SFX Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFXE) today reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015.

Revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2015 declined by $10.3 million, or 7%, year over year to $133.2 million. Excluding foreign currency impact, revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2015 would have declined by $0.5 million, or less than 1%, year over year. Revenue for the period was also adversely impacted by approximately $4.0 million of lost revenue due to the cancellation and/or partial cancellation of several events during the quarter, which is expected to be partially replaced by insurance recoveries during later periods, as well as a reduction in the volume of digital music downloads. Revenue for the first nine months of 2015 grew 18.6% year over year to $306.5 million. Excluding foreign currency impact, revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2015 increased by $88.3 million, or 34%, year over year.

Revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2015 included $114.9 million in Live revenue (86.3% of total revenue) related to festivals and live events that were produced, promoted, licensed or managed by SFX during the period. Live revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 was $261.8 million (85.4% of total revenue). Platform revenue, which represents SFX’s 365-day a year engagement with fans outside of live events and includes sales of digital music, certain marketing services and digital activities, was $18.3 million (13.7% of total revenue) for the three months ended September 30, 2015, and $44.7 million (14.6% of total revenue) for the nine months ended September 30, 2015. The Company recognized $17.7 million and $44.7 million of sponsorship and marketing services revenue during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively.

Direct costs for the three months ended September 30, 2015 were $117.8 million, with costs from Live representing $103.0 million, or 87.4%, of total direct costs and Platform costs representing $14.8 million, or 12.6% of total direct costs. Direct costs for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 were $251.0 million, with costs from Live representing $219.4 million, or 87.4%, of total direct costs and Platform costs representing $31.6 million, or 12.6%, of total direct costs.

Net loss and diluted loss per share for the three month period ended September 30, 2015 were $54.5 million and $(0.57), respectively, while net loss and diluted loss per share for the nine month period ended September 30, 2015 were $144.0 million and $(1.55), respectively.

The Company’s pro forma revenue (a non­GAAP financial measure, see definition and reconciliation below) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, was $133.2 million and $305.0 million, respectively. Pro forma adjusted EBITDA (a non­GAAP financial measure, see definition and reconciliation below) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, was a loss of $3.5 million and $17.1 million, respectively.

During the three months ended September 30, 2015, SFX held a total of 286 festivals and events, including 31 festivals which the Company defines as events with single-day capacities of over 10,000 attendees (excluding artist tours). Total attendance at festivals and events during the three months ended September 30, 2015 grew 24.8% year over year to 1,946,000 attendees, while attendance during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 rose 36.8% over the prior year period to 4,082,000 attendees. Festival attendance rose 29.4% and 38.4% during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively, as compared to the same periods in 2014. During the third quarter, the Company held sixteen owned (not licensed) festivals that were also held in the third quarter of 2014. On a same festival basis, revenue grew 10.0% on a constant currency basis.

“Despite continued strong gains in total attendance, the third quarter of 2015 was challenging for SFX in several respects, including the impact of foreign exchange and the cancellation of several festival days to weather,” said Robert F.X. Sillerman, Chairman and CEO of SFX. “Additionally, the Company’s sales and recognition of revenue from sponsorships did not meet our expectations, which we consider primarily a timing issue. However, we remain very pleased with the quality and loyalty of our sponsors and marketing partners, as reflected by their willingness to renew, and in some cases expand, their partnerships, and we are confident in our potential to secure additional sponsorships. While our financial performance was impacted by external factors, we are making several significant changes this quarter to address the lower than anticipated operating results. Additionally, although fourth quarter results are expected to benefit from insurance settlements and the finalization of a new marketing agreement, the 2015 full year financial results will not meet our prior expectations. Going forward, and notwithstanding the ongoing sales process, our teams remain focused on operations.”

2015 Third Quarter Highlights and Recent Developments

  • Over the 2015 Labor Day weekend, Electric Zoo returned to Randall’s Island in New York City for its seventh consecutive year, hosting over 75,000 attendees. This year’s Electric Zoo boasted a record number of sponsors, including T-Mobile, MasterCard, MillerCoors and Smirnoff. In coordination with its sister company, ID&T, the festival delivered a fresh aesthetic, improved production and top-notch safety to its fans.
  • React Presents held its fourth annual Summer Set Music & Camping Festival on August 14 through August 16, 2015, in Somerset, Wisconsin, with over 50,000 attendees enjoying artists such as Deadmau5, The Weeknd, Bassnectar, and Big Gigantic.
  • Beatport and its charter partner T-Mobile launched T-Mobile Backstage, a new music hub available only to T-Mobile customers who are registered with Beatport. With T-Mobile Backstage, fans are provided with exclusive access to event ticket giveaways, free music downloads, expertly curated playlists and a social media-centered Fan Wall.
  • Beatport hosted branded stages at events including Mysteryland Holland, Vans Warped Tour across the United States, and the Sun City Music Festival in El Paso, Texas.
  • In July, ALDA Events announced that world-famous DJ Hardwell’s “I Am Hardwell” tour will make a stop in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on November 7, 2015. The show’s 40,000 tickets were sold out within 72 hours, making this the Amsterdam-based company’s biggest show ever outside the Netherlands.
  • SFX’s Q-Dance brand remains a leader in the hard-style subgenre of electronic music, selling out three of its recent signature events: the Dominator festival in the Netherlands in July, the Q-BASE festival in Germany in September, and X-Qlusive Holland XXL in the Netherlands in October.
  • TomorrowWorld welcomed 150,000 visitors, including 40,000 campers, despite a partial cancellation on the last day of the festival due to severe weather in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia. Safety was the company’s primary concern. Refunds are being offered for ticket holders who were affected by the cancellation.
  • In October, ID&T’s Sensation festival premiered in Tokyo, Japan to a sold-out audience of 21,000 fans. Adding to the list of 33 countries that have hosted Sensation events, the festival will take place in Hyderabad, India for the first time on February 6, 2016.
  • In October, several SFX brands were featured during the Amsterdam Dance Event (“ADE”), an annual week-long conference focused on electronic music culture. Beatport was selected as the official live streaming partner of ADE, hosted a Beatport Boat Party cruise through the canals of Amsterdam and welcomed over 30 world-famous DJs to its studio to record live sets. SFX’s techno brand “Awakenings” presented four sold out shows throughout the week. ID&T and ALDA added a second night to their hugely popular Amsterdam Music Festival, making it the biggest event of ADE with 70,000 visitors over two nights.
 
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
Live Event Metrics
 
2015 Festivals by On-Sale Status (1)

Total

Consolidated

Not Consolidated (2)

Completed 86 58 28
On-Sale 13 9 4
Total Festivals 99 67 32
 
 
 
2015 Festivals by Quarter and Location
 

Total

North America

International

Consolidated

Not Consolidated (2)

Q1 12 3 9 7 5
Q2 29 11 18 25 4
Q3 31 10 21 18 13
Q4 27 5 22 17 10
Total Festivals 99 29 70 67 32
 
(1) Festivals defined as having attendance capacity of 10,000 or greater.
(2) Represents festivals promoted by entities under license from SFX as well as entities in which SFX has an equity investment.
 
           
 
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
Live Event Metrics
2015 Completed Festivals
 
Initial Show Date     Festival Name     City     Country
 
1/16/2015 The Day After Festival Panama City Panama
2/7/2015 A State of Trance - Australia Sydney Australia
2/8/2015 Hard Bass Arnhem Netherlands
2/21/2015 A State of Trance - Netherlands Utrecht Netherlands
2/21/2015 WinterWorld 2015 - First Kiss Frankfurt Frankfurt Germany
2/28/2015 Top 100 DJ- World Tour - Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
2/28/2015 Reverze Antwerp Belgium
3/14/2015 Pussy Lounge Winter Circus Eindhoven Netherlands
3/18/2015 Ultimate Music Experience S. Padre Island USA
3/21/2015 Knock Out! Rotterdam Netherlands
3/21/2015 Life in Color San Jose San Jose Costa Rica
3/28/2015 Life in Color Santiago Santiago Chile
4/4/2015 Qapital Amsterdam Netherlands
4/11/2015 A State of Trance - Argentina Buenos Aires Argentina
4/11/2015 Life in Color Houston Houston USA
4/18/2015 Something Wonderful Dallas USA
4/25/2015 Life in Color Austin Austin USA
4/27/2015 Kingsland - Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands
4/27/2015 Kingsland - Den Bosch Den Bosch Netherlands
4/27/2015 Kingsday festival Eindhoven Netherlands
4/30/2015 Mayday Dortmund Germany
5/1/2015 Tomorrowland Brazil Sao Paolo Brazil
5/6/2015 Electric Zoo Tokyo Tokyo Japan
5/8/2015 Life In Color Tacoma Tacoma USA
5/8/2015 Rock in Rio Vegas Las Vegas USA
5/9/2015 Top 100 DJ- World Tour - Turkey Istanbul Turkey
5/22/2015 Mysteryland USA Bethel Woods USA
5/23/2015 Sunset Music Festival Tampa USA
5/30/2015 The Flying Dutch - Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands
5/30/2015 The Flying Dutch - Rotterdam Rotterdam Netherlands
5/30/2015 The Flying Dutch - Eindhoven Eindhoven Netherlands
5/30/2015 Life in Color Puerto Rico Puerto Rico USA
6/6/2015 Amsterdam Open Air Amsterdam Netherlands
6/6/2015 Pussy Lounge @ the Park Breda Netherlands
6/12/2015 Bestival Toronto Canada
6/12/2015 Sensation Russia St. Petersburg Russia
6/12/2015 Spring Awakening Chicago USA
6/19/2015 Defqon1 Weekend Festival Biddinghuizen Netherlands
6/27/2015 Ruhr-in-Love Oberhausen Germany
6/27/2015 Life In Color New Jersey East Rutherford USA
6/27/2015 Awakenings Festival Halfweg Netherlands
7/4/2015 Life in Color Hidalgo Hidalgo USA
7/5/2015 Sensation Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands
7/11/2015 A Day in the Park Amsterdam Netherlands
7/11/2015 Mamby on the Beach Festival Chicago USA
7/11/2015 Corona Sunsets UK Somerset UK
7/18/2015 Buitenwesten Festival Amsterdam Netherlands
7/18/2015 Electronic Family Amsterdam Netherlands
7/18/2015 Dominator Festival Eindhoven Netherlands
7/19/2015 Milkshake Festival Amsterdam Netherlands
7/24/2015 Tomorrowland Boom Belgium
7/25/2015 Tiktak Events Amsterdam Netherlands
7/25/2015 Corona Sunsets Italy Rome Italy
7/31/2015 Life in Color Buffalo Buffalo USA
7/31/2015 Nature One Kastellaun Germany
8/1/2015 Life in Color Turkey Istanbul Turkey
8/7/2015 The Qontinet Wachtebeke Belgium
8/13/2015 Corona Sunsets Ibiza Ibiza South Korea
8/14/2015 Summer Set Somerset USA
8/15/2015 Decibel Outdoor Tilburg Netherlands
8/22/2015 Life in Color Seoul Seoul South Korea
8/27/2015 Life in Color Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Israel
8/29/2015 Mysteryland Netherlands Hoofddorp Netherlands
9/4/2015 Electric Zoo New York New York City USA
9/5/2015 Sun City Music Festival El Paso USA
9/5/2015 Life in Color Mexico City Mexico City Mexico
9/12/2015 Q-Base Weeze Germany
9/12/2015 Life in Color Windsor Windsor Canada
9/12/2015 Life in Color Washington D.C Washington USA
9/19/2015 Rock in Rio (Rio) Rio de Janeiro Brazil
9/19/2015 DefQon1 AUS Sydney Australia
9/25/2015 TomorrowWorld Atlanta USA
10/2/2015 Sensation Canada Toronto Canada
10/3/2015 Syndicate Dortmund Germany
10/3/2015 Xqlusive Holland XX Amsterdam Netherlands
10/10/2015 Pussy Lounge XXL Rotterdam Netherlands
10/10/2015 Sensation Japan Chiba Japan
10/10/2015 A State of Trance - Mexico Mexico City Mexico
10/16/2015 Amsterdam Music Festival Amsterdam Netherlands
10/24/2015 Corona Sunsets China Shanghai China
10/25/2015 Unlocked Utrecht Netherlands
10/30/2015 Sensation Dubai Dubai UAE
10/30/2015 Freaky Deaky Chicago USA
11/7/2015 MAYDAY Poland Katowice Poland
11/7/2015 Bassleader Antwerp Belgium
11/8/2015 Sensation Monterrey Monterrey Mexico
 
           
 
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
Live Event Metrics
2015 On-Sale Festivals
 

Initial Show Date

     Festival Name     City     Country
 
11/15/2015 XXXPerience Itu Brazil
11/21/2015 Qlimax Arnhem Netherlands
11/28/2015 Stereosonic - Sydney Sydney Australia
11/29/2015 Stereosonic - Perth Perth Australia
12/5/2015 Life in Color Lima Lima Peru
12/5/2015 TOXICATOR Mannheim Germany
12/5/2015 Stereosonic - Adelaide Adelaide Australia
12/5/2015 Stereosonic - Melbourne Melbourne Australia
12/6/2015 Stereosonic - Brisbane Brisbane Australia
12/12/2015 Defqon1 Chile Santiago Chile
12/19/2015 Valhalla Festival Amsterdam Netherlands
12/31/2015 Reaction New Years Eve Chicago USA
12/31/2015 Freaqshow Amsterdam Netherlands
 
 

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

At September 30, 2015, SFX had $295.0 million principal amount outstanding of its 9.625% second lien senior secured notes due 2019 as well as $30.0 million drawn against its revolving credit facility. In addition, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $59.8 million, inclusive of $3.6 million of cash proceeds held on behalf of third party ticketing clients.

Definitions

The following definitions apply to these terms as used throughout this press release and the exhibits:

EBITDA – represents net income (loss) before other income (loss), interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, non­cash equity­based compensation expense, and non­operating items, including financing and other transaction costs.

Pro forma adjusted EBITDA – includes the EBITDA of SFX, plus EBITDA from acquisitions as if owned from the beginning of the period, cost savings, non­recurring items including financing and other transaction costs and severance, and the other items set forth in footnotes 3 through 5 of the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation table below.

Pro forma revenue – represents revenue of SFX and all acquisitions as if they were owned by SFX from the beginning of the period.

Non­GAAP Financial Measures

We prepare our financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America. Within this press release, we make reference to EBITDA, pro forma adjusted EBITDA, and pro forma revenue, which are non­GAAP financial measures. The Company includes these non­GAAP financial measures because management believes they are useful to investors in that they provide for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making.

Management uses EBITDA to convey supplemental information to investors regarding the Company’s performance excluding the impact of certain non­cash charges, costs associated with our borrowing and other special items that can affect the comparability of results from quarter to quarter. In particular, EBITDA is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget, and to develop short­ and long­term operational plans. Of note, the elimination of certain expenses in calculating EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period­to­period comparisons of our core business. In addition, the Company believes that pro forma adjusted EBITDA and pro forma revenue present important information to investors regarding the current business, prospects and financial condition of the Company that would not otherwise be available.

Accordingly, the Company believes the presentation of these non­GAAP financial measures, when used in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, is a useful financial analysis tool that can assist investors in assessing the Company’s operating performance and underlying prospects. This analysis should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. This analysis, as well as the other information in this press release, should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements and footnotes contained in the documents that the Company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The non­GAAP financial measures used by the Company in this press release may be different from the methods used by other companies. For more information on the Non­GAAP financial measures, please see the Reconciliation of GAAP financial measures to Non­GAAP financial measures table in the press release.

About SFX Entertainment

SFX Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFXE) is the largest global producer of live events and digital entertainment content focused exclusively on electronic music culture (EMC) and other world-class festivals. SFX's mission is to provide electronic music fans with the best possible live experiences, music discovery, media and digital connectivity. SFX was borne out of the technology revolution and produces and promotes a growing portfolio of live events including leading brands such as Tomorrowland, TomorrowWorld, Mysteryland, Sensation, Stereosonic, Electric Zoo, Disco Donnie Presents, Life in Color, Rock in Rio, Nature One, Mayday, Decibel, Q-Dance, Awakenings, and React Presents, as well as the innovative ticketing services Flavorus and Paylogic. SFX also owns and operates Beatport, the trusted global home of electronic music where fans, DJs, and creators connect, discover, and participate in the evolution of dance music culture.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our business strategy, expected operational and financial results and plans, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including: our ability to integrate the companies we have acquired; our belief that the EMC community will grow; our ability to increase the number of festivals and events we produce and their attendance and profitability; our ability to pay our debts and meet our liquidity needs; that definitive agreements for the sale of the Company will be entered into and/or approved by shareholders; competition; our ability to manage growth and geographically-dispersed operations; and our ability to grow our online properties. We refer you to the documents we file from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the section titled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our most recent Annual Report filed on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K, which contain and identify other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements. In addition, any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. We undertake no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events, except as required by law.

         
 
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
Summarized Statements of Operations
(unaudited, $ in thousands)
 
Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
2015     2014 2015     2014
 
Revenue $ 133,232 $ 143,552 $ 306,473 $ 258,500
Direct costs   117,758         110,049         250,991         194,406  
Gross Profit 15,474 33,503 55,482 64,094
 
Selling, general and administrative expenses 38,581 44,798 118,587 123,345
Loss on sale of non-core assets 9,112 - 9,112 -
Depreciation and amortization 9,286 9,557 26,978 25,357
                   
Operating loss (41,505 ) (20,852 ) (99,195 ) (84,608 )
 
Interest expense (9,181 ) (6,158 ) (25,478 ) (18,445 )
Other (expense)/income (7,312 ) 14,683 (17,374 ) 6,819
Equity in income/(loss) of non-consolidated affiliates   3,672         2,345         (1,724 )       1,347  
Loss before income taxes (54,326 ) (9,982 ) (143,771 ) (94,887 )
Income tax benefit 84 15,060 47 8,770
                   
Net income/(loss) (54,242 ) 5,078 (143,724 ) (86,117 )
Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interest 229 142 316 254
                   
Net income/(loss) attributable to SFX Entertainment, Inc. $ (54,471 )     $ 4,936       $ (144,040 )     $ (86,371 )
 
 
         
 
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
Summary Balance Sheet Data
(unaudited, $ in thousands)
 
September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents $ 59,788 $ 63,270
Total assets $ 661,614 $ 702,489
 
Long-term debt 312,404 283,173
Total liabilities $ 490,236 $ 436,347
 
Perferred stock $ 44,628 $ -
Redeemable common stock $ 27,247 $ 27,247
Redeemable non-controlling interest $ - $ 4,322
 
Stockholders' equity $ 98,915 $ 233,772
 
 
               
 
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
Reconciliation of GAAP financial measures to Non-GAAP financial measures
(unaudited, $ in thousands)
 
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
September 30, September 30,
2015 2014 2015 2014

Revenue

 
Revenue, as reported by the Company $ 133,232 $ 143,552 $ 306,473 $ 258,500
 
Revenue of Acquisitions (1) - 5,458 (1,477 ) 28,408
       
Total - Pro Forma Revenue $ 133,232   $ 149,010   $ 304,996   $ 286,908  
 
 

Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA

 
Net income/(loss) $ (54,242 ) $ 5,078 $ (143,724 ) $ (86,117 )
 
Interest expense, net 9,181 6,158 25,478 18,445
Income tax benefit (84 ) (15,060 ) (47 ) (8,770 )
Depreciation and amortization 9,286 9,557 26,978 25,357
Loss on sale of non-core assets 9,112 - 9,112 -
Other (income)/expense, net (2) 7,312 (14,683 ) 17,374 (6,819 )
Equity based compensation expense 7,076 10,568 22,916 30,280
       
EBITDA of the Company (12,359 ) 1,618 (41,913 ) (27,624 )
 
EBITDA of Acquisitions (1) - 185 - 4,802
 
Adj. to reflect proportionate EBITDA of equity investments 932 1,920 1,250 2,481
 
Insurance Proceeds(3) 4,300 4,126 4,300 4,126
Transaction Costs, One-Time Fees and Disc. Ops. (4) 3,014 8,751 15,721 16,927
Cost Savings (5) 636 2,014 3,496 5,555
       
Total - Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA $ (3,477 ) $ 18,614   $ (17,146 ) $ 6,268  

 

 
(1) Includes all companies acquired by SFX for the periods prior to SFX ownership. The figures are based on financial information provided by such companies acquired by SFX. Such companies were not under SFX control for 100% of the time periods presented. Excludes revenue from divested operations.
(2) Other (income)/expense represents the extinguishment of debt, gain on a sale of assets, foreign currency gains and losses, and other miscellaneous non-recurring items.
(3) Anticipated insurance recoveries for certain cancelled festivals.

(4) Includes non-recurring expenses and adjustments related to (i) transaction costs for the period, (ii) divested operations, (iii) SFX's intention to terminate certain minority owned festivals in future periods and (iv) adjustments related to content expenses.

(5) Reflects the impact of identified and implemented cost savings including head count reduction and duplicate audit fees.