Analysis

INDUSTRY CHARGES TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE

Coldplay 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 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 November 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

FKP 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 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. 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.

ART & INDUSTRY FOUNDER MICK GRIFFITHS PASSES

The 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.

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 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.”

UK AND IRELAND SUFFER UNDER NEW RESTRICTIONS ON LIVE MUSIC

UK 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 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.

THE METAVERSE SETS THE STAGE FOR LIVE MUSIC

This 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, 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 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.

LIVE NATION EXPANDS GLOBAL VENUE PORTFOLIO

Live 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 wellknown 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 Sheeran 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.