IQ105

105 An ILMC Publication NOVEMBER 2021 | £25 | €25

RECRUITMENT & RESTAFFING JAVOR TALKS COLDPLAY

INTERNATIONAL

TICKETING

REPORT

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UK & IRELAND STAGE

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ONE FAMIL UNIQUE Y .FAMILY. FES ONE FAMIL UNIQUE Y FES UNIQUE FESTIVALS. ONE ONE FAMIL UNIQUE Y ..

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IQ105 CONTENTS

Cover: Bob Vylan at the International Festival Forum 2021

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12 NEWS

FEATURES

COMMENT AND COLUMNS

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Index In Brief The main headlines over the last month Analysis Key stories and news analysis from around the live music world New Signings & Rising Stars A roundup of the latest acts that have been added to the rosters of international agents

International Ticketing Report 2021 Ticketing leaders from around the world

provide insights into the state of the

business, ahead of the crucial 2022 year

of recovery Recruitment & Restaffing As companies around the world try to

rebuild their workforce, ahead of the

busiest year in live entertainment history, IQ quizzes some of those tasked

with fulfilling the recruitment drive

Breaking new ground Reflecting on the first GEI Summer

Edition, Claire O'Neill says the industry

is coming of age on the issue of sustainability Keep on rocking in the post-Brexit World

Marta Pallarès calls for a solution to

the Spanish and British deadlock over

visa-free short-term touring Yellow Goes Green Josh Javor details the planning behind

Coldplay's greener world tour Your Shout What is your biggest horror story?

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SALES RUSH

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f there were any lingering doubts about the appetite for live music, coming on the back of a deadly pandemic that has so far claimed close to six million lives, then the massive on-sales of recent weeks will hopefully have allayed any such fears.

Both Ed Sheeran and Coldplay have achieved sales in excess of one million tickets for their 2022 outings around Europe, while other A-list tours including Guns N’ Roses, Eagles, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, The Killers, Aerosmith, Kings of Leon and many more are packing out the summer schedule in Europe.

Of course, many festivals are also busily announcing on-sales for their long-awaited return to operations, so the competition for fans’ disposable income will be intense with thousands of acts hitting the road in the hope of making up some of the revenues lost to Covid during the past two years.

Only time will tell whether the demand will be enough to meet the supply, but there are genuine concerns among the promoter community that there will be events that become casualties of an oversaturated marketplace, which could, in turn, jeopardise the financial viability of entire tours.

For now, however, optimism is high, as companies across the live entertainment industry prepare for what is promising to be the busiest year in history for concerts and other events.

A major part of those preparations will involve getting the workforce back up to operational speed after many were forced to make redundancies and furlough employees. Countless numbers of other experienced staff also decided to pursue different career paths during the past 18 months and that task of enticing new blood into the industry falls upon some of the HR experts that we speak to in our Recruitment and Restaffing feature on page 32.

One of the sectors that is a step ahead of others is ticketing, where staff have been dealing with the numerous rescheduled dates since the pandemic started and are now handling the millions of transactions for the new tours that are going on sale for 2022 into 2023. The challenges facing the ticketing business are not insignificant, but the executives who spoke to IQ for this year’s International Ticketing Report (page 18) suggest that the opportunities that lie ahead could make 2022 and 2023 years like no others.

And underlining some of the growing confidence that appears prevalent as 2021 winds down, Lisa Henderson speaks with X-ray Touring’s Josh Javor (page 16) about the strength of Coldplay’s 2022 ticket sales, the band’s aim for sustainable touring, and the sadness that Steve Strange is not around to celebrate the success.

ISSUE 105 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 James Hanley Staff Writer Lisa Henderson Advertising Manager Steve Woollett Design Rather Nice Design Sub Editor Michael Muldoon Head of Digital Ben Delger Contributors Claire O'Neill, Marta Pallarès 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

IFF enjoys a successful return to a physical event, as more than 600 delegates registered for the event that focuses on booking agents and festivals.

The Dutch event sector loses summary proceedings brought against state due to latest Covid-19 restrictions.

Deezer acquires a minority stake in UK-based live-streaming company Driift.

Live Nation UK hires longtime alternative promoter Ryan Cornall to work on projects including Download festival.

FKP Scorpio, DreamHaus and Loft Concerts join forces on a brand new open-air festival, set to launch in Berlin next year.

Tomorrowland organisers submit application for third festival weekend in 2022 “out of economic necessity.”

Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon apologises to the event industry for botched rollout of country’s vaccine passport app.

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Assomusica slams Italy’s latest rollback of restrictions as being “inadequate and useless.”

DreamHaus enters strategic partnership with advertising agency Publicis Groupe Germany.

Live Nation announces election of Walmart executive Latriece Watkins to its board of directors.

Austrian promoter Barracuda says only one Covid-19 case could be linked to one-day pilot event Nova Rock Encore.

Denmark’s music industry lost over DKK3billion (€403m) in revenue in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, according to a new report.

SMS Event Production announces inaugural Wide Skies & Butterflies Festival for Raynham Estate, Norfolk, UK, from 5–7 August 2022.

New Zealand festival promoters welcome plans unveiled by prime minister Jacinda Ardern for a vaccine passport that could be operational by November.

OVG reveals new partnership with Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group, which will serve as launching point for a Canadian office.

CTS Eventim snaps up German software and hardware developer Simply-X.

Leading Austrian companies Arcadia Live and Ink Music announce new partnership.

TEG appoints Rachael Carroll to the newly created role of MD for TEG Sport & Experiences.

UK governments announce varying approaches towards vaccine certification and Covid-19 requirements.

Supersonic promoter Creativeman says event was “big step” towards resumption of festivals and concerts in Japan.

Veteran agent and founder of live music booking agency Art & Industry, Mick Griffiths, passes away (see page 9).

EAA welcomes Arena Gliwice in Poland, and AO Arena in Manchester, UK, to its ranks, taking its total membership to 36 arenas across 20 European countries.

Roskilde Festival organisers plan to release 5,000 extra tickets for the 2022 edition, exclusively for fans aged under 25.

AEG Presents’ Rock en Seine festival in France expands to four days for its 2022 return.

Organisers of Bay Dreams in New Zealand cancel their events due to difficulty securing quarantine spots for international acts.

Around 86,000 jobs in UK’s cultural nighttime economy sector lost due to Covid-19 pandemic, according to new report.

Benjamin Leaver is named CEO of festival discovery and booking platform Festicket and its subsidiary, Event Genius.

Eighties rockers Marillion ask fans to become their insurers for upcoming UK tour due to lack of suitable commercial insurance.

Goldenvoice announces new festival California Vibrations, or Cali Vibes, for Marina Green Park, Long Beach, from 4-6 February 2022.

In Brief

Primavera Weekender to return from 5–6 November after government of the Valencian community announces standing festivals can once again take place.

Glasgow’s Hydro arena secures naming rights deal with UK’s third-biggest energy supplier, OVO. Stage11 partners with artists Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, and Akon following €5million seed round led

by European venture capital fund Otium Capital.

Russia’s regulation of its cultural events industry dubbed “unsystematic and often excessive” by public ombudsman.

Coldplay announce that their first tour in four years will have an “eco-friendly” focus (see pages 8 & 16).

ASM Global launches corporate social responsibility platform ASM Global Acts.

NorthSide promoter Down the Drain declares all food at 2022 festival will be plant-based and 100% organic.

Iceland Airwaves team announces return of streaming event Live from Reykjavík in lieu of brand’s flagship festival.

Live Nation, Oak View Group, and GL Events partner on development of new 20,000-capacity arena in São Paulo, Brazil (see page 11).

Live Nation signs new deal with Olympique Lyonnais Groupe to develop new 16,000-capacity arena in France (see page 11).

Facebook plans to hire 10,000 people to accelerate development of so-called metaverse.

Bloodstock Open Air director Vicky Hungerford takes “step back” after coming under fire for “uninformed” tweet.

Danny Wimmer Presents sets festival attendance records with triumphant return to live music.

German event companies call for all remaining Covid restrictions to be lifted by 1 December.

Impact of Covid-19 wipes out 69,000 music industry jobs in UK – one in three of total workforce.

DreamHaus plans first-ever arena tour with German rapper Marteria.

More than 100,000 fans tune in to a live-stream of AEG Presents’ four-day Firefly Festival.

Concerns mount within UK business about government’s £800m (€947m) insurance scheme for live events.

Republic of Ireland’s concerts business dealt blow after government announces new restrictions on standing at indoor live events.

IQ’s daily live music business coverage bolstered by addition of veteran music business journalist James Hanley as news editor.

Madrid’s Mad Cool announces additional day for the festival’s fifth anniversary from 6-10 July next year.

Camden’s Koko venue to relaunch as “new global music platform” in spring 2022 after £70m (€83m) of investment.

Ticketmaster ramps up global expansion with appointments of Jim Kotsonis as regional VP, Asia Pacific, and Anjelica Devoe as general manager – New Zealand.

ESNS festival and conference inks long-term deal with See Tickets.

Live industry’s staffing shortage, returning customer confidence, and no-shows at concerts figure prominently in IQ’s latest Recovery Sessions webinar.

Live Nation partners with NS2 and FPC Live for Charleston’s Music Farm, which reopens in 2022 (see page 11).

Live Nation’s new Dallas venue The Echo Lounge & Music Hall set to open in November (see page 11).

Decentraland prepares to host world’s first multi-day festival in metaverse (see page 11).

DEAG acquires literary events production company Fane Productions via its subsidiary Kilimanjaro.

Music Venue Trust reports botched rollout of Scotland’s vaccine passport app costs venues £250,000 (€296,000) a week.

Hit The North Festival in Newcastle hit by mass cancellations due to allegations against promoter SSD Concerts.

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More than one million tickets sold for European leg of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres – World Tour.

ASM Global and Loud and Live announce strategic partnership to produce concerts together.

Adele reveals first live dates since 2017 with two shows at AEG Presents’ BST Hyde Park in London on July 1-2 next year.

New Zealand government puts NZ$800,000 (€494,000) towards recreational drug checks at festivals and concerts.

AEG Global Partnerships hires sales and marketing executive Lara Fox as VP. BMG and live partner Undercover form strategic alliance with Taubertal Festival founder Volker Hirsch.

Covid-19 strips Australia’s live entertainment industry of AU$1.4bn (€905m) in revenue during 2020.

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INDUSTRY CHARGES TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE

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oldplay and X-Ray Touring have set a standard for sustainable touring by announcing an eco-friendly world tour.

The British band previously said that they would put touring plans on hold as they investigate how to make their concerts more sustainable.

Now the band has announced their return to the road, supported by a 12-point plan for cutting their carbon footprint.

The Music of the Spheres World Tour will kick off in March 2022 in Costa Rica, which has one of the highest rates of renewable energy generation in the world.

The 41-date stadium tour will partly be powered by a dancefloor that generates electricity when fans jump up and down, among other things.

The concerts will use electricity from batteries fueled by fan power as well as solar energy, recycled cooking oil from local restaurants, and mains power from 100% renewable sources where available. For every ticket sold, the band will plant a tree.

Coldplay front man Chris Martin admitted the team had not figured out how to cut the environmental impact of some parts of touring but their goal for a few years’ time is to have “slightly shifted the status quo of how a tour works.”

Elsewhere, Danish promoter Down the Drain is attempting to shift the status quo in the festival world, by offering only plant-based and 100% organic food at NorthSide 2022. The festival will take place between 2-4 June next year at its new home in Eskelund park, Aarhus.

Next year’s edition will mark a “sustainable quantum leap” for the festival, which has previously earned [an] A Greener Festival Award in

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2014 and 2016.

“In 2014, we launched the first organic beer, in collaboration with Tuborg,” said Brian Nielsen, festival director for NorthSide.

“In 2019, we removed disposable plastic mugs and the sale of bottled water, and in 2022, plantbased food will stand side by side with the transition to 100% green electricity.”

Nielsen continued: “We want to continue to surprise, challenge, and take the lead, and serving plant-based food is a natural next step on our sustainability journey. It is the food of the future.”

To provide all plant-based food, the festival collaborated with The Vegetarian Society of Denmark and Organic Denmark, who are behind The Plant-based Knowledge Centre.

The festival says it has opted out of meat and fish in the meals and will use a maximum of 15% cheese, eggs or mayonnaise per portion.

Meanwhile, as the world’s leaders gather in Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (aka COP26), UMA Entertainment, chaired by Harvey Goldsmith, and leading Scottish promoter DF Concerts have organised a number of events to support the campaign to set more ambitious sustainability goals.

Part of the programme will involve a 6 No-

vember event that will mix a day of live performances with panels from climate experts and thought leaders across NGOs, youth activism, music and the entertainment industry, including several LIVE Green working group members.

“In the wake of Live Green unveiling a suitability charter for the live music industry, it’s encouraging to see so many artists, their representatives and other influential personalities taking a clear stand against climate change at COP 26,” states LIVE Green chair John Langford.

Elsewhere, ASM Global launched a new corporate social responsibility platform called ASM Global Acts, which it says is aligned with many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the live entertainment giant, the platform is centred on three commitments: protect the environment, invest in people, and strengthen communities around the globe.

The company will establish annual targets that measure impact and progress to achieving the commitments.

Details for the next edition of the Green Events & Innovations conference will be announced shortly.

“We want to continue to surprise, challenge, and take the lead, and serving plant-based food is a natural next step on our sustainability journey. It is the food of the future” Brian Nielsen | NorthSide Festival director

GERMAN POWERHOUSES UNITE TO LAUNCH TEMPELHOF SOUNDS

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KP Scorpio, DreamHaus and Loft Concerts, three of Germany’s biggest promoters, are joining forces on a brand-new openair festival, set to launch in Berlin next year.

Tempelhof Sounds will take place 10 to 12 June 2022 on the grounds of Tempelhof Airport – where the Berlin Festival once took place, and the German Lollapalooza Festival launched in 2015.

Headliners will include Muse, The Strokes, and a third act that is yet to be announced. Alt-J, Interpol, Idles, Royal Blood, Two Door Cinema

ART & INDUSTRY FOUNDER MICK GRIFFITHS PASSES

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he live music industry has paid tribute to Mick Griffiths, veteran agent and founder of live music booking agency Art & Industry, who passed away this month.

Griffiths formed the London-based agency in 2010 after working as an agent at Asgard for 30 years.

During his career, he worked with artists including Mogwai, Ocean Colour Scene, The Go! Team, and Julian Cope.

Club, Mac DeMarco, Wolf Alice, and Big Thief are also set to perform.

A mission statement says the event is an “inclusive and cosmopolitan festival” and the organisers “firmly believe in equality, diversity, and sustainability.”

“We are very pleased to make this special festival format possible in the capital together with our partners,” commented Stephan Thanscheidt, CEO of FKP Scorpio. “Our guests can expect an event that combines top international acts with an extraordinary open-air experience.

Following his passing, a raft of executives and artists from the live music industry paid tribute on social media.

Anton Lockwood, director of live at DHP Family, wrote on Facebook: “Terrible news that Mick Griffiths has died.

A proper independent agent who saw things his own way, and always took the creative path.”

Ade Dovey, live music promoter at Luminescent Live and former event programming and content manager for ASM Global, tweeted: “Absolutely gutted to hear that Mick Griffiths has left us. Owe this man a lot of gratitude for all the amazing shows we’ve worked [on] and [for] supporting me with putting gigs on over the years. Especially with Mogwai, Julian Cope, The Go! Team and Ocean

Tempelhof Sounds wants to offer ‘programmatic surprises’ and present a diverse line-up.”

Fontaines D.C., The Gardener & The Tree, Hinds, Black Honey, Just Mustard, Pillow Queens, and The Pale White are also slated to perform.

Other confirmed acts include London Grammar, Parcels, Courtney Barnett, Sophie Hunger, Freya Ridings, Anna Calvi, Kat Frankie, Holly Humberstone, Griff, and Baby Queen.

Tickets are on sale now, with day passes starting from €79 and festival passes starting from €179.

Colour Scene.”

Promoter Dave Travis wrote on Facebook: “I’ve been booking bands off him for around 40 years, I always enjoyed the bartering over sometimes small amounts on bands fees.”

Ocean Colour Scene paid tribute to Griffiths on Twitter: “We are very sad to hear the news that our friend and tour agent Mick Griffiths has passed away.

“Mick has helped plan the tours for over 25 years since the days of our album Moseley Shoals. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.”

The Go! Team tweeted: “Gutted to hear our live booking agent Mick Griffiths has passed away. Mick was with us from the very beginning and such a genuine lover of music. RIP Mick.”

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Analysis

UK AND IRELAND SUFFER UNDER NEW RESTRICTIONS ON LIVE MUSIC

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K governments this month announced varying approaches towards vaccine certification and Covid-19 requirements, in some cases posing new logistical challenges for the live music industry.

Promoters and venues in Scotland are facing some of the toughest restrictions in the UK after the government introduced mandatory vaccine passports.

The certification came into effect for large events and nightclubs on 1 October but “a vast majority” of people experienced repeated problems in registering and uploading their personal vaccine status to the app.

It was later revealed by Music Venue Trust that the botched rollout of Scotland’s vaccine passport app is costing venues £250,000 (€296,000) a week.

While the Scottish Music Venues Alliance (SMVA) reported a 39% dip in business per week, amounting to £249,471.23 (€295,289.97), since vaccine certification became mandatory.

With the weekly turnover for SMVA members totaling just under £640,000 (€757,500), the drop represents a loss of more than £712,000 (€843,00) over the first two weeks of the month.

Venues stand to lose almost £2million (€2.4m) from an eight-week downturn. MVT CEO Mark Davyd described the figures as “terrible.”

Elsewhere, the Republic of Ireland’s concert

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business was dealt a fresh blow after the government announced unexpected restrictions on standing indoor live events.

As part of the latest phase of public health measures in the country, the Irish government has said that audiences for indoor live music, along with drama, live entertainment, and sporting events, must be fully seated from 22 October, with standing permitted only at seats.

The move, which follows a rise in Covid-19 hospitalisations, impacts any standing-only events booked by promoters. Covid-19 digital certificates are still required for indoor activities.

The country’s National Public Health Emergency Team has recommended that masks and social distancing remain in place until February next year.

From 6 September, indoor events and mass gatherings in Ireland were able to take place at 60% of a venue’s capacity where all patrons are immune (fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 within the previous six months).

The government had previously set out its intention to effectively end all restrictions from 22 October.

Several promoters have told IQ that cancellations of existing shows are now imminent.

At the beginning of the month, the Welsh government announced that everyone will need an NHS Covid Pass to enter nightclubs and large

events from next week.

Since 11 October, anyone aged over 18 is required to show the pass to prove they are either fully vaccinated or have had a negative lateral flow test result within the last 48 hours.

Pablo Janczur, director of events at Think Orchard, which operates in more than 20 venues in Wales, says that the implementation of the Covid Pass will add another obstacle in venues’ post-pandemic recovery.

Janczur also warns that Wales’s restrictions will put the market at a competitive disadvantage to neighbouring England, which lifted all restrictions on 19 July.

However, the compulsory use of vaccine passports could be implemented in England under the government’s more stringent Plan B rules.

It would mean that only vaccinated gig-goers would be permitted entry to live events, and that negative lateral flow tests were no longer allowed.

The proposal will only be introduced if the country faces a difficult winter with rising Covid cases in the colder months, the government said.

However, research from the government’s Covid-19 taskforce shows that certification would reduce overall community transmission by just 1-5%, as only 2-13% of overall community transmission takes place in venues covered by the certification scheme.

Analysis

THE METAVERSE SETS THE STAGE FOR LIVE MUSIC

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his month has seen a growing trend of live music experiences in the ‘metaverse’ – a virtual world made up of permanent, shared, 3D virtual spaces in which people can work, game, play, and even watch concerts.

While Roblox and Fortnite have led the charge in this realm, a number of other platforms are throwing their hats in the ring.

Virtual blockchain-based world Decentraland hosted the world’s first multiday festival in the metaverse.

The event, simply titled Metaverse Festival, featured more than 80 high-profile artists and personalities across four days and five stages.

Deadmau5, RAC, 3LAU, Nina Nesbitt, 3Lau,

LIVE NATION EXPANDS GLOBAL VENUE PORTFOLIO

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ive Nation this month announced the addition of not one, not two, but three new venues to its global portfolio of 200+ venues.

The live entertainment behemoth has partnered with Oak View Group (OVG) and GL events to develop a brand new 20,000-capacity arena in São Paulo, Brazil.

The state-of-the-art Arena São Paulo, expected to open in 2024, will host live events such as concerts, sports games, family entertainment and more.

The arena will be located within São Paulo’s premier entertainment destination, the Anhembi District, which is well-

Alison Wonderland, Aluna (of AlunaGeorge), and Paris Hilton all made appearances.

Alongside music, Metaverse Festival also offered a funfair, games, merch stands, a VIP lounge, chill-out zones, a psychedelic sculpture garden and – in a world-first – virtual portable toilets.

The event ran from 21–24 October and could be accessed through the festival home page or the Decentraland Events page, using nothing more than a computer, a wallet, and a browser.

Elsewhere in the metaverse, Roblox and event promoter Insomniac brought one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world – Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) – to the virtual world.

The event took place concurrently with EDC in Las Vegas, Nevada, with sets streamed on Roblox after the in-person shows – mirroring the real-life festival. Artists even joined the experience in Roblox after their sets to hold ‘meet and greets’ and interact with fans.

The event was the first-ever music festival hosted in Roblox, following virtual concerts by Twenty One Pilots, Lil Nas X and Royal Blood.

Meanwhile, world-renowned producer Deadmau5 developed a permanent virtual residency in Core, a new user-generated gaming platform by developer Manticore Games. The experience, called Oberhasli, includes music, games, and

known for hosting the Carnival parade, among other events.

In addition to developing the venue, Live Nation and OVG will be the operators of the facility and will oversee event bookings.

Elsewhere, Live Nation has signed a new deal with Olympique Lyonnais Groupe (OL Groupe) to develop a new 16,000-capacity arena in France.

The Lyon-Decines arena will be located on the Olympique Lyonnais valley site in Lyon and is on track for completion at the end of 2023.

According to the companies, the new venue will host around 100 events per year including concerts, sporting events, and e-sports.

The deal extends Live Nation’s existing relationship with OL Groupe, which first launched in 2016 with the opening of the Groupama Stadium (cap. 59,186) in Lyon.

The partnership has brought artists such as Rihanna, Coldplay, and Ed Sheer-

other content curated by Deadmau5 and allows fans to connect and socialise with each other.

Users can even listen to a sneak preview of Deadmau5’s next single at the jukebox.

Oberhasli launched on 15 October with a live performance by Deadmau5, but the metaverse continues to exist even after the one-off performance.

The virtual world is intended to be “a place to visit again and again, with fresh music, games, and content,” according to a press release.

“We’ve seen virtual concerts in the past, but after making a splash, they fizzle out; there’s no shelf life to them,” says Joel Zimmerman, aka Deadmau5, in a statement.

“With Oberhasli, I want to create a permanent mainstay for the artists’ metaverse, regularly updating it over time, switching things up and keeping it cohesive with real-world news and ancillary events.”

The platforms join a number of massive tech-centric companies that have vested interests in music – such as Facebook, Tencent and Alibaba – who are investigating how to build a metaverse.

While several companies including Stage11, AmazeVR, Stageverse, and Sensorium have launched with the sole purpose of bringing music to the metaverse.

an to the stadium.

In the US, Live Nation has partnered with NS2 and FPC Live for Charleston’s Music Farm, which will reopen in 2022.

The company will book the 650-capacity South Carolina club in collaboration with Nashville-based NS2, while FPC Live – a joint venture between Live Nation and Frank Productions – will manage and operate the venue.

The teams have already begun renovating and upgrading the facility.

FPC Live and NS2 also operate the nearby Charleston Music Hall.

Live Nation has also announced the official opening date and initial line-up for new 1,000-capacity Dallas venue The Echo Lounge & Music Hall, developed in partnership with Mark Cuban, and the Dallas Mavericks.

The venue will open its doors this November with over 19 artists already confirmed to perform, including Madison Beer, Cheat Codes and Tate McRae.

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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 November’s playlist are submissions from ATC Live, ITB, Mother Artists, Paradigm and UTA.

FALLY IPUPA

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uilding a reputation around his ability to transcend genres and rise above African borders, Congolese musical icon Fally Ipupa last year released Tokooos II, which saw him combine R&B and trap beats with more traditional sounds like soukous and ndombolo from the nation of his birth.

Tokooos II marked the follow-up to 2017’s Tokooos, an acclaimed LP that became gold-certified in France and led to tours around the world, from stadiums all over Africa to sold-out arenas in Paris and the United States. He also released double-album Control in 2018, a 31-track project that African music platform Afropop described as a “return to his classic rumba and ndombolo sound, aimed directly at the Congolese market.”

Amassing 800 million streams across his back catalogue, Fally Ipupa started out with soukous band Quartier Latin International before launching a massively successful solo career, winning ‘Best Francophone Artist’ and ‘Best Video’ (for single Sexy Dance) at the 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards.

(CD)

AGENT Carlos Abreu UTA

TV GIRL AGENT

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Guillaume Brevers Hometown Talent

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n the surface, TV Girl is a sunny, throwback splash of 60s French pop and southern California soul. Yet, under that shiny veneer lays a dark heart, beating with sharp wit and cynical alienation, and the music is all the more alluring for it.

TV Girl, composed of Brad Petering, Jason Wyman, and Wyatt Harmon, was formed in 2010 as an outlet to blend the love of Spector-esque, girl-group pop with an emerging interest in hip-hop. In 2014, TV Girl unveiled their first full-length, the critically acclaimed French Exit. The album keeps true to the TV Girl charm with a bevy of electronic samplings infused throughout light and airy guitars, whirring organs, and ethereal vocals. However, this record is not all summer nostalgia, and there are plenty of times where French Exit reads like disaffected fiction. The moody characters in these songs are fuelled by revenge as often as love, underpinned by desperation and a deep yearning to connect. The band takes self-identity and ponders it alongside themes of sexuality, isolation, and social status. To date they’ve released three albums: French Exit, Who Really Cares, and Death of a Party Girl.

New Signings

ARTIST LISTINGS A-Wall (US) Guillaume Brevers, Hometown Talent Anchorsong (JP) Darren James-Thomas, FMLY Agency Andy Bell (UK) Rob McGee, FMLY Agency Benson Boone (US) James Whitting & Ryan Penty, Paradigm Beth McCarthy (UK) Sol Parker & James Whitting, Paradigm Billy Strings (US) Olly Hodgson, Paradigm Carwash (US) Guillaume Brevers & Joren Heuvels, Hometown Talent Circe (UK) Alice Hogg, ATC Live Cold War Kids (JP) Darren James-Thomas, FMLY Agency Coloray (NL) Tom Manley, ATC Live DJ Voices (US) Peter Beer, FMLY Agency Don’t Problem (UK) Rob Gibbs, Progressive Artists Donae’o (UK) Sam Gill, Earth Agency Dream Nails (UK) Graham Clews, ATC Live Elaine (US) Ari Bernstein, ICM Partners Emeline (US) James Whitting & Anna Bewers, Paradigm Etta Marcus (UK) Alex Hardee & Anna Bewers, Paradigm Fally Ipupa (CD) Carlos Abreu, UTA Goodboys (UK) Nick Matthews, Paradigm Hater (SE) Rob Gibbs, Progressive Artists J Wax (UK) Emile Martin, FMLY Agency Joe Unknown (UK) Alex Hardee & Tom Taaffe, Paradigm Karenn (UK) Jim O’Regan, Paradigm KEG (UK) Rob Challice, Paradigm

KennyHoopla (US) KiD RAiN (UK) Kidä (XK/AL) Magdalena Bay (US) Marina Trench (FR) Micromoon (UK) MIKE (US) mustbejohn (UK) Nikitch & Kuna Maze (FR/BE) Orions Belte (NO) Phem (US) RinRin (AU) Samuel Jack (UK) SG Lewis (UK) Silhouettes Project (UK) Skillibeng (JA) Sophie Faith (UK) The Royston Club (UK) The Velveteers (US) Tommy Lefroy (UK/US) TV Girl (US) Varg (SE) Water From Your Eyes (US) Wesley Gonzalez (UK)

James Whitting, Paradigm Sol Parker, Paradigm Sam Gill, Earth Agency David Exley, Paradigm Alasdair Howie, FMLY Agency Felipe Mina Calvo, ATC Live Guillaume Brevers, Hometown Talent Sinan Ors, ATC Live Andre Marmot, Earth Agency Paul Buck, Paradigm Alex Hardee, Paradigm Geoff Meall, Paradigm Alex Hardee, Paradigm Steve Nickolls & James Osgood, UTA Marlon Burton, ATC Live Nick Matthews, Paradigm Marlon Burton, ATC Live Geoff Meall, Paradigm Anna Bewers, Paradigm Olly Hodgson, Paradigm Guillaume Brevers, Hometown Talent Lucy Atkinson, Earth Agency Guillaume Brevers, Hometown Talent Rob Gibbs, Progressive Artists

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

LAST MONTH 6 22 19 5 17 9 31

PREDICTIONS FOR NOVEMBER 2021

ARTIST CKAY (NG) NARDO WICK (US) WET LEG (UK) ELLIE DIXON (UK) YEAT (US) MADDS BUCKLEY (US) MIKE DIMES (US) GRENTPEREZ (AU) LEITH ROSS (CA) EKKSTACY (US) LYN LAPID (US) JADE LEMAC (CA) JVKE (US) SIOUXXIE (US) JACK KAYS (US) XXKATUSJINSUX (US), HOTBOY WES (US), GUCCI DASSY (AU), GAYLE (US), NALA SINEPHRO (UK)

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.

OCTOBER 2021

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Breaking new ground Reflecting on the GEI Summer Edition, AGF’s Claire O’Neill says the industry is coming of age on the issue of sustainability.

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n 2021, sustainability in live music has become such a hot topic that we needed not one but two Green Events & Innovations (GEI) conferences. After the Summer Edition, it became clear that the industry is “coming of age” on sustainability. I’m not talking body hair and sexual impulses – they’ve always been a prolific feature of our industry; it’s other features of transformation from “childhood” to “adulthood” that we’re displaying.

There’s a notable increase in recognition of the purpose behind what we do and why.

Perhaps because of the prolonged grounded months of 20/21, we’ve had space to reflect on what’s important, to see the impact of actions, positive and negative. Glimmers of emotional maturity are showing where it might have been lacking in the past.

Another factor is stepping into our responsibility. It isn’t enough to just ‘not be shit.’ We must recreate our structure of business, communication, and where we place value. Never have we experienced such engagement on the topic of sustainability across all levels of the live music sector, from grassroots to c-suites – venues, promoters, agents, artists, production. All parts of the industry are uniting towards a common goal of shared learning and understanding, to not only reduce our fuel-use, plastic-use, and meat consumption etc, but to create equitable environments that nurture positive outcomes.

So why is this happening now as AGF enters its 16th year and GEI its 14th? Whilst there have been pioneers and innovators present all the way, the majority of the industry has been slow off the mark to respond to the sustainability challenges we face. It is fair to say that it is human or indeed cultural nature to go with the path of least resistance, and only get things done when there’s a looming deadline. For decades it’s been made easy to make healthy profits by exploiting other people and our ecosystem – now it’s coming back to bite us on the bum.

There is also a global shift in awareness, which is influencing government policy; infrastructure and logistics; marketing communications; education systems; and fields of research. Our industry doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The ignorance of sustainability was a shared global condition, as much as its

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current focus is (save for indigenous communities who have lived in reciprocity with the rest of nature for millennia).

We’re also now presented with solutions and information that was previously not available to us. After all, we generally create mind-blowing and unforgettable entertaining and emotional experiences, not synthetic fuels, transport networks, and renewable energy.

So back to the boots on the ground. GEI welcomed delegates and speakers from all over the globe, from elders of indigenous communities to execs of global promoters.

The conference featured a collective industry-first when LIVE Green launched its declaration, asking the sector to commit to reaching net-zero by 2030.

Elsewhere, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Studies shared their tour-impact research commissioned

by Massive Attack, and last week Coldplay were back in the press with their actions, intentions, and failings for creating a greener tour. All of these actions are vitally important to put wind in the sails of where we need to get to.

The trend of artists announcing or at the very least aspiring to greener tours, should and will increase. There are enough eyes, expertise, and open dialogue that the industry will be able to work to facilitate this, with any dubious attempts at PR stunts and greenwashing being quickly washed out of the game. What’s more, it is essential that the business provides a green industry, so that artists can confidently use their profile to engage and inspire billions of people.

We will return for GEI 14 in March, alongside ILMC and IPM. We will regroup to share each sector’s actions and obstacles, as well as to report on the work done since our frenzied reboot of the industry across multiple countries. Testing how far along we have come and making sure we are all ‘walking the talk.’

At the summer edition of GEI, a deeply respected and internationally renowned elder from the Diné tribe, Patricia McCabe, Woman Stands Shining, reminded us that this vast and staggering transition is not going to be painful; it is going to be deeply satisfying. And I wholeheartedly agree!

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Keep on rocking in the post-Brexit world Primavera Sound’s Marta Pallarès calls for a solution to Spain and England’s deadlock over visa-free short-term touring… before it’s too late.

“We’ve followed all the rules Driven miles out of our way Paid tons extra to do this properly We’ve had three stamps But now back in England They are refusing to stamp our carnet For some bizarre reason”

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ut of context, these lines could sound like a Pulp song complaining about the bureaucratic formalities we common people have to face when going through customs. But this is not a song and it is not funny – although it does come from the wit of a British band. This is the true story of BEAK touring France, shared via Twitter some weeks ago. But hey, at least the French audience was able to enjoy that performance. Here, in sunny Spain, the sun is not shining on British artists anymore. We are not even able to stamp those carnets. Alas, Spain is one of the very few countries in Europe that hasn’t come up with a plan, since 1 February 2020, to solve a very simple problem: how can artists from the UK tour our country without losing all their savings, or their sanity, in endless and highly invasive procedures? If 20 countries all over the EU have found an answer to that, why can’t we?

It feels so long ago but if you are Spanish, chances are that the last gig you attended without a face mask, a negative PCR test or a Covid certificate, was by a British band. Spain is (was?), in fact, the third touring market for British bands.

During the final weeks before the pandemic hit, bands like Fat White Family, Stereophonics, and Kaiser Chiefs toured in my country: now, they won’t be able to without lengthy processes and a lot of money spent on working visas.

The ball keeps bouncing from the UK court to the Spanish one and back. Like in a messy divorce where the alleged adults keep fighting and making reproaches, it is always the kids

who suffer. In this case, the ‘kids’ being the smaller- and medium-sized bands, as well as the smaller- and medium-sized venues and their teams. In another typical “the winner takes it all” case, artists and concert venues that don’t count on big teams to deal with this level of logistics have to use their own time to do so, taking focus away from what’s really important: making music, promoting it, and bringing it on stage. No more, no less.

We warned about it some months ago, that using Covid as a rain check to sideline topics such as gender equality could become a real problem. Not only a problem but a humongous, short-sighted mistake. With Brexit, this has happened already. We knew this would happen, and we sat on our comfy couches just waiting for the world to burn. Well, breaking news: it is burning already. Does this mean we can’t find a solution to stop the fire? I certainly hope we can.

In industries such as digital business, European initiatives like the single digital market have boomed during the last few years. Even though the ideal system has not been fully set yet, we as a continent have understood that we can’t be competitive in a global world if we don’t work together and find common ground and regulations. In music, we should also stop glamourising the lone-wolf attitude. In our hyper-connected world, how on Earth – literally – is it possible that we keep building more useless fences? Regardless of what ballot boxes say, Brexit has proved that we are indeed part of a whole. If a part of the system fails, we all fail… unless we find a way to fix it. And now, we are failing. Thinking ahead and collectively, enhancing European projects and associations, adapting faster to our current reality, and coming up with solutions that work from “us, the continent” to “you, the island” is the only way. Maybe we are a little bit too late for this one, but if our business has survived a pandemic and is able to do so with this political rift, we will be pretty well prepared for what comes next. I hope.

“Here, in sunny Spain, the sun is not shining on British artists anymore”

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Yellow Goes Green Josh Javor reveals the emotions of overseeing remarkable ticket sales on Coldplay’s 2022 stadium tour without mentor Steve Strange

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n mid-October, X-ray Touring-repped heavyweights Coldplay announced their first tour in four years in support of their new album Music of the Spheres.

Having previously put touring plans on hold to investigate how to make their concerts more sustainable, Coldplay’s new announcement came hand-in-hand with a 12-point plan for cutting their carbon footprint.

The eco-friendly 2022 tour is currently slated to visit 40 stadiums around the world and one festival, with more dates to be announced, meaning that it could end up being the highest grossing tour of the year.

For X-ray Touring’s Josh Javor, who planned the tour alongside his late partner, Steve Strange, seeing the groundbreaking tour come to fruition is bittersweet.

Here, Javor tells IQ’s Lisa Henderson about how the pair planned a tour of this nature; when he sees the industry recovering; and how he’d celebrate with Strange if he were here.

IQ: How would you describe the on-sale for the European leg of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres – World Tour?

JJ: It was insane... we pretty much sold out. We sold more than a million tickets just in Europe and added extra dates in the UK, France, Germany, and Belgium. At the moment, we’re discussing adding more dates. The US also went on sale that day and Latin America had already gone on sale and sold out.

You planned this tour with your late partner, X-ray Touring cofounder Steve Strange. On a personal level, what is this moment like for you?

This is one of the most bittersweet moments of my life. This tour is something Steve and I planned for a very long time and because he’s not here to revel in the success, it feels very bittersweet to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic at how well it’s done, but the fact that Steve, unfortunately, didn’t make it to see our plan come together and work so well, brings things down to earth. It’s not the same on my own.

My constant thought has been, I wish Steve was here to see this.

How do you think Steve would react to the success of Coldplay’s on-sale?

He would be on another planet. He was a member of the family when it came to this band and he would’ve been jumping

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for joy. We’ve all talked about it – management and ourselves – and about how amazing Steve would have thought this is.

Normally, Steve and I would get to 12 o’clock on the day of an on-sale – after selling a million tickets – and we’d be on our second bottle of champagne.

How did you approach ticket pricing post-pandemic?

Just being realistic. You just have to know what the market is and what people can afford. One way of doing that is to stay very grounded and down to earth. I think we’ve got ticket prices spot on. Tickets for this tour are slightly more expensive but not by much. Without the pandemic, we could have leant towards increasing them from what they are now, but you have to take everything into account.

How are you feeling about the business in general next year, and has this on-sale given you extra confidence?

Yes and no. It’s very difficult to predict what will happen. I think it’d be stupid to give any assurances, but I still worry about the industry between now and next summer. We’ve got a lot of shit to go through and a lot of hoops to jump through to get to where we want to be, but the on-sale is very positive, definitely.

I think the industry as a whole is very happy and proud that the public is still interested in going to concerts on a grand scale. I think, in this instance, when one of us succeeds, in a way, we all succeed because we’ve been up Shit Creek for so long.

Do you think this eco-friendly tour will become a blueprint for other bands of the same calibre?

I hope so. It’s something that everyone should be striving for, and just as Coldplay have said, they might not get it right, but at least they’re trying. They’re not just talking about doing something, they’re leading by example. I think you do need bigger artists to show other people how it could be possible to change.

It’s very difficult to do an eco-friendly tour when you’re at a smaller level than Coldplay. You have fewer decisions that you can make about how you tour when you’re a smaller artist. If you’re playing a club or a theatre, you don’t have the same choices as if you’re playing a stadium. It’s about the

© Frank Schwichtenberg/Wikimedia Commons

Comment

amount of control you have, the amount of money you can generate, and about the different kinds of venues and different rules that you have. It all goes hand in hand.

How involved were you in the creation of the 12-point plan to cut the band’s carbon footprint?

I was involved in the parts I could be, like figuring out how we can try and cut the carbon footprint by staying in the same place and playing more shows. It’s very different from the standard tour where artists do one or two shows and then move on in order to visit as many places as possible. We’re not visiting most of Europe. If you look at the tour, it’s cut down to a few cities.

What we’ve done is we’ve recognised that it’s not possible to tour everywhere in one summer or in one year. It’s going to take longer to visit everywhere, but by doing it this way, we’re

staying in one place for a longer period of time and cutting emissions. It’s about staying put.

What advice would you give to other agents attempting to plan an eco-friendly tour?

It’s the little things sometimes. It’s not having single-use plastics or not having plastics at all. There are basics that everyone can be doing. The live industry has been at the forefront of trying to be greener since festivals started changing years ago.

Tell us about the time period in which you booked this tour.

It has been very difficult to put these shows in because, at the time of making these decisions, a lot of places were in lockdown. At the time, you couldn’t even go on-sale with shows in certain markets – let alone full-capacity stadium shows.

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The past two years have been turbulent for the global ticketing business, but with consumer demand for live events now at an all-time peak, the challenges of fulfilling the most packed event schedule in history will test ticketers to the hilt.

Gordon Masson talks to the experts…

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n years gone by, IQ’s annual examination of the ticketing business has merited a standalone book – the International Ticketing Yearbook (ITY). However, the pandemic decimated the business, globally, with many operations forced to run with a skeleton staff that had to deal with the thousands of postponed and rescheduled shows and events, often multiple times, as well as the complexity of refunds and/or voucher schemes.

As the countdown to 2022 begins in earnest, the ticketing sector was among the first in the live entertainment sector to start bringing its employees back into the workplace. And the results have been phenomenal. On-sales such as Ed Sheeran and Coldplay have both seen more than a million tickets snapped up, while hundreds of artists and acts are planning to hit the road, meaning many venues are experiencing seven-days-a-week bookings for the first time in their history.

Covid willing, 2022 should be a record-break-

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ing year for the live events industry. But there are still significant territories operating under pandemic restrictions, and the prospect of more virulent variants of Covid-19 emerging over the winter months in the northern hemisphere remains an all-too-real threat for promoters and event organisers everywhere.

Setting such concerns aside, momentarily, IQ spoke with a number of leading industry executives about the challenges – past, present, and future – to gauge the health of the international ticketing business.

CHANGING LANDSCAPE The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is driving seismic changes in the ticketing sector worldwide, acting as a catalyst for digitisation but also prompting certain operators to question their participation in the business.

Ticketmaster president, Mark Yovich, says,

“We’ve been leading the move to mobile tickets for some time now, but the pandemic has fasttracked their adoption industry-wide. The benefits were always there but are even more clear-cut in a post-Covid world.”

He explains, “For the fan it provides a convenient and frictionless experience. For the event organiser, more insight than ever before.

In the past when someone would buy four tickets, it was a matter of guessing who those other three tickets went to. Now we know who walks through the door and can serve them up a more personalised and enjoyable experience from the moment the ticket lands in their Ticketmaster account right through to showtime.”

Digital services are also a priority for CTS Eventim chief operating officer Alexander Ruoff.

“The entire industry must work to get fans back to shows in similar numbers to 2019,” he says.

“Ticketing will become even more digital. In markets where electronic entry-control has not

REPORT INTERNATIONAL TICKETING

Given that it will be five years since Adele last performed live, it is no surprise that her 2022 shows have been selling out within minutes.

been standard, we will see this after the pandemic. As digitalisation continues, we will be able to offer exciting new products. One example is the EVENTIM.Pass digital ticket, which has already been used for Ed Sheeran's European tour.”

Ruoff explains that EVENTIM.Pass tickets can only be resold via the company’s official resale platform, fanSALE, “which means they are fully traceable,” he says. “It is an important contribution in the fight against the unauthorised secondary ticket market.”

Jamie Scahill, head of marketing for Skiddle, says even clients that were reluctant to adopt digital and paperless systems are now changing direction. “For example, during the pandemic, Skiddle provided ticketing for local football clubs in the UK using our RapidScan ticket scanning app software to provide contactless entry,” he says. “Such clubs had not adopted paperless entry pre-pandemic and this trend is looking set to continue across a range of sectors in the events industry.”

That’s a development that Richard Howle from The Ticket Factory welcomes. But he recognises that economic hardship has taken its toll. “Commercially, it has made us more risk averse,” he admits. “I know that some promoters and organisers are struggling to get advances as the ticketing industry becomes more cautious.

“The reality of the liabilities that ticket companies carry in the event of cancellation has really hit home during the pandemic and that will reflect attitudes and commercial decisions going forward, particularly for new promoters and event organisers,” he warns.

The advantages of digital tickets are crucial to Fair Ticket Solutions, whose founder & CEO, Alan Gelfand, notes, “The need to know the identity of every attendee has finally come to fruition. This will ultimately move the industry to a futuristic goal of some form of biometrics becoming an attendee’s ticket, such as their face or palm. Additionally, an attendee’s health sta-

tus will now have to be linked to their ticket or else physical checks will still have to be applied at gate entry causing delays nobody wants.”

While debates over biometric tickets will be a feature of industry conferences in the months ahead, the pandemic has also caused untold financial damage to the ticketing sector, meaning that some of the smaller operators in particular may not re-emerge.

“The pandemic has weakened the players who were in a more challenging position, notably in terms of cash flow,” states Weezevent CEO Pierre-Henri Deballon. “It also highlighted the difficulties of some players in managing high-volume refunds, while it has underlined the advantages of having access to more flexible and adaptable technology like Weezevent.”

Benjamin Leaver, CEO, Event Genius & Festicket, claims that event organisers who adopt contactless and cashless technology will benefit.

“A survey we did recently revealed that over 70% Magazine

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REPORT INTERNATIONAL TICKETING of eventgoers would be more encouraged to attend an event if it had a cashless system,” says Leaver, citing his company’s own egPay system.

“Beyond that, we’ve seen a definitive rise in the usage of alternative payment methods, such as our payment plans and Pay with Friends feature. These allow customers to reduce immediate costs, allowing them to purchase more events at one time, and also goes hand in hand with the increase in average order value.”

While DICE president Russ Tannen points to the adoption of live-streaming as a direct result of lockdown restrictions, at AXS, director of ticketing Paul Newman cites four fundamental Covid factors: purchase patterns have altered, with last-minute bookings having increased; the increase in the uptake of ticket insurance; the need for increased levels of communication

to customers, such as Covid protocols and other advance show information; and the acceleration of the move to digital tickets and contactless venues.

“We have seen a strong migration to timed entry ticketing for museums and attractions as well as digital tickets and hands-free check in,” affirms Steven Sunshine, CEO of California-based TixTrack.

Across the Pacific, in Hong Kong, Martin Haigh at Total Ticketing is counting the casualties. “Ticketing companies that are part of larger integrated companies have appeared to have weathered the storm more easily. That being said, we’ve seen conglomerates in Thailand, Japan, and Korea look to sell their ticketing divisions – something that has never been on the cards in living memory,” he observes.

“Much intellectual property has left the industry as a result of ticketing companies downsizing their workforces. Independent ticketing companies have looked for bridging loans or investment to remain afloat. Many have pivoted towards live-streaming; many have looked at ancillary revenue streams more closely with things like ticket insurance and ‘buy now, pay later’ being pushed very hard during the checkout process.

One company noticing a surge in interest is TicketPlan, which offers ticket protection services. “Attachment rates for ticket protection and insurance will continue to be high, as ticket buyers now understand the potential risk of being unable to attend and will continue to purchase products such as TicketPlan on a wider range of bookings,” comments company CEO Ben Bray.

STAFFING

Weezevent has endured in terms of personnel.

“We were around 70 [employees] in 2019, then this number dropped to around 60 during 2020, since we made the choice not to replace people who decided to leave the company,” he tells IQ. “Then we went back up to almost 90 in 2021 with the acquisition of PlayPass, which is also a player in the event cashless industry. By 2022, we expect to be at least 125, if not more, depending on the activity and recovery in our sector.

Turning to governmental assistance, he says, “Support-wise, we benefited from […] the partial unemployment [scheme] set up by the French state, which covered part of the salaries of the teams who were not working during this period, and we supplemented their wages.”

Furlough programmes differ massively around the world, as highlighted by Total Ticketing sales director Martin Haigh from his Hong Kong office. “We were able to receive a small contribution from the government towards salary costs, although this was far below what most developed countries offered through furlough and similar schemes.

“Hong Kong’s zero Covid policy has meant we have experienced little in the way of lockdowns affecting people’s ability to work, although there has been little activity in the events sector generally due to the various restrictions resulting from the zero Covid approach.”

That allowed Total Ticketing to retain its entire team from 2019 to present. “In fact, we have made some new hires over this period to support our ongoing investment in developing our suite

of software and products,” says Haigh. “This has left us in a strong position as we have retained the skills and knowledge that we have developed in our teams over the years.”

In the UK, Skiddle’s Scahill notes the impact that lockdowns had on the business, including the closure of its Manchester office. But with the UK reopening for events, things are suddenly looking much rosier. “The majority of our staff were on either part-time or full-time furlough during the pandemic while business was down and Skiddle claimed £430,000 [€509,000] via the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. However, since lockdown lifting in 2021 and consumer confidence being at an all-time high, we are back to a period of growth as our team is now 65 staff members and we are now hiring at pre-Covid rates and recruiting for a number of roles.”

Indeed, that scramble to restaff is universal across the territories that are fortunate enough to be back.

“We are a relatively small team in the AXS London office, the majority of which we managed to retain throughout the pandemic – albeit up to approximately 50% were furloughed at various times,” says Newman. “Today we are back to a full complement of staff, as well as actively recruiting for a number of new roles within the business.”

Russ Tannen, president of DICE states, “By the end of the year our team will be 350 globally – and growing fast. We have headquarters in London and New York and offices in Los Angeles, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, and Samara.”

Covid redundancies have hit the sector hard and numerous experienced employees have taken the decision to pursue other career paths rather than return to their former roles. Nonetheless, HR teams have been working overtime to ensure companies are ready to service the needs of their clients.

“While events were paused, we had a huge amount of work to do processing rescheduled shows, helping clients manage the workload, and taking care of fans,” says Yovich, who presides over the world’s market leading live entertainment ticketer.

“At the same time, [Ticketmaster’s] technology teams were able to work at an incredible pace rolling out new features almost weekly, like our Smart Queue technology that effectively manages demand for busy on-sales, which fans are loving.”

He adds, “Thankfully, we were able to take advantage of the many furlough schemes around the world and, as we return to live, our team is building back stronger than ever.”

At Europe’s biggest ticketing company, CTS Eventim, Ruoff tells a similar story. “It is a principle of the company to stand by our employees, even in difficult times. At the same time, we benefitted greatly from government support programmes in various countries. [And] with the restart of business, we started hiring in key areas of the company.”

Deballon reveals the rollercoaster ride

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REPORT INTERNATIONAL TICKETING

“Over the past 18 months [fans] have found other things to do with their leisure time and money and, yes, whilst there is pentup demand, we shouldn’t take it for granted” Richard Howle | The Ticket Factory

VOUCHER SCHEMES & REFUNDS While the live events industry was among the first to shut up shop in the pandemic – and, of course, the last to reopen – one silver lining to that particular storm cloud was that the vast majority of fans around the world did not ask for refunds for rescheduled events.

Promoters in a number of territories also persuaded governments to allow them to implement voucher schemes, which helped retain at least some of their revenues to steer them through the crisis.

Again, though, the experience varies from country to country, and, off the record, some promoters are admitting, with hindsight, that refunds may have been the smarter move, as the costs for putting on shows in 2022 will be far higher than the ticket prices budgeted for, as they were often set in 2019, long before the pandemic closed countries down.

“In the majority of situations organisers offered refunds and around 80% of ticket sales that had been made before the pandemic were refunded,” reports Deballon. “On the other hand, the organisers who did not offer a refund but proposed a postponement had only a few requests for refunds.” He cites Hellfest as an example, where only around 100 tickets were refunded out of the tens of thousands for the soldout festival. “This highlights how valuable these tickets are to the participants.”

Ticketmaster’s Yovich observes, “The demand from fans has never waned. Globally, we saw 83% of fans holding onto their tickets for rescheduled

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shows, showing the palpable desire from fans to get back to live at the first opportunity.”

DICE’s Tannen reports similar stats. “87% of tickets for live shows that have been rescheduled or postponed until 2022 have not been returned,” he says. “Our flexible returns and Waiting List functionality mean that on DICE fans can often get a refund any time before the gig, so many fans will hold on to their ticket in the hope that they’ll be able to make the date of the new show, if they can’t, they’ll offer it to the waiting list.”

Lauding the voucher concept, Eventim’s Ruoff says, “We very much welcomed the decisions in a number of European countries on voucher schemes for cultural, concert, sports and leisure events. It was a very important step towards preserving cultural diversity. At the same time, the voucher solution is consumer protection in its purest form because it preserves the vital liquidity that promoters need to continue operating during and beyond the coronavirus crisis.

“In Germany, the voucher solution is valid until the end of this year. We have observed that many of the vouchers issued have been, and are being, used for replacement events. Therefore, the extent of the refunds is not yet foreseeable.”

Benjamin Leaver, the newly appointed CEO of Event Genius & Festicket, comments, “We had a number of countries that initiated voucher schemes, most significantly Germany and Portugal. These vouchers were usually only valid on events by the same promoter and mostly were valid until the end of 2021, however, some are running until the 2022 rescheduled dates.”

Yovich comments, “Where voucher schemes were mandated, we implemented this quickly

and effectively. However, in most markets we offered fans cash refunds for rescheduled shows with no questions asked. While being a global business, having local presence on the ground meant that we were able to work closely with our clients to tailor refund policies in each of our markets according to the legal framework and their wishes.”

The reality in Hong Kong was somewhat different. “Customers were initially keen to hold on to tickets pending events coming back, but as the restrictions have continued for longer, larger numbers are now asking for refunds,” says Haigh. “Whereas only around 20% were asking for refunds early in the pandemic, this has now grown to around 80%. We have not needed to implement voucher schemes, instead preferring to refund customers on-request to maintain customer confidence. This has not been the case with all ticketing companies in Hong Kong, but in general customer trust and confidence remains strong.”

Skiddle had its own approach. “From the start of the pandemic in March 2020, we’ve had to refund a total of 165,000 tickets,” says Scahill. “However, during the pandemic, we introduced the ticket industry’s first booking-fee credit system.

“While it remains an industry standard among ticket companies to retain booking fees when events are cancelled or postponed in order to cover costs, during Covid-19, we rejected this practice, seeking instead to put money back into the accounts of our customers. Now when a customer claims a refund, Skiddle will give them the option to claim the full booking fee amount as credit, which can then be used on a future purchase, up to 12 months later. Since we started this system in 2020, we have had a total of £140,000 (€166,000) claimed in booking-fee credits.”

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DEMAND Having been starved of live music for more than a year – and in some cases, more than two years – fans around the world are understandably craving the experience of gigs and festivals. This has manifested itself in some truly remarkable sold-out shows in the months ahead.

“Artists have been itching to get back on the road and we’re already seeing the biggest names – Ed Sheeran, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Shawn Mendes, Tool, BTS – selling like wildfire, with plenty more on the way,” says Yovich.

“We’re expecting colossal things for 2022 – not only do artists and fans want to make up for lost time, but the cyclical nature of our business ensures its longevity. The pipeline will always be full – sporting seasons, theatre runs, and touring cycles will remain a constant fixture.”

Eventim’s Ruoff is a tad more circumspect.

“Fortunately, demand for tickets has been rising steadily since spring, but as expected has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels,” he says. “In Germany, and Europe as a whole, we have seen great presales in recent weeks for concerts by top artists.”

In France, Deballon also has encouraging news. “In the third quarter of 2021 we are above our 2019 figures, despite the fact that fewer events went on sale, due to capacity increases this year.”

He continues, “Ticket prices are also changing. For 2022, we are expecting to see a triple effect: strong public demand, a plethora of events, plus increases in capacity and duration. All of this put together means 2022 should be a very strong year with a big rebound, especially for outdoor events, of which only the largest have taken place in France, in reduced formats, if at all. We expect shallower growth in the indoor sector, because setting up a tour is more complex than a festival.”

In Asia, Total Ticketing’s Haigh says, “De-

mand remains strong and tickets are selling very well, when events are able to happen. Customers are keen to get out and have experiences again where possible and as a result of the extremely low incidence of Covid in Hong Kong, customers are generally not concerned about the health risks of attending events.”

However, Haigh adds a weighty caveat. “The strong restrictions imposed, especially on larger events, means that volumes are still low overall – about 20-30% of previous volumes – but this represents a supply issue, not a lack of demand.”

Skiddle’s Scahill says demand has been unprecedented. “We’ve seen a boom in consumer confidence since lockdown was lifted in the UK, and we’re confident that this trend will continue into 2022 as young people are eager to experience nightlife for the first time,” he says.

“As a result, Skiddle has sold an extra £32m (€38m) in tickets in 2021 vs last year, a 442% increase on 2020. Skiddle’s phenomenal growth in 2021 has seen us grow 80% on its best ever year (2019). Since Feb 2021, the majority of our tickets sold were for nightclub events (45%) with live gigs and festivals a close second (44%).”

The same isn’t true for all UK-based ticketing operations. At The Ticket Factory, Howle notes, “Sales are beginning to return but still aren’t at pre-pandemic levels. In the first six months of this financial year, our overall sales have been down 25% on the same period in 2019. However, the on-sale patterns are still out of kilter with the norm, so it is difficult to compare like for like

“…the voucher solution is consumer protection in its purest form because it preserves the vital liquidity that promoters need to continue operating during and beyond the coronavirus crisis” Alexander Ruoff | CTS Eventim

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at the moment. Some recent on-sales have been weaker than expected, but I think that this is more likely to reflect the current economic situation rather than any Covid-related concerns.”

AXS director Newman contends, “It still needs to be decent content, but to be fair there are many top-level artists going out for the first time in a long time. So sales for the right events are very strong, which bears out the widely held view that we could be in for a bumper couple of years as long as the promoters can find space in the packed venue diaries.”

“It is no surprise that music fans cannot wait to get back out there to live events. Who can blame them?” says Leaver. “We’ve seen this play out in successful on-sales for 2022 events, such as Primavera Sound [in Spain], which sold out in just ten days, and for which we were the official payment plan provider.

“We’re also seeing fans spending more on their event trips too, resulting in a huge 172% uplift in average order value for international bookings compared with pre-Covid numbers, with a similar increase also seen in domestic booking.” He adds, “A large percentage of these are also now choosing alternative payment methods such as payment plans in order for customers to reduce their immediate costs.”

And with Covid never far from the headlines, the increase in demand is also benefitting ancillary businesses.

“We are currently seeing high attachment rates across our partner ticketing companies, venues, and events as people have a pent-up desire to book something to look forward to but at the same time have never been more aware of their risk of being unable to attend,” says TicketPlan’s Bray. “This has led to higher take up on our refund protection and insurance products as this enables ticket buyers to book in confidence knowing that if the worst happens and they are unable to attend the event, for instance if they are ill, they can request a refund via extended terms.”

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR In addition to purchasing add-on insurance coverage, fans are often waiting until the 11th hour to buy tickets for certain events – although some recent tours and dates for A-list acts next year have sold out within minutes.

While that dichotomy could give promoters sleepless nights, what is proving more certain is the willingness of the general public to embrace digital ticketing. This has been accelerated by the pandemic, as people recognise the health and hygiene benefits of steering away from physical passes for events.

“Digital transformation has significantly changed attitudes towards digital tickets – a Rubicon has been crossed,” says Haigh. “Contactless purchase, fulfilment, transfer, and redemption is very attractive given the pandemic. Digitally connecting tickets to waivers and proof-of-vaccine may soon be mandatory.”

Scahill states, “Much like we’ve seen with promoters, we expect more of an increase in demand towards the use of digital tickets vs physical as consumers become more accustomed to using technology throughout the pandemic. In addition to this, sustainability is somewhat of a hot-button issue in the events and touring industry, so the more we can limit paper usage in the ticketing industry, the better.”

However, pointing out that a digital ticket merely identifies the mobile phone’s IMEI

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number, rather than the person holding it, Fair Ticket Solutions’ Gelfand comments, “Attendees now have to provide some additional physical form of ID for entry, so whether a ticket is on their phone or physical now becomes only a matter of what the attendee deems convenient for them and should have their choice of deciding, not dictated to.”

And that scepticism wins favour with Eventim’s Ruoff, who contends that not everyone will embrace the digital switch. “We believe very strongly that many customers will want to continue to receive a physical ticket or receive it in addition,” he tells IQ. “An electronic ticket in a virtual wallet hardly triggers anticipation of a concert.

In contrast, a paper ticket on the fridge or on the pinboard evokes exactly that feeling. A physical ticket also plays a very important role for many fans as a souvenir of a great concert experience.”

Nonetheless, Howle states, “The pandemic

has forced the public (whether they like it or not) to embrace mobile technology with the use of tools like the [UK's] NHS Covid App. It was only a matter of time until digital ticketing arrived, and the pandemic has simply accelerated that process. Some of our first events to go to 100% digital ticketing were non-music events with audiences that traditionally find it harder to adopt these technologies.” He adds, “Within the next two years I expect that 90% of tickets issued will be digital.”

And Event Genius boss Leaver says his company’s investment into mobile-friendly products sets them up nicely for the manic 2022 events schedule. “For example, we recently released our new Festicket customer app, which makes it easier for eventgoers to access their tickets offline from their mobile device, speed-up entry, reduce possible overcrowding at entry gates and generally improve audience flow,” he says.

Indeed, Total Ticketing’s Haigh cites a fundamental shift in attitudes when it comes to digital adoption. “We operate in Asia and there is a cultural proclivity towards conservatism, yet we are seeing clients in some of Asia’s most conservative countries embrace and even demand digital ticketing, where just a year or two ago we were being told that ticket buyers would only accept physical tickets,” he reports.

“We believe that digital ticketing opens up a whole new world of engagement and activation opportunities for live-event promoters and sponsors and as such it’s inevitable that transformation towards digital ticketing will accelerate.”

COMMUNICATION While IQ has been hearing tales of audience drop-off rates for rescheduled shows being as high as 40%, most of the ticketing executives in this report admitted to rates of closer to 15-20% – still a significant no-show number.

Such statistics have prompted questions over

“The last 18 months have made me realise the importance of both physical and mental wellbeing, and I fully intend to carry forward the good habits I have developed in both my professional and personal life” Paul Newman | AXS

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whether the communication with fans has been good enough.

Weezevent’s Deballon admits, “We attribute [the no-shows] to the fact that many people simply forgot they had bought tickets. There were also all the effects of rescheduling or changes in programming, which made the public less enthusiastic about attending. In addition, personal circumstances may have changed, such as couples who had purchased tickets together splitting up.”

Scahill believes the numbers of people actually testing positive for Covid, or who are required to self-isolate when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, has had a major impact on no-shows. “As many events were rescheduled to the same time, this led to a higher drop-off rate for festivals as there was an abundance of events for customers to attend.”

But Scahill claims that with the summer season now over, drop-off rates appear to be returning to pre-Covid levels of 8-15%.

The Ticket Factory’s Howle cites different reasons. “The events with cheaper tickets have seen the highest drop-off – however, it is still early days. Once we start getting to the events that

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have rescheduled three or four times, we may well see a higher drop-off.”

“Good communication with fans is key,” states Howle. “We have continued our ‘Not Long Now’ email programme in the lead up to events and that seems to have been enough of a prompt to remind people that the event they booked two years ago is happening soon.”

At AXS, Newman has a similar viewpoint.

“The percentage of no-shows tends to be higher on those events that have rescheduled more than once, and ticket price is a factor – i.e. the percentage of no-shows is greater on lower- vs. higher-priced events,” says Newman.

And while Leaver says Event Genius and Festicket are recording 20-30% drop-off rates, there are positive aspects as fans return to see their favourite acts. “It seems that people are treating themselves as they return to live events,” says Leaver. “At our egPay cashless partnered events we are witnessing around a 20-30% increase in spend per head. This is a trend we are also seeing with ticket and travel package orders for international festivals in 2022 as average order values are at an all-time high.”

NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES Leaver notes that the pandemic shutdown created additional time for individuals and companies to develop new products and services – time that ticketing service providers the world over have been exploiting.

“One of the biggest takeaways for us is the accelerated embrace of technology in the industry, from digital ticketing to contactless access and cashless payment systems,” Leaver says. “Although the adoption has been quicker because of the pandemic, we strongly believe the change will benefit the industry in the long-term.”

Newman agrees. “The last 18 months has afforded us the opportunity to accelerate the development of a number of initiatives that would have otherwise taken far longer to implement,” he says, citing AXS opening up its mobile ID technology to other ticket agents.

“Taking notice of the feedback from the customer sentiment surveys we have undertaken; we have introduced venue iconography and other features into our purchase flow to give returning customers the information and reassurances

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they seek to return to live events.”

On behalf of Weezevent, Deballon says, “Over the last 18 months, we have essentially worked on the relaunch: the challenge was to ensure that the teams were ready for the relaunch and that the product was also ready. To do this, we worked on international development by buying the company PlayPass. We also reworked our capital structure by buying out the shares of Veepee, which was a shareholder of Weezevent, in order to be completely independent. This makes us one of the few truly independent European players in our sector.”

It’s also been a time for acquisitions at DICE, which bought Boiler Room, as well as completing a $122m (€105m) funding exercise. “We built-out our live-stream offering working with 6,400 artists on quality streams; we developed and rolled-out a completely new client tool with collaboration from our partners; we made massive design and functionality improvements across our app and website; and we opened up a new HQ in New York,” says Tannen.

On a B2B level, Leaver says, “We developed our Ticket Management Portal [TMP], which allows event organisers to be fully track-and-trace compliant by collecting all attendee details. The TMP also allows fans to easily share tickets with friends, as well as letting organisers seamlessly communicate with all eventgoers rather than solely lead bookers.”

Fair Ticket Solutions’ Gelfand, meanwhile, says, “We have spent the time evolving our identity-based platform to include a pre-clearance tie-in of the health requirements to activate all types of ticket formats.”

And in Hong Kong, Haigh tells IQ, “We have developed a global distribution system allowing us to ingest ticketing inventory from a large number of inventory holders and redistribute it to hundreds of agents, managing CMS, sales, invoices, credits. This allows for massive increased discovery. Alongside the ongoing development of our ticketing software, we have also created Total Streaming to give promoters the ability to mix and match in person and streamed sales through our platforms and to geofence viewers and enforce a single-viewer-per-link on our streams.”

Yovich says the pandemic pause allowed Ticketmaster to fulfil long-held ambitions. “We took this moment to take our business global,” he says. “Our goal was to unify across the globe as a single team with a single mission – to innovate and build one incredible experience for fans and clients wherever they are in the world.”

SECONDARY TICKETING The controversial business of secondary ticketing was never far from the headlines, pre-Covid, and indeed on the eve of the pandemic being declared, leading European operation Viagogo acquired eBay’s ticketing division, StubHub, for an eye-watering $4.05billion (€3.5bn) in cash.

The timing of that transaction, in February 2020, led to financial publication Forbes branding it the “worst deal ever” as sports and live entertainment were among the first sectors to close down, effectively shutting down the secondary market, too.

Since then, Viagogo sold its StubHub assets outside of North America, primarily to meet anti-competition regulations, but with little to no revenues over the past 18 months, the company will be determined to make the most of 2022’s packed events schedule to start clawing back some of that substantial investment.

According to Adam Webb, campaign manager at FanFair Alliance, an anti-touting campaign group, “The fear now is that the secondary players will be as desperate to get as much inventory as they can, and the other side of that is that some promoters will be desperate to sell tickets any which way, as well.”

With thousands of tours, festivals, and other events going on sale in the

“CTS Eventim has used the time of the pandemic for numerous strategic initiatives to emerge even stronger from the crisis,” reports Ruoff. “These include product developments.

Among these, our digital ticket EVENTIM.Pass stands out in particular.”

Taking the opportunity to “make ticketing more seamless for both the promoter and customer,” Skiddle’s Scahill says, “Over the last 18 months, we’ve launched our beta Promotion Centre to current promoters, built from the ground-up. [It] provides new features such as bulk-editing events, bulk-embargoing events, new dashboards, embed-listing widgets for pro-

weeks and months ahead, Webb is all too aware that many people may need to use secondary services to divest of tickets for rescheduled shows they can no longer attend for any number of reasons.

Webb contends that while those ticket exchange platforms with capped resale rules also suffered during the pandemic, they also seem to have weathered the storm.

“Just before the likes of Reading and Wireless festivals, there were loads of tickets available on places like Twickets, so there was real need – possibly driven

by Covid – for a lot of people to genuinely resell their tickets,” says Webb. “Because of dates being rescheduled or people who have health concerns, I think having that option through is probably more vital than ever, and there will be a need for primary agents to up their game a little bit to make sure fans are aware of those ticket exchange services, what they are and how to use them.”

He adds, “Going into 2022, with the calendar busier than probably ever before, lots of consumers are still unaware of the difference between an uncapped seller like StubHub or Viagogo and the primary ticket services. So I think there’s still a lot of work to do on the industry’s behalf educating their consumers about capped resale services and how to use them. All of the primary ticket companies have a resale service or are affiliated with one but those services need to be marketed a bit better.”

moters and more. We’ve also introduced a DIY payment plan builder for promoters to have greater control over the payment plans they want to offer to customers.”

Not to be outdone, Howle says The Ticket Factory is close to completing an overhaul of its payment systems, offering increased security for customers when they are booking online.

“We have also installed a brand-new telephone system in our dedicated contact centre.

It’s becoming increasingly rare in the ticketing industry for this kind of personalised interaction – and it’s something we’re committed to and really value as a business,” says Howle.

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REPORT INTERNATIONAL TICKETING

PANDEMIC LESSONS Dealing with the various Covid restrictions, lobbying for government support, and having to make difficult decisions over staff cuts have been unprecedented tasks for ticketing company senior management over the past 18 months.

But what have been the biggest lessons that they have learned throughout the crisis?

Eventim’s Ruoff is optimistic following the long pause in business. “People's longing for live entertainment remains unbroken even after 18 months of pandemic, and the fans' loyalty to their favourite artists,” he says. “What was and is also great is the cohesion of our employees during the pandemic and how everyone worked together to ensure that CTS Eventim emerges even stronger from the crisis.”

But he is all too aware that the industry needs to do more to elevate its status in the minds of politicians. “Culture and the people's need for culture and live entertainment apparently do not always enjoy the status in politics that would be desirable,” he says.

“Our industry was the first to go and the last to return, and it was tough,” says Ticketmaster’s Yovich. “As a global business with global teams, we had colleagues experiencing every possible pandemic scenario at different times – so learnings, advice, and sympathetic ears were invalua-

Ed Sheeran has sold more than one million tickets, and counting, ahead of his 2022 tour.

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“We’re expecting colossal things for 2022 – not only do artists and fans want to make up for lost time, but the cyclical nature of our business ensures its longevity” Mark Yovich | Ticketmaster

ble. They say your colleagues are like your family, and I never felt that more than over the last 18 months.

“Throughout it all, to see our teams come together at this time to innovate, build, and execute incredible features as well as deliver incredibly complex customer service support in such short timeframes was truly inspiring. It was our job to deliver the tools our clients so desperately required in this crisis – and we did just that. So much so that we’ve had an abundance of new clients come knocking who saw this work and are now turning to us in need of a reliant, industry-leading ticketing service as they navigate the return to live.”

Haigh sees opportunity for boutique ticketing firms to gain a stronger foothold as the recovery plays out. “We feel that promoters and venues have had the opportunity to look into their ticketing needs in far greater detail than ever before and as such are way more self-educated and open to exploring new opportunities. So, this is a good time to erode into the incumbents’

market share,” he says.

At DICE, Tannen also sees opportunity. “We discovered a huge underserved live music audience living outside of major cities,” he states. But he laments that, “There isn’t enough transparency for artists in live.”

TixTrack CEO Sunshine observes, “We have seen the past 18 months as a strong positive as it has made ticket sellers more interested in mobile and cloud-based solutions as well as digital ticket delivery, timed-entry ticketing, and many other features and functions that have been a part of our ticketing offering even pre-Covid.”

On a positive note, Scahill believes consumer confidence will not take long to rebuild. “We’ve seen a yearning by all demographics of the public to get back out and experience events and we’re confident that this demand will be set to continue as more and more people become comfortable with going out again,” he says.

“The pandemic has highlighted how good the live entertainment ticketing industry is,” states Howle. “Our primary concern was to do the right thing by our clients and customers and that passion to deliver great service has shone through.

“As an industry we normally only make the headlines when things go wrong and the fact that we have gone through the last 18 months with very little in the way of bad headlines, particularly when compared to other industries, such as travel, is testament to what a good job we have done.”

And looking at things from a personal point of view, Newman says, “The last 18 months have made me realise the importance of both physical and mental wellbeing, and I fully intend to carry forward the good habits I have developed in both my professional and personal life.

“Business-wise, I think that maybe the ticketing industry realises there is a stronger need to work together on finding solutions to the issues we all face.”

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The Recovery Weezevent CEO Deballon observes that the coronavirus pandemic helped separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of dependable ticketing partners.

“It’s important for a company to make money in its model so that it is solid, capable of facing crises like this one, but also so that it is capable of investing and supporting in the long-term, and not only in the short-term or only on the basis of fundraising,” says Deballon. “We can see this with completely crazy fundraising schemes for models whose profitability I really doubt can be proven. It's a real issue because unprofitable players are players who have a short-term vision, with all that this can imply on the organisers' databases.”

As the live entertainment market aims for a rapid recovery, Fair Ticket Solutions founder Gelfand advocates paying attention to consumer choice when developing ticketing technology.

“The key element for ticketing companies is to find ways to identify people for health and security reasons without additional friction. Blockchain, digital/mobile, and NFTs only identify the transaction, not the actual identity of an attendee, which is where they all fall short.

“If the ticketing companies can tie an actual verified identity to the ticket, it could open up an entire new acceptance of biometrics and launch future new fan experiences based around biome-

trics, which have been talked about for years but not accomplished to date,” adds Gelfand.

“We are extremely positive about the prospects for the future,” says Leaver. “The coming months and years offer incredible opportunities to deliver the best-ever customer experiences in live entertainment. Promoters and customers expect nothing less than a seamless, delightful, digital-first experience. Our sole focus is to deliver this for our partners so that they can continue to put on extraordinary live entertainment across the world.”

Haigh and Total Ticketing are also looking to forge closer relationships with promoter and event organiser partners to aid their prospects.

“Our future roadmap is to a large part projected by the clients we service,” notes Haigh. “Our development queue has never been longer, as such ticketing is only going to become more and more integrated into our clients’ infrastructure.

We are continuing to invest heavily into allowing our clients to manage their inventory more elegantly, reach ever more consumers through our network and to maximise their revenue from each ticket sold.”

But Howle concludes that companies must, first and foremost, listen to the needs of the fans.

“One of the notable things that has changed in recent months has been customer sentiment – everyone seems angrier and more impatient,” he says. “As an industry we need to do more to put audiences first, ensuring we are doing the right

thing by them. We have a lot of building back to do and we need to bring fans with us, making sure we are open and fair to them. Over the past 18 months [fans] have found other things to do with their leisure time and money and, yes, whilst there is pent-up demand, we shouldn’t take it for granted.”

TicketPlan’s Bray agrees. “Many fans will want the reassurance that the environments they attend are safe and secure and, given the heightened understanding of risk that now exists, they will continue to purchase TicketPlan on a wide range of bookings with generally, higher attachment rates,” he surmises.

“Sustainability in all sectors will become more of a default setting, including the events industry, and whilst the impact of the pandemic has inevitably and necessarily meant that our sector has focused on its survival, sustainability will become a crucial part of the planning and design of events.”

Newman says the strategy of AXS will be to “continue to support our clients, making their customers feel happy and safe to return to the live events market.”

He concludes, “Demand is very strong, but with a flooded market of events, people will be making choices to see artists that mean the most to them. The key is getting the right events in front of the right customers, at the right time; and we are committed to working with our partner venues and promoters to do exactly that.”

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RECRUITMENT & RESTAFFING As live entertainment operators around the world predict that 2022 could be a record-breaking year, the scramble is on to get depleted staff numbers back to full strength. Gordon Masson reports.

A

recent report in the UK suggested that 90,000 jobs had been lost in the cultural sector because of the Covid-19 pandemic, suggesting that millions of people globally have experienced an impact on their livelihoods and many may have already taken the decision to work in a different sector.

That dilemma is just one of the challenges that human resources executives and recruiters are facing ahead of a year that many live entertainment experts are predicting will be the biggest ever for concerts, festivals, and other shows.

“Just before Covid we had about 110 employees; now we’re at somewhere between 85 and 90, but we want to be at 120 by the end of this year,” reveals TicketSwap corporate recruiter Ruben Pluimers.

Heather Papst, who is director of people, North America, for TAIT, tells IQ, “In terms of

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our employee population, at the end of September our headcounts were at 85% of our end-ofyear target, so we are on track to meet the goals that we set out in terms of recovery, readiness, and mobilisation.

“We have recalled and rehired just about everybody from the group that was furloughed.

We’ve also rehired people who actually left us and had to take another job in the interim, and then we have 100-plus brand-new hires to the organisation.”

Papst adds, “In the US, it’s a tight labour market. Our unemployment rate keeps dropping, which is obviously a good thing overall, but it means that there is more fierce competition for talent.”

Detlef Kornett, a member of the executive board of Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG), which has operations in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, notes that

each country has its own challenges and it may well be that business will not be up and running everywhere until Q2 or even Q3 of next year.

“Restaffing is, of course, different country to country, but with continental Europe we have been able to keep staff during the crisis because there have been much better support mechanisms on the part of the governments – more favourable furlough schemes and other systems – so the staff are all fully on board, even if they are not all working at this time,” says Kornett.

“So we still have people on furlough, but in terms of overall numbers we’ve actually got more people than pre-Covid because certain sectors, such as arts and exhibitions, have grown and needed to employ more people.

“When we look at the UK, we’re a little bit below staff numbers compared to pre-Covid, but that also has to do with changes in our makeup – we lost a theatre to renovation in the West End

Recruitment & Restaffing_Feature

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Feature_Recruitment & Restaffing Parklife over-hired security staff to account for no-shows

for Thriller, so the personnel that dealt with that production are gone. But overall, we’ve managed to keep the UK group together as much as possible, and they are all back at work. Our ticketing people at Gigantic were back before the promoters, for obvious reasons, but everyone is very busy now.

“With Ireland, it feels like we launched the company the day before Covid, so we’ve been struggling with that and our office set up there is still in crisis mode, and while people are floating in and out, the more formal business structures are a bit delayed.”

Recruitment Methods

As the live entertainment business faces the task of filling thousands of employee roles, those involved in recruitment are pursuing different avenues to find candidates for those vacancies.

“In terms of recruitment, things have changed,” says Pluimers. “We’re doing some Facebook and Instagram campaigns now and what is different now is that we also have some local vacancies – in the UK and in Spain – whereas before Covid everyone was in our Amsterdam HQ. Those local hires also entail a different approach: I don’t think we had used the IQ Jobs Board before Covid, for example, but for these local hires we need much more promotion, because although TicketSwap is very well known here in the Netherlands, in other countries we do not have that presence yet and therefore we need more visibility to tell people about the vacancies.”

In line with everyone else in the business, HR executives have been using Zoom to streamline

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“It’s an indictment on our industry that a roadie can switch to being a delivery driver, make the same money, and actually feel better about it” Detlef Kornett | DEAG

the interview process, while the video conferencing technology is also being utilised for training purposes.

Kirstie Loveridge, AEG’s SVP human resources, says that technology is proving invaluable.

“Absolutely everyone is back in the office now, but we’re still doing some of our training virtually because we realised that people were time poor even before Covid, and with the build up for 2022 being so busy, time constraints are even tougher, so it makes sense to keep our training programmes virtual at the moment. We’ve also found that we get better take-up that way,” she says.

Looking at TAIT’s long-term personnel strategy, Papst says, “At the end of the day, we are a manufacturer, so continuing to find a solid pipeline of skilled and entry-level manufacturing candidates is vital. By and large we’re not relocating those people, so continuing to find those skilled individuals to bring into our fabrication and manufacturing is something we are always focused on, because locally that is a very tight labour market.”

In addition to informing high school pupils about TAIT’s work, Papst reveals that the company has revitalised its employee incentive programme to help with recruitment, “because we

know that the talent we already have also know the best talent that isn’t here yet,” she says. The company, she tells IQ, is implementing local community outreach to reignite connections with non-profit organisations and skilled trade institutions, while a virtual job fair is also upcoming.

Loveridge tells a similar tale. “In terms of our recruitment strategy, we’re doing everything that we did pre-Covid, but we did launch some partnerships with diverse job boards, which have been bearing fruit, while staff referrals have also been strong,” she says.

“Where we’re finding it hard is the hourly paid events staff. It’s maybe a bit arrogant to say that we’ve never struggled before, but it’s really tough.

So we’re looking at all the ways we can approach that challenge: social [media] attracts quite a lot for us in terms of that space, for instance. We’re trying everything and hoping that, come the key time, we can keep getting the numbers.

That dilemma is a major concern for Sacha Lord, who is night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester. “We had Parklife recently and for that event we need about 900-1,000 people in security,” says Lord. “Previously, I’ve just taken it for granted and gone out to three security providers: one firm does the outside; another

Recruitment & Restaffing_Feature

“I don’t think we had used the IQ Jobs Board before Covid... but for these local hires we need much more promotion” Ruben Pluimers | TicketSwap

firm does the bars; and the third firm does the entry systems. But we had to beg, borrow and steal this year, from the whole of the UK, sourcing 20 people from here, 30 from there, etc.

“Luckily, our event was in September, so we could understand findings from other festivals that had taken place before us. As a result, we made the decision to over-staff by 35% to make sure we hit those numbers, which thankfully worked out for us. We were very fortunate because I know that quite a few festivals were understaffed – not through their [own] fault but purely because security providers dropped numbers at the very last minute.”

It’s a situation that Kornett believes will impact everyone internationally, as live events resume in earnest, noting that hourly paid staff for security and front-of-house roles have been hardest hit. “We have letters from our partners that state that they are more than happy to take on jobs, but they cannot guarantee that they will have enough staff,” he explains.

“The logistics industry has grown through the roof and lots of people from those hourly paid jobs went over there and now won’t even think about coming back as they realise they can be home at six o’clock.”

Nonetheless, Kornett is confident that DEAG and its peers will prevail. “We’re optimistic that these things will shake out over time,” he says.

“Months ahead of time it may look bleak, but by the time the events come around it might be different, because everything around live events and music has a fascination, while UPS parcels lose their appeal after a short period. So, we may have lost a lot of people to logistics, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t come back once we’re fully up and running and everyone can see the excitement again. I’m confident that will happen and that we can also find other ways to integrate staff and recruit people from other areas.”

Competition

While Kornett sees the logistics sector as a competitor for hourly paid staff, the challenges facing recruiters are more wide ranging, given that nearly all industries, worldwide, have been forced to make redundancies or furlough staff during the pandemic.

“Here in Amsterdam we have a lot of fintech companies and they can definitely pay more

FINDING TOP CANDIDATES Hiring in the live entertainment business? Leading companies across the industry use the newly revamped IQ Jobs board to reach a highly targeted audience of 15,000+ industry professionals, every month.

Each listing is also included in our IQ Jobs mailer, distributed to all IQ Index subscribers.

To make sure you find the right candidate, list your next role at: iqmag.net/jobs

money to new hires, so they are among our biggest competitors in the jobs market in the Netherlands,” says TicketSwap’s Pluimers. “In the UK, we see a lot of competition from some of the bigger music-related companies like Ticketmaster and AXS. And because the UK market has been reopened for a couple of months now, it’s also a bit tougher to fill roles. But on the other side, we are a start-up, in UK terms, so we’re looking for entrepreneurial people who are willing to go on this journey with us, rather than someone who is maybe looking for a safer, corporate job.”

With her European lead on personnel for AEG, Loveridge reports, “Any vacancy in a CRM/digital/data space is a real challenge. Also, project management roles are proving interesting because they are industry wide.”

She continues, “We thought we’d struggle with finance and IT positions, but that hasn’t been the case with all of them, to be truthful.

But we do have some really specific network infrastructure engineers where there weren’t many of them pre-Covid, let alone post-Covid, so that has been tricky.”

Speaking from his base in Manchester, Lord tells IQ that he believes the road to recovery could be a long one. “We’ve got a real job on our hands to persuade people to come back into this industry,” states Lord. “Speaking with my Greater Manchester hat on, we have found a pot of money to help develop skills within this industry, which I am hoping will pave the way for people to return. But it’s not just events, it’s restaurants, it’s bars, it’s hotels… across the board the night-time economy is really struggling.

“We’re a long way from recovery at the moment. I think it’s going to take us at least three years to get back to where we should be.”

Of course, the competition for candidates is also pushing up payroll costs, which in turn could also lead to ticket price hikes. But Kornett is not convinced that employees – especially hourly paid people – will benefit. “Staff costs are certainly going to increase,” he warns, “but the structure of our industry doesn’t necessarily mean that people will be paid better. It’s an indictment on our industry that a roadie can switch to being a delivery driver, make the same money, and actually feel better about it.”

Current Priorities

Across the Atlantic, TAIT and its peers are some months ahead of their European counterparts, meaning that the priorities for Papst are also a bit further down the recovery timeline.

“The bulk of our hiring, by design, peaked in July and August, and while we have some hiring Magazine

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Feature_Recruitment & Restaffing left to do, the challenges we’ve turned the corner on were either bringing all those people back, or bringing all those new people into our system,” she says. “We now have to make sure that everyone has onboarded well and successfully, that they are having the right conversations with their manager, and that they understand the scope of their responsibilities. So it’s really a kind of shift of focus to engagement.”

She elaborates. “It’s about ensuring that those who are now here – even those that left us, whether for a brief time or a longer period of time – are coming back to an organisation that’s on the other side of a pandemic. In the background, of course, we’re still dealing with the pandemic and ensuring that we have the right resources and the correct level of conversation with our employees about overall wellbeing to include mental health wellness, which is a topic that I’m glad to see has risen to the surface of a lot of conversations. So we need to make sure we have the right resources either within the company or by reaching out to outside vendors to ensure that employees know that they are heard and supported with everything that they are dealing with.”

That mental health theme has been one of the strongest to emerge throughout the live entertainment industry during the past 20 months, and making sure employees receive the appropriate levels of care has become a major part of the HR remit.

“We made such a stance and supported people through the last 20 months that it would be really remiss of us to just take that off the table now,” states Loveridge, “so we are continually investing in therapy sessions, coaching sessions and all sorts.

“We’re recruiting our first mental health first aider. We’d started down that process before Covid hit, but now we’re getting back on track to do some training for that crowd that want to volunteer and be mental health first aiders.”

Loveridge adds, “You cannot underestimate people’s resilience – it’s been a long hard 20 months, now followed by people being really, really busy and looking at a calendar in 2022 when they will potentially be even busier. We need to be there to support them.”

That’s a mantra that’s repeated in Pennsylvania, where Papst reveals, “Where we’re focussed now is employee safety, wellbeing, and overall health, and then making sure that people feel engaged and that they are building the right relationships, whether they are back after a year or whether they have never been here before, and this is their first job out of college. How do we focus on helping the organisation build that rapport? It’s really about laying the foundation between now and the end of the year so that we are as ready as we can be going into 2022.”

Kornett also believes a further recruitment

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“I’ve never seen calendars like it – there are arenas that will be open Monday through to Sunday across the UK” Sacha Lord | Night-time economy advisor - Greater Manchester

drive will be needed as the volume of business increases. “We will undoubtedly have to add new staff to cope, but it’s all a matter of when business in 2022 will start, depending on each territory – will it be Q1 or Q2 or as long as Q3?

That will determine whether we will need additional staff or not.

And he observes, “We’re going to have new people ruling the world and they will be riggers.

They are like gold dust. Everybody needs them and wants them and all at the same time. So, we foresee some real pinch points coming toward us on that front.”

For Lord, there are still some major hurdles to overcome as the night-time economy recovers. “Next year, there are so many new tours taking place. But combine that with all of the tours that have been postponed and pushed back…

I’ve never seen calendars like it – there are arenas that will be open Monday through to Sunday across the UK,” he says.

And Lord is one of a growing number of voices that is calling on government to delay its planned VAT rise, otherwise he fears the industry – and those who work in it – will just lunge from one crisis into another.

The UK government slashed VAT on tickets to 5% during the pandemic. That was recently increased to 12.5%, but ministers have revealed plans to go back to the full 20% in March 2022.

“The VAT hike that we’re going to see over such a short period of time I think will be another hammer blow to the industry,” says Lord. “When you are looking at a lack of staff, a lack of produce, and then this price hike, when we already know that things like fuel prices are soaring and other prices are being hit by inflation, it’s just a really, really bad idea.

“Considering all the debt that people have taken on, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for a VAT freeze at 12.5% until at least the end of March 2024. Otherwise, that 15% hike in the space of six months will be a lot for many businesses to handle.”

division.

Looking ahead toward a packed 2022 schedule, she notes that operators are going to need their show partners to be up to full speed if they are going to stand any chance of coping with the hectic events calendar. “There’s definitely a concern around other companies and their staffing – suppliers, security, etc – but I think that until we actually see it and experience it, we won’t know,” she says. But at that hourly paid eventstaff level, I think people will probably continue to staff over and above what they actually need, as a precaution.”

She concludes, “There’s an age-old adage: ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’re always going to get what you’ve always got.’ But we’re now all in a time when you cannot do that.

I’m really pleased with the work that we did pre-Covid for the diverse recruitment charter that we put in place, and actually getting people to work and recruit differently, because we will never have these numbers of job vacancies again. So, whether it’s been through diverse advertising, using different job boards, or even how people have been interviewed, it’s been a great exercise.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Hiring Tips

Having recruited nearly 300 people across Europe in recent months, Loveridge is keen to share some of the knowledge gained to help others in territories that are yet to kickstart their rehiring process.

She advocates using interview panels, utilising experts from a range of disciplines rather than relying on heads of a single department or

DETLEF KORNETT | DEAG SACHA LORD | NIGHT-TIME ECONOMY ADVISOR – GREATER MANCHESTER KIRSTIE LOVERIDGE | AEG HEATHER PAPST | TAIT RUBEN PLUIMERS | TICKETSWAP

Hiring in the live music business?

Leading companies across the industry use the newly revamped IQ Jobs board to reach a highly targeted audience of 15,000+ music industry professionals every month.

Each listing is also included in our IQ Jobs mailer, which is distributed to all IQ Index subscribers.

To make sure you find the right candidate, list your next role at: iq-mag.net/jobs For more information, and discounts on multiple listings, contact ▶

Steve Woollett steve@iq-mag.net +44 (0)7469 872 279

Your Shout

Waking up at 5.30am to 102 texts, which started with “Had his passport stolen” and concluded with “Couldn’t get hold of you so decided to go into Canada anyway for these two shows; USCIS said he should be fine to get back into the US, they said they’ll remember who he is.”

Mark Davyd | Music Venue Trust

What is your favourite horror story?

TOP SHOUT This story comes from my mum and dad – it’s pretty wild…

“We were staying in a hotel in Limerick and went out one evening, found we were low in petrol, couldn’t find a garage, so turned down a side road and found a garage/pub with very dated petrol pumps.

“A man came out and filled the tank and invited us into the bar. It was a very old pub with no women, so I was a bit of a surprise to them... old men in flat caps sitting round the fire murmuring to themselves.

“Dad asked for a G&T for me with ice and lemon and the bartender looked amazed… he simply replied with “no ice,” so Dad just had a pint of Guinness. He asked where the loo was and was told to just go out the back, and when I asked, I was told to go upstairs across an attic filled with old stuff to what seemed like a long-drop loo. It was all very old fashioned, men’s clothing etc, maybe from the early 1900s. We quickly drank up, got in the car, and left, as eyes followed us everywhere we went.

“The following day, we asked people about the garage and the people there. Everyone we spoke to said that the road and pub didn’t exist, at all! Eventually someone heard our story and mentioned it to their old father who said he remembered a place as we described existing there a very long time ago, but… it was blown up pre-1916!”

Rob McGee | FMLY Agency

There have been a few and most of them involve Russia. One that comes to mind: there’s about 100 of us flying between Moscow and Novosibirsk with a bunch of musicians including The Shamen, in a plane chartered by the promoter from “some friends in the oil business.” It’s a red-eye flight; everyone’s snoring away. A couple of hours in, one of the organisers wakes me up and says we have an unscheduled stop. I say, “Oh, why?” He says, “Because we’re running out of fuel…” Suffice to say that we landed, refuelled, and continued the journey, otherwise I’d have been asking where the parachutes were…

Nick Hobbs | Charmenko

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iq-mag.net

How about two weeks ago at Focus Wales. I got a positive Covid test on day one (almost certainly a false positive), so spent three days in a crap hotel room in Wrexham. The Wi-Fi didn’t work, there was a collection of dead flies on the windowsill, a crap disco on the ground floor, nightly street fights at 4am close to my room, and garbage collection started at 5.30am.

I understand everyone else had a good time.

Martin Elbourne | The Great Escape I found a limb on a beach when I was a kid.

A human arm. The authorities got involved…

Gordon Masson | IQ

In the late 80s, I was in Brussels for one of the twice-yearly meetings of The Network a.k.a. Network Europe, a meeting place for like-minded independent bookers/agents/promoters from all over Europe.

It was a dreary Sunday morning and we assembled at the venue – Plan K, I think – where we were going to have a meeting. Our Belgian host with the key to the building was in a traffic jam, so we decided to find a dry and warm place, without knowing how to alert others who were not there yet, such as legendary promoter Igor Vidmar from Slovenia. We had never met before.

We walked to some bars around the corner, and entered the second one for no apparent reason. It was pretty dark inside but warm and dry. Everybody sat down, wondering when and where we would meet our host, and also Igor.

Drinks were being ordered while I walked toward the saloon doors for the restroom. The doors suddenly opened from the inside and a man dressed in black, with black hair, wearing dark shades and black gloves came out, his hand reaching out to me as he spoke: “You must be Rob Berends. I’m Igor Vidmar. I knew you would be here.”

Rob Berends | Paperclip Agency We had a headliner once who also regularly appears on a popular TV programme. On the day of a sold-out show we hear from their agent that they had to reshoot a key scene, meaning he wouldn’t make it to the venue until halfway through his original set time – but “that won’t be a problem, right?”!

Due to licensing, it wasn’t feasible to push the show time back. It would be possible if the artist travelled by helicopter, but obviously we have a difference of opinion regarding who would pay.

But I had an idea: I turned to Google to ask how many helicopters there are in the country, then I divided that by the population, and then looked at the headliner’s social media follower count.

I calculated that, statistically, seven of his followers own helicopters – and surely there’s no better use of having a helicopter than ferrying celebrities in distress. I put this to the agent, and long story short, within five minutes of sending an “SOS” tweet, the artist secured a free helicopter ride courtesy of a local hotel group. All it cost? A pair of tickets to the show.

Andy Smith | From the Fields

is now

New branding: “SC Exhibitions” stands for “Semmel Concerts Exhibitions.” We thought a little refresh would be nice, so we have rebranded to “Semmel Exhibitions.”

New exhibition celebrating 100 Years of Disney: Apart from working on a new logo, we are in the middle of the creative development of the official exhibition marking the centennial of The Walt Disney Company. We will produce two exhibitions: one touring the Americas and the other a global tour. The first exhibition will open in February 2023 at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. We are now planning the 2023–26 tour, so please contact us if that sounds interesting to you.

ADVERTISING ARTWORK

The stunning reconstruction of the Royal tomb and treasures in this huge historic exhibition is now open in Seoul at the War Memorial of Korea until April 2022. The Europe tour opens next on September 10 at the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museum in Mannheim, Germany. There are three iterations of our current exhibition touring worldwide, and the 2023–25 tour is now in planning. We would love to hear from you!

For people around the world, Marvel conjures up images of one thing: super heroes. Whether in the vibrant colours of comic books, or the all-consuming brilliance of the big screen, Marvel characters have captured imaginations for a little over 80 years now.

The exhibition is open until the end of October at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, where we are sold out almost every day. We are now planning the Europe and world tour from the end of 2023.

For a list of contacts and to subscribe to our newsletter visit www.semmel-exhibitions.com

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