Sony Music-Powered Events Business Sues Live Nation for Negligence at Astroworld

Live Nation and Travis Scott settled all 10 wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the 2021 Astroworld tragedy this year, but now, the entertainment giant has been hit with another lawsuit from a Sony Music merchandising agency partner, alleging negligence during the disastrous event.

Ceremony of Roses, which first began operating under Sony Music in 2022, was hired to set up “carnival-style games and amusements” on the grounds of Astroworld, legal documents said. According to Ceremony of Roses, the company agreed to “finance, set up, operate, and tear down” the attractions, as well as recoup the revenue for all out-of-pocket costs, which totaled $700,000. Additionally, the company was set to earn “50% of all revenues thereafter.”

However, Astroworld did not go on as planned; the second day of the festival was called-off after 10 people died and hundreds were injured during a massive crowd crush. While Ceremony of Roses previously sued Travis Scott — who was headlining the event — the company is now suing Live Nation for “negligence and wilfull misconduct” and for failing to “take numerous necessary and reasonable safety precautions” ahead of the tragedy.

| READ: Last Remaining Astroworld Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settled | 

“Live Nation should have been more qualified and more prepared than anyone in the industry to prevent a foreseeable mass casualty event at a live music festival,” the company wrote in the suit. “Yet, as explained below, Live Nation opted to cut corners and failed to take even minimal safety precautions where they were (foreseeably) needed most, resulting in a preventable mass casualty tragedy.”

Ceremony of Roses said in the suit it wouldn’t have “expended $700,000 in out-of-pocket costs” if it knew about Live Nation’s “false” security-related representations. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for alleged negligence, negligent interference with contract, fraudulent misrepresentation, and unfair competition.

| READ: Astroworld Organizers Had Doubts Over Capacity Before Festival | 

Earlier this year, news broke that organizers had doubts about the festival’s capacity before the event. According to new filings obtained by the Houston Landing, the event’s safety director Seyth Boardman told the festival’s operations director he was worried about cramming so many people in front of the main stage to see Scott perform, noting, “I feel like there is no way we are going to fit 50k in front of that stage.”

Reports also found serious issues with the site plan; an employee of the event production company BWG settled on a site plan that made room for 44,000 people in the general viewing area, plus 3,500 in a VIP area. However, if they had used the correct seven square feet per person standard, they would have known the site plan had capacity for 32,000 people in general admission and 2,500 people in a VIP pen, which marks a whopping 15,500 short of ticketed attendance.

One of the most staggering statements regarding the safety of the festival was made by a festival dispatcher in the command center just minutes before Scott took the stage.

“I would pull the plug but that’s just me,” the dispatcher wrote in a message that was just made public last year. “Someone’s going to end up dead.”