Names Harry Styles Artist of the Year, Niners Nation Fanbase of the Year, and Kevin Hart Comedian of the Year
Annual Report Predicts Top Cities for Sports, Music, Theater and Comedy Fans in 2023

CHICAGO, Dec. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vivid Seats Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAT) (“Vivid Seats”), a leading marketplace that utilizes its technology platform to connect millions of buyers with thousands of ticket sellers across hundreds of thousands of events each year, today released its annual “Year in Live Events” report. Based on its analysis of Vivid Seats’ 2022 ticket sales and event data, Vivid Seats names Harry Styles Artist of the Year overall, as well as the top artists by genre including Rap, K-Pop, Rock, Latin, EDM, Country, R&B and Alternative. This year’s report includes an inaugural Fan Forecast^® Fanbase of the Year award and predicts the top cities for entertainment in 2023. 

Fan Forecast^® Fanbase of the Year: Niners Nation 
Fan Forecast^® is Vivid Seats’ industry-leading data-centric look at where and how fans are showing up in the crowd for their favorite teams. Following a review of this year’s crowd breakdowns, Niners Nation takes the trophy for America’s most passionate fanbase. Throughout the 2022 NFL season, 49ers fans hit the road again and again, from Chicago to North Carolina to Mexico, eclipsing crowds in red and gold and often commanding a double-digit crowd advantage for both home and away games.

2022 Artist of the Year: Harry Styles
After a powerhouse year of international concerts and double-digit sold-out runs in America’s biggest cities, Harry Styles is awarded Vivid Seats’ Artist of the Year for the second year running, based on ticket sales and event data. This former boy band heartthrob turned international pop star’s “Love on Tour” concert tour amassed a sea of feather boas and eye-catching outfits. Harry wasn’t alone in tour demand this year. In 2022, some of America’s favorite acts returned to the stage in full force and the fans followed suit. The Artists of the Year by musical genre include: 

• K-Pop: Stray Kids
• Rap: Daddy Yankee 
• Rock: Mötley Crüe
• Latin: Bad Bunny 
• EDM: Rüfüs Du Sol
• Country: Garth Brooks
• R&B: Giveon 
• Alternative: Gorillaz 

2022 Breakout Artists of the Year 
2022 also brought a wave of fresh, new talent to the forefront, which brought fans to the front row. The following artists have been selected by Vivid Seats based on their impact on the live events landscape and biggest jumps in demand this year. From TikTok-starlet turned indie-pop sensation beabadoobee to rising K-Pop group ENHYPEN, the 2022 top breakout artists of 2022 include:

• Breakout EDM Artist: John Summit 
• Breakout Rap Artist: Ken Carson 
• Breakout R&B Artist: Steve Lacy 
• Breakout Latin Artist: Junior H 
• Breakout Alternative Artist: Lizzy McAlpine 
• Breakout K-Pop Boys Group: ENHYPEN 
• Breakout K-Pop Girls Group: Aespa 
• Breakout Pop Artist: beabadoobee 
• Breakout Rock Artist: Spacey Jane 
• Breakout Country Artist: Cooper Alan

2022 Comedian of the Year: Kevin Hart
In 2022 Kevin Hart came back to the stage in full force with the “Reality Check” tour show run across North America. Fans were more than ready for his return – pushing Kevin Hart to the top of the best-selling comedians this year. Thanks to Hart’s return to the stage and his growing fan base, Kevin Hart is Vivid Seats’ Comedian of the Year for 2022.

Top Cities for Entertainment in 2023
Each year, fans in cities across the country come together to laugh, cry, sing, dance and heckle opposing teams. To predict what will be 2023’s epicenters of events for fans, Vivid Seats calculated the number of live events per capita across the nation’s top cities to reveal the best metros for Sports, Music, Theater, and Comedy fans.

• Top City for Sports: Denver, Colorado
• Top City for Music: Austin, Texas
• Top City for Theater: Boston, Massachusetts
• Top City for Comedy: Las Vegas, Nevada

To learn more about Vivid Seats and to see the full “Year in Live Events” 2022 Report click here.

About Vivid Seats 
Founded in 2001, Vivid Seats is a leading online ticket marketplace committed to becoming the ultimate partner for connecting fans to the live events, artists, and teams they love. Based on the belief that everyone should “Experience It Live,” the Chicago-based company provides exceptional value by providing one of the widest selections of events and tickets in North America and an industry leading Vivid Seats Rewards program where all fans earn on every purchase. Vivid Seats has been chosen as the official ticketing partner by some of the biggest brands in the entertainment industry including ESPN, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Vivid Seats also owns Vivid Picks, a daily fantasy sports app. Through its proprietary software and unique technology, Vivid Seats drives the consumer and business ecosystem for live event ticketing and enables the power of shared experiences to unite people. Vivid Seats is recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Companies for Customer Service in ticketing. Fans who want to have the best live experiences can start by downloading the Vivid Seats mobile app, going to vividseats.com, or calling 866-848-8499.

Contacts:
Media
Julia Young, Vivid Seats 
Julia.Young@vividseats.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1c0264ec-4dd3-4986-96dc-31622f75259f