Festival Finances - Glastonbury Festival has reported that profits more than doubled last year, as it faces criticism for being too "corporate". The festival brought in £5.9m in pre-tax profits for the year to March 2024 – up from £2.9m the year before. During the same period, the event also donated £5.2m to charitable organisations including Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid.
A spokesperson for the festival said "successful, dry Glastonburys in both 2023 and 2024" had helped to "rebuild the event's vital financial reserves". The spokesperson said it also allowed them to "continue to support good causes and charities". Like many festivals, Glastonbury saw record losses during the pandemic, with the event called off in 2020 and 2021, "costing the festival millions", said the spokesperson.
In The Courts - A cyber hacker has pleaded guilty to stealing unreleased music from artists including Coldplay, Canadian singer Shawn Mendes and US singer Bebe Rexha. Skylar Dalziel made about £42,000 by selling the tracks online, according to City of London Police. Prosecutor Richard Partridge said she "selfishly used their music to make money for herself by selling it on the dark web".
Dalziel admitted 11 copyright offences at Luton Crown Court and was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months. Det Con Daryl Fryatt, from the force's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, said: "Stealing copyrighted material for your own financial gain is illegal. It jeopardises the work of artists and the livelihoods of the people who work with them to create and release their music."
Forever Young - Neil Young has announced he will headline this year's Glastonbury Festival, just days after saying he had turned down a slot because of the BBC's involvement. The 79-year-old had announced that he and his band would not play the event because the BBC "wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in". But in a new post on his website, Young wrote, "Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved. Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing.” It is not known whether the change of heart means Young's 2025 Glastonbury set will be televised.
West End News - Turnover from theatre group Delfont Mackintosh’s eight West End venues has risen by 8% last year to more than £71m, its highest intake in more than a decade. Delfont Mackintosh Theatres’ latest accounts reveal profits of £12.4m after tax during the financial year to March 2024, and a turnover of £71.5m during the same time.
Delfont Mackintosh Theatres owns and manages eight West End buildings: the Victoria Palace Theatre, Prince of Wales Theatre, Prince Edward Theatre, Wyndham’s Theatre, Sondheim Theatre, Novello Theatre, Noël Coward Theatre and Gielgud Theatre.
In The Saleroom - Set pieces designed by Bunny Christie for the Olivier-award-winning production of Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre are selling online for hundreds of pounds. Neon signage by Christie, with lighting design by Paule Constable, has been put up for auction on eBay by the theatre. The three pieces belong to the London venue’s immersive production of the musical, which concluded its run on 4 January.
Farewell - Wayne Osmond, a founding member of family band The Osmonds, who had a string of hits in the 1970s, has died at the age of 73. Wayne was a singer and guitarist, and co-wrote many of their biggest hits, including Crazy Horses, Goin' Home and Let Me In. "Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me," wrote brother Donny, external. "He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone."
Legend - Radio presenter Johnnie Walker has been described as a "broadcasting legend" following his death aged 79. The DJ died two months after calling time on his 58-year radio career because of ill health. Presenter Bob Harris, who took over BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 70s show after Walker's retirement, announced his former colleague's death live on the station. Harris described him as "an incredible, warm, superb broadcaster" who "went out on a limb many times to defend the music that he loved, and he was passionate about radio".
(Jim Evans)
