Disney Jr., in partnership with Terrapin Station Entertainment and Proactiv Entertainment, is taking “Disney Jr. Live On Tour: Let’s Play!” to the U.K. for the first time with six performances at London’s Royal Festival Hall next 3/15-16.
The immersive concert experience boasts an interactive musical performance that includes singing, dancing, 3D special effects and acrobatics with performances all designed for Disney Jr.’s most devoted young fans. The tour will continue to the Middle East and Asia, with additional 2025 tour dates to be announced.
The concert features hit songs from several popular Disney Jr. series, including “Hot Dog!” from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, “Do the Spidey” from Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends (written by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump) and “Oopsie Kitty” from SuperKitties (written by Keith Harrison Dworkin).
"Disney Jr. Live has been delivering memories and magic to families in the U.S. for the past six years," Terrapin Station Producer Jonathan Shank noted. "It is so exciting to have the opportunity to bring that same magic to the U.K. and the rest of the world, bringing children closer to their favorite iconic Disney Jr. characters."
Tickets go on sale Thursday (11/21). Find more information here while we mourn our youth.
Katy Perry will donate £1 from every ticket sold at five 10/2025 U.K. dates of her The Lifetimes Tour to the Music Venue Trust. They're her first shows in the region in seven years.
Proceeds will go directly to initiatives that support the U.K. grassroots music community. According to the charity, venues have been closing at a rate of two per week due to rising costs.
Other acts to have pledged a portion of ticket sales to MVT this year include Coldplay, Enter Shikari and Sam Fender.
A recent Government report encouraged the U.K. live music business to adopt this approach on a mass basis by bringing in a voluntary levy for stadium and concert tickets.
The final four honorees for the U.K.’s Artist & Manager Awards have been revealed, with Paloma Faith (pictured), Riverman Management, Milk & Honey and Finesse Foreva set to be celebrated 11/21 in London.
The event will salute Faith with the Icon award in celebration of her long career in music, which spans six Top 10 U.K. albums and five Top Ten tracks, including one #1. Her most recent album, The Glorification of Sadness (Sony), reached #2 in February.
Riverman Management, which recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, will take home the Managers’ Manager award. Launched by Alex Weston and Dave McLean in 1989, the company initially cut its teeth as a concert promoter before moving into management in 1995. Its current roster includes Placebo, Friedberg, Dea Matrona, Tom Fleming (ex-Wild Beasts) and Dougie Poynter.
The 2024 Writer & Producer Manager of the Year will be awarded to Ant Hippsley, the head of U.K. operations for Milk & Honey. The company reps Finn Keane (aka Easyfun), who co-wrote and produced “Speed Drive” (Atlantic), Charli xcx’s contribution to the Barbie soundtrack, as well as five tracks on BRAT, including global hits “Von Dutch” and “Sympathy Is a Knife.”
Finesse Foreva, which was founded in 2017 by childhood friends SK, TK and producer JB MadeIt, will receive the Team Achievement award. The company operates as an independent record label, production house and management company and works with acts including Russ Millions, rap duo Skengdo x AM and producers Gotcha and JB MadeIt.
Previously announced honorees include Pet Shop Boys and Angela Becker, Chase & Status and Sophie Kennard, Yungblud and Special Projects Music, the late SOPHIE, Cymande plus shortlists for Breakthrough Artist and Breakthrough Manager. This year’s ceremony will introduce a new award, the Secret Weapon Award, which recognizes a critical member of a management company who has made invaluable contributions behind the scenes.
The U.K.’s live music industry should introduce a levy on arena and stadium concert tickets to support the grassroots music sector, per a report from the new Labour Government backing the proposal.
The suggestion was first introduced in a report on the issues facing grassroots music venues published by the Culture Media and Sport Committee in May. The British Government responded to the recommendation, agreeing that the levy would be the “quickest and most effective mechanism” to support the grassroots sector and ensure the “health and future success” of the U.K.’s live music ecosystem.
The Government is recommending that the levy be voluntary and led by the industry for potential use in 2025. The music sector is being encouraged to invest in an independent evaluation to assess the effectiveness of its impact.
If action isn’t taken, the Government says it’s willing to use its “convening powers” to bring people to the table to start the process, if necessary. It will also consider progress made on the implementation and effectiveness of a levy and whether further action is needed to support a sustainable grassroots sector.
Mark Davyd, CEO and founder of the Music Venue Trust, welcomed the news. “We strongly support [the Government’s] stance on the necessity and desirability of a grassroots contribution and believe this response sets out a clear and achievable path for the live music industry to swiftly adopt such a contribution,” he said.
“Everyone knows grassroots live music is in crisis. The current situation is untenable," added Music Managers Forum CEO Annabella Coldrick. "Every week I hear from music managers trying to do the impossible and bridge catastrophic shortfalls in their artists touring budgets. A ticket levy on all large-scale live music events to support touring artists at this level to get out on the road remains the most practical solution. It is now imperative that we in the industry stand up and deliver it.”
The U.K.’s O2 Silver Clef Awards, held in aid of music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins, will move to a Wednesday evening from a Friday lunch event in 2025.
Next year’s ceremony will return to the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on 7/2 from 6pm. The change is attributed to a shift in "culture and lifestyle" that’s taken place since the pandemic.
The awards, which will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2026, are Nordoff and Robbins’ largest annual fundraising event. Since 1976, they've raised more than £13.5m for the charity.
Joe Munns, Chair of the O2 Silver Clef Awards Committee, said, “After 48 years of being held on a Friday afternoon, we are changing with the times and our industry, and we’re very excited to be able to welcome more of you than ever to this spectacular event.”
The cost of running Nordoff and Robbins is now said to reach almost £9m annually. Sandra Schembri, CEO of the charity, said, “We are currently being hit by a triple threat: growing demand, increasing costs and decreasing donations. We need the music industry’s support to ensure we can show up where we are needed."
This year’s ceremony raised more than £760k—enough to pay for more than 9k music therapy sessions—and honored Blur with the O2 Silver Clef Award. Previous winners include David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Dame Shirley Bassey, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Kylie Minogue, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Coldplay.
Cherrytree Music Company, the label, management firm and publisher behind Sting, Shaggy and Michael Einziger, will host a live show in London on 11/22.
The event will take place in collaboration with pop music blog EQ Music and feature Cherrytree acts Sophie Grey. and Nico Tortorella. Independent songwriters MYYLO and Nic Billington, who’ve been championed by EQ Music, will also perform.
Cherrytree Music Company CEO Martin Kierszenbaum said, “EQ has been hosting shows in the live space for some time so the idea to join forces and present this special night came about very organically. It’s going to be an exciting evening.”
The relationship between Cherrytree and EQ Music began in 2011 when EQ covered the first Cherrytree London event with Ellie Goulding, LMFAO and Far East Movement.
Cherrytree will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.
The Featured Artists Coalition and Musicians' Union have published an open letter to the government and the U.K.’s live music industry to call for support for artists and not just venues in the ongoing conversation about issues facing the grassroots touring sector.
The two orgs have renewed calls for a blanket £1 ticket levy to be applied to arena and stadium events to support grassroots live music, which would be accessible to venues, artists and promoters. The idea was first recommended in May by a Culture Committee report, which said it should be introduced, on a voluntary basis, by September 2024.
The letter reads, “In recent years, our members have been hit hard by disruption in the live music market. COVID-19, Brexit and the increased cost of US visas have presented a perfect storm of challenges. Additionally, domestic touring has become extremely challenging, as the cost of living crisis bites both in respect of audience affordability and devastating increases in costs. As made clear by the work of bodies such as Music Venue Trust, grassroots venues have faced a challenging economic environment. Our organizations recognized that challenge and support the measures and funds that have been implemented to ensure that venues are viable during an acute period of pressure. However, just supporting venues in itself will not save grassroots music."
Referencing the support offered to Music Venue Trust by artists such as Sam Fender and Coldplay, who’ve both pledged a portion of ticket revenues to the org, the letter continues, “While it is remarkable that some artists have voluntarily come forward to offer individual support, this burden should not be placed at the door of individual, British artists on an 'opt in' basis. [A] blanket approach will ensure a level playing field for U.K. artists and that the whole of the live sector shares the cost of investing in the future of live music in the U.K.”
The letter also raises concerns about the industry’s ability to enact a levy voluntarily, saying, “In its absence, donations made by arena-level artists won't necessarily lead to direct funding opportunities for artists performing at grassroots level. Therefore, we believe that the government should retain the option to intervene and implement a statutory levy.”
Artists and fans are being encouraged to show their support for the open letter by signing this petition.
Daniel Lang has been promoted to SVP, Global Society Relations and Digital Rights at Warner Chappell Music. He will continue to be based in London and report to Co-Chair/CEO Guy Moot.
The role expands Lang’s remit to include working with U.S. collection societies, as well as continuing to lead on the publisher’s relations with societies around world to help modernize their business practices and ensure Warner Chappell’s writers are paid more quickly and accurately.
Lang will continue to work closely with EVP, Global Digital Natalie Madaj and her team, as well as the publisher’s local territory heads, while also serving as WCM's lead representative in international negotiations with major digital service providers.
“Daniel has done an incredible job of managing digital licensing and society relations over the last few years," said Moot. "It was an experiment to combine these remits and it paid off handsomely. I’m delighted that he’s agreed to take on this expanded global role as I know our writers will continue to benefit from his proactive, collaborative and inventive approach.”
Lang has worked at WCM since 2017 and has held a series of digital licensing roles that strengthened relationships with partners such as Amazon, Deezer, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube. He was appointed VP, International Digital Licensing and Society Relations in 2021.
