NIVA - National Independent Venue Association

Exciting news! #NIVA25 is coming to Milwaukee in June 2025! 🎉 With over 1,300 attendees at #NIVA24 in New Orleans, we’re thrilled to bring our fourth annual conference to Milwaukee. This vibrant city, known for its incredible independent venues, will host panels, programming, and unforgettable performances. Join us as we unite the independent live entertainment community once again. Stay tuned for more details on programming and early bird badge registration. Let’s make #NIVA25 the best yet! 🔗 For more info and updates: nivassoc.org/conference

Happy Holidays from NIVA! 🎁✨🎉 As 2024 comes to a close, we’re grateful for the independent venues, festivals, promoters, artists, and supporters who make this community so special. We hope this season brings you peace, joy, and time with friends and family — and maybe even a show or two. Thank you for being part of our mission. Here’s to a bright 2025 for all! 🌟🎶

📣 Announcing the #StateOfLive — the first national economic research study of the independent live sector! This groundbreaking project will provide critical data to quantify the economic contributions of independent venues, promoters, performing arts centers, and festivals — shedding light on their impact on jobs, tax revenue, and local economies. It will also address the challenges threatening their sustainability, including rising costs, declining profit margins, and operational hurdles. By doing so, the study aims to strengthen advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels, ensuring a brighter future for the independent live sector. The survey opens on January 7th, but starting today, the State of Live Partner Toolkit is live! The toolkit is designed to help spread the word, encourage participation, and amplify the impact of this critical study. Explore the toolkit and learn how you can: 1️⃣ Spread awareness: Share the toolkit with organizations in your area —community groups, local arts councils, convention and visitors bureaus, or other partners — who can help get the word out about this important initiative. 2️⃣ Identify sponsors: Do you know of funders, community foundations, CVBs, or potential sponsors who might want to support this work? We’re still $70,000 away from our fundraising goal and are looking for partners to sponsor community profiles — regional spotlights on key findings and economic impact. If you know of interested organizations, please reach out to advocacy@nivassoc.org Together, we can ensure robust participation in the survey and tell the powerful story of the independent live sector. Prepare to share, starting January 7th, so we can shine a spotlight on our economic impact! Learn more & explore the partner toolkit: nivassoc.org/state-of-live

📢 Congratulations to NIVA member BLNK CNVS Presents on the launch of Decca Live, a state-of-the-art venue opening in Jacksonville, Florida, next month! Joining BLNK CNVS’s growing portfolio, including the renowned Celine Orlando, this 1,000-capacity venue promises to elevate Jacksonville’s live entertainment scene. BLNK CNVS promotes shows across the Sunshine State and Nashville, Tennessee. Decca Live offers a cutting-edge experience with three immersive floors, a 360-degree mezzanine, and a stunning rooftop bar overlooking the St. Johns River. The venue officially opens on January 31, 2025, with Kaskade, followed by an exciting lineup of EDM, rock, and country shows to be announced soon. While BLNK CNVS will oversee much of the in-house booking, Decca Live is open to all promoters. This new space is a major milestone for Jacksonville, filling a long-standing gap in the city’s live music landscape. We can’t wait to see the unforgettable performances and experiences Decca Live will bring. Bravo, BLNK CNVS! ☀️👏 🔗 Read: https://lnkd.in/eSnv4QE7

🎉 Congratulations to Eventbrite on being named one of Fast Company’s 2024 Brands That Matter! Eventbrite’s dedication to empowering independent venues, promoters, and festivals through innovative tools and steadfast advocacy, like their partnership with NIVA’s Industry Affairs Committee and co-leadership in #FixTheTix, highlights their incredible impact on the live entertainment industry. 👏 Thank you for your commitment to supporting the independent live music and arts community. A well-deserved honor!

🎉 Congratulations to NIVA member venue, the Apollo Theater, for making history as the first-ever organization to receive an Honor from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, an incredible milestone celebrated this past Sunday at the 47th Annual #KCHonors in Washington, D.C. As a vibrant nonprofit rooted in Harlem and a cultural treasure for 90 years, The Apollo has created, celebrated, and uplifted Black artists and voices from across the African Diaspora. This year, The Apollo joins an esteemed class of Honorees, including Francis Ford Coppola, Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, and Arturo Sandoval. This recognition shines a spotlight on The Apollo’s enduring legacy as a beacon for Black culture and creativity—and its pivotal role in shaping the cultural landscape for audiences worldwide. 🌟 Congratulations to the Apollo Theater on this historic achievement! 👏

A must-read for anyone invested in the future of live entertainment! 💰 Amrita Khalid’s deep dive for Sherwood News takes a hard look at Live Nation Entertainment’s sweeping dominance in the live entertainment industry and how their monopolistic practices impact independent venues, festivals, promoters, artists, and fans. From ticketing and venue ownership to parking, food and beverage, VIP experiences, sponsorships, and more, Live Nation’s grip extends into nearly every aspect of the live music ecosystem—ensuring they profit at every turn while making it harder for independents to compete. In the article, NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker offers a critical perspective, highlighting the struggles faced by independent venues and promoters who are left to navigate a market stacked against them. Khalid’s reporting underscores how Live Nation’s practices ripple across the industry, resulting in fewer opportunities for competition, rising costs for fans, and shrinking space for independent operators to thrive. This isn’t just about tickets and fees—it’s about protecting the heart of live entertainment and ensuring that artists, venues, and fans have a fair and competitive ecosystem. 🔗 Dive into this thoughtful analysis to better understand the stakes and the fight to level the playing field: https://lnkd.in/e3HD6KaE

The #FixTheTix coalition and NIVA applaud Senator Richard Blumenthal’s strong stance against deceptive ticketing practices, shared during a Friday press event at Infinity Music Hall & Bistro in Hartford, Connecticut, and fully support his letter to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. The Senator’s letter to the FTC calls for urgent action to enforce the BOTS Act and crack down on predatory tactics that harm fans, independent venues, and local economies. Ticket hoarding, bots, price gouging, and deceptive advertising by professional resellers and secondary platforms are undermining fair access to tickets and eroding trust in the live entertainment industry. Although a federal law prohibits the use of bots to purchase tickets, enforcement has been alarmingly rare—just one case since its enactment in 2016. We’re committed to advocating for meaningful reforms to end these exploitative practices and restore fairness to the ticketing process. 📄 Read the full press release and Senator Blumenthal’s letter: https://lnkd.in/gw8pPmZE

🎶 The LIVE LIST 2025 is coming! Now in its third year, this exclusive, member-driven NIVA initiative highlights the top up-and-coming touring artists, as nominated by our members—the live entertainment experts. Together, we’re shining a spotlight on the future of live performance and the talent shaping it. NIVA members, check your email for details and your link to submit nominations. Submissions close on December 13th at 7PM PT. Not a member yet? Joining NIVA means taking part in the LIVE LIST process and accessing many other benefits that support our industry. Learn more at nivassoc.org/join Let’s celebrate the performers making waves in our vibrant, independent live entertainment community! 🌟

Thank you, Senator-Elect Analise Ortiz, for standing up for fans! 👏 This is exactly why StubHub’s fight against meaningful consumer protections harms fans and artists nationwide. Their support of brokers preying on fans must end. NIVA - National Independent Venue Association and #FixTheTix are here to advocate for change → FixTheTix.org