Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is launching a sustainable initiative with the reusable cup pilot program during Depeche Mode ‘Memento Mori’ concerts on December 15 and 17, 2023. This program, in partnership with r.World, represents a step towards reducing the environmental impact of single-use plastics at the venue. The initiative aligns with Crypto.com Arena and AEG’s commitment to sustainability, focusing on reusing cups to minimize waste.

The program involves collecting used plastic cups in designated bins, which are then transported to r.World’s industrial wash facilities for cleaning and returned to the arena for reuse. This process is part of a broader effort by the venue to address the environmental issues associated with single-use plastics, aiming to divert hundreds of thousands of cups from the waste stream.

Depeche Mode and Green Nation

Depeche Mode’s history of eco-conscious initiatives and collaborations, including their work with Live Nation’s Green Nation, has been a driving force behind this pilot program. Following the pilot program, Crypto.com Arena will evaluate the data from the concerts to potentially make r.World a full-time sustainable option for the venue.

During the Memento Mori World Tour, Depeche Mode performed 45 shows in North America and 67 in Europe, totaling 112 shows. The tour, supporting their 15th studio album “Memento Mori,” began on March 23, 2023, and is set to conclude on April 8, 2024. This worldwide concert tour has been a major event for the band and their fans, marking the band’s first tour without keyboardist Andy Fletcher, who passed away in 2022.

For more on Depeche Mode, see December 13 is Depeche Mode Day from now on on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

The lead singer of The Cure, Robert Smith, expressed his frustration with Ticketmaster’s mandatory fees shortly after the company implemented a “verified fan” process on March 15 to distribute tickets for the band’s upcoming American tour. Smith had insisted on the additional layer of security to prevent scalping and inflated ticket prices, but was dismayed to learn that Ticketmaster had included extra fees for buyers. Taking to Twitter, Smith wrote an angry post in all-caps, stating that he was “as sickened as you all are” by the “fees debacle.” He also clarified that the artist had no control over the fees and expressed his confusion over their justification. Smith promised to update fans if he received a satisfactory explanation, adding that tickets were still available, albeit through a slow process.

A tweet that went viral highlighted the extent of malpractice by the company, revealing that a fan’s reasonable ticket price of $20 had more than doubled due to processing fees and charges. Despite The Cure’s decision to avoid a demand-driven “dynamic pricing” payment structure for their upcoming tour, and to make all tickets nontransferable, scalpers still managed to acquire a significant number of tickets for the resale market. Although StubHub removed these listings in states without protective laws, Smith expressed his disdain for dynamic pricing, which he deemed a scam. This situation serves as a reminder that the Biden administration is taking steps to diminish the power of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, who hold a substantial monopoly over the concert industry. In February, the White House proposed the Junk Fee Protection Act, which aims to prohibit excessive fees, require disclosure of fees in ticket prices, and mandate disclosure of ticket holdbacks that reduce available supply. Whether it’s a weekday or the weekend, this is an issue that requires attention.

How does dynamic pricing work exactly?

Dynamic pricing in ticket selling refers to the practice of adjusting ticket prices based on supply and demand. Rather than setting a fixed price for a ticket, dynamic pricing algorithms take into account various factors such as venue capacity, historical sales data, and real-time demand to determine the optimal price for a particular event at any given moment. As demand increases, ticket prices rise accordingly, and vice versa. This pricing model is commonly used in industries such as airlines, hotels, and sports teams, and has become increasingly prevalent in the live entertainment industry. However, it has faced criticism from some consumers and artists who argue that it can lead to inflated ticket prices and pricing inequities for fans.

The below meme made by a Norwegian Depeche Mode fan group was published on our Facebook page a while ago and also attacks the outrageous prices.

For more on The Cure, see The Cure versus silly journalists (with video evidence) on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Roger Waters, the legendary member of Pink Floyd, has had his concert in Frankfurt cancelled by the city’s government due to his “continuing anti-Israeli stance.” Frankfurt officials view Waters as one of the world’s most influential anti-Semites due to his repeated calls for a cultural boycott of Israel, his comparisons to South Africa’s apartheid regime, and his pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel.

Waters – already often referred to as being the Leni Riefenstahl of rock ‘n’ roll – has also been known for promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and featuring a pig-shaped balloon with the Star of David during a previous tour as you can see above. Fans who love his music but are critical of his political views are directed by Waters to the bar during his performance under the guise of “fuck off.”

Despite this controversy, Live Nation, Mojo and other organizers will keep his concerts maintained. Some say that they do not endorse Waters’ political views, but they will continue with the concerts (for the sake of money of course).

The cancellation in Frankfurt was due not only to Waters’ political views but also because of the sensitivity surrounding the Festhalle, where the concert was to be held. During the Kristallnacht in 1938, 3,000 Jewish men were taken to the Festhalle, where they were mistreated and later deported to concentration camps. The venue has a plaque urging people to take a stand against anti-Semitism and hate speech.

It’s highly possible that Berlin, Munich, and Cologne will also cancel the Roger Waters concerts.

More than one incident

There have been several instances where Roger Waters, the former Pink Floyd band member, has been accused of making anti-Semitic comments.

In a 2010 interview with CounterPunch, Waters compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to apartheid South Africa and said, “The parallels with what went on in the 1930s in Germany are so crushingly obvious.”

In a 2012 interview with Electronic Intifada, Waters stated, “I think that the Israeli government has been playing the Holocaust card, and it is disgusting. They have been blackmailing the world with it for years.”

In a 2013 interview with CounterPunch, Waters criticized what he called the “Jewish lobby” in the US and accused it of controlling the media and the government’s foreign policy. He later apologized for using the term “Jewish lobby” but maintained his criticism of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians.

In a 2017 interview with BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) activist Frank Barat, Waters compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews during the Holocaust, saying, “The situation in Israel/Palestine, with the occupation, the ethnic cleansing, and the systematic racist apartheid Israeli regime is unacceptable.”

In 2018, Waters published an open letter urging fellow musicians to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest, which was being held in Israel. In the letter, Waters accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and “dispossession” of the Palestinian people, and called for a cultural boycott of the country.

It’s worth noting that Waters has denied being anti-Semitic and has stated that his criticisms are aimed at the Israeli government’s policies, not the Jewish people as a whole. However, his comments have been seen by many as crossing the line into anti-Semitic territory.

A true Putin lover?

Waters has been known for his criticism of Western governments, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, and has been vocal in his support of political causes such as the BDS movement and the anti-war movement, and has more recently been used by Putin’s Russia to spread the bogus claim that the Russian invasion in Ukraine was provoked by the NATO countries.

He ended up speaking at the United Nations Security Council – at Russia’s request – in early February. While he denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine as illegal, he also claimed it was “provoked,” drawing sharp criticism from the Ukrainian UN ambassador, who accused him of aiding Russian propaganda. In addition, Waters criticized his former Pink Floyd bandmates for releasing a charity single, arguing that it would only encourage the continuation of the war.

As a result of his controversial statements, two concerts that Waters was due to perform in Krakow, Poland in April were canceled. This followed an open letter in which Waters strongly criticized Ukraine and the West for their actions in the conflict with Russia.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

In the past week, several acts have canceled upcoming shows in Russia. While some artists point towards the war in Russia for canceling their concerts, others just removed the dates from their agenda without any explanation, such as The Pixies. Nick Cave for instance has canceled his summer tour dates in Russia and Ukraine, while praising the “brave people of Ukraine.”

Other bands like Laibach, Godflesh, Static-X, Till Lindemann, Lebanon Hanover, She Past Away, Oscar & the Wolf, Disclosure, Lacrimas Profundere, Tricky, Morcheeba, Fatboy Slim, Bjork, My Chemical Romance, Behemoth and Slipknot are still scheduled to play though this can change anytime as we pulled this info from ticket vendor websites who still offer tickets.

At the same time Live Nation Entertainment has announced that it will cease all business activity with Russia.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Cartoon by Lectrr) – Belgian cartoonist Lectrr, who is the in-house cartoonist for one of Belgium’s most respected newspapers De Standaard, is also a big Front 242 fan so it seems. In the newspaper of December 12th we noticed a reference to Front 242 (see the bartender’s t-shirt) in a cartoon which was about expensive Adèle tickets available via Live Nation’s own illegal re-sell company Seatwave (we covered this re-sell scandal in detail right here).

In a chat we had with Lectrr a while back it seems he has been a Front 242 fan for over 20 years, more precisely when “Up Evil” was released. As it happens he also had been thinking about a Front 242 comic, but for now, we’ll have to do with a subtle hint in a cartoon. Coincidently Lectrr’s Tsū page recently welcomed its 242th follower. Maybe that was the trigger? 🙂

You can read more about Lectrr’s work on the official Lectrr website.

For non-Belgian readers, De Standaard is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Mediahuis and is considered to be the best newspaper published in Belgium. You could compare it to The Times in the UK which means Front 242 is in good company!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

This has just hit the Belgian news but has not yet been announced outside Belgium. Until now.

The concert/event giant Live Nation is playing a very dubious role in the resale of concert tickets at ridiculously high prices. And it’s making big money out of the ‘second hand’ market of concert tickets via its own company Seatwave which is operating illegally on the Belgian market. Surprising because Live Nation has been claiming for years in the Belgian press that they don’t condone the resale of concert tickets at higher than the original prices.

Tickets for concerts by such top artists such as Depeche Mode, Muse, and so on are so popular that they usually sell for double or even ten times the official price and that via a very popular website which Ticketmaster (which merged with Live Nation in 2009) owns: Seatwave. Part of those excessive profits simply disappears into the deep pockets of Live Nation, which is often also organizing the event themselves. In short, they sell a same ticket 2 times and with increasing profits. Questions are also being raised now if Live Nation itself is manipulating the normal ticket sales in order to be able to sell tickets via Seatwave instead.

The whole is illegal in Belgium (and various other countries). Reselling tickets at a higher price than the original sale price is strictly prohibited by law in Belgium and this since October 1 2013. And that’s not only for Belgian companies. The law literally says: “The foreign retailers operating in the Belgian market must comply with Belgian law.”

So although Live Nation was cunning enough to register a .be domain name and operates from the Netherlands where reselling tickets is still ok, they are operating in a very illegal way in Belgium using the .be domain. One of the biggest ticket companies in Belgium, Belgian Tele Ticket Service, is even blacklisting Seatwave because it considers it to be a very shady company operating illegally on the Belgian market. Also the official Belgian federal institution FPS Economy has blacklisted Seatwave.

The Seatwave website is clearly trying to misinform web visitors by not mentioning that it is a Live Nation / Ticketmaster owned website. Instead it’s ‘about us’ section reads that “Seatwave is opgericht door een groepje mensen die van mening zijn dat het gewoon simpel en veilig moet zijn om aan tickets te komen. We zijn blij dat je bij ons terecht bent gekomen en streven ernaar aan al je verwachtingen te voldoen.” (Eng. “Seatwave was created by a group of people who believe that it just has to be simple and safe to get tickets. We are glad you found us and strive to meet all your expectations.”) It looks like a fun amateur initiative, but no word of Ticketmaster or Live Nation who actually run the show, that fact is only mentioned in the footer in grey (on purpose to not look too visible).

As a result many people have now filed a complaint with the authorities against Seatwave  operating on the Belgian market. The story will be continued, there is no doubt about that.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com