FESTIVAL NEWS

Aiming to gather Spanish festivals and to provide a platform for reflection, BIME and the 'Asociación de Promotores Musicales' (APM) will organize the first 'Congreso de Festivales de Música' (Congress of Music Festivals). The event will take place in Bilbao on 29-31October 2014 with an estimated 50 festivals already confirmed to take part. Topics scheduled to be cvered incude  Ticketing and access systems, cashless and intelligent solutions,  Services for festival-goers, Apps, Crowd funding platforms, Tour operators, Social media integrations, Legal frameworks and  Public and private financing. More information from info@bime.net and APM members contact secretaria@apmusicales.com.

A decision in a dispute between eBay and German soccer team over the re-sale of personalised tickets which was favourable to the online retailer has prompted the organisers of Germany’s Wacken Open Air heavy metal festival to think again about personalising their tickets in 2015. Waken also have a trial pending with eBay over the re-sale of their own tickets, currently personalised, Lamenting a set back in the fight against ticket touts, Thomas Jensen from WOA promoters ICS explained that the same judge is hearing the WOA case - and the judge has previously decided  held that platforms such as eBay do not have to delete offers of the sale of personalised tickets from their sites.  Earlier this year secondary ticketing site Seatwave agreed with German promoters association BDV to remove personalised  tickets from six Robbie Williams concerts from it’s site. 

The Australian iHeartRadio Music Festival has been cancelled with organisers citing the unavailability of a key headliner. With Miley Cyrus, Redfoo and the Faders already confirmed, tickets had gone on sale. The iHeart Radio festival brand was started in the USA.

MTV's Push Festival in Helsinki, Finland, promoted by the channel to champion new talent will become an annual plan after the success of its first year. MTV's flagship event, the MTV Europe Awards will take place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on November 9th, 

The sixth edition of the European Festival Awards will take place in Groningen on Wednesday 14th January 2014, hosted by Ben Challis promoted by Yourope, EuroSonic and Festival Awards Ltd.

Spotify has revealed details of the top ten festivals according to their global impact on music streams. Glastonbury Festival was named the most influential festival in the world by Spotify, after it spurred a 78% increase in streams for headliners Kasabian, Metallica and Arcade Fire. Glastonbury headliners experienced a 57% rise in streams in the UK, while achieving a 60% increase in the US. Australia's Future Music Festival placed second on the list, gaining an average 70% increase for its headliners Deadmau5, Phoenix and Pharrell Williams. 

Top 10 Festivals according to global impact on streams

1. Glastonbury, UK
2. Future Music Festival, Australia
3. Way Out West, Sweden
4. Les Vieilles Charrues, France
5. Coachella, US
6. Hove Festival, Norway
7. Laneway Festival, Australia
8. Rock Am Ring, Germany
9. Roskilde, Denmark
10. Bilbao BBK Live, Spain

Top 10 most globally streamed festival headliners

1. Pharrell Williams, Future Music Festival
2. Deadmau5, Future Music Festival
3. James Blake, Laneway Festival
4. The Offspring, Ruisrock
5. M.I.A., Hove Festival
6. Stevie Wonder, Roskilde
7. Phoenix, Ruisrock and Future Music Festival
8. Outkast, Coachella and Way Out West
9. Arctic Monkeys, Roskilde and Les Vieilles Charrues
10. Imagine Dragons, Hove Festival

And over on Festival Insights you can catch up with the UK's Surplus Supper Club: This is an ethical event catering business spearheaded by FareShare South West, the award-winning charity that redistributes in-life, surplus food in an attempt to aid vulnerable people and curb rampant food wastage. The UK food industry disposes of four tonnes of perfectly good food every year, and the Surplus Supper Club repurposes these ingredients into delicious meals whose proceeds go to charity. Moreover, its volunteering opportunities offer a route back into society for the marginalised and dispossessed. More here.
AND DON'T FORGET THIS WEEK - IT'S THE LIVE UK SUMMIT IN LONDON, THE AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT,  FESTIVAL CONGRESS IN CARDIFF AND MAMA EVENT IN PARIS!