Live music’s agency, ticketing, venue, and promotion sectors are shifting with a series of leadership, product, and expansion announcements. The updates include a WME marketing promotion, an AI ticket search tool from Seatpin, a new Austin venue from AEG Presents, and MRG Group’s entry into Australia.
Agency and Promotion Moves
WME (William Morris Endeavor) has promoted Sara Williams to Head of Music Marketing. Williams joined the agency in 2019 as a Tour Marketing Agent and will continue to be based in Nashville, reporting to Kirk Sommer, WME Global Head of Music.
Ticketing and Resale
European ticket reseller Seatpin has introduced PinAI, an AI-powered assistant that accepts typed or spoken requests such as “Front row for Ariana Grande at The O2 this August.” The tool is designed to replace manual searches across social feeds, multiple websites, and listing pages.
A new study from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator found that resellers and marketplaces drain $11 billion every year from U.S. live event audiences. The report, titled “How to Save Audiences $11 Billion on Live Events,” showed that ticket brokers add $4.5 billion in resale upcharges while platform service fees add another $6.8 billion in costs.
- Annual audience loss: $11 billion
- Resale upcharges: $4.5 billion
- Platform service fees: $6.8 billion
- Fan loss ratio: $12 in markups for every $1 saved
Venue and Conference Dates
AEG Presents has announced United Heritage Hall, a new 4,000-capacity live music venue in Austin, Texas, opening in spring 2027. Developed in partnership with Westfield, Partners Group, and Presidium, the venue will anchor River Park, a 109-acre mixed-use development in Austin’s Riverside neighborhood.
The National Independent Venue Association conference, NIVA ’27, will take place in Boulder, Colorado from June 27 to July 1, 2027. Discount pricing is available through September 10, and registration will reopen with Early Bird pricing in January.
International Expansion
Toronto-based MRG Group has launched MRG Live Australia, a new Sydney office led by veteran live music executive Graham Kennedy as General Manager and Senior Promoter. Kennedy joins MRG after ten years as Head of Arts and Entertainment at Live Nation Australia.
The appointment follows the Australian and New Zealand tour of The Next Step, which sold more than 45,000 tickets and demonstrated the strength of the market for MRG’s expanding portfolio of live productions.
