8 minute read
Analysis
from Preview of IQ105
by IQ Magazine
SALES RUSH
If 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
Magazine 5 SUBSCRIBE HERE
IN BRIEFINDEX
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. Assomusica slams Italy’s latest rollback of restrictions as being “inadequate and useless.”
Live Nation announces election of Walmart executive Latriece Watkins to its board of directors.
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. DreamHaus enters strategic partnership with advertising agency Publicis Groupe Germany.
Austrian promoter Barracuda says only one Covid-19 case could be linked to one-day pilot event Nova Rock Encore.
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.
AEG Presents’ Rock en Seine festival in France expands to four days for its 2022 return.
Around 86,000 jobs in UK’s cultural nighttime economy sector lost due to Covid-19 pandemic, according to new report.
Eighties rockers Marillion ask fans to become their insurers for upcoming UK tour due to lack of suitable commercial insurance. 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.
Organisers of Bay Dreams in New Zealand cancel their events due to difficulty securing quarantine spots for international acts.
Benjamin Leaver is named CEO of festival discovery and booking platform Festicket and its subsidiary, Event Genius.
Goldenvoice announces new festival California Vibrations, or Cali Vibes, for Marina Green Park, Long Beach, from 4-6 February 2022.
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.
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.”
