Milwaukee is about to be the center of the live music industry — and not just because of Summerfest.

NIVA executive director Stephen Parker discusses how the association is planning to address several hot-button issues at this year's conference in Milwaukee.

“Wildwood has quickly become a regional destination for live entertainment,” said Township Supervisor Chris Barnett. “With our new status as a Certified Independent Venue by the National Independent Venue Association, we’re proud to be officially recognized on a national stage.”

Jim James will kick of NIVA ‘25 with a keynote address on Sunday, June 22. In addition, legendary producer Jimmy Jam will address the conference of the nation’s independent live concert, comedy, promoter, venue, and festival industry on June 24 in a fireside chat.

Ticketing, said Stephen Parker of the National Independent Venue Association, has become “a war between multibillion-dollar platforms” who “point fingers at each other about what’s going wrong while fans lose.”

NIVA’s Executive Director Stephen Parker is recognized in Washingtonian Magazine’s list of the experts and advocates, outside the government, who are playing big roles in Washington’s policy debates.

The company, which owns Ticketmaster, can also be a live show’s promoter, artist manager or venue operator. Featuring Stephen Parker, NIVA Executive Director, this Wall Street Journal video examines how one company came to dominate the live music industry.

“When it’s gone, it’s gone and there is no way to get it back,” said DeGeorge, southeast president at NIVA, covering Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as well as chair of NIVA’s industry affairs committee. “It impacts your business whether your business has been damaged or not.”

Ten in the morning on the third day of music at SXSW is awfully early for most attendees, so the fact that the panel for “Small Stages, Big Impact: Saving Indie Stages for Artists” drew a healthy audience to the Austin Convention Center speaks well to the work that the National Independent Venue Association performs.

National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) executive director Stephen Parker has told TheTicketingBusiness that there needs to be a ticketing bill in the US with “teeth” to really protect consumers and live music fans.

By Stephen Parker, Executive Director, National Independent Venue Association

Data drives decisions. If we want independent live music to have a seat at the table when policies, funding, and industry trends are set, we need the numbers to back up what we already know: that these stages, these shows, these venues matter.

A letter authored by Fix the Tix chairman Stephen Parker implores Congress to strengthen the bill aimed at increasing price transparency, banning speculative ticket sales and more.

Get ready to belly up to the bar in Polka City. Registration for the National Independent Venue Association’s NIVA’25 in Milwaukee is now open.

The 2024 NIVA Live List featured many up-and-coming artists. As we gear up for the 2025 Live List that will be dropping next week, let’s take a look at where 10 of our favorites are now and what kind of year they just had.

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has launched The State of Live, a national economic research study of the independent live entertainment sector.

The organization is seeking to collect cross-country data to help quantify the economic contributions and operational challenges of indie venues, promoters and more.

NIVA is undertaking the first national economic research study of the independent live entertainment sector and is asking for participation in its “State of Live” survey.