9 minute read
2021: The Year in Review
from IQ107 Preview
by IQ Magazine
INDUSTRY PROS ON 2022 AND THE ROAD AHEAD
As we begin a new year, quizzed a number of live entertainment business leaders about the state of the industry and the recovery of the sector, over the coming weeks and months.
On the following pages you’ll discover the opinions of our expert panel of agents, promoters, production gurus, ticketers, artist managers, venue operators, festival organisers, sustainability campaigners and livestreaming broadcasters. We hope you find their words of wisdom helpful to you and your particular sector of the business...
EMMA BANKS
CO-HEAD, CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY
What are the expectations of your artist clients as the touring circuits reopen? They are hoping to be able to get back on the road and play their music/read their poems/perform their stories to crowds who feel safe and excited to be out of their homes. They understand it might be a bumpy road, not only with Covid still being very much with us but also finally being able to see in real time how Brexit has impacted on touring and what problems we all may encounter. Everyone wants to get back to ‘normal,’ where a singer can crowd surf, where artists can hang out with their fans at the merch table or the backstage door, and where they feel confident that the tour they set out on will continue to the end with no issue. Whether we can achieve this is going to be questionable but touring prior to the Omicron variant arriving was running pretty smoothly in the countries that it was allowed, and we are lucky to have touring teams and promoter teams who have put a huge amount of work into making sure everyone both front of house and backstage are as safe as they can be.
There has been an unprecedented spirit of cooperation across the industry during the pandemic. How can we ensure such collaborative efforts continue to improve lobbying for live music around the world? I think everyone has seen the benefit (see my earlier answer), and so as long as we can all agree a way to continue to fund the trade body (which benefits absolutely everyone in the live space), I think it will continue with no issue. Some years we may not need to do so much together, but clearly having a voice in the places of power is important for our business to thrive.
What are your predictions for business as we roll into 2022? As I sit here today [pre-Christmas], the UK has recorded its highest daily number of Covid cases since the pandemic began, and it looks like that is a record that will be broken daily for a while. This has inevitably got to mean that we are going to have a rocky end to 2021 and probably a rockier start to 2022 while we find out if this is a dangerous variant or something that takes people off work but not into hospital. Clearly, the continuing lockdowns in various European markets are bad for business, and even when venues are allowed to remain open, we are seeing a high level of absence at shows, where people are no longer feeling confident to go out. So business is going to be tough because we are going to lose more shows, and that is bad for everyone. I assume that as the population gets vaccinated with a third shot, we will then see case numbers reduce and can get back to the place we have been in the last few months, with shows happening and everyone out and about again. We will get through this, but it will be tricky for a while longer, and the 2022 bounce back looks like it is going to take longer than we hoped.
RON BENSION
PRESIDENT & CEO, ASM GLOBAL
Are there any protocols developed because of Covid that you think will be here to stay even if the virus disappears? The need to ensure safety, security, and consumer confidence in venues. We’re particularly proud of our Venue Shield proprietary programme, industry-leading reopening protocol that ensures the facilities are clean and certified at the highest standards for the safety and health of our co-workers, clients, and guests. Additionally, some of the service changes on the F&B around pre-ordering, cashless, quick serve, etc., have been accelerated and will surely be here to stay.
Are there any ways in which you have seen audience expectation changing since 2019? Much is still in transition, but what never changes is the need to provide the best experience possible. That’s what ASM Global is committed to.
Do you imagine that industry consolidation will increase or decrease as markets around the world reopen for business? This is no different than any other industry where there is consolidation and then break up. That said, what we have learned at ASM is that our scale has great value to our clients from a business intelligence and content-leverage perspective; but we know that our real strength is the laser-focused local operators that are best-inclass and totally dedicated to delivering revenues and results to their venues, clients, and employees at the facility-level where the rubber meets the road.
What are your predictions for business as we roll into 2022? We’re optimistic; we put ourselves in a position to hit the ground running in ‘22 with new revenue teams, technology, a focus on actionable marketing programmes, and a new team of skilled professionals in these areas, as well as content acquisition and sponsorships. Through inventive thought and hard work, the power of Thousands of ASM is to continue to redefine and elevate the professionals read live entertainment experience, which is one of IQ every day. Make the great joys of millions and millions throughsure you get the out the globe. whole picture… Magazine 25 SUBSCRIBE HERE
WORKING ON THE CHAIN GANG
The pandemic pause has allowed businesses around the world to take time to explore the benefits that new technology can offer, and as the live entertainment industry moves back into gear, the advantages that blockchain can deliver appear to be front and centre. Gordon Masson reports.
There have not been too many positive stories to come out of the last two years, but the non-fungible token (NFT) phenomena and the revenues it can deliver certainly piqued the interest of artists and corporations alike.
As one of the range of products and services that are made possible by blockchain, NFTs have quickly become commonplace, while another application for the transparent digital ledger to quickly emerge has been in ticketing – which itself is embracing NFTs in the form of collectible tickets, as well as a way in which to offer interaction between events/artists and fans.
Noting that the prolonged pause on activities caused by Covid has allowed decision makers to take a closer look at blockchain, Olivier Biggs, marketer for GET Protocol, says, “it definitely has given everyone a chance to re-evaluate their business and consider how future-proof their approach is. We’ve certainly seen a lot of inbound curiosity around NFT capabilities from both newcomers and veterans within the events industry. It’s clear to most that there are lasting benefits offered by NFT ticketing that transcend any short-term hype cycle. Ticketing is the perfect vessel for this innovation.”
Beat Hive founder, Josh Pamplin, agrees, “It’s definitely been a pivotal moment for change, especially for people trying to future-proof creative and in-person industries,” he says. “However, the changes brought about by the pandemic also caused many content creators to realise that direct connections with fans is a great way to support themselves without the need to involve big corporations. In this way, I think that music creators are becoming key decision makers in the industry.”
Straddling both the blockchain ticketing and NFT sectors, Biggs is well placed to explain the intricacies of the technology.
“By registering a ticket on a public blockchain, you achieve transparent ownership for all to see,” he says. “When a ticket is minted as an NFT, it becomes an asset you can interact with and actually place in the hands of your attendees to unlock functionalities never before seen in the event industry.”
He adds, “When a ticket or ticket transaction is registered on the blockchain it is visible only through a hash (standard bit of code). When it is minted as an NFT, depending on the file type,
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Josh Pamplin | Beat Hive
of the challenges involved in supporting yourself as an artist,” says Pamplin. “Our team has lots of experience in many different areas of the music industry: performing live; producing records; graphic design; audio and visual engineering; managing music studios; publishing/licencing; and event management. We have an awesome team of blockchain developers and external partners we consult with too.”
As a relatively new tool for ticketing companies to exploit, blockchain’s capabilities are generating exciting possibilities for the industry to tap into.
On SecuTix’s R&D efforts, Ziche reveals that the company’s TIXNGO product has evolved in two distinct ways.
“Firstly, we developed our fan engagement capabilities with dedicated push notifications and a questionnaire that allow the organiser to communicate with fans simply and quickly, plus get their feedback,” says Ziche. “During the pandemic, organisers have learnt that events can change quickly – new safety protocols, change of date, introduction of timeslot entries – so it’s imperative that they can communicate swiftly and directly to the ticketholder. Push notifications are an effective way to achieve this as they have a higher rate of cut through than the traditional email.
“Secondly, we introduced TIXNGO Covid Pass Early Check-In, [which is] a fast-lane capability. It works in a similar way to boarding an aeroplane; a few days before the event, the ticketholder will receive a notification on their smartphone with instructions on how to upload their Covid Pass. The system will then validate the document, checking it against the name on the ticket and allowing the user to gain priority access at the event.
“For ticketholders, it means a better pre-event customer experience, and for the event organizer it means lower staff costs as the fast lane doesn’t increase operational costs, smoother operations to meet health protocols, and protection of customers’ health data.”
Meanwhile, Mitskas says ComeTogether has used the pandemic period well by developing new products he believes the industry will benefit from in its drive to return to normality – including the seemingly inevitable development of NFT tickets and collectibles.
“We used our blockchain development in place for digital ticketing as a foundation for new offers given the lack of live events,” explains Mitskas.
“The first additional product we developed was the BackTogether app: a Covid-19 digital certificate that shows the current Covid-19 status – vaccine, recovered or test. Additionally, the person who actually attended an event can be verified in the case that Covid-19 tracing needs to be conducted. This effort was focused on the safe restart of events.”
He continues, “The second product we devel-
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