The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has introduced a Live Independent Tour certification for U.S. independent venues, promoters and festivals. Spanish Love Songs, a Los Angeles indie rock quintet, is the first act to book a tour under the new designation.
The band’s 19-city album release tour, booked by The•Team, will play exclusively at independent venues.
“Our band was born and grew in independent rooms willing to take a chance on us,” said frontman Dylan Slocum of Spanish Love Songs. “We’re proud to partner with NIVA, the venues, and promoters to put people over profit and work directly with the bands, crew, and fans that keep independent music thriving.”
The certification builds on NIVA’s partnership with Spotify, which includes monthly playlist features, and the Live Independent seal launched with Bandsintown. More than 55 million fans have discovered shows and bought tickets at independent venues and festivals through Live Independent promotion on the Bandsintown platform.
Pay It Forward fund for touring crews
The Music Industry Therapist Collective (MITC) has launched a $367,000 Pay It Forward fund to provide occupational health support to smaller live tours.
Backers include:
- Radiohead‘s Philip Selway
- AEG
- d&b audiotechnik
- Fly By Nite
- Live Free 999
- Live Nation
- Lockton
- The Team
- Universal Pixels
The fund will provide free access to occupational health support for 150 small and mid-scale tours over the next three years. It is available globally, with services in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Norwegian and Hindi. Applications are open.
Ticketmaster adds Muse AI integration
Ticketmaster announced an integration with Muse, Meta’s new personalized AI (artificial intelligence) agent. Available now in the U.S. via web, iOS and Android, Muse lets people create their own personalized AI agents.
Fans can discover Ticketmaster ticketed concerts, sports and live shows through conversations with their Muse agent, which can also make suggestions. Purchases are completed on Ticketmaster’s marketplace, with fans controlling the transaction.
Ticketmaster also has integrations with Gemini, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Claude and Amazon Alexa+.
Venue expansion and grassroots pressures
Portland, Oregon, is set to add two mid-sized concert venues. Live Nation‘s Steelhead will bring a 3,500-capacity room to Portland’s Central Eastside. AEG Presents and local promoter Monqui Presents are developing a flexible 2,000-to-4,250-capacity venue at the former Nordstrom site in the Lloyd Center.
In Australia, grassroots venues are facing issues securing leases and self-ownership, similar to venues in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., as operators work to protect the buildings their live scenes depend on.
