9 minute read
Analysis
from IQ102 Preview
by IQ Magazine
NEW SIGNINGS & NEW MUSIC
LISTEN TO ’S ‘NEW MUSIC’ AGENCY PLAYLIST HERE
Each month, ’s partner agencies help us to compile a playlist of new music, much of it released by the new signings to their rosters. Among the tracks on August’s playlist are submissions from 13 Artists, ATC Live, CAA, ITB, Mother Artists, Paradigm, UTA and WME.
WET LEG (UK)
AGENT Adele Slater
Paradigm
BROOKE COMBE (UK)
AGENT Lola Mitchell
13 Artists
© Hollie Fernando A midst a night of hazy scenes in their native Isle of Wight, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers found themselves at the summit of a Ferris wheel. They decided to start a band. The band is called Wet Leg.
Arming themselves with guitars, a penchant for French disco, effervescent imaginations, and a shared love of The Ronettes and Jane Birkin, through to Ty Segall and Björk, they set about making some recordings of their own.
Enter their debut single, Chaise Longue, and a deal with legendary indie label Domino, while forthcoming live appearances include support slots with Jungle and Inhaler.
Edinburgh-born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Brooke Combe, recently released her new single A-Game. Already familiar to legions of fans on social media through viral covers of the likes of Marvin Gaye, her acclaimed debut single Are You With Me? arrived in May to a rapturous response, while her latest track provides another tantalising window into the world of a singularly talented young artist.
Combe will play a first Glasgow headline show at the legendary King Tuts on 5 August – tickets sold out in a matter of hours – highlighting the buzz surrounding the soulful newcomer.
Combe discovered a love for music aged just five, after getting her first toy drum kit. Now aged 21, she has added saxophone, trombone, guitar, bass and piano to her repertoire, and taken influences from the 90s R&B played in her parents’ house, as well as the Motown her grandparents would play for her in order to help develop her songwriting skills.
Welcome to the jungle
As the North American market starts to move through the gears, Guns N’ Roses production coordinator Debbie Taylor shares some pointers for those lucky enough to be preparing to return to work.
We are finally starting to see movement in the industry with shows slowly starting up and events being prepped. Over here, in the US, we are getting ready for a tidal wave of tours to hit the road. I count myself lucky to have been engaged in a few events in the last couple of months including VaxLive! at SoFi Stadium and the Verizon Big Concert for Small Business show. I have implemented Covid protocols and monitored their effects on both events and crew and am now using that knowledge to prepare for the upcoming Guns N’ Roses tour. There are definitely obstacles to overcome, but that’s what we do as industry professionals – adapt and rise to the challenge. In the spirit of collaboration, here’s a few things I’ve learnt along the way: We are facing shortages in all areas from gear to equipment, vehicles to crew. Don’t be surprised when you can’t source what you are looking for. Plan ahead as much as you can, reassess your needs and think outside of the box. This is a time for dynamic management, where a one-sizefits-all approach won’t work. Flexibility is required. Masks may be here to stay, whether it be for Covid-19 protection or for seasonal flu outbreaks. Find a mask that is comfortable. For now, it’s another essential piece of work equipment and should serve its purpose without being too uncomfortable. If you wear glasses, good luck with finding an antifog solution. When writing your protocols keep them as uncomplicated as possible. As well as keeping everyone safe they need to be practical, easy to follow and even easier to implement. If you’re engaging a third party to write your policies, don’t expect them to know how our very unique industry runs. Explain the minutiae. This is a great chance to revisit the event and to refresh your own memory. Reach out to others to see what they are doing, the issues that they are facing and how they are dealing with them. Others may have the solution that you are looking for. Once written, allow yourself enough time to wrap your head around your plan. Walk through your show with the protocols in mind. Think how they will affect you and your work from load-in to load-out.
When communicating your policies keep it simple. You have probably been dealing with and thinking about the ramifications of Covid-19 for a long time but others have not. Complacency will set in, sooner than you think. Be prepared for this. You will be dealing with many different viewpoints. Covid is a divisive subject, and most people have an opinion. Treat people with respect but get them on board with your show’s policies regardless of their view. People are entitled to their beliefs, however, following your guidelines is essential and a requirement of their job. Instill confidence in your team. Ensure that they know your policies are there to keep them safe and to keep the show running. This may be the first outing for many, and people may be nervous about their health and livelihood. Empower people with the information you are providing. If you can explain the reasoning behind the policy you’ll end up with an army of CCOs who will facilitate the successful implementation of your Covid plan. You will be slower at your tasks. Cut yourself some slack, you haven’t done this for a while. Time management became more critical for me and has actually led to a more streamlined way of working. Expect the unexpected on your return to work. You will be affected in ways that you can’t imagine. You may feel uncomfortable, but that will pass. Don’t give up on any good habits that you have formed in your enforced time off. It’s easy to get swept back up in work mode but remember to take care of yourself. Catering will be different. The buffet may be gone but I’m grateful for the increased handwashing and sanitisation – it’s been a long time coming! Don’t get bogged down with the small details. A lot of safe Covid practices are common sense. You are adaptable and before long you will absorb these practices into your daily routines (for as long as they are required). And finally, embrace the changes, enjoy the company, stop for a second and soak up the atmosphere. We’ve been waiting a long time to get back out there, make it count.
Magazine 15 SUBSCRIBE HERE
View from the top
Oak View Group’s co-chairperson, Jessica Koravos, and chief people & culture officer, Ann Jackson, tell how the company has been in a unique position to respond to the pandemic and build back better.
What has the pandemic looked like so far for Oak View Group (OVG)?
JK: OVG is the largest sports and entertainment venue company in the world but none of our venues are open yet. So, we’ve been on a really different ride from our peers in the industry. They’ve been in batten-down-the-hatches mode whereas we’ve been in full-on construction mode on six buildings throughout this whole thing, and those processes haven’t stopped at all.
Has that put OVG in a unique position to respond to the pandemic in the design and build phase?
JK: Yes. We have been able to do a lot of thinking about what we need to change as a result of the pandemic. For example, speeding up the road to paperless. We were looking at it much more from an environmental standpoint but then we saw it from a sort of sanitation standpoint – customer touchpoints are really necessary now. We also looked at all of the catering and how we could minimise touch – and make food more grab and go.
Also, readjusting the airflow and ventilation and making sure that our metrics are all in line with the new research that is coming out on airborne transmission. Making sure the materials are antibacterial, that doors that might have opened and shut maybe just stay open. We’ve had the luxury of being able to react in real-time to these things.
How has OVG supported its employees during this tumultuous time?
AJ: I’m really proud of the way OVG has decided to support the employees throughout the pandemic, not laying people off, letting them keep their benefits, bringing people back as things opened up and it became safe to do that. From an onboarding perspective, we’ve been trying to make employees in remote places feel like a part of it by, say, sending them swag because they’re just sat at their dining-room table, and not at an OVG office.
We’re hoping that we’re going to have 100% of employees back in the office by the fall, based on what’s going on with the pandemic. We want to make it a very festive environment that says we’re glad that we can spend time in each other’s real presence, but at the same time there’ll be protocols in place, not to prohibit or make anyone’s job more difficult, just to keep them safe.
As OVG expands internationally, what’s your strategy for creating diverse teams?
AJ: We’re making sure that we go about hiring with intention. Whether that’s reaching out to
HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) or diverse professional organisations to ensure that we have a larger slate of people that we can consider for the roles that we’re looking to fill. For example, we’re supporting diverse students to do an MBA in Sports and Entertainment Management at Seattle University’s Albers
School of Business and Economics. So we can start building that pipeline to venues like our Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and get people back into this industry to get a more diverse interview.
Why is making diverse hires good for business?
JK: OVG is lightyears ahead of our competitors in terms of gender diversity. One of the reasons it’s so important is to do with the fan experience. If there aren’t people designing a fan experience with everybody in mind, then it’s going to fall short for big chunks of the population and people aren’t going to feel welcome. It’s just as important from a customer service point of view too; if fans are being greeted by a wall of people who are different from them.
Just look at the UK’s events research programme that our almost completely white male government is putting forward. They’ve picked cricket, football, Formula One racing, Wimbledon and the snooker championships. There are virtually no women and virtually no people who aren’t white in any of the event research programmes and that kind of gender and racial data gap is what creates a crap experience for most of the population.
92 An ILMC Publication
SEPTEMBER 2020 | £25 | €25
PLUS
iFF 2020 GUIDE TOP LIVE-STREAMING PLATFORMS
Click this page to get a digital subscription for premium, subscriber-only features including:
Monthly digital edition of Magazine Unlimited access to industry-leading news, articles and insight Exclusive interviews with industry leaders, long-form analysis and features All of our annual reports Access to all of our previous magazines and yearbooks
