16 minute read
Analysis
“ONE OF A KIND” EX-CAA AGENT PAUL FITZGERALD PASSES
Leading live music figures have been paying tribute to music agent Paul Fitzgerald, who died aged 54 following a long illness.
The ex-CAA agent enjoyed a distinguished 25-plus-year career in showbusiness after starting out at Louis Parker’s Concorde International Artistes in the early 90s.
Fitzgerald, who is survived by wife Ellie and daughter
Lulu, was the longtime agent for The X Factor Live tour and worked with artists such as Leona Lewis, Steps, JLS, One Direction, Olly Murs, Nicole Scherzinger, Diversity, Ella Henderson, Beverley Knight, and Craig David.
“Fitz was one of a kind,” CAA co-head Emma Banks tells
IQ. “Entrepreneurial from his core and with a great love of his clients, he was a trailblazer in his work with X Factor amongst other projects. He was always open to pursuing new projects and avenues with his trademark enthusiasm.
“Paul had a can-do attitude that went from work into his life generally. He was much loved at CAA. Agents across the company in every department globally knew Paul through their interactions at our company retreats or other times that
Paul would visit them.
“Paul has left us all far too early and our hearts break for
Ellie and Lulu. Gone but never forgotten.”
Fitzgerald, who launched entertainment industry consultancy MYBX in 2018, is credited as a mentor by his former
CAA assistant, Chris Ibbs, who was elevated to music agent at the company last year.
“Paul was a true legend in every sense of the word,” says Ibbs.
“A fabulous agent and great friend. His infectious humour was only matched by his huge kindness. It was an honour to work for him, and without his guidance, I simply wouldn’t be where
I am today. Thank you, sir. Rest easy.”
SJM Concerts’ Simon Moran and Matt Woolliscroft speak similarly highly of Fitzgerald, both personally and professionally.
“I always got on really well with Paul,” Moran tells IQ. “We did a lot of business with him over the years. He was very hard working and tenacious. As they used to say on The X Factor, he had the ‘likeability factor’ – he was a really great fella.”
“I worked with Paul across many of his biggest artists including the early touring of One Direction, JLS’s incredible run after their appearance on The X Factor, The X Factor tour itself, Beverley Knight, and many others,” adds Woolliscroft.
“He was a sensible and easy going person to do business with.
Loyal to his contacts and hard working for his clients.
“We’d stayed in periodic contact after his illness had meant he’d had to step back from his work, and I was in awe of his positivity. I have missed our more regular contact since he ‘retired.’ He once joked to me, ‘I have never been cool in my entire life’ – he was probably right, but he was a good man with a good heart, and I will miss him.”
Nova Rock’s loyal fans did not let the weather spoil their weekend
FESTIVALS FORCED TO TAKE A RAIN CHECK
Anumber of European festivals, including Nova Rock (Austria), Eurockéennes de Belfort (France), and Love Saves the Day (UK), were hampered this month by severe weather conditions.
The most recent victim is France’s Eurockéennes de Belfort, which was forced to cancel its opening two days due to “apocalyptic” storms.
The 35,000-cap festival would have hosted acts including Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Stromae, Diplo, Joy Crookes, Big Thief, and Girl in Red between 30 June and 1 July.
Thursday and Friday single-day ticket-holders will receive a full refund, with those with three-day and four-day passes receiving 66% and 55% refunds, respectively.
Elsewhere, Barracuda Music CEO Ewald Tatar tells IQ that Nova Rock’s biggest challenge was recovering from “the rain of the century,” which hit the country mere days before the festival was due to open its gates.
“During the 3-4 final days leading up to Nova Rock 2022, it rained more in the region than during the period between November 2021 and the beginning of June 2022 in total,” explained Tatar.
Fortunately, only a few performances were cancelled due to the downpour. No such luck for UK festival Love Saves Day, which was marred by a torrential downpour and “lack of cover” on the second day of the event.
The festival’s Lonely Hearts Club stage was flooded at around 7pm, which led to the cancellation of Arlo Parks’ performance. Around this time, the site’s bars were also closed before later reopening.
In response to a large number of attendees leaving and several complaints on social media, the festival’s promoter, Team Love, said: “Fundamentally, it would not be possible to provide cover for 30,000 people simultaneously during a biblical downpour without putting all the stages into tents and completely changing the whole identity of the festival – but with that being said, we will look to provide more cover and shelter next year at the event and to ensure that the site-wide response system is strengthened.”
Thousands of professionals read IQ every day. Make sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE
PROMOTERS HAIL RECORD SUMMER SEASON
Live Nation UK says it’s on track for its biggest outdoor season ever, estimating nearly six million fans at its live shows this summer.
According to LN, four million people will attend one of its festivals or outdoor events, while close to two million will attend an indoor show.
After welcoming a total of 200,000 fans to the new Creamfields South in Hylands Park,
Chelmsford and Liam Gallagher’s two-night stand at Knebworth (cap. 80,000) over the
Queen’s Jubilee weekend, the company went on to attract hundreds of thousands of people to its
Download and Parklife festivals.
Live Nation is organising more than 100 events this summer, including tours by the likes of Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Eagles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Billie Eilish over the next few weeks. In Scotland, meanwhile, it reports that 24% of the population will attend a DF Concerts show or festival this summer.
Denis Desmond, chairman of Live Nation UK and Ireland, hailed this summer as “one to remember.”
Elsewhere, DEAG reported the most successful summer in its 44-year history, with more than three million tickets sold for the promoter’s events.
A record total of 3.1m people are scheduled to attend DEAG shows in Germany, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, and Denmark between June and August.
Highlights so far have included Stuttgart’s Kessel Festival, which attracted 50,000 visitors for the first time in late June. A similar number is expected at the upcoming Sion Sous Les Étoiles festival, along with an open-air Die Ärzte concert in Thun, both in Switzerland.
Via its Kilimanjaro Live subsidiary, it has also either promoted or co-promoted stadium concerts by Ed Sheeran and Stereophonics in the UK and Tom Jones at Live at Chelsea. Allied to shows by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Kiss in Germany, as well as the Rock the Ring festival in Switzerland, DEAG welcomed close to 1.1m paying customers in June alone.
Meanwhile, major international festivals including Nova Rock, Rock am Ring, Rock Werchter, Rock in Rio, Primavera, and Love Supreme have reported record sell-outs and attendances.
Harry Styles is helping Live Nation enjoy a monumental return to operations
OUR SHOWS IN 2022 1099, $oho Bani,1019 (Lucio101, Nizi19, Omar101, Karamel19), 102 Boyz, 65Goonz, A Wilhelm Scream, A.A. Williams, A1 x J1, Acht Eimer Hühnerherzen, AK Ausserkontrolle, Alex Henry Foster, Allie X, Aly & AJ, Amenra, Amistat, Andy Frasco & The UN, Ansa Sauermann, Apache 207, Archive, As I Lay Dying, Austin Lucas, Author & Punisher, Avi Kaplan, Ayo, Badmomzjay, Beartooth, Being As An Ocean, Beyazz, BHZ, Big Air Festival Chur, Billy Talent, BirdPen, Bizkit Park, Boloboys, Bonez MC, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Boy Pablo, Brian Fallon, Bright Eyes, Brit Floyd, BRKN, Brutalismus 3000, Buddy, Calexico, Caliban, Cari Cari, Casper, Checkmate Collective feat. Negatiiv OG, Children of Zeus, Chuck Ragan, Cleopatrick, Clutch, Combichrist, Conjurer, Cory Wells, Crippled Black Phoenix, Cro, Cro-Mags, Cypecore, Dame, Dance With The Dead, Dante YN, Das Lumpenpack, Dave Hause, David Keenan, De Staat, Decapitated + Despised Icon, Dehd, Denzel Curry, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Dexter, Die Fantastischen Vier, Disarstar, Dodie, Dota, Dropkick Murphys, Dropout Kings, Duckwrth, Earthgang, Edwin Rosen, Eefje de Visser, Emilio, Era, Eric Nam, Fat Freddy‘s Drop, Feng Suave, Fit For An Autopsy, Flogging Molly, Foreign Air, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Frog Leap, From Fall To Spring, Gad Elmaleh, Gashi, Gentleman, Ghali, God Is An Astronaut, GReeeN, Gurten Festival, Haftbefehl, Haiyti, Halocene, Hollow Coves, Human Impact, Hundreds, Itchy, Ivan Ave, Jack White, Jah Wobble, Jaill, James Gillespie, Jaya The Cat, Jeremy Loops, Jerry Cantrell, John Smith, Joy Crookes, JPson, K.I.Z , Kadavar, Kaleo, Kapelle Petra, Karate Andi, Karmic, Katchafire, Kay One, Kehlani, Kelvyn Colt, Kendrick Lamar, Kiefer Sutherland, King Charles, Kodaline, Kontra K, Kool Savas, Kraftklub, Kwam.E, Kytes, La Femme, Landmvrks, Larkin Poe, Laura Jane Grace, Lea Porcelain, Leah Kate, Lemonheads, Lex Amor, LGoony, Lil Tecca, Lime Cordiale, Lionheart, Little Simz, Liturgy, Loathe, Loi, LP, Lugatti & 9ine, LUIS, Luis Ake, Lukas Graham, Lust For Youth, Machine Gun Kelly, Mad Caddies, Madison Beer, Magic Sword, Maid Of Ace, Majan, Mallrat, Max Giesinger, Mayberg, Megaloh, Meshuggah / Zeal & Ardor, Mild Orange, Millencolin, Milow, Mine, Monet192, Monolink, Montez, MoTrip, Movits!, Nada Surf, Nasty, Nathan Evans, Nathan Gray, Nation of Language, Native Young, Neck Deep, Negramaro, Never Say Die Tour 2022, Neville Staple (The Specials), New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, No Angels, Noah Levi, nothing,nowhere., Nova Twins, Nura, Ocean Alley, OG Keemo, One Step Closer, Open Air Frauenfeld, Open Air Gampel, Open Season, Orbit, Our Hollow, Our Home, Pa Salieu, PA Sports & Kianush & Jamule & Fourty, Palaye Royale, Paleface, Parkway Drive, Passenger, Penny and Sparrow, Pennywise, Polaris, Powerwolf, Pusha T, Querbeat, RAF Camora, Rantanplan, Rapkreation, RAZZ, Rea Garvey, Reezy, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, Ricardo Arjona, Rogers, Rola, Rude & Rebel Ska Fest, Russ, Russian Village Boys, Russkaja, Saba, Salò, Saltatio Mortis, Schmyt, SDP, Seasick Steve, Sega Bodega, Shaybo, Shelter Boy, Shem Thomas, Sir Chloe, Ski Aggu, Skinny Lister, Slipknot, Slow Magic, Smash Into Pieces, Smile And Burn, Snow Patrol, Social Distortion, Son Mieux, Sons Of The East, Sperling, Stavroz, Stick To Your Guns, Stu Larsen, Swae Lee, Swiss & Die Andern, Symba, SYML, Tenside, Terror, Terrorgruppe, Teuterekordz, The Amity Affliction, The Blue Stones, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Districts, The Dreggs, The Driver Era, The Faim, The Hirsch Effekt, The Kid Laroi, The Menzingers, The Ocean, The Peacocks, The Picturebooks, The Pretty Reckless, The Sheepdogs, The Slow Show, Thees Uhlmann, Thymian , Tim Vantol, together Pangea, Tom Walker, TOMPAUL, Tristan Brusch, Ufo361, Ulysse, Van Holzen, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Versengold, Vola, Wage War, Wanda, Welshly Arms, Wolf Alice, Yung Gravy, Yungblud, Zavet, Zola Blood, ZSK YOUR FRIENDLY SWISS PROMOTER: MAINLANDMUSIC.COM
A little goes a long way
Nix Corporan, fan support team lead at DICE, outlines a handful of ways the live music industry could make concerts safer and more inclusive for queer fans.
Small changes could make a big difference to queer fans. I’ve been thinking about ways the live industry can better serve those fans and top of the list is better inclusivity and safety.
In that sense, one thing that ticketing companies can do is give fans the option of adding a ‘preferred name’ when registering for an account. Trans and gender non-conforming people often don’t enjoy the name that they were legally given (sometimes called a “dead name” in the community), and so as a result, they’ll use a name that identifies better with themselves in their current state of being.
Last year, I bought a ticket for a friend of mine to see Kaytranada, but as their preferred name doesn’t match the name on their ID, they needed to write their legal name when registering, in the event they might need to show ID at the door. For someone seeing their legal name on the documentation, it could lead to dysphoria or trigger bad memories.
While ticketing companies and promoters may require legal names for identification purposes, their preferred name could show up on the fan-facing side of the profile but venues could still have their legal names on file.
Allowing the fan to add their preferred name creates psychological safety for them and they can feel more confident in their purchase journey. It would also let these fans know that the live industry sees them for who they are.
On the subject of psychological safety, I think a great way to enforce safety in our venues and to make queer fans feel safe is by hiring specialist security agencies like Safe Only, an exclusively queer security/welfare/harm reduction team. Staff and security must be trained on how to search people in a way that feels safe for queer fans and how to incorporate more inclusive language.
Another thing venues and executives can start implementing is a fund that will help a trans/gender non conforming/person of colour get a cab home. Maybe a portion of ticket sales or bar sales could be dedicated to this fund. Maybe a portion of the bar tab can go towards queer service workers as well?
It happens a lot here in New York City, where queer people will get hurt, or worse, on the way back from the gig. For a lot of performers, performance and art is their source of income and they’ll have to be out of a job because someone didn’t like who they are. Making sure everyone gets home safe, especially a venue’s performer, should be a top priority, and I think adding this fee will show the performer the community cares about them beyond what they give us on stage. DICE’s mission is to get everyone outside, and my personal mission is to get everyone outside and back home.
The final thing, is setting up a buddy system, or queer meetups (maybe like a pregame lounge area) so people can meet up before an event begins. It would be beneficial on both a safety level and a social level, helping to strengthen our community. Some of my closest friends – scratch that, chosen family – are people I met in the lines at gigs. We saw each other all the time in line for the same concerts and the same artists! I think meetups are a great way to uplift and join together an underrepresented community. But also, travelling in big groups would potentially decrease the risk of queer people getting in harm’s way.
Thousands of professionals read IQ every day. Make sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE
Prejudice & Pride
Charmenko’s Hatice Arici details the unjust shutdown of Istanbul’s Pride Parade and issues a rallying cry for the LGBTIQ+ people in Turkey.
The twentieth Istanbul Pride Parade was supposed to happen on Sunday, 26 June 2022, in Taksim, İstanbul, just like every year since 2003. Days before Pride Week started, the police banned all marches and suppressed all the venues where the events would take place, in the name of “general control.” This pretense has been used by the police force and the government for the last twenty years or so to torment everyone who is “other.”
Law enforcement tried to put pressure on the venues by asking for documents such as tax plates and signboards where the events would take place. Despite all the pressure, Istanbul’s queer community met up and stuck together. When the state and police forces realised that the Pride Week activities could not be prevented under such a weak excuse, the Beyoğlu and Kadıköy District Governorate banned all activities for one week. This decision was illegal and against all human rights – something the Turkish government is a master at. The official pride events committee used their legal rights and made the necessary objections. They had no replies; no results.
Istanbul Pride has “taken place” every year since 2003. The last march to [actually] go ahead without a ban was in 2014 and drew tens of thousands of participants. It was one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the majority Muslim region. After 2014, the march was banned each year, officially for “security reasons.” In 2020, streaming giant Netflix cancelled the production of a series in Turkey featuring a gay character after failing to obtain government permission for filming.
Last week, in one of the biggest venues in Istanbul city, people from the audience were physically dragged out of a concert just because they waved small rainbow flags. The police chief in that region ordered the venue to “search the bags; do not let anyone in with a rainbow flag.” According to them, a rainbow flag is an item of propaganda.
After the governor’s office had banned the march around Taksim Square in the heart of Istanbul, queers gathered nearby, under heavy police presence. As usual, the riot police detained us, loading and pushing us onto buses. Journalists and press photographers were handcuffed. By the end of the day, 373 people had been arrested.
We grow angrier every year, every day. But instead of telling the same old story, it’s better to share Pride Istanbul’s press release with you:
“Lubunya (Turkish: queer) never gives up.
We, who came together with the theme of “resistance” and rushed to the Gezi [park] in 2013, call out resistance against heterosexism and violence against the increasing homophobia, transphobia and biphobia and all kind of phobias and male-dominated state policies. We salute those persecuted for Gezi and sentenced to heavy prison sentences unlawfully by the courts. We also salute the Saturday Mothers/People who have been gathering every Saturday at Galatasaray Square for 900 weeks in search of their missing and detained. Against all policies of disregard, targeting, intimidation, silencing, we shout again from all Taksim streets. We are here, and we will burn anyone without water in our fire. Get used to it or make peace. We have no intention of leaving.
We will not return. We will not return from this road.
We stand side by side despite the attacks and intimidation on our homes, streets, and bodies, shoulder to shoulder, leg to shoulder. We are here with the grace of all our friends, killed and driven to suicide because of state repression and hatred.
We stand together with sex workers. We are together with our refugee friends who have been targeted with increasing hostility. We are on the street today, dreaming of a boundless, classless, genderless world.
We stand together against the targeting and hate campaigns by the state and paramilitary gangs acting with state power.
We are banned, prevented, discriminated against (and even killed) at every second of our lives. Police violence is aimed at stopping us, but it is not possible. You will be unable to stop the queers.”
