vip-news premium - vol 164 january 2014

VIPNEWS PREMIUM > VOLUME 164 > JANUARY 2014

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VIPNEWS > JANUARY 2014

McGowan’s Musings

Welcome to the first VIP News of the year,

I hope you all had a great holiday and that

you’re now in the process of setting up a

successful and happy 2014! As ever the

new year conference season kicked off

with another sold out edition of Eurosonic/

Noorderslag in Holland. The VIP team were

out in force and though the weather in

Groningen was not great – too much rain

and an excess of grey, the atmosphere in the

Oosterport and in the venues and bars was

to say the least lively and spirits were high.

Although certain territories were still feeling

the economic pinch throughout 2013, many

companies and individual s were reporting very

good and in some cases best ever results from

the year, entering 2014 with high expectations

and a great deal of optimism. A first day panel

looked at the rising international touring

figures with the help of Pollstar and promoters

from the UK, Holland and Germany were very

positive. Although there had been reports

from the German promoters Association

the BDVA, that there had been an overall

decline in the live business, this was not the

experience of FKP Scorpio, with MD Stephan

Thandscheit reporting a record year. As the

first major trade event of the year Eurosonic

is something of a barometer for the state of

the current and ongoing business in general

and without taking too much for granted the

readings seem encouraging. (See report in this

issue.)

On the downside Ingela, wife of Eurosonic

organiser Ruud Berends suffered an

unfortunate accident in Groningen, and

had to be hospitalised after falling down a

metal staircase in the early hours of Saturday

morning , she is happily now back at home

and we, and I’m sure many of you, wish her a

full and speedy recovery.

Back at home the rain still fell and everything

seemed damp – but then I do live by the

sea! But you’ll possibly be glad to know

that the seagulls are up to their old tricks,

on my first day back in the office I heard a

tapping at the window, oh no I thought it’s

Shitty back to annoy me, but no, it is I think

(huge resounding horror film organ chord

goes here…) Son of Shitty! Not yet white, still

grey and mottled of feather, but somehow -

presumably genetically - aware of the art of

infuriating window tapping… I see trouble

ahead!

Sorry about that diversion, but I’m aware that

some people like to know these things… In the

world of the live music industry much seems

to be happening in the UK, with a new UK/US

Agency joint venture being announce d, a UK

Conference taking itself off to New York (See

stories in this issue), and Festivals falling over

themselves to announce their 2014 line ups

even before the Christmas turkey has been

digested!

So, all we need now is a bit of sunshine and

the future for 2014 looks bright, as ever make

sure that you let us know how things are

going with your business and in your territory

in general, so….excuse me, someone seems

to be tapping at the window, I’ll have to go.,

in the meantime Ladies and Gentlemen – the

News!

COLOPHON >

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3


Here Come the

2014 Conferences!Allan McGowan [email protected]

Following on from Eurosonic the next two

major industry events take place in Cannes,

South of France and London.

MIDEM, the longest running of all the industry

events has moved back slightly this year, so

maybe the sun will shine on the Croisette

in Cannes as in olden days, following pretty

grey weather in the past couple of years.

MIDEM will run from 1-4 February, and The

VIP team will be in attendance alongside

luminarie s such as Marc Geiger, Global Head

of Music at William Morris Enterprises (WME)

US, Lyor Cohen – Founder 300 – US, Jean –

Michel Jarre – Composer/Producer and now

President of CISAC.

Then of course the 26th edition of the

International Live Music Conference (ILMC)

returns to the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington,

London from Friday March 7-Sunday March 9.

You have to be invited to attend the leading

event of the live industry, but if you can get

two industry figures that have previously

attended to recommend you, then you are

welcome to register. Although ILMC proper

starts on Friday, Thursday sees the third edition

of the ILMC Production Meeting (IPM) and in

the evening The ITB Showcase takes place

at the Archangel while things take off at the

Royal Garden with the IPM Closing Drinks.

ILMC is famous for each edition having a dif-

ferent theme – this year it’s Circus,

But I’m pretty sure no animals, apart from

the odd promoter driven wild by the antics of

Agents, will appear on the Conference floors,

in the corridors or the bars where the non-

stop networking will take place!

We’ll bring you more news on the Confer-

ence Agenda in the next issue.

For full details so far go to www.ilmc.com or

to register apply to [email protected]

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UK and US Agencies Announce Joint Venture Allan McGowan [email protected]

In a Press Release from London and Los Angeles earlier this month

the UK’s CODA Agency and the US based Paradigm have announced

the setting up of a joint venture partnership. This formalisation of a

global alliance sees Paradigm acquire a 50% stake in the company

CODA Agency Limited.

CODA Music Agency celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012 and

has grown rapidly in recent years representing over 500 artists and

DJs from numerous genres. The company’s Directors are Agents Alex

Hardee, James Whitting, Marty Diamond, Rob Challice and Tom

Schroeder supported by Greg Bestick, Dave Hallybone and Managing

Director Claire Horseman. The company currently works with artists

including: Bastille, Bon Iver, Disclosure, Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sande,

Imagine Dragons, Jake Bugg, Rudimental, The XX, The Lumineers and

many others.

Paradigm is one of the entertainment industries major talent

agencies , with 130 agents in Beverly Hills, New York, Nashville

and Monterey, guiding the careers of an elite roster of clients in

motion pictures, television, music, theatre, comedy, publishing,

digital media , physical production, commercials and voice-overs.

Considered a taste maker in the Music business, Paradigm represents

a wide range of highly respected artists including; Aerosmith, Black

Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, Ed Sheeran, Eli Young

Band, fun., Imagine Dragons, Janelle Monae, Jason Mraz, Phish and

Toby Keith amongst many others.

The agreement with CODA will be the second joint venture partnership

for Paradigm, following their agreement with AM Only, a leading

electronic dance music agency representing such international stars

and Grammy winning artists as David Guetta, Skrillex and Tiesto, in

January 2012.

Marty Diamond, Paradigm’s Head of its East Coast Music Division

said, “We have been working closely and successfully with CODA

for many years and share common values and a deep commitment to

artist development. This new partnership is the next logical step as we

continue to carefully grow our Music Division with the artists interests

always at the forefront of our planning.”

Sam Gores, Chairman and CEO of Paradigm said, “We could not be

happier to start the New Year with this partnership with CODA, a

terrific group of agents who are dedicated to growing artists careers

the right way. This furthers our strategy of aligning with agencies

around the globe that share our values and our commitment to the

highest quality representation.”

VIP News spoke to Coda MD Claire Horseman and Director/Agent

Rob Challice about the new joint venture:

Claire Horseman only took over as MD at CODA in March last year,

having previously had a successful career working for BMG and

Columbia .

Rob Challice,Coda Agency

Claire Horseman,Coda Agency

4


How did your move to Coda and into the Agency business

come about?

– Horseman: Someone said to me I’ve seen a job that’s got your name

written all over it! So I went in and met all the Partners. I only really

knew Alex Hardee (Coda Director/Agent), we worked together on

Calvin Harris’s debut album project. He was probably the only Agent

who I worked closely with back then. I had never thought that labels

worked well, or closely enough, with Agents (except perhaps if you

were working indie/rock acts), and when marketing budgets got

squeezed the need for tour support always got questioned. Now it’s

much more integral, and of course live is a massive part of an artist’s

development and career.

How has it been since you took over looking after the Coda

business?

– Horseman: It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster ride since moving from

the record industry side to the live business, but it’s allowed me to

bring in some fresh ideas and a new approach, and the deal with

Paradigm has certainly followed on from that.

What do you think was the main reason for this deal coming

together when it did?

– Horseman: The two Agencies have worked together for quite a

while and there is a lot of mutual respect. Following the completion

of their deal with AM Only, Paradigm was looking for other areas in

which to expand, and it seemed quite natural to approach CODA.

Other Companies had made approaches, but Paradigm has a very

similar style and there was a lot of common ground. CODA was set up

as an LLP, so we formed CODA Agency Ltd as the entity to complete

a 50/50 partnership.

What do you think are the main strengths of the coming

together of these two Agencies?

– Horseman: For a start, unlike some Agencies, the Directors are

all still Agents, Marty Diamond of Paradigm is also on the Board of

CODA and it’s my job to run the business side. Both Paradigm and

CODA are very strong in an A & R sense and tip each other off when

they come across something of interest. The main thing is that with

both Companies the main motivation is whatever’s right for the artist.

The joint venture will enable the two agencies to pool their expertise

and resources on a global basis.

I was wondering whether this deal would be exclusive enough

to stop you working with other agents in the US or will it allow

you to continue working relationships with other agents that

you have worked with previously?

– Rob Challice: Coda will continue sharing clients with other agencies

in USA, i.e. where we book an act in Europe and they book the act

in North America. The same applies to Paradigm, where they have

clients they book in North America and there are other agencies

booking the band here. We firmly believe in managers placing their

artists with the most appropriate agents in respective territories. Also,

we don’t want to go down the route of ‘making’ one of our agents

represent a band that they don’t believe in, that ethos remains at the

centre of how we make decisions.

5

Sam Gores,Paradigm Agency

Marty Diamond,Coda Agency

6


The’ Take Away Concert Experience’ continues.... German company

Bleeker Street Entertainment will join Simple Minds on their European

tour and provide fans with instant live recordings on USB-sticks

throughout the UK act’s upcoming tour.

Every concert will be recorded, mastered and made available for

purchase by fans immediately following each show. This special

audio-merchandise -item will consist of recordings delivered in an

MP3-format and delivered on 4 gigabyte USB-sticks.

The ‘official bootleg’ costs 30 Euro and will be offered in the

concert venues or can be bought afterwards on the web site

www.bleecker-street-shop.com/

Concert-To-Go with Simple MindsManfred Tari [email protected]

BACK TO GROWTH?

MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE!

1-4 February, 2014Palais des FestivalsCannes, France

Midem, the leading international business event for the music ecosystem. Register now and save €100 on midem.com(Special rates for artists, students and young companies)

To exhibit, advertise or showcase your product, call Javier Lopez now on 020 7528 0086 or [email protected]

Meet rising start-up stars

& VCs at MidemLab

Source new international talent

Case study Rita Ora’s

success with VEVO’s ‘Lift’

video platform

Get inspired by Marc Geiger

Global Head of Music –

William Morris Endeavor

Entertainment (USA)

Place your music with Nike, Microsoft, Philips…

Gain insight, make connections and accelerate business.

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www.midem.com


7

Glastonbury Festival has announced the

details of this year’s emerging talent

competition , which gives unsigned artists

from the UK and Ireland the chance to

compete for a slot on one of the main stages

at the festival.

Scouting For Girls, Stornaway, Treetop

Flyers and The Subways to name a few

have all taken part in previous editions of

the competition . Last year’s winners Bridie

Jackson and the Arbour played five sets at

Glastonbury last year.

Acts will be able to enter the competition

between 20 and 27 January via

www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/information/

emerging-talent-competition-performing/”

festival’s website.

Once entry closes, a panel of around 40 of

the UK’s top online music writers will help

compile a longlist of 120 acts. The longlist

will then be whittled down to a shortlist of

eight artists by judges including Glastonbury

organisers Michael and Emily Eavis, before

a live final showcase in April decides the

winning act.

Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis said:

“We get very excited about new music, and

the emerging talent competition is just a

brilliant way for us to discover fresh talent.”

“Our stage bookers come down to the live

finals, and dozens of the acts who’ve entered

over the years have been given a slot at the

festival.”

“We can’t wait to see what this year’s

competition brings.”

Last month Arcade Fire were announced as

the first headliners for this year’s festival,

which will take place between 25 and 29

June at Worthy Farm in Somerset.

Glastonbury Festival Emerging Talent Competition Allan McGowan [email protected]

Emily Eavis,Glastonbury

14 -17 januarY 2015

groningen, nl

The

platform

Europeanmusic

The

platform

Europeanmusic

The

platform

Europeanmusic

The

platform

Europeanmusic

EUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG WORDT GEORGANISEERD DOOR SPONSORENEUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG WORDT GEORGANISEERD DOOR SPONSORENEUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG WORDT GEORGANISEERD DOOR SPONSORENEUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG WORDT GEORGANISEERD DOOR SPONSORENThank you for attending

Eurosonic Noorderslag 2014

See you next year

Early bird registration and

act submission open May 1, 2014

Act submission closes September 1, 2014

Previous edition in numbersTotal amount of visitors (sold out) . . . . 38,500Conference visitors (sold out) . . . . . . . . 3,275Nationalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337Number of stages @ Eurosonic . . . . . . 36Number of stages @ Noorderslag . . . . 11Media & journalisten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307EBU radio stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30ETEP festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89International festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl

VIPNEWS > JANUARY 2014 > INDEPTH STORY > EUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG 2014

Eurosonic Noorderslag 2014 - Peace, Love & Business Allan McGowan [email protected]

Groningen in January has become a

lovely tradition. A host of players from the

Europea n live music business and even from

further afield, make this pilgrimage to the

famous town in the North of the Netherlands

each year, celebrating the start of the new

year with a stimulating trip involving talents,

tokens and travel adventures...

Without any doubt, Eurosonic Noorderslag is

one of the best music conventions in Europe.

With a slight increase in concert goers and

officially 25 more international delegates,

another sold out edition of this convention

yet again provided a fresh opening to the

business agenda for a new year.

There is certainly no lack of talent. As usual

Eurosonic Noorderslag provided a well-

chosen bill of new artists and for the business

buddies an interesting line up of keynote

and panel speakers and interviewees such

as CAA’s Emma Banks, Lucy Dickens of ITB,

Folkert Koopmans of FKP Scorpio, and a

video message from a well known German

promoter at the European Festival Awards.

Memorable moments? Stefan Lehmkuhl

from Melt Booking confessing while winning

the price of the festival line up 2013, that

he never expected to win an award for a

money losing festival and Ivan Milivojev of

Exit Festival who sharply concluded regarding

RFID-systems for festivals “I am using it to

make money, not to promote it!”

With the ‘beer crate sessions’ Eurosonic has

created a new conference format, presenting

single speakers in a cross between a lecture

and a personal Q&A session. The informal

character of these sessions actually seems to

work better than the more official speeches,

such as the keynote by Karel Barták from

the European Commission, who presented

Creative Europe, the new culture support

program from the EU.

Apropos Creative Europe, following the

demise of the European Music Office (EMO)

which was forced to file insolvency in October

2013, a group of 17 music export offices met

during the convention and agreed on to join

forces in order to fill the gap left by the closure

of the office. The new network will be known

as ‘European Music Exporters Exchange’ but

it is not yet known whether this organisation

will install and maintain an office in Brussels,

the political and administrative nerve centre of

Europe, to continue to lobby for the benefit

and the needs of popular music.

Eurosonic Noorderslag has reached a level

where many things occur simultaneously –

it’s busy! It has become almost impossible to

follow up on all of the developments, notabl e

information or concerts during this event.

Meanwhile the event continues to deliver an

ongoing flow of valuable issues and encounter s

that are essential to the present and future of

the European music business. With all this in

mind, the Eurosonic Noorderslag team once

again delivered an extremely well produced

and fruitful convention.

There was only one real gripe which

concerned the RFID-payment-system in

the delegate bar on Saturday evening (the

Noorderslag show which concentrates on

Dutch talent) in the main venue Oosterport .

In reference to Ivan Milivojev’s previous

statement this RFID-system needs to be

improved , as the payment-procedures took

three-times longer than a beer is be tapped...

Networking at Eurosonic 2014

9

The Winners Of the European Festival AwardsYES Group H&S Innovation AwardPresented in association with the YES Group and ICM&SSPaleo Festival

Best New FestivalB.my.Lake

Festival Anthem of the YearDaft Punk - Get Lucky

Best Indoor Festival Metal Hammer Paradise

The Green Operations AwardIn association with the GO Group Way Out West

Best European Festival Line-UpBerlin Festival

Newcomer of the YearIn association with Eurosonic NoorderslagImagine Dragons

Artist’s Favourite European Festival Lowlands

Headliner of the YearArctic Monkeys

Promoter Of The Year FKP Scorpio

Best Small Festival FUSION Festival (Romania)

Best Medium-Sized FestivalIn association with Eventbrite Melt! Festival

Best Major Festival in association with Intelligent Venue SolutionsEXIT Festival

Lifetime Achievement AwardMarek Lieberberg

Marek Lieberberg

The First ETEP-Chart 2014

Jungle / 7

Royal Blood / 5

Milky Chance / 5

Sam Smith / 4

George Ezra / 4

Eurosonic Noorderslag

in figures

Total visitors ESNS (sold out): 38.500

(previous year: 35.000)

Conference visitors (sold out): 3,275 (3,250)

Nationalities: 39 (45)

Acts: 337 (304)

Number of stages at Eurosonic: 36 (36)

Number of stages at Noorderslag; 11(12)

Media & journalists: 307 (404)

EBU radio stations: 30 (31)

ETEP festivals: 89 (78)

International festivals: 419 (417)

The Winners of the European Border Breaker Awards 2014The EBBA’s celebrates European artists that have achieved cross border success with their first international release.

Disclosure (UK),

Icona Pop (SE),

Jacco Gardner (NL), Envy (NO),

Zedd (DE),

Lukas Graham (DK),

Kodaline (IE), – also won the celebrated

EBBA ‘Public Choice Award’

GuGabriel (AT),

Asgeir (IS) and

Woodkid (FR).10


The Return of Barnaby Harodd to Eurosonic Noorderslag The delegates at this edition of Eurosonic Noorderslag ranged from

RFID-providers from New Zealand and tekkie masterminds from

SXSW Interactive in Austin/Texas. However, VIP News picked on

Barnaby Harodd from Mercury Wheels in Madrid and asked him

about his experience of the current edition of this convention:

What is your impression of Eurosonic Noorderslag 2014?

– It’s great, crazy madness that is my impression. It’s good crazy

madness !

Are you here for the first time?

– No, I came here like 10 years ago and then I stopped coming

because early January is the only time where I can have my holidays

and where I can turn my mobile-phone off. But now they’ve changed

to a later date, I think it’s now nearly the third week, it that means I

can come again. It’s changed a lot, it’s much bigger now.

Do you come more for business relations or to see bands here?

– I came mainly for business; how should I put this….we’ve drafted

a couple of agreements. We haven’t signed anything yet, but one is

about to confirm. But we have also made some deal proposals that

we will take up again on Monday and Tuesday next week. I’m working

with Daniel Poveda who has been doing a festival in Northern Spain,

the Vida-Festival. It is a much loved and well respected festival, it’s

been running for 10 years and in the last 3 years it’s been sold out. It

started as a small festival for about 1.500 people, but now Danny’s

got to move to a bigger capacity for about 10.000 people. I’m doing

the international booking for this festival. So one of the reasons why

I’m here is to check out possibilities and availabilities for bands for the

summer season.

In terms of the economic situation in Spain these days, how is

it when you are talking here to UK agents or other European

agents?

– We made an offer, a very big offer, I can’t say who it is, but it was

a big act. In the end it didn’t happen because the offer from another

bidder was twice as much as what I was offering. I thought my offer

was already a high one and when I called the agent he took the

phone and said “Ah, Barnaby, the guy from the other country ran out

of money.” I think that says it all.

But what matters most for you, looking for talent or rather to

meet the right people that can ensure a proper future for your

company?

– I think it’s both, you know. We meet a lot of people and it’s always

good to see people that you’ve been in contact with by e-mail. I’ve

seen a lot of people this weekend who I only exchanged e-mails with

before. And that’s a very good thing, when you see someone you

can look them in the eyes, you can actually relate to somebody a

lot more, it’s very helpful. So, when you send the next e-mail next

Tuesday or even a few weeks later, you already have a closer bond

with this person because you’ve seen him, you’ve had a beer with

him, you’ve laughed. That’s important.

We’ve also seen some acts we really like, so we’re looking for talents as

well and we’ve made a lot of deals. So, pretty much all of it, checking

out talents, making business deals and seeking new partners.

What’s the next convention you’re heading to?

– Texas, South by Southwest. Oh, actually no, the next convention is

the annual meeting of the Spanish promoter association APM, that’s

in mid February. It’s going to take place in Saragossa and there will be

some new promoters I think. There I will sit down with all the Spanish

promoters, some of them are really rivals, you know, we’re fighting

about bands. But when we meet and have a nice glass of whatever

then we are friends again.

Has the market in Spain got a little bit better?

– They say it’s getting better, we had a 0,3 percent growth in the last

quarter, but I still think our problem in Spain is the VAT, which went

up from 8 up to 21 percent.

Do you expect that APM will be able to find a way to resolve

this tax issue?

– They’ve tried very hard, we’ve had some fairly good answers from

the Government, there are couple of ministers that say that maybe

it was a bad idea to increase V.A.T. on culture tickets. APM will join

up with the cinema and the theatre people and will create a single

culture lobby. We will continue to raise awareness and we will show

them how many jobs are being lost. We’ve got nearly 50 percent less

tours, that’s too much for everybody. Some promoters are going out

of business; some promoters have laid people off. We pay 30 percent

on tax and royalty deductions, so what shall we do? Our rivals in

France are paying 11 percent. So, of course I lose tours and I lose

bands. That’s more a problem for us than the actual financial crisis.

For more information please check www.mercurywheels.com

11


At the Bar with Robert Meijerink

It is one of these traditions at Eurosonic

Noorderslag, catching up with Robert

Meijerink towards the end of the event.

Meijerink is the booker of the Eurosonic

festival and as such the most relevant talent

supplier or coordinator for the European

Talent Exchange Program

VIP News: Are you happy now?

– Yes, I am really happy, yes.

What have been the biggest pleasures

and what were the most unlikely things

that you experienced at this edition of

Eurosonic Noorderslag?

– To answer the first question: When we

started booking this festival, we asked

ourselves how we could move it up to

another level. How can we re-invent the

heart of Eurosonic and try to make things

better, learn from the faults of the previous

year. That’s always a good position to start,

but when it comes to booking you have to

deal with lots of music and you have many

choices. Every year, in that process, it’s

alway s hard to find a way; but in the end

we do find our way. Now about the negative

things – we had to deal with difficult things

in the booking-process, like, the confirmed

venue Huize Maas was badly damaged by

a fire last year. As a booker you look at the

entire festival from a helicopter perspective.

You try to give every artist the best spot that

is possible and ensure that the people, not

only the delegates, can find their way, so

they can enjoy the program in the best way

possible . When the cancellation of a venue

comes so late in the game, it’s like you really

have to start all over again.

When did this news reach you?

– In mid September and the deadline is first

of November. Normally we start with the EBU

(European Broadcasting Union) program first,

every EBU act was confirmed, and so we had

to re-schedule every act from the Huize Maas

to other venues. In the end we succeeded, we

managed to have the Magic Mirror and also

the Der AA-Kerk. That’s just a particular thing

affecting the booking-process , this is not a

game that you play every year; every year

Robert Meijerink – Booker at Eurosonic

12

it’s something different . Music first, there

are many upcoming talents, so how you are

going to book the festival, who is going to

be selected and why? When I start booking

the festival then I rely on the venues we

have, and as one big venue like Huize Maas

is gone…wow, that was my personal biggest

set-back of the year. It was really like a slap in

the face, it pushed me not in a wrong way, of

course, but we had to deal with it and I think

we’ve found a great solution by having both

venues to accommodate the acts. No one

was talking about the ‘Huize-Maas-Effect’,

so I think that is a good thing.

I only noticed today that the venue was

not in the listings for this year.

– Yes, I was there one week after the fire, it’s

not totally destroyed but it’s badly damaged.

I’ve been told that Eurosonic Noorderslag

was sold out in fifteen minutes. Can you

confirm that?

– Yes, that’s right

Is that normal or is it a record?

– No, it’s like last year.

Have you had problems with secondary

ticketing?

– Yes, of course. I think that secondary

ticketin g is an unacceptable way to make easy

money. They are not doing their job, they are

profiting from the efforts of someone else.

How was it that there was a StubHub

reception in the Oosterpoort ?

– I don’t know. That’s really interesting, that

is new to me, really. Secondary ticketing is

a hot topic, as you know. Not only in the

Netherlands , it’s all over Europe.

I’ve seen so much of a media presence

here; maybe I’m wrong but it seems far

more than previously. What does it mean

to you in terms of productions? Do you

have a higher number of requests from

media companies or is it pretty much as

usual?

– We have more requests than before, it’s

developed over the last few years. I think it

is important to have media on board and

I’m really glad that we have group media

attending Eurosonic, because we have so

many acts that are investing in their careers.

For me as a booker it is very important to

have the right people at the right place,

because I care about the acts who come

with a growing ambition, with a strategy, a

dream, however you want to call it. Media is

very important but not only the media, the

professionals in general, people who come

to discover the talents and invest in them, of

course. It all makes sense.

In the past you had concerts presented

by Visions and particularly Intro in

Germany . What happened to them?

– Well, we don’t want to grow bigger in terms

of selling more tickets. It’s almost impossible

in terms of the past years, in regards to the

conference and also the live-show cases, we

do need every single thing in order to fulfill

the bookings. It was fine to work together in

the way we did, with, for example, Visions

or Intro, who were always great and helpful

partners, in order to present the new acts,

but we also want to work with the media in

a more targeted situation as we did this year.

We think that it makes more sense. If you

have an Intro night, it’s always a great night,

well-attended, great musicians, but at the

end it’s not about Intro, it’s about the artists,

you know?

Looking back at the ETEP edition in 2013,

are you pleased with the results of the

Programme and the EBBA Awards? Was

there any highlight for you, something

that surprised you in any way?

– Oh, that’s a pretty hard question. There

were quite a few acts who broke through.

Kodaline won an award, Ásgeir played his

first show outside of Iceland, and exactly one

year ago he was an EBU act. He is just 18 years

old and for me it is great because I discovered

this act in Iceland and in cooperation with the

radio station RAS we confirmed him as an act

to play at Eurosonic. We discussed whether

it was really the right moment or should we

wait for one year. He had a massive success

with his debut-album in Iceland. I saw him

on stage in Iceland and I thought this is really

everything an act needs in order to make the

next step, not only content-wise. His father,

who is a famous poet in Iceland, wrote his

lyrics. It’s a big story and he’s a great musi-

cian backed up by his friends, maybe more

experienced and also great musicians. It was

a great show at Eurosonic but not everyone

was aware of that fact. He played twice and

one year later he earned so much success,

John Grant from Canada translated his lyrics

and a UK Label released a UK edition.

And he also won an award…

– Yes, he did.

Would you say that the ties between

EBBA and ETEP are a little bit closer than

before?

– I think it’s hard to say. I think Ásgeir is an

exception and also a great example of how

we would love to see a development, like a

total unknown act who is upcoming, new, it’s

not about winning an award, it’s more about

the fact that he is touring as an headliner act

through so many territories around the world

right now.

Are you also in contact with the festiva l

bookers of ETEP, do they tell you, for

example , that they have a certain

demand for dancehall or alternative

artist s?

– I’ m in touch with a few of them; of course I

like to talk with them about their preference s.

There are so many festivals involved at ETEP,

so many genres. It’s about there being so

much diversity Europe. Eurosonic is focused

on pop music in general, dancehall and metal

is always a part of it but we don’t have a rich

history in booking metal acts.

What is next on the agenda?

– Finishing this edition, surviving this evening ,

celebrating the success. Every year a couple

of weeks after Eurosonic we sit together and

we review what we did and then we look

ahead to the next edition.


13

www.ilmc.com

On the Move with Fabien Miclet Manfred Tari [email protected]

Fabien Miclet is one of the very few people in the music business

who has a decent awareness about what really goes on in Brussels .

Although , to be accurate there is a lot going on in the political

universe of the European Parliament and the European Commission,

but unfortunately very little in favour of the music business.

Till November 2013 Miclet was project manager of the European

Musi c Office (EMO) and handled the business of the organisation

until it unfortunately went into administration. It has to be noted that

Miclet took over this post after the financial problems had already has

been caused. Nevertheless it was he who handled the last months of

this so far one and only office that until now was the one and only

organisation that actually undertook at least some lobbying efforts

for popular music. And this in an political environment that is very

well known for mainly supporting large scale farming, financial or

chemical industries.

After EMO you started working for the concert venue Ancienne

Belgique in Brussels. What are you actually doing there?

– I’m currently coordinating an application for EU funding for a

very exciting project involving AB and 12 more likeminded music

venue s from all across the European continent. Our idea is to create

a platform of concert halls and clubs encouraging the circulation

of emerging artists. It will work through a bonus system: the more

emerging European acts you book, the more money you get. On

top of this, we’re also striving to build a sustainable, ever-growing

networ k of venues working together and learning from each other.

We will submit an application for EU funding in March of this year.

You are probably one of the very few persons in the music

industry that have an idea of what is going on in the political

cosmos of the European Parliament and the European

Commission and its related administrative bodies in Brussels.

Please let us know what is happening there that might affect

the music industry...

– Well, there are many subjects on the table in Brussels that have a

direct impact on the music industry. A European directive on collectiv e

rights management is being discussed at the moment. The new 2014-

2020 cultural funding Programme, Creative Europe, has just been

launched. The negotiations on the free trade agreement with the US

started last year, and the European Parliament elections are going

to take place in May. The composition of the new Parliament will

be important for the music sector; this institution is responsible for

voting on a great variety of legislations, some of which have a direct

impact on the music industry, in a variety of policy fields including

copyright, licensing, taxation, visas, work permits, broadcasting rules,

and many more subjects.

Creative Europe is the new culture support program by

the European Union. Do you see a difference between the

forerunner programme and the new one?

– Yes, and I would say that progress has been achieved since the

Culture Programme’ - 2007-2014. To begin with, music is now

recognized as an actual sector in the eyes of the EU, while it was

considered only as one among other components of the ‘performing

arts’ in the last Programme. In the past, popular music projects had

to compete directly with theatre, ballet, opera and other art forms

which traditionally heavily rely on public funding and have decade s

of experienc e in securing subsidies. Another improvement we have

triggered is that the new Creative Europe Programme will now

includ e topics such as new business models, access to finance, and

touring in its guidelines. This wouldn’t have been conceivable a few

years back, when the priority of the Culture Programme was mostly

to provide funding in support of the ‘intrinsic value’ of culture and the

preservation of cultural heritage.

Within the proposed budget for Creative Europe, 55 percent

of the 1.46 million Euros is dedicated to the film sector. Any

idea why the designers of Creative Europe are so crazy about

Fabien Miclet


15

16

supporting the film and movie industry and thereby neglecting

other creative sectors?

– It’s safe to say that the cinema industry is way ahead of most

cultura l and creative sectors when it comes to securing EU fundin g.

In fact, before the Creative Europe Programme, the audiovisual sector

had its own distinct Programme, called the MEDIA Programme, which

was concentrating on most of Europe’s cultural funding. All financial

envelopes have now been merged through the Creative Europe

Programme , but cinema is still vastly over-represented within this new

system. There are various reasons explaining this ‘patronage ’ in favor

of the film industry. The first that comes to mind is that all components

of this sector (directors, actors, authors, studios, etc.) have been

lobbying together in Brussels for much longer than other cultural

players. The cinema industry holds a well-established, well-endowed

and panoramic lobbying position in Brussels. This discrepanc y in the

allocation of funding within the Creative Europe Programme is the

result of a 30-year old collective lobbying effort. No other cultural and

creative sector has invested that much for so long in its presence in

the environment of the European institutions.

The support schemes for the film sector are well developed

and serve exactly the needs of this industry. The needs of

the music sector are to even a very far extent not so well

specified and documented as thoseof the film industry. What

went wrong?

– Far too recently the music sector became aware of the importance

of advocating its case in Brussels. Besides, its lobbying effort is too

disparate, torn between larger organizations focusing exclusively on

piracy and copyright, others advocating for music as a non-industrial

sector, and those who try to have a more streamlined impact on the

industry as a whole. Another thing is the industry’s relative timidity

regarding investment in lobbying compared to the cinema sector. A

structure like EMO, which had a transversal approach to the issues

faced by the European music sector, as well as an unmatched sectorial

grasp of EU funding mechanisms, was shut down recently due to lack

of funding. The popular music industry needs to realise that Brussels

is where a large part of its future is being decided: be it for structural

funding, digital rules or trade and export regulations, many important

decisions are now made at EU level, not in the Member-States. I hope

the initiative launched last week at Eurosonic (the idea of creating a

new European network of national music export offices) will go in

that direction.

Looking at the document ‘Commission Staff Working Paper for

establishing a Creative Europe Framework Programme’ the term

‘film’ is mentioned 220 times, the term ‘music’ 41 times. Digging

a bit deeper, the term ‘cinema’ 65 the term ‘concert’ 6 times. The

document itself consists of 170 pages. With other words, this

document even proves that the creators of Creative Europe are

obviously film enthusiasts and created a program that is very

unbalanced. Would you recommend that in particular the live

music sector now should launch a political campaign regarding

the unfair policies of EU-burocrats and politicians?

– This is a very interesting question. At the core of the cinema

industry’s lobbying strategy, you find three principles: teamwork,

differentiation and visibility. Teamwork means that all branches of the

sector will speak with one voice on certain subjects (and of course,

funding is one of these). Differentiation: in all aspects of the advocacy

work, the film sector presents itself as substantially distinct from

other cultural sectors, arguing the peculiarities of its value chain and

its relativ e economic importance. And perhaps the most important

point is visibility: Often when an important subject is discussed at EU

level, the film sector invests in briefing movie stars and acclaimed film

director s and bringing them to Brussels. And guess what: EU officials

will always prefer a chat in person with Lars Von Trier, Almodovar, or

Daniel Bruhl over reading yet another policy paper on private copy

levies or cross-border licensing. Can you blame them?

There is no objective reason why popular music should be treated

with less regard than the film sector. They’re equally useful soft-

power tools for Europe, they are both essential for cultural diversity

and they contribute to the EU’s economy in equivalent proportions.

If the music industry manages to put together a comprehensive and

catchy advocacy strategy, it will achieve better results. But the sector

would first need to invest much more in lobbying, to start working

together, to believe in itself and to mobilise its artists and creators as

often as possible. To answer your question, yes, ambitious campaigns

should be launched, but complaining about ‘unfair’ policies won’t

solve much. We need to do more in order to achieve more.

Since the end of December it is possible to apply for funds

within the various sub-programs of Creative Europe. Within

the previous culture program only a handful of popular

music -related projects actually received funding. The formal

requirements are tough, the bureaucratic burdens even

tougher. Does it make sense to submit an application within

such a pop-music -hostile-environment?

– I agree, these forms are quite heavy, and the requirements to

become eligible for funding are sometimes difficult to work with. But

it’s really worth it, and I see no reason why successful EU-funded

initiatives like ETEP or the EBBAs should be the only ones out there.

Moreover, as I said, the new Programme is now less unfavourable to

the music sector, the focus is more business-oriented and competition

is less distorted with the other performing arts sectors. Unfortunately

EMO isn’t there anymore to help with the paperwork and to give

advice for projects, but there are specific ‘Creative Europe Desks’ in all

EU countries which are very helpful. It always makes sense to submit

an application as long as you have a good idea. It’s never a piece of

cake, but if you get through, financial support can be consequent. No

pain, no gain…



Ralf Scheffler and the Rebirth Of Batschkapp Manfred Tari [email protected]

After 37 years the well-known concert venue Batschkapp in Frankfurt

has found a new home. It is one of these rare stories of a re-location

of a famous concert club that has existed for ages starting all over

again in new location. VIP News spoke with Ralf Scheffler, boss and

business mastermind of Batschkapp:

What led you to re-locate Batschkapp?

– Our aim was to obtain a capacity up to 1.500 people. In fact we

have been aware of the fact that extensive renovation measures were

necessary to keep the ‘old’ Batschkapp in business. So we thought it

is more reasonable to invest our money in a new project.

When planning the new Batschkapp, what have your priorities

been for the new venue?

– We wanted to obtain a better room and technical facilities for artists

and for the audience as well.

Have you or the architect had to consider many new obligations

and requirements by the building authorities?

– Well, we had to consider the very well known and highly respected

„Versammlungsstätten Verordnung“. (A German masterpiece and

untranslatable word for a well designed guideline of health and safety

settings for venues and locations.- Ed.)

Planning and opening a new concert location always comes

along with some surprises.

– Any exciting examples that caused your astonishment?

Not really - except one perhaps: the fire brigade requested an

emergency power supply for the smoke extractor, two very big

ventilators that start working in the case of fire and suck in smoke in

the, from my point of view unlikely event, when a power black out

in the town district occurs by sheer chance at the same time a fire

starts... A quite unlikely coincidence that would eventually only occur

in the case of war or a terror attack. However, this requirement wasn’t

to be discussed...

How big is the investment and are you pleased with the

backing by your bank and the local authorities in Frankfurt?

– The investment is around 2.7 million Euros. The real estate office of

Frankfurt purchased the premises exactly for this purpose as the City

of Frankfurt was highly interested in keeping us in the city. The banks

actually played no role at all within this process, in fact the entire

investment has been done completely without any support by a bank.

In particular our bank, which we worked pleasantly together with for

37 years, has covered itself in this regard with particular fame.

For further information please check

www.batschkapp.tickets.de/de

Ralf Scheffler

Batschkapp

17

VIPNEWS > BUSINESS > JANUARY 2014 MUSIC IN SHARES

Music in SharesManfred Tari [email protected]

No exciting mind blowing news by the corporate concert companies when this newsletter went to print. Only some variations within the share

price overview are to be reported:

CTS Eventim passed the 40 Euro border:

40.60 Euro for a CTS Eventim share on January 24 compared to 36.79

Euro on December 24...

One Nil Less for DEAG:

But also commas could make a difference on figures... 4.60 for DEAG

compared to 4.19 Euro on Christmas Eve.

Live Nation above $21

$19.82 for Live Nation one month ago, this time already at $21.26

SFX Entertainment - Where has the Christmas Bonus Gone?

From $11.45 on Christmas Eve, down to $9.91...

18

www.lea2014.de

ORBITAL ñ 25th year anniversary tour in 2014 Territory: The World excluding USA / Period: May onwardsAgency: Value Added Talent / Agent: Dan SilverPhone: +44 207 704 97 20E-mail: [email protected]: www.vathq.co.uk

Alan Parsons Live Project Territory: Worldwide / Period: 2014Agency: World Entertainment Associates of AmericaAgent: John Regna - Artist Agent/ManagerPhone: +1 407-993-4000E-mail: [email protected]: www.AlanParsonsTourPromo.com

Pacifico BluesTerritory: EuropePeriod 2014Agency: Specific MusicAgent: Chantelle DuncanPhone: +442074834440E-mail: [email protected]: www.pacificoblues.com

THE ORCHESTRA starring ELO former membersTerritory: Worldwide / Period: 2014-2015Agency: World Entertainment Associates of AmericaAgent: John Regna - Artist Agent/ManagerPhone: +1 407-993-4000E-mail: [email protected]: www.THEORCHESTRAonline.com

The AllStars Collective Territory: EuropePeriod: 2013 / 2014Agency: Specific MusicAgent: Paul PacificoPhone: +442074834440E-mail: [email protected]: www.theallstars.co.uk

AC ANGRY Territory: EuropePeriod: Winter 2013 & 2014Agency: Dr. Music ManagementAgent: Torsten Wohlgemuth & Miriam GuiguenoPhone: +49 2331 127 46 25E-mail: [email protected]: www.acangry.com

MORE ARTIST AVAILS ON:WWW.VIP-BOOKING.COM

POST YOUR ARTIST AVAILS ON:WWW.VIP-BOOKING.COM

ARTIST AVAILS

Orbital

VIPNEWS > MISC > JANUARY 2014 MEMBER PRESENTATION

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19

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20

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vip-news premium - vol 164 january 2014

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