IQ100 Preview by IQ Magazine

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LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

An ILMC Publication. May 2012

An ILMC Publication. March 2012

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

Issue 40

An ILMC Publication. Sept 2012

An ILMC Publication. July 2012

Issue 57

A n I L M C P u b l i c a t i o n . Ja n 2 0 1 5

MAKING A MEALL OF IT

AGENT GEOFF MEALL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

GAMES WITH FRONTIERS

LONDON IN STARTING BLOCKS FOR OLYMPICS

TAKING TV ON TOUR TALENT SHOWS ON THE ROAD

THE MAN WHO OPENED THE IRON CURTAIN

AUSTRALASIA

IS SUPPLY EXCEEDING DEMAND DOWN UNDER?

L ASZLO H EGEDUS MARKS 40 YEARS IN MUSIC

Plus

A NEW BEGINNING AT ILMC 24

THE HIGH FLIERS

ILMC MEETINGS AND EVENTS CONFIRMED

T URBULENCE FINDING A ROLE FOR BRANDS JIM ROBINSON BUCKING THE GERMAN SYSTEM UWE FROMMHOLD A MANAGER MUSES ANTHONY ADDIS ROCK AND ROLLER COASTERS ROB HALLETT STUCK IN THE MIDDLE? THOMAS OVESEN THE LIVE REVIEW KEITH GILBERT

IN THE AIR FREIGHT AND CHARTER SECTOR ?

THE VIRTUAL FESTIVAL

L AUNCHING RFID

RECESSION

C OLDPLAY ’ S

A LEGRIA ’ S TRANSITION TO ARENAS

GALLIC

MARKET REPORT: THE MIDDLE EAST

2012

T HE

REMARKABLE

W ORLD ’ S

M YLO X YLOTO T OUR

TOP ARENA TURNS FIVE

MORE THAN A MAN ON THE DOOR ROGER EDWARDS FROM ILMC TO EGYPT MOUSSA ABU TALEB TALKING TICKETS PETER MONKS CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON GEORGIA TAGLIETTI

LOOKING NORTH ANNA HILDUR HILDIBRANDSDÓTTIR BREAKING THE MOULD RUDI ENOS MODERN CHINA MICHAEL LOJUDICE CROSSING BORDERS PETER SMIDT

NOT THE WAY TO PLAY THE GAME: KEITH HARRIS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CAN SAVE THE WORLD: JUHA KYYRÖ THE ONLY WAY IS UP!: TOOMAS OLLJUM EMBRACING EUROPE: CHRISTIAN HALD BUHL

Issue 46

Issue 45 LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE An ILMC Publication. Jan 2013

25 Years of...Agency

The Time Travellers’ Guide to the ILMC

Issue 47

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

A n I L M C P u b l i c a t i o n . Mar 2013

SWITZERLAND

25 YEARS OF... PRODUCTION Technological breakthroughs over the last 25 years

25 YEARS OF... TRANSPORT

European Festival Report 2014

Prepare to be transported through time at ILMC 25

Rising expenses threaten robust German business

Prehistoric spectacular wins inaugural award

An ILMC Publication. May 2013

Through Space and Time

Market Focus – Germany

Best in Show: Walking with Dinosaurs

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

25 Years of… Venues

Quarter of a century of developing music’s bricks and mortar

Quarter of a century entertaining the masses

Extending the Family

A Schuere Bet

Herman Schueremans on making musical careers

Eight-page registration guide to ILMC 25

25 Years of...Promoters

Looking back over 25 years in the business

Investment dominates the family show market

IMPACT OF THE A RAB S PRING ON TOURING

BUSINESS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY O2

LATIN AMERICA

An ILMC Publication. Nov 2012

BITES

THIS COULD BE PARADISE

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CIRCUS

T OURS HEAD SOUTH FOR BOOM TIMES

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

MAKES ITS MARK ON FESTIVAL SCENE

MARKET REPORT – FRANCE

B OOSTING REVENUE USING VIP S

Issue 44

N EW E VENT

A WRISTED DEVELOPMENT

ILMC 24: THE REPORT

F ULL REVIEW OF THE CONFERENCE WEEKEND

VERY IMPORTANT PACKAGES

There’s more to the Swiss than just festivals

THE GAFFER

Quarter of a century of keeping shows on the road

ILMC 27 SUPERGUIDE

Jason Danter’s ascent up up the production ladder

Gig in Japan

Japan’s slow recovery from triple disaster

STROMAE TOUR REPORT

THE GAFFER: WOB ROBERTS

LATIN AMERICAEuropean PARTEFestival DOS

Issue 49

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

Issue 51

An ILMC Publication. Jan 2014

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

Issue 50

An ILMC Publication. Nov 2013

Issue 48

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

DRALION - BEST IN SHOW

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

TREASURE UNDER THE TICKETING PYRAMID: DAVE NEWTON IT’S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL – BUT WE LIKE IT: MARC LAMBELET HEALTH AND SAFETY ARE NOT DIRTY WORDS: CHRIS HANNAM FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE: ILYA BORTNUK

WE ALL HAVE LOTS TO LEARN: DOLF BEKKER A CASE FOR FAN FREEDOM: BRIGITTE RICOU-BELLAN MARCH MOVES FORWARD: GEOFFF MEALL IT’S BEST TO INVEST: AGATHA ARÊAS

Report 2014 2014: YEAR IN REVIEW

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR MUSIC? HARVEY GOLDSMITH TENDING THE GRASS ROOTS ANDY INGLIS REGULATING THE REGULATORS OKAN TOMBULCA FLEXIBILITY IS KEY NATASHA BENT FORCE MA-WHAT?! MARTIN GOEBBELS KNOW WHEN TO HOLD AND WHEN TO FOLD MICHAEL HOSKING

Issue 52

Issue 53

An ILMC Publication. May 2014

An ILMC Publication. Mar 2014

An ILMC Publication. Sept 2013

An ILMC Publication. July 2013

THE LONG ROAD AHEAD

The Future of Ticketing ILMC 26 REVIEW BARRY DICKINS: 50 YEARS AT THE TOP BACKSTREET BOYS TOUR REPORT ARGENTINA MARKET SPOTLIGHT

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ARENA REPORT

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Issue 63

An ILMC Publication. Nov 2015 An ILMC Publication Jan 2016

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SOMETHING ABOUT A 75-K A SHOW NEXT YEAR IT WILL BE 300 PER SHOW FO SHO

I REMEMBER RICHARD NIXON BACK IN ‘74 AND THE FINAL SCENE AT THE WHITE HOUSE DOOR

IT’S A HOT DAY IN ‘73 AND THIS IS MY WIFE AND MY KID WITH ME

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THROW YOUR BOMBS AND YOUR BLOWS / BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA BREAK MY SOUL

ME AND SOME GUYS FROM SCHOOL HAD A BAND AND WE TRIED REAL HARD...

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THEY LET HIM OUT IN 71 HE’D LOST A LITTLE WEIGHT. BUT HE DRESSED LIKE JIMMY CAGNEY AND I SWEAR HE DID LOOK GREAT

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ILMC 28 “the Game begins” • Le Bataclan • NETHERLANDS MARKET FOCUS • Eurosonic Hits 30 • Etihad Stadium • The Gaffer: Arthur Kemish European Festival REPORT

REPORT 2015

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XR SHAPES BILLIE’S NEW REALITY

MARKET REPORT

LIVE MUSIC’S TOP GLOBAL GATHERING RETURNS

MEET IQ’S UNSUNG HEROES RESORTS WORLD ARENA AT 40

NEW ZEALAND’S POST-COVID REALITY

INTERNATIONAL TICKETING REPORT 2020 LATEST COVID MITIGATION KIT

INDUSTRY CHIEFS ON THE COVID ANNIVERSARY

THE GULF STATES

PLUS iFF 2020 GUIDE TOP LIVE-STREAMING PLATFORMS

PLUS COVID TESTING SOLUTIONS HUNGARY’S HOTTEST TALENT AGENTS OF CHANGE

THE RACE FOR CANCELLATION FUNDS INDUSTRY STEPS UP VACCINE EFFORTS

AGENDA GUIDE ARENAS PLOT EUROPEAN RESTART

Steve Homer’s 30 Years in Music ¡Olé! Latin Music’s Inexorable Rise Rock the Boat: Live Music Cruises International Festival Forum 2019 Market Report: Spain Staging & Steel

PLUS

UK SOUNDS & SHOWCASES ARAʼS OPERATION RESTART LIVE-STREAMING COMES OF AGE ILMC TECH SPOTLIGHT

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Highlights of the Decade From Russia With Live European Festival Report 2019 The Gaffer: John Zajonc Cancellation Insurance

ILMC 33 REPORT THE COVID INSURANCE DILEMMA MAKING TOURING SUSTAINABLE DIVERSITY: THE OTHER PANDEMIC

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93 An ILMC Publication OCTOBER 2020 | £25 | €25

Tom Schroeder’s 20 Years in Music Europe’s Growing Hip-Hop Scene Market Report: Norway The New Bosses The E3S Security Showdown IFF 2019 Agenda

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92 An ILMC Publication SEPTEMBER 2020 | £25 | €25

Roberto De Luca’s Life in Music Touring and Mental Health 30 Years of Wacken Open Air IFF 2019 Preview Touring Exhibitions Report Breakthrough Moments

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

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85 on. £25/€25.

AND THEN, ONE DAY, YOU FIND, TEN YEARS HAVE GOT BEHIND YOU

FESTIVAL REPORT

ISSUE 82

91 An ILMC Publication AUGUST 2020 | £25 | €25

GREEN GUARDIANS GUIDE 2020 INDIA

OSSY HOPPE’S WIZARD MOVES TOGETHER IN ELECTRIC STREAMS

INTELLIGENT PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR SAY / IT’S TIME FOR THE FOOLISH TO SHOW THE WAY

EUROPEAN

Crystal Ball Predictions for 2019 The Gaffer: Chris Marsh Matt Bates: From Shrewsbury to ‘Shambles 35 Years of CAA Netherlands Market Report ISSUE 81

ISSUE 80

90 An ILMC Publication JULY 2020 | £25 | €25

Chris York – The Guvnor The U2 Experience Market Report: Sweden IFF 2018 Review The State of Welfare Cashless Payments The Growth of Jazz

Market Focus: Germany 50 years of Mojo Countdown to Brexit New Bosses 2018 Touring with Dinosaurs E3S 2018 ISSUE 79

Australia/New Zealand Market Report Twenty Years of Triple A Touring Exhibitions in Review Staging & Steel 2018’s Festival Recruits

89 An ILMC Publication MAY 2020 | £25 | €25

MARKET REPORT

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

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84 Pub

ANARCHY FOR THE U.K. IT’S COMING SOMETIME AND MAYBE

ILMC 31: The Agenda Pino Sagliocco’s 40 Years in Music Cashing in on Live Music On Tour with Snow Patrol Country Goes Global The Marvellous Middle East

LOOKING FOR OUR HOPE LOOKING FOR OUR DREAM WE’RE GONNA FIND A WAY TO CHANGE

SO, I’VE DECIDED TO TAKE MY WORK BACK UNDERGROUND, TO STOP IT FALLING INTO THE WRONG HANDS

ONE DREAM, ONE SOUL, ONE PRIZE, ONE GOAL. ONE GOLDEN GLANCE OF WHAT SHOULD BE

THEY REMOVED THE 81 PER CENT, WHAT ABOUT THE 19 THEY DIDN’T GET

Dua & Daltrey for ILMC 2019

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Rag‘n’Bone Man’s rise to riches SAV Entertainment celebrates 30 years Austria market report

Metal Health

Steve Strange @ 50 Sam Smith on Tour Kilimanjaro Live’s First Decade Market Focus: Denmark Preparing for GDPR 20 Years of Yourope

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IT FEELS LIKE THE ‘80S, WHEN WE WERE MUCH SMALLER BUT SOMEHOW FELT BIGGER THAN NOW

ILMC30:

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LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

CTS Eventim at 30 ILMC 31: The Report Sell-out Secrets On Tour with Post Malone Breakthrough Moments Switzerland: Positive Signs

IFF 2017 Phil Rodriguez – La Vida Loca Market Report: Canada Visas and Work Permits Phil Mead’s Lessons in Live Touring Exhibitions

Mike Greek at 50 Green Field Innovations The New Bosses 2017 Market Report: Norway Transport and Travel

#WeStandTogether

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ILMC 29 Report Ten Years of WME London Ireland Market Report Herman Schueremans Virtual Reality

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Luger Celebrates 25 Years International Festival Forum 2016 Touring Exhibitions Laura Pausini: A Year in Live Market Focus: Poland Shifting Gear: Transport Spotlight

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

ALL YOU KIDS THAT JUST SIT AND WHINE, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE BACK IN ‘79

DEAR JOHN (GIDDINGS)…

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SLIPKNOT: NOT YOUR KIND

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HOT ON THE HEELS OF 78, THE WAILING DANCE OF THE CARDIAC RATE

MARKET REPORT

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MUSIC’S METALLIC DARK SIDE SCOTLAND

THE FALLING LEAVES DRIFT BY THE WINDOW / THE AUTUMN LEAVES OF RED AND GOLD

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AGENT OF THE DECADE

LGBTQ+ CROWDS

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LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

THE REPORT

ILMC 30: The Guide Marcel Avram: 8 Lessons at 80 2018’s vital sponsorship trends DEAG: four decades of innovation ITB’s 40 Years at the Top Market Focus: Belgium

88 An ILMC Publication MARCH 2020 | £25 | €25

ISSUE 67 IQ

SEPTEMBER ‘77, PORT ELIZABETH WEATHER FINE...

Putting Gender on the Agenda

RAISE A GLASS AND HAVE A LAUGH, HAVE A LAUGH OR TWO

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Close Encounters of the 30th Kind

The Unstoppable Steve Zapp Market Report: Germany The Plight of the Small Venue Travel and Transport Live Event Apps International Festival Forum 2016

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

I GUESS THERE IS NO ONE TO BLAME, WE’RE LEAVING GROUND, WILL THINGS EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN?

ILMC 28 Report Ten Years of Live Nation Finland Market Report The State of Stadia Festival Tech

30 SEASONS OF BALOISE SESSION • LIVE MUSIC CURATION • DENMARK • GEOFF ELLIS: 30 YEARS IN MUSIC

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INTRODUCING TEN OF TOMORROW’S NEW BOSSES

KISS AND MAKE-UP • 30 YEARS OF ROCK IN RIO • SWISS MARKET PROFILE • FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

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25 Years of FKP Scorpio

BRANDS TAKE CENTRE STAGE

THE EVOLUTION OF LIVE MUSIC SPONSORSHIP OSSY HOPPE’S 65TH BIRTHDAY • MIDDLE EAST MARKET PROFILE • SAM SMITH TOUR REPORT • INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FORUM

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ARENA REPORT

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TOURING EXHIBITIONS CASHLESS EXPLODES ED SHEERAN ON TOUR POWERING UP AT FESTIVALS LATIN AMERICA - PARTE UNO

50 Years of Montreux VIP: Wish You Were Here? Barry Clayman at 80 Family Entertainment Australia/New Zealand

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Are festivals being blamed for society’s failings?

GOLDRING music

Rock Werchter Hits 40, Family Guys, Australasia Market Spotlight, 20 Years of Oppikoppi

Finding a Path

Dealing with Drugs 25 years

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ILMC28: The Game Begins The Great Rebates Debate Bob Angus: 30 Years in Music Sweden Market Focus Violetta: Best In Show Virtual Reality

WILL YOU STILL NEED ME, WILL YOU STILL READ ME... ISSUE 64

THE STREAMING PUZZLE:

NEW BOSSES

An ILMC Publication. Sept 2015

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LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

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An ILMC Publication. Mar 2015

An ILMC Publication. Nov 2014

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

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LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

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An ILMC Publication. Sept 2014

An ILMC Publication. July 2014

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

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MARKET SPOTLIGHT: GERMANY FESTIVALS VS AGENCY AIR CHARTER SECTOR PROFILE THE SECURITY SPECIALISTS

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

Scorpio’s Tale

99 An ILMC Publication MAY 2021 | £25 | €25

NFTs

98 An ILMC Publication APRIL 2021 | £25 | €25

TICKETING’S INTERACTIVE FUTURE?

BUILDING BACK GREENER PILOT SHOWS PROVE SAFE VIAGOGO FACES LEGAL BATTLES

IQ100 CONTENTS

NEWS

FEATURES

COMMENT AND COLUMNS

6 8 12

18 26 32 34 38

Index In Brief The main headlines over the last month Analysis Key stories and news analysis from around the live music world New Signings & New Music A roundup of the latest acts that have found agents during the pandemic

IQ at 100 Staff, past and present, look back over the first 100 issues of the magazine Recruitment & Restaffing IQ learns about the unenviable task of having to restaff businesses hit by Covid The Recovery Sessions Insurance, mitigation and lobbying make the agenda for June's webinar The New Europeans Jon Chapple discoveres the hidden costs of Brexit for UK and EU operators A Brave New Agency World Lisa Henderson speaks with some of the individuals behing the industry's newest independent agencies

15 16 44

The Recovery Must be Inclusive Suzanne Bull urges everyone involved in ‘operation restart’ not to forget Deaf and disabled people Damage Control Peter Noble details the aftermath of Bluesfest’s eleventh-hour cancellation, due to a single positive Covid test IPM Production Notes Production manager Bill Rahmy shares his wish list for those in the touring game Your Shout Thousands of What does IQ mean toprofessionals you? read

IQ every day. Make sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE Magazine 3

A MONTHLY HALF-DAY WEBINAR UPDATING THE LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE COVID PANDEMIC AND THE ROADMAP TO REOPENING 2021 DATES 17 JUNE 8 JULY 5 AUGUST

Experts from the fields of science, health & safety, tech, and the wider business present the latest advances relating to the industry’s recovery. 17 June schedule: 14.00 BST: The Private Sector: Finding a voice? 15.00 BST: The Mitigations Session 16.00 BST: Insurance: The missing piece The Recovery Sessions are free to attend for all subscribers

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO GET INVOLVED, CONTACT: CHRIS PROSSER chris@iq-mag.net Click here to subscribe to

POLITICAL PAWNS

t has been a long haul, but, thankfully, vaccination programmes seem to be winning the fight against Covid-19 with the likes of Italy and Spain doing well and the UK being just two weeks away from the government announcing that all restrictions will end, bar any surge in figures. In the UK, that vaccination rollout and easing restrictions, backed by some highprofile test events suggests everything is going in the right direction. But in the past few days, Austria, France and Germany have announced stricter border controls for anyone visiting from the UK, because of the so-called Indian variant of the virus. Now, I’m not one to buy into any conspiracy theory that this is revenge for the vaccine supply controversy between the UK and EU, or over Brexit. More likely it’s simply the governments of those countries being super cautious to protect their own citizens. But politics is a dirty game, and on the whim of a political party, such decisions, whatever their reason, could jeopardise everyone’s touring prospects, just as they start to get back on track. All of which underlines the importance of lobbying, which, quite frankly, was almost non-existent on the part of the live entertainment industry prior to the Covid pandemic. It’s improved massively since, through necessity, but there’s still room to strengthen relationships with policy makers, especially when live events actually return. And for anyone looking for tips on how to secure meetings with politicians, tuning in to IQ’s next Recovery Sessions on 17 June is a must (see page 32). Maybe we are all but political pawns, but I’m fairly sure that live music employs more people and generates more revenues than fishing, but we could definitely learn a trick or two from that community, given the prominent role they had in latter Brexit negotiations. On a similar note, Jon Chapple’s exploration of the post-Brexit rules for those who facilitate European touring (page 34), highlights how helpful lobbying might have been in preventing the new cabotage guidelines that are now hitting the bank balances of our hauliers. Tips on how to restaff and recruit, as territories start to reopen for business, can be found on page 26, where our personnel experts reveal that securing employee talent will be fiercely competitive in the coming weeks and months. Meanwhile, Lisa Henderson talks to some of the individuals who have been brave enough to launch new independent booking agencies during the pandemic months (page 38), proving that adversity can create opportunity. And that sentiment crops up in our own little celebration of this magazine’s 100th edition (page 18), where staff past and present look back on the first 17 years of IQ. November will mark my 10th anniversary at IQ, and without a shadow of a doubt, it continues to be the highlight of my career to serve the greatest industry on the planet and the amazing characters that fuel it. So, a big thank you to everyone who has remained loyal to IQ since Chris and Allan conceived the idea back in 2004, and with concepts such as the Recovery Sessions, we promise we’ll continue to develop our coverage to deliver the business information you need as we emerge from this challenging period.

ISSUE 100 LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE IQ Magazine Unit 31 Tileyard Road London, N7 9AH info@iq-mag.net www.iq-mag.net Tel: +44 (0)20 3743 0300 Twitter: @iq_mag Publisher ILMC and Suspicious Marketing Editor Gordon Masson News Editor Jon Chapple Staff Writer Lisa Henderson Advertising Manager Steve Woollett Design Rather Nice Design Sub Editor Michael Muldoon Head of Digital Ben Delger Contributors Suzanne Bull, Peter Noble, Bill Rahmy Editorial Contact Gordon Masson gordon@iq-mag.net Tel: +44 (0)20 3743 0303 Advertising Contact Steve Woollett steve@iq-mag.net Tel: +44 (0)20 3743 0304 ISSN 2633-0636

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IN BRIEF INDEX The concert business digest

MAY A pilot event in Liverpool held at Sefton Park builds hope for the UK’s reopening. Nathan Stone launches Gallos Talent, a new UK-based LGBTQ+ talent management company.

DEAG raises more than €6million to fund future acquisitions in “key markets.” Pitch & Smith, the European booking agency, splits in two, with three former agents breaking away to launch new venture Playbook Artists.

Denmark’s festival season is decimated for the second consecutive year due to government restrictions.

Andy Duggan, international agent for the likes of Kano, Django Django, Santigold and Neneh Cherry, joins WME’s London office.

Wasserman Music partners with Twitch to launch There is Light, a new virtual concert series and music discovery platform.

Norway proposes a number of testshows that would involve a total of 30,000 people – half of whom woukd be asked not to attend.

More than 4,000+ socially distanced gigs are to be held in the UK in May/June, according to a survey.

UK trade body LIVE conducts a survey of 25,000 music fans, revealing an overwhelming desire for live music to return as quickly as possible.

UTA announces the largest round of promotions in the agency’s 30-year history, which sees more than 100 staffers worldwide rise in the ranks. Some 130 cultural venues in Wallonia and Brussels reopen illegally after six months of closure, in protest of government restrictions.

iq-mag.net

PRS for Music announces a “discounted” 10% tariff on online live concerts for as long as artists and venues face restrictions on inperson shows. Yourope, which represents 108 European festivals, restructures, expands, and relocates to Bonn, Germany from its former home of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

AEG Presents forms a team of industry professionals dedicated to “moving the live business towards a greener future.”

Live-streamed concerts are here to stay, according to new research funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council.

Live Nation reports a 34.2% increase in concert revenue from the fourth quarter of 2020.

Norway’s 2021 festival season is effectively wiped out with the cancellation of Bergenfest, Tons of Rock, Øya Festival, Over Oslo and more.

Pohoda, Slovakia’s biggest festival, reveals details of the festival miniseries, which will replace the 2021 flagship event. Glastonbury could welcome up to 50,000 fans this summer for a twoday concert at Worthy Farm. The Flemish government says Pukkelpop and Tomorrowland should be able to go ahead in late summer, under certain conditions. Open’er, Poland’s largest annual music festival, cancels for the second year running due to the pandemic. Russ Tannen, formerly chief revenue officer of ticketing firm Dice, is promoted to president of the company. IQ’s Recovery Sessions confirm Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn, Artist Group International’s Marsha Vlasic, ASM Global Europe’s John Sharkey, and CAA’s Maria May to forthcoming sessions in June (see page 32).

Mojo and ID&T, along with Heineken, organise the Netherlands’ first large-scale event without restrictions, date TBA. Glastonbury Festival’s Live at Worthy Farm live-stream is to be broadcast at cinemas around the UK. The UK welcomes back non-socially distanced indoor live music for the 2021 Brit Awards. Mark Jan Kar is promoted to general manager of Dubai’s CocaCola Arena following the recent resignation of arena CEO Guy Ngata. French live music association Prodiss and Paris hospital AP-HP are finally given the green light for a Paris test concert. Live Nation invests in Liquid Death, a drinks companyThousands of packaging water inprofessionals recyclable read ‘tallboy’ cans. IQ every day. Make

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Analysis

STOCKHOLM WELCOMES AVICII ARENA

tockholm Live has changed the name of its iconic Globe venue to the Avicii Arena, making it a global symbol for mental illness prevention. The venue, managed by ASM Global, has signed a unique partnership with the Tim Bergling Foundation, with support from naming rights sponsors Trygg-Hansa and Bauhaus, to honour the memory of the late Bergling, who was better known as his DJ stage name Avicii.

Visible from most of Stockholm, the historic, 15,000-capacity venue is intended to become “a hub for sharing ideas and hosting activities with the focus on young peoples’ mental health,” according to Klas Bergling, who along with his wife, Anki Lidén, founded The Tim Bergling Foundation after the death of their son in 2018, at the age of 28. “It was a significant milestone in Tim’s career when he played here nine years ago, and he would be extremely proud that this iconic building from today will bear his name.”

Stockholm Live CEO Andreas Sand comments, “Being able to use one of Sweden’s most famous and visited buildings as a symbol and meeting place for one of the most important societal issues of our time, in the way we now do, together with our partners, feels fantastic. When we hosted the Avicii Tribute ConcertThousands in Decemberof 2019 at Friends Arena, we gotprofessionals the idea to create a read place that could spread the same understanding IQ every day. Make and community that we had that evening, withthe a sure you get focus on making a difference.”

whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE Magazine 9

NEW SIGNINGS & NEW MUSIC

LISTEN TO ’S ‘NEW MUSIC’ AGENCY PLAYLIST HERE

has partnered with a number of agencies to compile a monthly playlist of new music, much of it released by the new signings to their rosters. Among the tracks on May’s playlist are submissions from 13 Artists, ATC Live, CAA, ITB, Paradigm, Primary Talent and UTA.

HEIR AGENT

Lucia Wade ITB

MIKE AGENTS

(UK)

(US)

Guillaume Brevers Hometown Talent

iq-mag.net

eir is a London-based singer-songwriter with Italian and Russian DNA. She’s also known as Patricia Manfield – an influential fashion icon who has been a brand ambassador for brands such as Versace, Dior, Calvin Klein and RayBan, to name a few, while her influence has earned her recognition in publications including Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Forbes. Manfield has quickly grown an impressive following. On Instagram she has an audience of more than 400,000 followers, while her music is well-received internationally thanks to the music videos she created for her singles Soundtrack, My Love and Threads. Her debut EP, Daddy Issue, was released last year at the beginning of the pandemic, but despite that challenge she was able to amass more than two million streams on Spotify, and has an average of 20,000 monthly listeners – numbers that her representatives hope will increase with a new project she is currently working on.

orn in New Jersey, MIKE moved to London with his mother before settling in The Bronx for the remainder of his later teenage years. In New York, he was a founder of the [sLUms] collective, establishing a unique sound that created waves throughout underground hip-hop circles. In 2017, MIKE released mixtape May God Bless Your Hustle, which received a Best New Music review from Pitchfork. At the end of 2018, he released album War in my Pen, following it with 2019’s Tears of Joy, and last year’s Weight of the World. Latest release Disco! is more upbeat and catchy than previous work whilst maintaining the emotional weight that is characteristic of MIKE’s music. He has toured with the likes of Blood Orange,Thousands and Earl of Sweatshirt, and performed at festivals suchprofessionals as MoMA PS1read Warm Up, Pitchfork Festival, and Capitol HillIQ Block Party. every day. Make

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New Signings

ARTIST LISTINGS Abbie McCarthy (UK) Ryan Penty, Paradigm Amaliah (UK) Naomi Palmer, Earth Agency Anaïs Mitchell (US) Colin Keenan, ATC Live B. Cool-Aid (US) Darren James-Thomas, FMLY Agency Bandalos Chinos (AR) Felipe Mina Calvo, ATC Live Ben Hemsley (UK) Dave Blackgrove, Paradigm Bennett Coast (US) Kevin Jergenson, ICM Partners BINA. (UK) Sinan Ors, ATC Live Bishop Nehru (US) Darren James-Thomas, FMLY Agency cityboymoe (UK) Jack Clark & James Osgood, UTA Clara Mann (UK) Duncan Smith, PlayBook Artists COUCOU CHLOE (UK) Lucy Atkinson, Earth Agency Crystal Millz (UK) Jack Clark & Myles Jessop, UTA Dance System (UK) Jim O’Regan, Paradigm Deadcrow (NL) Paul McQueen, Primary Talent Decius (UK) Rebecca Prochnik, Earth Agency Deyah (UK) Craig D’Souza, Primary Talent Douglas Dare (UK) Eleanor McGuinness, PlayBook Artists Dreya Mac (UK) Sam Gill, Earth Agency Ekkstacy (CA) Sam Gill, Earth Agency ENISA (US) Scott Mantell, ICM Partners Eyedress (US) James Masters, James Osgood & Jacob Simone, UTA Grove (UK) Kayleigh Lawrence, Earth Agency happydaze (UK) Chris Smyth, Primary Talent Heir (UK) Lucia Wade, ITB Joan Shelley (US) Eleanor McGuinness, PlayBook Artists Kelly Lee Owens (UK) Martje Kremers, Primary Talent Lauren Samuels & Sophie Evans (UK) Heulwen Keyte, UTA

Lazy Queen (NO) Rob McGee, FMLY Agency Lil Pino (UK) Craig D’Souza, Primary Talent Lord Apex (UK) Kevin Jergenson, ICM Partners Meg Ward (UK) Dave Blackgrove, Paradigm MIKE (US) Guillaume Brevers, Hometown Talent Miss Lafamilia (UK) Myles Jessop, UTA Mnelia (UK) Ishsha Bourguet & Myles Jessop, UTA Natalie Bergman (US) Paul McGivern, PlayBook Artists p-rallel (UK) Jack Clark & Hannah Shogbola, UTA Pulled Apart By Horses (UK) Graham Clews, ATC Live Ralph Castelli (US) Kevin Jergenson, ICM Partners Ramz (UK) Kayleigh Lawrence, Earth Agency Real Lies (UK) Sinan Ors, ATC Live Rey Colino (BE) Peter Beer, FMLY Agency Siiickbrain (US) Sean Goulding, Christina Austin, Daniel McCartney, Zoe Williamson & Jake Bernstein, UTA SoFaygo (US) Kevin Jergenson, ICM Partners Soumik Datta (UK) Angie Rance, UTA Spelling (US) Clemence Renaut, ATC Live SR (UK) Myles Jessop & James Masters, UTA Stephen Marley (JM) Ed Sellers, Primary Talent The Murlocs (AU) Paul Buck, Paradigm Tom Bright (UK) Phyllis Belezos, ITB TYSON (UK) Hannah Shogbola & Kazia Davy, UTA Unusual Demont (US) Kevin Jergenson, ICM Partners Viia (UK) Sol Parker, Paradigm YUNGMORPHEUS (US) Darren James-Thomas, FMLY Agency

HOTTEST NEW ACTS THIS MONTH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

LAST MONTH 10 30 5 12

PREDICTIONS FOR JUNE 2021

ARTIST JUSTUS BENNETTS (US) STARBOI3 (US) SYKO (US) CASEY LOWRY (UK) KA$HDAMI (US) ARRDEE (UK) PINKPANTHERESS (UK) PARIS TEXAS (US) CHLOE GEORGE (US) IAMDOECHII (US) MOOSKI (US) SKILLIBENG (UK) WEEEKLY (KR) SOFAYGO (US) SPOTEMGOTTEM (US) JAMES NEWMAN (UK), SR (UK), CICO P (US), EKKSTACY (US), GYAKIE (GH)

Artists not in the current top 15, but growing quickly

Fastest growing artists in terms of music consumption, aggregated across a number of online sources.

MAY 2021

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Comment

Bulls-hit onmust Parade Live music’s recovery be inclusive Attitude is Everything founder Suzanne Bull, MBE, urges everyone involved in ‘operation restart’ not to forget Deaf and disabled people, neither as fans, nor as potential colleagues.

ike everyone, I’m feeling hopeful as the live events industry slowly starts to open up as best it can after what we hope is the worst of the pandemic. The impact of this on the industry, further compounded by Brexit, has been immeasurable for those working in it, the artists, and also the fans. However, the consequences for Deaf and disabled people have also been profound and of real concern to me. I’m well-placed to comment on it because I’m a disabled person and founder of Attitude is Everything a charity set up to improve Deaf and disabled people’s access to music and live events. For 21 years, Attitude is Everything has worked to connect Deaf and disabled people with music and event industries to improve access together. Over 200 music venues and festivals have signed up to our Charter of Best Practice, endorsed by government as the industry standard for accessibility. With our support, the live music industry has worked hard to make gigs and festivals inclusive and accessible, but I fear that the current landscape is now looking grim for our community being able to return to live events as we wish. We need the industry to actively welcome back Deaf and disabled people. In a bid to support the industry in this effort, we recently published our Access Guide: Reopening Your Venue. Being in the group deemed clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) myself, I was angry to be told that I could not attend early pilot events. Thankfully, following interventions by us and other partners, the language has now shifted away from this. Disabled people simply need the facts about accessibility and Covid-safety measures in order to make our own judgements about what we attend. No venue or event should ever make that decision for us. Online information has never been more important. I know from previous data collected by Attitude is Everything that 60% of disabled people won’t buy a ticket if there isn’t any access information, and subsequently feel that the event “isn’t for them” if they can’t find the information. Whilst I’m delighted to see live music returning to our towns and cities, I’m deeply concerned about Deaf and disabled people being forgotten about or simply viewed as ‘vulnerable.’ I know of at least ten events that have gone live

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selling tickets without having staffed access booking services. Without strong policies in place, there is also now a real risk of disabled people being challenged on entry if staff make assumptions on a person’s vulnerability based on a ‘visible’ disability. This cannot happen. I’m currently left wondering just what I have achieved in 30+ years of work to improve the cultural offer to disabled people in the UK. However, I am heartened to know that many trade bodies, promoters, festival organisers and venue managers share my concerns about the current levels of exclusion and where this might lead in the future if left unchecked. There needs to be a collective effort now to reverse recent messages that make certain people in our society feel unwelcome in the drive to return to live music events. I’m finding that disabled people need lots of reassurance and not all disabled people are confident about attending events in the future. We are not talking about a few people – in the UK, over 2.2 million people were told to shield and 20% of the UK population is classed as ‘clinically vulnerable’ to Covid-19 – millions of whom are disabled people. And when I say disabled people, I mean audiences, artists, volunteers and employees. To bring it home, some of the staff, trustees and volunteers at Attitude is Everything are in the clinically vulnerable groups. Of course, inclusion isn’t just a Covid-19 or reopening issue. Our most recent publication – our Accessible Employment Guide – provides tips on how employers can make workplaces as accessible as possible, far beyond responding to the times we find ourselves in currently. I’m expecting to return to live music shortly, to work and to enjoy myself! For the first time in my life, I found myself excluded from society when the pandemic hit. Given the choice, I’d go out every single night of the week. I’ve spent over a year locked away in my flat because I was also diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2020, and this plus my impairment placed me in the CEV group. For 30 years, I partied my life away and then I was told to stay in. Who in their right mind would want to do that? Why would I want to stay home Thousands of when there are so many beautiful bands out there? professionals read

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IQ @ 100_Feature

As reaches its 100th issue, staff past and present look back at the evolution of the magazine, our daily news service, and the challenge of increasing our workload during the live music industry’s bleakest year

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Feature_IQ @ 100 ning panels for conferences is one of my favourite bits of the job, and IQ’s reach means I’ve been lucky enough to represent the team in countries that I would not otherwise have visited, making friends who I might never have met.” In the meantime, IQ continued to grow, spinning out the Production 100 standalone title, and agreeing media partnerships with an increasing number of conferences and events internationally. “I remember that five of us were on the same flight to Amsterdam, heading to Eurosonic, so we had the bright idea of hiring a car to give us a bit more freedom and because it was a few Euros cheaper than everyone having to buy train tickets,” says Masson. “Sure enough, we made the journey to Groningen in record time and were quietly pleased with ourselves, until a couple of weeks later when the speeding fines hit Chris’s desk – I think he’s still paying them off…” Parmley’s return to the team, when he took over ILMC in 2014, saw annual reports also turned into standalone titles, such as the European Arenas Yearbook and the International Ticketing Yearbook, as well as launching additional conferences such as the International Festival Forum and specialist security event E3S. “One of the big shifts was launching the IQ website, because we wanted to have a regular news service, a jobs board, and other elements,” Parmley says. “That’s when Jon Chapple joined, who now works with Lisa Henderson on the news team.”

IQ gives a global perspective of the live entertainment business, with concise, objective reporting and news. No fat, just the facts! At the top of my list for news sources in our industry. Phil Rodriguez | Move Concerts IQ has long been the lynchpin of up-to-date info from the full breadth of the industry, but through Covid the content and insight have been even more vital as we have all tried to navigate such trying times. Never shying away from difficult topics, they have supported those of us really wanting to make big changes in how this industry deals with all of the most important issues it faces; from diversity to sustainability to the restart and rebuild. I couldn’t live without it… Tom Schroeder | Paradigm

The opportunity to tap once again into his international contacts book was irresistible for the new editor, and his growing role at ILMC has been something he has particularly enjoyed in the nearly ten years he has been at IQ. “When I was at Billboard, I’d done a little bit of panel and conference work, but I always found it a chore and I would get ridiculously nervous,” admits Masson. “But at IQ, I had Allan to learn from, and now moderating sessions and plan-

“Helping to grow IQ’s digital output from humble beginnings as a weekly newsletter to the international business’s most-read daily news resource has been one of the highlights of my career,” says Chapple (high praise coming from a man who used to be editor of UK Star Wars comic and has his own Wookieepedia entry). “I’d be lying if I said it’s always been plain sailing – the live music community, particularly in the UK, aren’t shy about letting you know when you’ve messed up, usually with a string of four-letter words – but I’m proud of my small part in IQ history, particularly over the past 16 months, when I think our work has been more valued than ever.” Other Chapple career highlights, for those wondering, include hanging out with Roger Daltrey at ILMC 31, and far too many fuzzy conferences, showcases and awards ceremonies to mention…

PANDEMIC PUBLISHING

IQ’s growth has closely mirrored that of the international live music business, and as we entered 2020, optimism was high as the vast majority of people and businesses around the world were forecasting another record-breaking 12 months. There’s little point poring over the devastating impact of the Covid pandemic, but the

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LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

GREEN GUARDIANS GUIDE 2020 INDIA MARKET REPORT

ANARCHY FOR THE U.K. IT’S COMING SOMETIME AND MAYBE

IT FEELS LIKE THE ‘80S, WHEN WE WERE MUCH SMALLER BUT SOMEHOW FELT BIGGER THAN NOW

ISSUE 80

NOVEMBER 2018 “I hope that, with a bit of courage, we will all be able to talk more openly about our mental challenges, without fear of being punished.” HILDE SPILLE, PAPERCLIP AGENCY

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ISSUE 85

ISSUE 80

Chris York – The Guvnor The U2 Experience Market Report: Sweden IFF 2018 Review The State of Welfare Cashless Payments The Growth of Jazz

95 An ILMC Publication DECEMBER 2020 | £25 | €25

90 An ILMC Publication JULY 2020 | £25 | €25

MEET IQ’S UNSUNG HEROES RESORTS WORLD ARENA AT 40

INTERNATIONAL TICKETING REPORT 2020 LATEST COVID MITIGATION KIT

Tom Schroeder’s 20 Years in Music Europe’s Growing Hip-Hop Scene Market Report: Norway The New Bosses The E3S Security Showdown IFF 2019 Agenda

ISSUE 85

SEPTEMBER 2019 “Maybe it’s the millennials who have got the work/life balance right and we should be learning from them.” TOM SCHROEDER, PARADIGM

ISSUE 90

JULY 2020 “Where are your ethnicity pay gap and employee satisfaction reports? If they don’t exist, now is a good time to populate that data and work towards a safer space for Black employees.” ALEXANDRA AMPOFO, METROPOLIS MUSIC

ISSUE 95

DECEMBER 2020 “Music has helped us maintain a sense of community at a time when social distancing became the norm.” MARIYA GABRIEL, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR INNOVATION, RESEARCH, CULTURE, Thousands of EDUCATION AND YOUTH professionals read

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Feature_IQ @ 100 Many congratulations on your 100th edition. The whole IQ team has really brought the total live community together with great interviews and insights. The last year or so has seen the live industry hit as never before, but IQ has been at the forefront in keeping everyone updated with all the various organisations that have come together to fight a common cause, which has been beneficial to everyone in our industry. Thank you for the information, the humour, and bloody hard work – I look forward to the next 100 issues. Barry Dickins | ITB

prospect of zero revenues was massive for IQ. But while other industry publications decided to take a hiatus to avoid the financial hit, the IQ team went to work. “The whole team recognised it was incredibly important for people in the live industry to have really current information that would help them through the crisis. Index went daily, and we developed the IQ Focus video content for interim panel discussions. I’m immensely proud of the way the team has stood up and been counted during the last 15 months. Advertising income has been a disaster, but on the flip side, our audience has doubled to around 100,000 users per month on the website.”

ISSUES 101–200?

Over the years, IQ has run tribute features and anniversary specials to honour some of the most legendary individuals in the global live music business, including the likes of Barry Dickins, Rod MacSween, Steve Strange, Marcel Avram, Emma Banks, Pino Sagliocco, Herman Schueremans and Alex Hardee. In normal times, the magazine also celebrated tours by the likes of U2, Coldplay, P!nk, Rihanna,

Pet Shop Boys, Madonna and Post Malone, while the team is planning for many more when international touring finally resumes. Alongside the digital content, the magazine itself has doubled its frequency to become a monthly title during Covid, while also going digital-only to make sure it is accessible to industry professionals on the day of publication, rather than having to wait for postal services. In terms of what comes next, Parmley believes the key is continuing to reflect the title’s audience. “We’ve always seen IQ as a companion to the business, something that reflects the great characters and individuals that make up the industry. We have to keep that in mind moving forwards, and the rest is really just detail.” “The magazine has evolved really well because we’ve had the luck of working with great people all the way through,” adds Prosser, who references long-serving ad manager and ILMC table football competition umpire Terry McNally, as well as his successor, Steve Woollett. Masson comments, “Having been a newspaper hack for nine years, I began my trade journalism career writing about satellites and space in Washington DC. There’s not much synergy with the music business, but I worked for a company called Phillips Business Information, which had

dozens of titles covering numerous industries, so I quickly learned that the remit was to deliver news and analysis that readers would be able to use to improve their business prospects. That basically sums up what we try to do with IQ and a lot of our focus now depends on Jon and Lisa and their daily news and content being first, or very quick off the mark, in terms of bringing relevant business information to people.” Parmley adds, “What started as a way of saving money on postage has become the most widely read news resource for the business internationally, and the magazine underpins that. It’s been a good run for the first 100 issues!”

Congratulations IQ on 100 editions and the opportunities you have given the international music community. IQ has been a great bridge for Australia, keeping us informed of the latest trends/ideas, especially during the dreaded Covid, and it has helped us tell the world about our success and progress with Chugg Music, Chugg Entertainment and the Mushroom Group. Michael Chugg | Chugg Entertainment IQ has always been a great source of industry insight, but over the last year the daily news service has really come into its own. In a rapid-changing landscape IQ provided a much-needed focus for developments. All credit to the team and I look forward to the next 100 editions. John Reid | Live Nation

IQ TEAM 2021

GREG PARMLEY

CHRIS PROSSER

LISA HENDERSON 24

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GORDON MASSON

STEVE WOOLLETT

JON CHAPPLE

MICHAEL MULDOON

BEN DELGER

PHILIP MILLARD

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28-30 SEPTEMBER 2021 600 Festivals | 300 Booking Agents | 1 Global Festival Hub Delegate passes now available For early marketing opportunities, contact Steve Woollett steve@iq-mag.net | +44 7469 872 279

Feature_Recruitment & Restaffing

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Recruitment & Restaffing_Feature

As businesses around the world hope for an expedited reopening, their counterparts in the UK are working toward a 21 June deadline for an end to all Covid restrictions. But with a depleted workforce, one of the biggest challenges facing companies across the board is having sufficient staff to meet demand. Gordon Masson reports.

s promoters, venues and production companies in the UK make plans for full-capacity, non-restricted events, as early as the end of June, their peers elsewhere are watching with interest as the industry in Britain plots its way back to normality, or the ‘new normal’ as many people are calling it. A number of test events, without restrictions, have already been held, boosting confidence among politicians and medical experts and setting the scene nicely for the reintroduction of full-capacity shows. But with thousands of professionals no longer working in live events, because of a combination of redundancies, furlough measures, or, as is the case with many freelancers, finding employment elsewhere to pay the bills, the industry finds itself in a precarious position. “Catch-22 is a good way of describing it,” says Catrin Lee, ASM Global’s human resources director for Europe. “It’s about trying to find that right balance between hoping for the best but planning for the worst.” That sentiment is echoed throughout the industry, with people remaining understandably

cautious as the pandemic has provided a number of false dawns and surprise setbacks. In rare cases, such as in Sweden where the government approach to the pandemic has been very different, venues have not closed their doors. That allowed tenant sports teams to continue activities, but bookings still took a hit due to the lack of international touring. As a result, the UK’s roadmap is being keenly followed by professional bodies around the world, who are hopeful that its success may lead to an expedited return for touring. European Arenas Association president John Langford tells IQ that the subject of restaffing and recruitment is a major talking point between the association’s venues. “EAA members are closely monitoring how operations in the UK are going to handle the restaffing dilemma, given that country’s progress in the battle with Covid means that venues could fully reopen within the next month,” he says. Those charged with creating those restaffingof Thousands policies in the UK are rising to the challenge. professionals read “The first few months of this was just me writing IQ every day. Make spreadsheets to work out what we need to do and sure you get the what levels we work to, and then tearing it all up

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Feature_Recovery Sessions

Following a successful debut in May – The Recovery Sessions ( ’s monthly webinars) – will return in June to examine crucial topics such as lobbying, Covid-19 mitigation, and the all-important subject of event insurance. Launched as a monthly series of half-day conferences, the aim of The Recovery Sessions is to keep the live music industry updated about the international roadmap to reopening. All Recovery Sessions are free to access for IQ subscribers and, thanks to the support of ASM Global and Goodtill, are hosted on IQ’s website. The first series of sessions took place on 13 May and featured discussions about certificates and passports; test events; and an industry leaders’ panel that looked at the path back to international touring (see opposite page).

The second series will kick off at 14:00 BST on 17 June, and will consist of three hour-long discussions tackling lobbying and industry-government relations; the latest Covid-19-mitigation technologies; and the progress being made towards the return of cancellation insurance for live events (full details below). Other editions are scheduled for 15 July and 12 August, with the series continuing for as long as there is a need for discussions.

JUNE SCHEDULE: 14:00 BST

15:00 BST

16:00 BST

If the last 16 months have brought one positive thing, it’s the commercial live music business becoming more organised in speaking to governments and authorities. Prior to the pandemic, the independent and commercially successful live sector was a relative unknown in the halls of power. Now, with grants and support schemes in place, stronger relationships have been forged. So, when it comes to lobbying and campaigning, what can less engaged markets learn from their neighbours? And how important will relationships with politicians be in a post-Covid world?

With many live markets on the verge of reopening, the precautions put in place will vary enormously. From voluntaryrisk-assessed mitigations to those required by guidance, what are the latest measures that will restart live music? Our invited line-up of production specialists and industry pros presents a rundown of the top mitigation measures; the latest in testing and certification; and draws from up-to-the-minute guidance from multiple international markets.

While compensation schemes in many European markets have helped build confidence, the absence of commercial cancellation insurance for Covid-19 remains a major barrier to live music’s return. How long will this market failure endure? And when policies do return, what are the likely rates and terms that companies can expect? With an update on availability and progress across Europe and other international markets, this vital session will provide a current snapshot.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR: THE MITIGATIONS FINDING A VOICE? SESSION

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INSURANCE: THE MISSING PIECE

Recovery Sessions_Feature

The first Recovery Sessions event took place on 13 May and featured issues such as vaccine passports, the takeaways from this year’s major pilot events, and the road to recovery from the points of view of industry leaders. Guests included Melvin Benn (Festival Republic), Marsha Vlasic (AGI), John Sharkey (ASM Global), Pablo Soler (Primavera Sound), Rosanne Janmaat (ID&T), Maria May (CAA) and Dr Paul Twomey (Biosecurity Systems).

The Recovery Sessions videos are free to access for IQ subscribers. Click on the images opposite to access the footage.

CERTIFICATES & PASSPORTS: THE KEY TO MASS GATHERINGS? Session chair Lisa Henderson (IQ) was joined by Paul Twomey (Biosecurity Systems International), Danielle Kennedy-Clark (The O2), Ruth Hayat (Tel Aviv Yafo Municipality) and Hillary Cannon (myGP TICKet).

Becoming an IQ subscriber costs just £5.99 a month. For more details, click here. For more information about the Recovery Sessions, supported by ASM Global and Goodtill, contact Chris Prosser at chris@iq-mag.net.

INDUSTRY HEADS: LEADING THE WAY BACK Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn, Artist Group International president Marsha Vlasic, and ASM Global’s Europe EVP John Sharkey appeared as guests, whilst Creative Artists Agency senior agent Maria May chaired.

TEST CONCERTS: PILOTING LIVE MUSIC’S RETURN

Joining chair Jon Chapple (IQ) on this session was Dr Josep María LlibreThousands of (Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol), Primavera Sound’sprofessionals Pablo read Soler, Festival Republic’s Luke Cowdell, and ID&T COO Rosanne Janmaat. IQ every day. Make

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Feature_The New Europeans

THE NEW E

With the dawn of 2021, the days of UK-based touring companies operating unimpeded across Europe quietly came to an end. In this post-Brexit world, a continental operation is the latest expensive must-have, discovers Jon Chapple

hen the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced on Christmas Eve 2020 that the UK had signed a free trade agreement, the TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement), with the European Union, there was a collective sigh of relief across much of Britain. Four-and-a-half tortuous years after the Brexit vote, the UK was finally out, and people on both sides of the new border could finally get on with their lives. Well, sort of. That is, of course, unless you work in concert touring, in which case new requirements for visas (for people) and carnets (for goods), as well as restrictions on cabotage (ie the right to transport goods and people within the EU and/or UK’s borders) for trucking companies, rep-

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resented a less than ideal outcome for an industry built on decades of free movement across Europe. In response, many UK-based firms, particularly hauliers affected by the new limits on cabotage in the European Union, are investing considerable sums to open new depots in mainland Europe or the Republic of Ireland. In contrast to these ‘new Europeans,’ many in the touring sector were “sleepwalking towards Brexit day,” according to Robert Hewett, founder and director of Stagetruck. “They were just completely indifferent to it,” he says, “thinking that we’d all just carry on as it was before. I would be saying to people, ‘Look, I don’t think you should assume that. This is how we make a living; it’s our livelihood…’” However, with all touring still on hold be-

cause of the coronavirus, the impact of the TCA’s more restrictive provisions, particularly on cabotage, has yet to be felt fully, Hewett continues. “What happened with the pandemic when it hit is that it masked it [the Brexit question] for at least the next 12 months,” he says. According to Stuart McPherson, managing director of KB Event, a ‘no-deal’ Brexit – repeatedly rejected as the worst possible outcome by most live music industry associations and professionals – would have been a better option for hauliers than the TCA signed by Johnson’s government and their counterparts in the EU. “Bizarrely, for us that would have been a better outcome than the one we have,” he explains.

UROPEANS “For rock & roll touring companies there was an exemption in place, from back in 1996, that allowed entertainment transport to move freely throughout the EU. That protocol was overwritten by the TCA, which came into law with the Brexit agreement and overrode the previous exemption we had under the ECMT [European Conference of Ministers of Transport] protocols. So for us, this is the worst possible outcome.” “When the TCA was reached and the Brexit deal done, what we were left with was something that said we can no longer tour in Europe,” McPherson continues, “and so the only solution for that – as it sits right now and for the foreseeable future – is for us to open up a full European

operating centre with a European operator’s licence, which gives us more freedom in terms of cabotage and interstate movements in Europe.” As a result of that outcome, all the major UK-headquartered concert trucking and transport companies, which also include Stagetruck and Transam/EST (Edwin Shirley Trucking), are now based at least partially in the EU, or are considering a move, with offices in places like the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland serving as all-important hubs for continental operations. Under the current rules, Transam/EST will have to make a choice: “Either to become Dutch or Irish, or a bit of both, or to stay in the UK – but I can’t see the latter happening,” says senior manager Ollie Kite. “We’re going to have to re-register all our trucks, or a lot of them, into the EU, and that

The New Europeans_Feature

costs money. So we want to be able to be ready to do that, but we’re delaying it as long as possible. Because until work starts to return, we’re a bit strapped for cash…” McPherson estimates that the cost to KB Event to set up an office in Ireland – including the operations centre with parking for 60 trucks, an EU operator’s licence, and duplicate fleet insurance – is already up to £500,000 (€578,000), with European CPCs (certificates of professional competence) for KB’s drivers set to cost a further £100,000 (€116,000) – a considerable outlay for a sector that has had little revenue since March 2020. Thousands of Stagetruck, which alreadyprofessionals had an office near read Veghel in the Netherlands, isIQsimilarly facing a every day. Make bill of between £100,000 and £110,000 (€116,000sure you get the 127,000) to send its drivers to the Irish republic to

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Feature_New Agencies

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New Agencies_Feature

With company doors shuttered, staff on furlough or made redundant, the pandemic has had a massive impact on the agency business. But out of such turmoil springs opportunity, and over the past 12 months, a number of new independent agencies have been launched. Lisa Henderson reports. and the Spanish agency landscape expanded with Rebel Beat Agency – all “born out of the most unlikely of scenarios,” as Arrival puts it. For the founders of Arrival, the most unlikely scenario was being laid-off from Paradigm Talent Agency in the US, along with hundreds of others. But co-founder Ali Hedrick says this turned out to be a blessing in disguise: “I’d hoped that one day I would be my own boss, but I’m not sure if I ever would have done it, so it’s kind of fortuitous that it happened and forced my hand, in a good way.” Hedrick founded the agency in October 2020 with her former Paradigm colleagues Erik Selz, John Bongiorno, Karl Morse and Ethan Berlin,

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ast year presented the agency world with a raft of unforeseen hardships, from the shutdown of the concert business to widespread job losses. Faced with the choice to adapt or founder, many agents rose to the challenge of the former, ushering in a new age of entrepreneurship. Some agents banded together in the wake of redundancy and others decided to strike out of their own accord, spurring a wave of brand-new independent agencies across the globe. The UK gained Marshall Live Agency, Mother Artists, One Fiinix Live, Route One Booking and Runway Artists; the US welcomed Arrival Artists, Mint Talent Group and TBA Agency;

Your Shout

IQ Magazine – you are a highly appreciated and indispensable voice in our industry, as well as an essential source of information for staying updated about the countless things going on in front and behind the scenes! Here’s to the next 100! Karsten Jahnke | Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion

In a world previously dominated by US-centric showbiz magazines, IQ was a breath of fresh air, giving a European and international view of the world of the music biz. Written without resorting to hyperbole, as so often is the case in this business, it’s been an invaluable read for the past 17 years.

IQ is a fantastic magazine with powerful and uniting messages and energy. Not only does it provide the latest news and data, IQ gives so much in-depth insight and speaks to us promoters on an emotional level. IQ shows us ways in which the industry can become better in the future, and supports us in bad times. Staying at home for the last year, I’ve read all the IQ issues for the last couple of years, which I didn’t have time to read in full before. While most magazines dedicated to specific industries are dull and written in a dry manner, IQ writing is at times so talented that it deserves a Pulitzer prize one day! So, thanks for making such an awesome magazine, I think you’re doing a great and muchneeded job!

Stuart Clumpas | Spark Arena

Semyon Galperin | Tele-Club

There are several useful music-biz media, but only IQ is focused on the exNorth American concert business.

I am wiser with my daily dose of IQ.

Nick Hobbs | Charmenko

Congratulations on the 100th issue! What is IQ Magazine’s strongest point? Definitely the answer is its spirit. It’s the spirit that has allowed us to share our own stories in the Your Shout section, to attend ILMC, and to hear so many stories from the music business. IQ has never stopped showing strong focus and direction even in uncertain Covid-19 times. Again, huge congratulations on the 100th issue of IQ!

What does

TOP SHOUT

Having a high IQ is not something you would ever credit the music industry with, but having IQ Magazine at your fingertips is something that raises your IQ by at least ten points, especially in these Covid-blighted times where the daily updates have kept us all abreast of industry news and developments from around the globe. A fantastic milestone has been achieved. Congratulations and well done to all. May the 200th edition be reached soon... Which, incidentally, is my IQ. Donald Macleod | Hold Fast Entertainment

Congratulations on 100 editions! You guys do a great job and you can see the hard work you put into it. It’s always a must-read for me. Here’s to the next 100.

mean to you?

I have been bringing artists into South Korea and Asia from the UK, Europe and the US for many years now, and IQ Magazine has always played a very important role for us, providing accurate updates and industry news. Happy 100th IQ! And thank you! Tommy Jinho Yoon | International Creative Agency

I always look forward to my IQ Magazine and rely on the online updates to keep me in ‘the know’ of current goings on.

IQ is validation of being involved in music events for more than 20 years, when sometimes you wouldn’t know what to expect when routing a tour or booking an artist. IQ and the conferences have brought us closer and build knowledgeable relationships with the live community around the world.

Wayne Forte | Entourage Talent

Marcus Anthony | KSO Entertainment

Toby Leighton-Pope | AEG Presents

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Rob Challice | Paradigm

Onta Shiroh Kawaguchi | Creativeman

IQ is, for us, a fantastic news and knowledge source. The newsletter hits up-to-date subjects that move and challenge the industry, providing a Thousands of forum for exchange, discussion, and professionals read solution-finding. Here’s to IQ, the people IQ every day. Make behind it, and the next 100 issues! sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE

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