where fans can find codes and redeem them for tickets on June 12. Only two tickets will be up for grabs per person. To get the tickets, fans have to punch in the code at the website they registered for or go to Live Nation's Ozzfest website.

In Chicago Sun-Times, Jim DeRogaitis writes briefly about why Intonation Festival isn't happening this year.

Concert industry observers said Thursday the fact that Intonation has dropped out of the busy summer concert season for what would have been its third year underscores that the vibrant Chicago live-music market may be becoming saturated with weekendlong multiband events.

Live Nation grabs a stake in UK's Academy Music Holdings owners of popular venues Carling Academy Brixton and Shepherd's Bush Empire.

In the big branding move I was waiting for, Live Nation has announced plans to expand The Fillmore brand. New York's Irving Plaza, Philadelphia's Theatre of Living Arts and Detroit's State Theatre will join Miami's Jackie Gleason Theatre, and the two currently existing Fillmore's in San Francisco and Denver to form the national club brand.

"We do thousands of shows in small and midsized venues every year and we have some great venues, even putting aside the two existing Fillmores and House of Blues," (Bruce) Eskowitz (Live Nation's CEO of North American Music) told Pollstar. "We have some of the best, absolutely great venues in the United States. "We are converting many of those and you'll continue to see us convert and expand many of them to both The Fillmore and House of Blues brands," Eskowitz continued.

What Else? More Changes at LN.

(Via PRNewswire) Everyone's fave concert promoters is delivering on their promise to focus more and more on the music. To this end they have reorganized North American Operations. Here are the main changes:

* Bruce Eskowitz (former President of Global Venues and Alliances) has been promoted to the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer - North American Music

* Live Nation's North American concert promotion, venue operation and sponsorship and alliances businesses are now all under a single division: North American Music

* Jason Garner (former COO, Amphitheatre Programming) has been promoted to the position of President of North American Concerts, replacing Charlie Walker, who left to take the helm of C3 Productions (which I reported about earlier today)

* Russell Wallach (former President of National Alliances) has been named President of Alliances, overseeing all national and local sponsorship activities.

* Don Watson (former VP of Operations at House of Blues) has been named Executive Vice President of House of Blues, overseeing the HOB-branded clubs and expansion.

* David Shuman has been named Executive Vice President of North American
finance.

* The Live Nation music business is now comprised of four major divisions:
(1) North American Music, led by Mr. Eskowitz
(2) International Music, led by Carl Pernow (International) and Paul Latham (UK)
(3) Global Touring, led by Arthur Fogel, who is also Chairman of Global Music
(4) Global Digital, led by Bryan Perez

As always, I am keeping an eye on the next steps...