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VIPNEWS PREMIUM > VOLUME 174 > DECEMBER 2014
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VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
McGowan’s Musings
So this is the last VIP News of 2014 – where
did the year go? I’ve just got over my jet
lag from a lightning trip to China (preceded
by Luxembourg..) so my sense of timing
may be out but it strikes me that come
January we’ll be a decade and a half into
what we were all greeting as a brand new
century seemingly no time at all ago. Still
an incredible amount has happened in that
time, a lot of it fuelled by new technologies
and of course the inexorable growth of
social media – all of which supposedly
makes it easier to promote all aspects of
the live music industry. But it always was,
and always will be a competitive business,
and we now have a situation where sectors
of the business that got along quite well
before are now competing with each other.
The international expansion of Festivals,
now a year round market, has changed the
way many artists schedule their year and
the knock on effects of what some have
referred to as ‘Festivalisation’ are still being
seen on traditional Arena touring.
The Corporates continue to get bigger,
Live Nation has of course outstripped
everyone and everything, just how long
before it declares itself an actual nation!
Dance music is now EDM, with SFX buying
everything that relates to the promotion
and presentation of Beats per Minute
(What about hearts I wonder – human
hearts – don’t they come under that
heading – I suppose audiences are part of
the whole EDM package?). And in order to
stay competitive medium sized Companies
from Agencies to Promoters to Managers
are consolidating and expanding. It quite
takes your breath away!
But then there’s the other end of the market
– the breeding grounds, the essential grass
roots, the venues where the talent begins
to develop, all of which is still essential. This
sector has to be looked after and in this
issue we’ll take a look at what is going on
to help safeguard and develop this area. Is
there a new One Direction climbing on to
a rickety stage in the back room of a pub,
or bar, somewhere tonight? Probably, but
they’ll have a long way to go to catch up
with the phenomenal success of the boy
band that have taken off all over the World
– and to think we were worrying about a
lack of new headliners just a few minutes
(sorry – years!) ago!
And there does seem to be a stirring of new
talent, take Royal Blood for instance in the
UK, voted Best New Artist – I-Tunes and
nominated for BBC Awards. In Germany
home grown talent is keeping international
acts at bay on stages from clubs to Festivals.
It’ll be an interesting next year!
One thing that really shows how time
has past is the news that Francis Rossi of
Status Quo has been forced to start using a
new guitar for the first the first time since
1968 because the wood on the vintage
Telecaster has become so soft the guitar
can no longer be kept in tune! So there!
Anyway – we hope you all have a great
holiday, and wish you all the best for next
year – let us know what you’ve got planned
for 2015 – in the meantime, Ladies and
Gentlemen – The News!
COLOPHON >
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The first ever BBC Music Awards have attracted quite some attention,
with the event being broadcast broadcast live on BBC One, Radio 1
and Radio 2, as well as in Denmark, Japan, Ireland and North America.
Pharrell Williams was the big winner being named best international
artist, and winning song of the year for, yes, you’ve guessed it ‘Happy’
(It was catchy at first, but I just can’t hear it any more! – ED.)
Ed Sheeran was named British act of the year, receiving his Award
from Sir Tom Jones and played a version of his Pharrell-produced
single, Sing. One Direction, Take That and Coldplay also performed.
Newcomers Catfish and the Bottlemen also played to their biggest-
ever audience, after winning the BBC Introducing award for best
new act. (Well done ATC Management and Neil Simpson!)
The song of the year award was the only category decided by public
vote, with the others decided by a panel of industry experts.
BBCMusic AwardsAllan McGowan [email protected]
Neil Simpson
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VIPNEWS > NOVEMBER 2014
VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
My first ever trip to mainland China was
short but interesting to say the least, in four
days I managed to visit The Great Wall, The
Forbidden City, and Dong Dong!
This was the second year for this Beijing
based conference and showcase event, and
this edition has certainly moved things along
in establishing itself as a new destination
for music professionals and talents in
China. I was there to chair a panel on Artist
Management with
the very experienced
Paul Craig, manager
of Biffy Clyro, and
US Manager Eric de
la Fontenay, who ,
along with other acts,
represents Chinese
rock act Second Hand
Rose; Liang Long the
band’s front man
joined the panel to
make some very
pertinent comments
about the present
and possible future for artist management
in China. Basically, artist management
as we know it, and certain other areas of
the business, are in early stages, but there
are interesting acts developing, and an
active live and festival market. A small but
active group of resident and semi-resident
westerners, including Ed Peto and Archie
Hamilton are keen to help the market
develop, and things seem ready for growth.
Events like Dong Dong can definitely help.
DongDong2014 convention was hosted at
Meridian Space and presented 14 panels,
conferences, debates and workshops for
professionals from all around the world and
1 speed meeting session.
Dong Dong BeijingGrows in Second YearAllan McGowan [email protected]
375 professionals participated in the 2014 edition (268 in 2013, or +40 %).13 nationalities crossed paths.
Most prominent was the rise in attendance from local professionals as well as Spanish(Barcelona Focus brought 3 acts and professionals from the Catalan metropolis). 55 accredited journalists.
The workshops presented byArtlab (Denmark) offered new modules open to artistswith an entrepreneurship mindset where they can learn from experienced trainers.
Marc Ridet of Swiss Music Export and me at The Great Wall
Dong Dong conference
VIPNEWS > NOVEMBER 2014
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VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
Next month’s Eurosonic Noorderslag has added showcases from
several current and previous winners of the European Border Breakers
Awards (EBBA) to its 2015 line-up. Jacco Gardner (nl, winner 2014),
Melanie De Biasio (be, winner 2015), The Common Linnets (nl,
winner 2015), and The Ting Tings (uk, winner 2009) will perform
at the showcase festival, which will take place from Wednesday 14th
through Saturday 17th January, 2015 in Groningen, The Netherlands.
In addition, Eurosonic Noorderslag has confirmed showcases by
Beans & Fatback (nl), Birth of Joy (nl), Blaudzun (nl), Jett Rebel (nl),
Kensington (nl), Maarten Vos (nl), Maison Du Malheur (nl), PAUW (nl),
The Kik (nl) and Twin Atlantic (uk).
Passes for Eurosonic, the international evening programme on
Wednesday 14, Thursday 15 and Friday 16 January 2015, are still
available. Official tickets can be obtained through:
www.ticketmaster.nl.
Conference registrations are available through:
www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl.
Festival tickets for the Noorderslag festival and passepartouts for both
festivals Eurosonic and Noorderslag (14-17 January 2015) are sold out.
The event will again present showcases by more than 350 acts
alongside a conference programme featuring 150 panels, keynote
speakers, interviews, and workshops. VIP News will attend and report
back in the next issue.
Eurosonic ’15 Adds More ShowcasesAllan McGowan [email protected]
Since 2007 Colisium unites professionals from the music business across the world in Russia. Traditionally it brings together international promoters, concert agencies, festivals and event organizers, booking agents, artist managers, musicians, rental companies, music magazines, educational institutes, FM, TV, online media, record labels and video production studios, concert and event venues, security agencies and insurance companies - all major key participants of todays music industry. International professionals from CIS, Europe, Asia, USA also take part in Colisium to open new markets and areas for their companies.
It’s the right place to meet your colleagues, �nd new partners, make presentations, discuss new marketing technologies and future plans in the music world of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Baltics and Kazakhstan.
Colisium conventions had many professional speakers. Some of them to be named: Sat Bisla (Musexpo, USA), Tapio Korjus (Rockadillo records, Music & Media Finland), Michael Shurygin (NCA), Helen Sildna (Tallin Music Week), Onta Shiroh Kawaguchi (Summersonic, Japan), Alexander Tikhonov, Evgeny Safronov (Intermedia), Vaidas Stackevicius (Vilnius), Juha "Richie" Mattila (LiveNation), Anu Aittoniemi (Music & Media Finland), Artyom Troitskiy (musical critic), Ilya Bortnuk (Light Music) Semyon Galperin (Yekaterinburg), Natasha Padabed (More Zvukov, Berlin), Ilya Ostrovsky (Kubana Festival), Bas Grasmayer (Netherlands), Greg Goldenzweig (Sweden), Kari Pössi (Blue Buddha, Finland), Sami Peura (Sam Agency, Finland) and many others.
In 2014 Colisium has expanded its work for 6 cities in CIS: Moscow (Russia)St.Petersburg (Russia)Minsk (Belarus)Kiev (Ukraine)Almaty (Kazakhstan)Krasnoyarsk (Siberia, Russia)
Early bird registration:www.colisium.org
The Ting Tings
VIPNEWS > INDEPTH STORY > DECEMBER 2014
The Vital Importanceof Small VenuesAllan McGowan [email protected]
Venues Day
As I mentioned in the Musings, one of the
main areas of concern for the future of our
business is the development of new talent
– the headliners of the future, and the
importance of the small venues that are able
to give these new artists the opportunity
to develop their acts in front of audiences
which will become their vital fan base.
Many of these venues throughout Europe
are struggling to survive, many are having
to close down for many reasons, local
developments, lack of income and support,
legal restrictions etc. Moves are being
made to redress this situation, we have
reported on the activities of Associations
like The Music Venues Trust (UK), Liveurope
– based in the Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
and backed by EC Culture Funds, the Live
DMA European Network – and we urge
support for all of these organisations, and
any other initiatives that are currently in
place or in the planning.
The Venues Day event took place in
London on December 9th, but due to other
commitments we were not able to attend,
however our colleagues at the excellent
Music Tank were there, and Director,
Jonathan Robinson has kindly agreed
to act as our guest writer and to let use
feature his report on the small venues
situation in the UK and on the event:
Biog: www.musictank.co.uk/resources/speaker-biographies/jonathan-
robinson-programme-director-musictank
For a country which punches well above
its weight as one of only three global net
exporters of music, the disconnect between
that and the grass roots live music sector and
its role in supporting the next-generation of
hit-makers has arguably never been greater.
Little appears to have changed in the
ten years MusicTank has looked at issues
afflicting live, from noise abatement, and
Licensing Act reform to form 696 and
secondary ticketing.
In some areas the sector appears
overburdened in regulation which duplicates
pre-existing law (the Licensing Act 2003), yet
is crying out for more considered regulation
in others (ticketing and noise abatement).
Above all, regulation desperately needs to
better balance the live sector’s ecosystem
with consumers’ interests.
It’s beyond the realm of this editorial to
cover ‘chapter and verse’, the complex and
at times, conflicting interests of the live
music business, but the ‘helicopter view’ is
one of a (apparently) healthy, burgeoning
sector that’s pretty much out-performed
the recorded industry since 2009. Focusing
in on the detail reveals a stark division
between the record gross takings of sell-
out stadium tours commanding ever-higher
ticket prices (and for which there seems no
limit to consumer appetite), and the vital
small capacity venues sector that forms the
bedrock of grass-roots live performance,
which is fighting for its very survival.
With that in mind, the Music Venue Trust
should be congratulated in facilitating
Tuesday’s Venues Day, which drew a
capacity audience of venue owner/
operators the length and breadth of the
UK, unanimously galvanized in their daily
struggle to stay afloat.
Presented as celebration of small venues
rather than a funeral wake, it necessarily
began as gloomy discussion whose role call
of ‘macro’ issues remains all too depressingly
familiar – relaxed planning laws, threats
from development, indifferent landlords,
over zealous licensing enforcement,
neighbourhood intolerance and hard-nosed
breweries, chief among them. But there are
‘micro’ issues that continue to stifle. Informal
conversations with a range of stakeholders
present revealed internal mechanics of an
industry that doesn’t always appear to pull
in the same direction at the same time…
Small venue owners complain that promoters
don’t understand the venue business – that
venues can’t operate solely from the profit of
Jonathan Robinson
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VIPNEWS > INDEPTH STORY > DECEMBER 2014
‘wet’ sales (drinking at venues is in steady and
continued decline); that they can’t routinely
take a hit on splitting door takings unless
takings are sustained at capacity or near-to-
capacity levels; that the perilous economics of
running a venue are simply not understood
by other’s in the ecosystem – promoters,
musicians and booking agents alike.
The simple truth is that the vast majority of
small capacity live music venues ironically
can’t sustain themselves solely through live
music; rather they cross-subsidise live music
from the profit made by club nights and
private hires. It’s a pretty grim state of affairs.
Savages’ Jehnny Beth’s artist perspective
illustrated just how badly-served the artist
community can be by some in business of
live, be they promoter, venue or booking
agent – issues long-championed by Andy
Inglis (who frequently considered himself as
being in the customer service business first,
and the music industry second…)
The overzealous and pernicious way in which
noise abatement cases are brought (and
on an increasing basis and at great cost to
venues) remain the single biggest threat, in
a process that appears to be trying to catch
venues out, rather than working proactively
towards a mutually acceptable solution.
It’s with heavy anticipation that the venues
business awaits the outcome of heavy
lobbying, led by artist Frank Turner, for
the adoption of the ‘agent of change’
principle. This would place the responsibility
for incoming businesses bringing change to
an area to manage and be responsible for
that change, bringing to an end incidences
of, say, new residential developments near
pre-existing music venues forcing venues to
remedy noise issues.
Despite the inevitable gloom, there is a clear
desire to make the small venue experience
great; for venues to do their bit for new
music that they all feel so passionate about.
And amidst the call for unity (literally the
suggestion of the formation of a Union for
small venues), some interesting ideas were
floated:
lobbying Government for an extension of
the tax status recently afforded theatre and
orchestras (VAT is crippling small venue
businesses);
pooling of knowledge via a website (to help
each other);
booking agents ‘gifting’ back a successful
band, to, say a venue that helped them on
their way in the early years (supporting and
acknowledging the importance of this sector);
local authorities having to include cultural
policy as part of planning policy;
take a lead from Unesco and introduce its
protective status to areas of music heritage
and high cultural value;
further highlight the economic value
live music brings to cities, towns and
neighbourhoods;
make a case for state funding for UK bands
to be able to do UK tours (in the same way
funding is available for touring overseas);
learn from (and copy?) European state-
funded models for live music.
As commented by Music Venue Trust
founder, Mark Davyd, “…the ‘rule book’ for
the small venue sector was written in the
70s, little has changed since and there’s
been a definite lack in asking [government]
for what we need...it’s time to do something
radical.”
Having over-regulated music in small
capacity venues to within an inch of its life
the Government has latterly set about to
de-regulate it in part (small venue capacity
exemption), and for its part has proved it is
listening.
Much more could and should be done,
however. There’s a powerful economic
and cultural argument encompassing
employment, GDP and cultural value that
aren’t in anyone’s interests to be ignored.
First published by MusicTank in
their monthly newsletter here and
reproduced by kind permission.
MusicTank are seeking your thoughts on the
topic - comments can be made here...
Link to editorial: www.musictank.co.uk/
newsletters/dec-2014Frank Turner
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VIPNEWS > INDEPTH STORY > DECEMBER 2014
Following a hugely successful first year,
Independent Venue Week returns in 2015
with 5 times as many venues taking part all
around the UK. Frank Turner has taken over
the mantle as this year’s Ambassador from
Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood. The event is
supported by public funding by from Arts
Council England.
The 7 day series of gigs will run from 26th
January – 1st February 2015 across at least
85 venues. Some of the shows are curated
by a growing number of industry partners.,
including BBC Introducing, Xfm, Rough
Trade, Domino Records, Noisey, Boiler
Room, Communion, Huw Stevens, 13
Artists, The 405, Fierce Panda and Club
Fandango.
Also curating 2 nights is Xtra Mile, Frank
Turners label and Frank will be headlining
2 special shows for IVW, one of which is
at 93 Feet East where he played his first
ever gig. He commented, “It’s great to see
Independent Venue Week back again for a
second year and with so many more venues
taking part. There’s been so much support
recently for the work these places do and
opportunities they offer young and more
established artist. It’s vital we all celebrate
their existence during Independent Venue
Week and do what we can to support
them so they are still around for years to
come.”
Artists include Peace, Seth Lakeman,
Andrew Wetherall, White Fence, Edwyn
Collins, The Subways, The Blockheads,
Frankie & The Heartstrings with more to
be announced.
Helen Sprott, Director, Music at Arts Council
England said, “Independent music venues
are an invaluable part of our national music
ecology. They are often the places where
people across England first experience live
music and for many years these venues
have also provided the vascular system by
which artists have been able to tour the
nation. It is this dual role, nurturing both
audiences and talent, that sits at the heart
of Independent Venue Week and we are
delighted to be supporting this celebration
of grassroots music through our Grants for
the Arts programme.”
Further support from the music industry has
come, once again, from PRS for Music,
UK Music and The Musicians Union.
Speaking on behalf of PRS for Music, their
Head of Marketing Paul Sims said “We’re
delighted to be backing Independent Venue
Week for a second year. These venues are
the lifeblood of the live music scene and
our many members who perform there. Up
and down the country night after night,
they provide a crucial platform to new and
breaking acts to hone their stagecraft and
to try out the songs they have written in
front of an audience of live music fans.”
Independent venues sit at the heart of their
local community, providing a vital lifeline
to upcoming artists early in their careers
whilst bringing together those fans who
are passionate about live music. With more
and more small to medium sized venues
continuing to close around the country,
Independent Venue Week supports those
venues that play such a significant role to
musicians and fans alike.
“For us to grow fivefold in just one year
is amazing and shows just how strongly
people feel, from all across the industry,
about these venues and the role they play
both to breaking and touring artists and
to local fans all around the country” said
co-founder Sybil Bell. “It’s great to be
back again promoting a nationwide, week
long program of gigs with such a strong
list of venues, artists and partners. We’re
excited to help make January a really great
time for music fans to go to their local
venue and see some great live music and
hope they continue to support their venues
throughout the year.”
More Details:
www.independentvenueweek.com
www.facebook.com/
independentvenueweek
IndependentVenue WeekAllan McGowan [email protected]
Sybil Bell Independent Venue Week
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VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
Bestival organiser Rob da Bank is launching
a new non-camping festival called
Common People, which will take place
on Southampton Common in Hampshire
on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May
2015.
It’s promising a music line-up of live music
and DJs “from legendary stalwarts of
the festival scene and guaranteed crowd
pleasers, to the most exciting new acts that
are getting those in the know all hot under
the collar.”
The event will see The Flats area of The
Common – between The Lake, The Boating
Lake and The Cemetery Lake – fenced off but
there will not be overnight camping on site.
Common People curator Rob da Bank
commented: “I’m delighted to announce
that we are launching a new festival in
Southampton next year, our first new
venture since we started Camp Bestival
seven years ago. We have been inundated
with offers to start new festivals every year
but it wasn’t until we found the beautiful
site of the Common that we felt it was
right to start a new chapter in Bestival’s
history. This isn’t a camping show, it’s not a
tents, wellies and car packed to the rafters
experience… it’s a metropolitan two day
show easy to access and open to all ages,
compact but packed with experiences and
priced very, very reasonably. We can’t wait
to unveil our headliners and star cast for our
first Common People show in May. Watch
this space”
There are no acts confirmed yet, tickets are
not yet on sale, and the price has not yet
been announced. We’ll have the details for
you when they’re available.
Read more at www.efestivals.co.uk
New Festival by Rob da BankAllan McGowan [email protected]
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VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
Officially launched at The Great Escape
in 2013, the Momentum Music Fund is
being extended for another year beyond
its original two-year pilot.
The Fund was the first Arts Council
England initiative that directly funded
artists outside of the jazz, classical and
folk genres, and offers grants to enable
artists and their business partners to
pursue career-enhancing projects that
may include live or recording-based work,
seeking to complement investment made
in new talent by existing music industry
players such as labels and publishers.
Outgoing Arts Council boss Alan Davey
told reporters: “I’m proud of what
Momentum has achieved and excited
about what it can do. As we stated when
this fund was first announced, the Arts
Council are aware of the great work that
the music industry does in nurturing talent
by investing heavily in new and emerging
artists, but the path for talent to find its
way is riddled with uncertainty at key
points in an artist’s career. By focussing on
the artist and their needs, the Momentum
pilot has shown how we can do more to
support talent, and give that helping hand
at the right moment. This is where the fund
can, and has, played an important role:
backing talent where the industry can’t,
bridging gaps in investment, mobilising
better management and planning, and
helping to build a pipeline from local music
development programmes to national
exposure. This additional investment will
result in further evidence to help us do
more for music talent, and will show how
we can continue to make a real difference
to artists - that, after all, is what we should
be about”.
The Fund will continue to be run by the PRS
For Music Foundation, whose Executive
Director Vanessa Reed said: “We are
delighted to continue our partnership
with Arts Council England in delivering
the highly successful Momentum Music
fund which remains the most competitive
programme we have ever run at PRS For
Music Foundation. Over the last two years
Momentum has attracted a huge range of
applications from artists who need help
to boost their career. Those selected for
support include many of England’s most
talented artists who are now receiving
nominations for awards such as the
Mercury Prize, BRIT Awards, BBC Sound Of
Poll and many more. We look forward to
offering this unique funding opportunity
to more artists and to investing more in
the breadth of talent which contributes to
the ongoing success and global reputation
of the UK’s music industry.
Arts Council England Continues Support for MomentumMusic FundAllan McGowan [email protected]
Arts Council boss Alan Davey,photo by Richard Eaton
Director Vanessa Reed
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VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
Go online - www.vip-booking.com
Need to know who is touring Europe? ®
vip-booking.com
Organisers of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) have
announced a raft of changes to the 2015 event including a new
schedule and workshop programme. The changes allow ILMC to
offer more networking and private meeting space, as well as 50%
more panel content overall.
The announcement comes as the leading global gathering of concert
business professionals opens for registrations with its annual theme
– always an irreverent take on the business – revealed as caped
crusaders and wannabe superheroes. The invitation-only event
typically sells out in advance, welcoming over 1,000 delegates from
more than 60 countries.
“The main conference now runs from Thursday night to Sunday
afternoon, to better mirror delegate activity and free up more
meeting space,” says ILMC head Greg Parmley. “The changes are
the result of a lot of conversations with our members earlier this
year; we’re now more geared to the needs of the modern business
than ever.”
Details of the new workshop and panel schedule will be announced
in January just as entries to the ILMC Bursary Scheme close. The
scheme, designed to nurture young professional talent and start-
ups – supported by patrons Robertson Taylor W&P Longreach – was
announced last month.
ILMC 27 takes place at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington,
London, from 6-8 March 2015. Event partners include Live Nation,
AEG, Intellitix, Showsec, Star Events Group, Eventim, Airbeem, Feld
Entertainment, AXS, Dot Tickets and many more.
ILMC ’15Allan McGowan [email protected]
Key changes at the 2015 event include:
A new Thursday night opening partyA full day of conference sessions on
Friday 6 MarchA new educational workshop programme running across the weekend
An increased number of panel topicsThe launch of a ‘Tech Laboratory’ area featuring an invited range of innovative
start-ups.
Greg Parmley
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VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
A Couple of ListsAllan McGowan [email protected]
2014 UK Festival AwardsPublic-Voted Awards
Best Major Festival: Glastonbury FestivalBest Medium-Sized Festival: We Are FSTVLBest Small Festival: The Zoo Project FestivalBest New Festival: The Secret FestivalBest Family Festival: Camp BestivalBest Metropolitan Festival: Live At LeedsBest Dance Event: CreamfieldsThe Grass Roots Festival Award: LeopalloozaBest Overseas Festival: Tomorrowland (Belgium)
Best Toilets: V FestivalHeadline Performance Of The Year: The Libertines at British Summer Time, Hyde ParkBest Breakthrough Artist: Wolf AliceAnthem Of The Summer: Calvin Harris - Summer
Jury-Voted AwardsLine-Up Of The Year: Festival Number 6Best Use Of New Technology: The Parklife Weekender [for their revolutionary portable substance-analysis system supplied by The Loop, and working with Greater Manchester Police]Agency Of The Year: William Morris EndeavorConcession Of The Year: Goodness Gracious
Healthy FoodsThe Greener Festival Award: ShambalaThe Brand Activation Award: MalibuThe Extra-Festival Activity Award: Beat HerderPromoter Of The Year: Rich Bryan (Bearded Theory)The Outstanding Contribution To Festivals
Award: Rob Da Bank
10 Richest Recording Artists – According to Wealth-XAmounts are in U.S. dollars
1) Madonna $800 million2) Paul McCartney $660 million
3) Dr. Dre $650 million4) Diddy $640 million
5) Celine Dion $630 million6) Bono $590 million
7) Mariah Carey $520 million8) Jay Z $510 million
9) Elton John $450 million10) Beyonce $ 440 million
…and finally according to UK Collection Society PPL
The Most Played UK Christmas Songs
1. The Pogues (feat Kirsty MacColl) - Fairytale Of New York
2. Lily Allen - Somewhere Only We Know3. Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You4. Wham! - Last Christmas 5. Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody6. Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday7. Band Aid - Do They Know It’s Christmas? 8. Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas9. Leona Lewis - One More Sleep10. Shakin Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
As it’s nearly Christmas and I know how much you all like the occasional list,here are three to see you through to 2015!
Madonna
The Pogues (feat Kirsty
MacColl)- Fairytale Of
New York
15
VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
We can take it for granted that the festival
landscape in 2015 will look very different.
First announcements for new festivals such
as Tinderbox in Denmark by FKP Scorpio,
Der Ring Grüne Hölle Rock at Nürburgring
and its sister events Rockaviaria and Rock in
Vienna in Austria by DEAG and an edition of
the US-Event Lollapalozza in Berlin are only
the tip of a festival iceberg heading into
some sort of a climate change.
Competition is heating up. Newcomers such
as Bravalla in Sweden or the Best Kept Secret
in the Netherlands by the local branches of
FKP Scorpio or Down The Rabbit Hole by
Live Nation subsidy Mojo Concerts have
already indicated the new movement in the
festival circuit. Without any doubt the trend
is that the big players within the concert
industry are aiming to gain market shares
and to occupy niche-playgrounds as well as
the battlefield of big major festivals.
But the recent past has already proved that
all events are not assured of success. Within
just five years the Swedish market saw
the departure of events such as Hultsfred,
Arvika and Peace & Love. The Greenville-
Festival by Creative Talent failed in 2014 and
the unknown events (okay, amongst others
and for the record: the Berlin Festival) who
have already suffered losses are indicators
and presages for what the industry could
expect in 2015.
Sziget Cultural Management, the promoter
of the Sziget Festival in Hungary, for the first
time has started to book an edition of the
winter sport combined with music event
into its neighbouring country for the first
time in Vienna on November 21-22, running
simultaneously with the edition in Budapest
on November 21-24. Due to the mild winter
the Vienna edition has been re-located in
the indoor arena Marx Halle. The line up of
both events varies but both editions features
an extensive DJ-program with top acts such
as Fedde Legrand, Moguai, Grandmaster
Flash and Paul Kalkbrenner.
Fruzsina Szep, once a booker for the Sziget
festival has left Hungary and moved to
Berlin to work on the new Berlin edition
of Lollapalooza. Particularly the situation
in Germany has definitely heated up, so
this one is certainly an event that faces
a challenges as the festival market in the
German capital has already showed that it
is more than tough.
In Denmark alone FKP Scorpio found
their announcement of Tinderbox, being
referred to as a “declaration of war” by
Gunnar Madsen of the Danish Rock council
Rosa. Hopefully it won’t be so dramatic,
but certainly the festival season 2015 will
become more than interesting...
2015:Festivals in the Melting PotManfred Tari [email protected]
Fruzsina Szep, once a booker for the Sziget festival has left Hungary and moved to Berlin
16
VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
Previously to promote a concert or a festival
it just took some billboards, flyers, perhaps
some advertisements and proper PR-work
for printed press and radio. Today of course
it needs more. Communications around live
events have changed significantly and it is
not only the generation of digitals natives
who know how to serve and to handle a
modern communication environment for
music events.
The conversion of communication and new
media services is an ongoing process. Besides
social media gadgets such as Facebook,
Twitter or Instagram it is furthermore music
streaming services such as Deezer, Spotify
or SirusXM, that take up the opportunity to
replace the old school media format radio.
With this in mind, VIP News spoke with
Eric van Eerdenburg from Lowland Festival
and Richard Zijlma from Amsterdam Dance
Events about their findings regarding new
media experiments and the experience
gained from them.
VIP News: On the Lowland website
various new media services such as
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and so on
are prominently displayed. Whoich of
them are so called ‘media partners’ and
which are perhaps sponsors?
Eric van Eerdenburg: None of them are
sponsors. None of them are official media
partners. Again, the fans subscribe to our
festival pages on these services. They are
communication channels. We need to be
where the fans are.
VIP News: What are your main
conclusions regarding the data gained
by Spotify in reference to this year’s
Lowland edition?
Van Eerdenburg: It gives a great insight into
the importance of festivals in discovering
new music. The dynamics of a festival are
different from a headline show, or small
specialized festival. People that don’t
necessarily buy a ticket for the festival to see
certain acts, still try to find out about the
acts that they do not know. And this survey
proves they do it in large numbers. Unlike a
lot of other big festivals Lowlands is a festival
that does not exclusively thrive on headliners,
but on ‘subliners’ and debuting acts; an ideal
festival to put on the acts that are looking for
a bigger audience.
In the old days one tried to sell tickets at the
specialized record stores for unknown acts.
That’s the place where the true music fans
would be. Almost 70% of the Lowlands fans
use Spotify. This number will grow since it’s
a very well organised service. We need to be
where the music fans are. Artists that are not
on this type of service are not of this age. It’s
this, or it’s piracy.
VIP News: How many people are
working for Lowlands to serve the
various new media channels?
Van Eerdenburg: I have three people working
on promotion, mixed on- and offline at the
peak promotion times. It’s not a separate
thing. They run Lowlands & Down The
Rabbit Hole. More and more Social Media
gains importance in communication with our
audience.
VIP News: On the ADE website various
new media services such as Instagram,
Facebook, Twitter and Google are
prominently displayed. Nevertheless,
the “media reports” section is also spiked
with many media reports from ranging
Multimedia For FestivalsManfred Tari [email protected]
Eric van Eerdenburg, Lowlands
17
VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014
from 3voor12, BBC, Guardian NBC News.
How much has ADE meanwhile turned
itself into a media venture and what is
the strategy behind this?
Richard Zijlma: The essence is simple;
we try to connect and to engage with
both electronic music lovers and music
professionals worldwide. I think, as we all
do, nowadays, that we all switch during the
day to new media and old media, between
online and off line all the time. I think ideally
the presence of an event like ADE should be
prominent in all those fields. And of course
we are focused on increasing presence
online more and more. For example I think
a communication staff member should start
watching his phone instead working behind
a desktop, cause most online time is now
spent on the phone. The whole landscape
has changed over the years. I love the
challenges and specifically we like to work
with those companies because they know
how to connect with the audience, have
a lot of relevant data and they are upfront
when in comes to innovation which fits the
key values ADE has. For example we worked
also with Spotify and agreed to work on
specific values; bring reach, engagement
and innovation. The partnership ended very
successfully. For example we had homepage
takeover in several countries during ADE for
example USA and Mexico!
VIP News: You even ran ADE Radio for
the first time. How does it work and
what is your experience of working with
SiriusXM?
Richard Zijlma: There was a lot of demand
from international radio station to cover ADE.
With ADE Radio we were able to make this
efficient for both parties and were able to
control this content. We broadcast live and
also recorded dedicated shows. Total reach
was about 30 million listeners globally so a
great next step. Serius SM for example had a
reach of 9 million listeners in the states!
VIP News: What are your main conclusions
regarding the data gained by Spotify in
reference to this years ADE edition? Very
interesting of course; we just hired a staff
member purely focused on data, cause
we now want to interpret all the data we
collected from all platforms, our own website
and ticket sales for example. To be honest
some outcome even surprises me, on the
other hand I have to be honest, this is also for
us a relatively new field.
Philipp Jacob-Pahl and Carlo Luis Ruben
Schenk who formerly worked for the
AS.S. Concerts subsidy Selective Artists
have moved on to Landtstreicher Booking.
Previously based in Cologne, they will
launch a new local office for the Berlin based
concert company. The move bring artists
such as Milky Chance, Woodkid, Anne May
Kantereit, Juli, James Vincent McMorrow,
We Were Promised Jetpacks and Ásgeir
to the Landstreicher Booking roster. In
September the company celebrated their
five year anniversary and now looks after
76 artists, including Kraftklub, Casper and
the wonderful First Aid Kit. Landstreicher
Booking now employs around 25 people
and also launched its first open air event
with Splash Entertainment in 2013 with the
Kosmonaut Festival in Chemnitz
Shortly after the departure of Jacob-Pahl
and Schenk, A.S.S. Concerts announced the
opening of an office for Selective Artists in
Berlin where Robin Shaw will be based. A
team including Christoph Pancke, Sabine
Wittern, Wiebke Kulpa, Katharina Wortberg
will additionally handle Selective Artists
and Taika Jansen in the A.S.S. Concerts
headquarters in Hamburg.
For further information please check:
www.landstreicher-booking.de/en/
category/acts/
www.selectiveartists.com/
Moving OfficesManfred Tari [email protected]
Richard Zijlma,Amsterdam Dance Events
Carlo Luis Ruben Schenk Philipp Jacob-Pahl
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19
VIPNEWS > DECEMBER 2014VIPNEWS > BUSINESS > NOVEMBER 2014 MUSIC IN SHARES
It is time again for the annual review of the
share price development of our beloved cor-
porate concert companies over the recent
year and some other news that might inter-
est the financial as well as the music busi-
ness community:
CTS Eventim - Between Gaining- and
Growth-Strategies:
Investors love growth stories and CTS Even-
tim delivers them. In the first nine months
CTS Eventim has been able to increase its
revenue result of 5.7 percent from 444.1 up
to 469.3 million Euros. Therewith in line the
Earnings Before Interests, Taxes, Deprecia-
tion & Amortisation (EBITDA) also grow 5.2
percent from 86 to 90.4 million Euros.
The ticketing segment as usual with CTS
Eventim drove the profit results. In terms of
revenue the ticketing division gained 192.6
million Euro, the EBITDA therefore rose 19
percent from 56.7 up to 67.5 million Euros.
The Live-Entertainment division kept its rev-
enue level but wasn’t able to maintain its
profit ratio. The reported revenue for the
first nine months was 282.4 compared to
280.5 million Euro in the same period one
year ago. The EBITDA decreased by 21.5
percent from 29.2 down to 23 million Euros.
Anyhow, the share price within one year
gained 24 percent. On December 16, 2013
the share price was at 18.60, on December
15, 2014 it stood at 23.18 Euros.
DEAG - Some Sort Of An Out Performer:
Meanwhile like CTS Eventim DEAG also re-
leased its business results for the first nine
month of the ongoing business year of 2014.
DEAG increased its revenue from 125.2 up
to 129.5 million Euros and its EBITDA from
6.6 up to 6.8 million Euros. While these
growth rates are not so impressive it is the
share price that show a huge step forward.
Last year at the same time the share price
was 4.20, this time it is at 6.81 Euro. The
share price performance therewith gained a
top result of 83.5 percent.
Live Nation - Not Yet An Out Performer:
The share price development for Live Nation
is doing well, in terms of percentages not so
impressive as that of DEAG but better than
CTS Eventim. Nevertheless in terms of the
share price itself, Live Nation certainly plays
in a different league to DEAG.
One year ago the share price for Live Nation
was at $18.73, this time it is $25, an increase
of 36.86 percent. The annual peak for this
share was at $27.42, the current market
capitalisation is at $5 billion. For comparison
the market cap of DEAG is 115 million Euros,
the one of CTS Eventim is 2.19 billion Euro.
SFX Entertainment - Ouch...
The share price development of SFX Enter-
tainment looks like a tragedy. Last year’s
IPO price in October was $13, currently the
share price is at $3.73. The market cap still is
at $348.68 million but how and when those
initial investors that bought these shares
somewhere in October 2013 will recoup
their investment, may need a miracle.
CAA & Spotify - On The Waiting List:
Rumours for an Initial Public Offering of
streaming service Spotify have been flutter-
ing around already for quite a while. Those
for Creative Artist Agency (CAA) are a bit
more solid so to say. At least the rating
agency Moody’s reported in an evaluation
of credit facilities of $610 million for CAA
that an IPO in the future is likely.
By the way, Moody’s rate the credit qual-
ity with the note “B2 corporate family rat-
ing”, which is according to rating schemes
by rating agency “being speculative and a
high credit risk”. The rating covers a first lien
credit scheme of $610 million, consisting of
100 million revolver credit with a run time
of five years and a $510 million loan B credit
lasting seven years.
CAA apparently took this financial move in
consideration when the investment compa-
ny TGP increased its stake from 35 up to 52
percent in October and therewith would like
to finance payments to key company mem-
bers of about $400 million.
MusicIn SharesManfred Tari [email protected]
VIPNEWS > MISC > NOVEMBER 2014
Orquesta Buena Vista Social ClubTerritory: Scandinavia, Eastern EU, UK, IrelandPeriod: June-JulyAgency: Sasa MusicAgent: David FlowerPhone: +44 20 7359 9232E-mail: [email protected]: www.sasamusic.com
TinariwenTerritory: Scandinavia, Netherlands, Eastern EU, UK, IrelandPeriod: May - September 2015Agency: Sasa MusicAgent: George PrincePhone: +44 20 7359 9232E-mail: [email protected]: www.sasamusic.com
THE ORCHESTRA starring ELO former members Territory: WorldwidePeriod: 2014-2015Agency: World Entertainment Associates of AmericaAgent: John Regna - Artist Agent/ManagerPhone: +1 407-993-4000E-mail: [email protected]: www.THEORCHESTRAonline.com
Bo Kaspers Orkester Territory: World widePeriod: By requestAgency: Lifeline EntertainmentAgent: Michael HenrikssonE-mail: [email protected]: wwwlifeline.se
[novox]Territory: All territoriesPeriod: All yearAgency: Z productionAgent: Z productionPhone: +33683863049E-mail: [email protected]: novox.zproduction.org
Yolanda Duke Latin Jazz All Stars EnsembleTerritory: WorldPeriod: From 2014Agency: Amigos Music Co.Agent: Andy GrullonPhone: +1-646-201-2442E-mail: [email protected]: www.yolandaduke.com
MORE ARTIST AVAILS ON:WWW.VIP-BOOKING.COM
POST YOUR ARTIST AVAILS ON:WWW.VIP-BOOKING.COM
ARTIST AVAILS
Yolanda Duke Latin Jazz All Stars Ensemble
MEMBER PRESENTATION
Sziget Festival
About Our Company
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Sziget festival is the biggest musical and cultural festival in Central Europe–a seven-
day multicultural expo offering more than 800 programs on more than 30 venues.
Sziget means island in Hungarian and the festival, in addition to being on an island in
the heart of Budapest, is an island in the metaphorical sense. Sziget has a unique at-
mosphere: it is a meeting place, a musical and cultural show, a life-style, an enormous
cafe and party place, a place of learning about the world and each other. No matter
what style of music you like listening or dancing to, you will find the place of your taste.
You can enjoy performances, shows, you can party and dance or just walk around
and gaze at the ever-increasing flow of interesting and different people passing by.
From the beginning in 1993 until 2001 Sziget’s capacity has grown from 43,000 to
over 360,000 over the seven days of the event presenting stars such as Jethro Tull, Ten
Years After, Jefferson Starship, Byrds, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Eric Burdon, Stranglers,
Jeff Healey, Clawfinger, Slash, The Bates, Stone Roses, Iggy Pop, The Prodigy, The
Levellers, Sonic Youth, Therapy?,Galliano, David Bowie, Apollo 440, Motörhead, Toy
Dollz, Rollins Band, Chumbawamba, Faith No More, Foo Fighters, New Model Army,
Cardigans, DEUS, Boney M, Shane McGowan, Coolio, Trans-global Underground,
Rammstein, Mory Kante, Goldie, Patti Smith, Green Day, Brand New Heavies, Kool
and the Gang, Suede, Faithless, Guano Apes, Jovanotti, Baaba Maal, Apocalyptica,
The Klezmatics, Liquido, Rachid Taha, Paradise Lost, Asian Dub Foundation, Suzanne
Vega, Mambo Kurt, The Bloodhound Gang, Lou Reed, HIM, Bad Religion, Oasis, The
King, H Blockx, K”s Choice, Bomfunk MC’s, Noir Desir, Run DMC, Fun-Da-Mental,
Morcheeba, Leningrad Cowboys, Frestylers, Incognito, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Ash, Placebo
20