Sandbox Succession, the legacy division of Sandbox Entertainment, partnered with the Patsy Cline estate through Patsy Cline Enterprises. Under the agreement, Sandbox Succession will collaborate with Cline’s daughter and heir, Julie Fudge, to expand her legacy across film, TV, publishing, merchandising, hospitality and licensing. Gregory Hall, a key player in the management of Cline’s estate, will remain an instrumental member of the team. A new biography and documentary on Cline are both in development. Sandbox Succession also represents the estates of Johnny and June Carter Cash and Loretta Lynn.

Business-to-business digital music platform Tuned Global forged a partnership with streaming fraud detection company Beatdapp, through which Tuned Global will incorporate Beatdapp’s fraud detection capabilities into the Tuned Global platform. The deal will help Tuned Global ensure that client royalties are fairly distributed to rights holders. Beatdapp also has deals in place with Universal Music Group and the Mechanical Licensing Collective.

Oak View Group (OVG) and Middle East event management and venue operator Ethara struck a joint venture to enable OVG’s entry into the Middle East market. Under the agreement, Ethara — which operates venues in the United Arab Emirates, including the Etihad Arena, Etihad Park, Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Conference Centre — will provide OVG with knowledge of local markets, with the two companies exploring growth opportunities together across the region. Ethara will also work closely with Rhubarb Hospitality Collection (RHC), a British venue caterer recently acquired by OVG, to improve the fan experience by providing food, beverage and hospitality services at venues across the Middle East.

Dreamliner, a provider of upscale travel coach buses for entertainers, acquired two events logistics companies: Denver-based Shomotion and Nashville-based Show Pro, with founders of each company joining Dreamliner’s executive team. Dreamliner will retain all Shomotion and Show Pro employees and expand its footprint by adding Shomotion’s Denver facility and Show Pro’s Nashville facility. The acquisition adds over 70 trucks and 220 trailers to Dreamliner’s offerings. – Jessica Nicholson

AtVenu, a leading provider of live event software and payment solutions, received a $130 million equity investment from Sixth Street Growth. The partnership will allow atVenu to expand and speed up the company’s growth into new live event markets, including sports and food and beverage. AtVenu helps ease the process of managing locations, inventory and the deployment of point-of-sale hardware while offering real-time data for organizers to optimize the event experience. According to a press release, the company processes more than $1.6 billion in merchandise and food and beverage volume every year and works on more than 125,000 events annually, from small clubs to stadiums. Raymond James served as atVenu’s financial advisor in the transaction.

Armada Music Group’s BEAT Music Fund acquired several new catalogs. They include the artist shares from a portion of techno pioneer and artist Kevin Saunderson‘s Inner City catalog; master and artist royalties for trance DJ and Coldharbour Recordings owner Markus Schulz; and the catalog of Robbie Rivera’s dance label Juicy Music. BEAT’s roster, through acquisitions, also includes Sultan + Shepard, Jax Jones, Amba Shepherd, VIVa MUSiC, Sola Records, King Street Sounds and Chocolate Puma.

Warner Music Group (WMG) Benelux acquired Netherlands-based record label Cloud 9 Recordings, which counts artists including Claude, Jaap Reesema, Kris Kross Amsterdam, Snelle and Turfy Gang on its roster. Under the deal, the Cloud 9 team will relocate to The Amsterdam Music Harbour, which serves as the creative hub of WMG Benelux in the Amsterdam Houthavens. Raymond van Vliet will retain his role as president of Cloud 9, which will remain a separate label, as well as his responsibilities at Blue Skies Publishing. Along with the acquisition, WMG Benelux entered an exclusive global administration agreement with the Cloud 9-affiliated Blue Skies Publishing, which represents songwriters including Claude, Davina Michelle, Edwin van Hoevelaak, Flemming, Frank van Etten, John Dirne, La Fuente and Snelle and owns several catalogs. Blue Skies Publishing will continue to manage the creative process with its current team, while its office in the Dutch town of Laren will serve as a satellite office for Cloud 9.

Moombix, described as a music education platform enabling adult hobbyists and aspiring music professionals to have one-on-one online classes with expert teachers, closed a seed funding round of over 1.9 million pounds ($2.47 million), led by Iceland’s Frumtak Ventures with participation from angel investors. The money will be used to scale the Moombix marketplace and improve the user experience, accelerate customer acquisition and prepare for a strategic launch into the U.K., where 200 teachers have already signed up to offer classes, according to a press release. Moombix offers classes on instrument learning, voice coaching, DJing, production and more.

Downtown-owned business-to-business distributor FUGA struck a new partnership with UNIFIED Music Group, a multi-service music company that operates across Melbourne, Syndey, L.A., New York, Nashville and Toronto. Under the deal, FUGA will support UNIFIED Recorded Music labels including UNFD and Domestic La La, which will leverage FUGA’s platform and suite of services, including strategic marketing and account management, social video management, YouTube channel partnerships, physical distribution, synch and licensing solutions via Downtown Music Publishing, and neighboring rights collection through Downtown Neighbouring Rights. Since 2022, UNIFIED has been a client of Downtown-owned royalty accounting platform Curve.

Live Nation signed a deal to manage Allas Live, a 2,500-capacity open-air venue within the Allas Sea Pool complex in Helsinki, Finland. Under the deal, Live Nation will also manage the Allas Live outdoor concert series in partnership with Allas Sea Pool.

ASM Global reached an agreement with the City of Worcester, Mass., to extend ASM’s management services of the city-owned DCU Center Arena and Convention Center. The five-member Civic Center Commission, which oversees ASM’s management contract on behalf of the city, voted unanimously to recommend the contract extension. As part of the 10-year extension, ASM has committed to a $3.5 million investment in the DCU Center that will focus on enhancing food and beverage operations, creating digital advertising opportunities and implementing further technology upgrades.

Acrisure Arena, located in Palm Springs, Calif., announced Silvercrest as the official sponsor of its exclusive outdoor VIP space, the Silvercrest Compound. The space includes a nine-hole mini golf course along with bocce ball, pickleball, half-court basketball, fire pits, and food and beverage offerings just steps away from the stage.

There was a little bit of drama as inductees began arriving and rehearsals started in Cleveland on Thursday (Oct. 17) for this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony as word spread that two original members of Foreigner – including founder Mick Jones – will not be attending this weekend.

Jones, who founded Foreigner during 1976 in New York, is battling Parkinson’s disease, which will keep him away from the festivities.

Drummer Dennis Elliott posted a note to Facebook that he would also not be attending the event, where the band will be inducted after receiving its first nomination this year. Elliott – who was with the band from 1976-1993 – wrote, “Dear Foreigner Fans & Friends. Don’t look too hard, we will not be there. We were finally given the schedule last night, and it is not to our satisfaction. So we are staying home. We have been asking for weeks, and they have waited until the very last minute to send it knowing we were all packed and going to bed. Totally unacceptable to us. Hope you have a good time.”

Sources in Cleveland tell Billboard that one specific point of contention was that only band members were to walk the red carpet before the show, without their spouses.

The group did issue a statement via its social media saying, “FOREIGNER is greatly looking forward to Saturday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The band will be joined by Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson in a set celebrating the induction of the guys who started it all almost fifty years ago. Original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Rick Wills will be there to accept the awards on behalf of the band’s leader and founder Mick Jones, drummer Dennis Elliot, and Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi who are no longer with us.”

Members of the current Foreigner lineup are expected to perform during the ceremony on Saturday at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, which will be streamed live on Disney+.

Fans responding to Elliott offered support, with one writing “this is very sad news” and another calling it a “travesty.”

Foreigner, eligible since 2002, was long considered one of the Rock Hall’s greatest slights over the years. The group has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, with hits such as “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Juke Box Hero” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Foreigner finished third in the fan vote, with 528,000.

Foreigner will be part of a class of 2024 that also includes Mary J. Blige, Cher, the Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest in the performer category.

Ryan Murphy is a Swiftie.

The TV creator and writer recently cast Taylor Swift‘s NFL champion boyfriend Travis Kelce in his latest FX series, Grotesquerie, as the flirty but helpful hospital employee Ed “Eddie” Laclan. While chatting with The The Hollywood Reporter recently, Murphy revealed that he’s reached out to Swift’s team a number of times over the years to work together.

“I’ve talked to Taylor’s people about various things through the years, and all I will say is that I think she’s great and if she ever has time to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat,” he said. “I think she’s one of the greats.”

Murphy even made a subtle nod to Swift in episode three of Grotesquerie, in which Kelce and Niecy Nash-Betts’ characters hop into a red getaway car, in reference to Swift’s Red album and “Getaway Car” song.

Swift is no stranger to acting, having appeared in films like 2010’s Valentine’s Day, 2019’s Cats and 2022’s Amsterdam.

In Grotesquerie, which airs on Thursdays, “a series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community,” per the description. “Detective Lois Tryon [Nash-Betts] feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan. However, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers.”

Grotesquerie is the latest in Kelce’s growing list of entertainment gigs off the Kansas City Chiefs’ field.  Prime Video confirmed earlier this year that Kelce is slated to host its upcoming game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, a spin-off of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? The series will feature contestants using celebrities to help with 11 elementary-school-level questions as they compete to win $100,000.

Harry Styles is the latest One Direction member to share a heartbreaking message following the untimely death of Liam Payne at just 31 years old.

Alongside a photo of Payne sitting on a stage, singing to a massive arena crowd, Styles wrote via Instagram on Thursday (Oct. 17), “I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing. His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.”

The message continued, “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will him always, my lovely friend. My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”

See Styles’ post here.

The statement comes in addition to one from Louis Tomlinson, a post from Zayn and a joint message by the surviving members of One Direction, in which they wrote, “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”

Payne died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at around 5:07 p.m. local time after sustaining multiple injuries from a three-floor fall, a recent preliminary autopsy confirmed. Local authorities believe he was not sober at the time and found substances that appeared to be narcotics and alcoholic drinks in his room after they arrived at the scene. In the moments leading up to the star’s death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room”; by the time police got there, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died due to his injuries.