ILMC 33 Report

Report Report

The 33rd edition of the International Live Music Conference, held virtually 3-5 March, attracted an identical number of delegates to the physical ILMC 32 at the Royal Garden Hotel a year ago, underlining the ambition of more than 1,000 members around the world to get the live music industry back up and running as soon as is humanly possible.

With 1596 registered delegates across ILMC, IPM and GEI, 7884 messages sent, an average time spent per delegate of 18 hours and 3 minutes, and between 250 and 550 delegates watching each session, it was an engaged week for live music.

Sessions remain available to watch until 5 April, via the ILMC vault.

TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY 2 MARCH 2021 2 MARCH 2021 2 MARCH 2021 2 MARCH 2021

Presented by A Greener Festival (AGF) in partnership with ILMC, the 13th edition of the Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI) welcomed industry leaders, professionals, visionaries, government officials and numerous individuals and organisations who are working to bring environmental and social sustainability to the live events, sports and creative sectors. The event’s key message was that sustainability should not be put to one side as the live entertainment industry scrambles to rebuild. Rather, efforts should be ramped up so that we can build back better.

As well as keynote addresses by the likes of African festival organiser Dave Ojay, and green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince, GEI consisted of four main sessions:

The Elephant in the Road session posed questions about whether touring could ever truly become carbon neutral?

Matt Cheshire from The Needs Group commented: “With regards to the ground elements, we need to look at setting up electric charging points at festivals or hotels, looking at ground logistics from airports and accommodation to festival sites, and looking at solar panels and things like that.” However, in terms of reducing travel for touring artists going from festival to festival, Cheshire noted that radius clauses in some contracts might hinder such concepts.

Adam Hatton of Global Motion said, “If we look for technology to replace the technology we have now so we can carry on living the lifestyle we live now, I think we’re dreaming… The only real way of making this sustainable is by reducing the amount of kit we take. For example, why are we moving stages around the world? It [the stages] should be there already, waiting for us.”

Post-Pollution Politics, Industry & Culture

featured dialogue between the live events sector, green activists, and Niclas Svenningsen of the United Nations’ global climate action team, as to how events can contribute to ensuring targets for emissions reduction and sustainability are met.

Svenningsen spoke of the importance of getting back to business “in a smarter and better way,” while Green Music Initiative’s Jacob Bilabel said change is inevitable. “We are locked in structures that are not good and not right, and they’re not even making us happy any more,” he said. “Do we want to have that transformation happen by disaster or by design?”

Dismissing the concept of a pollution tax as “absurd,” Dave Ojay of Kenya’s Naam Festival asked, “How can I give you a licence to destroy nature simply because you can pay? Rather than a pollution tax, let’s force the polluter to set up a recycling or regeneration plan to keep [their business] green.”

Panellists on the We Are Not Socially Distanced session had one resounding message: privilege comes with responsibility.

Michael Fritz of Viva Con Agua said, “It’s all about how much access you have, either to education, human rights, money, technologies or resources. Those are privileges, and if you have a privilege you have big responsibility.”

Yaw Owusu, BrukOut Entertainment/PRS Foundation, agreed: “If you’re in a place where putting food on the table or surviving day to day is not your concern then you’ve got more space to wonder about the causes.”

A Greener Tour Round III gathered key stakeholders from inside and outside of the live music industry to discuss what can be done collectively to create the regenerative tour of the future, post-pandemic.

Paradigm Talent Agency’s Tom Schroeder suggested that the live entertainment business could use its unique power to reach and inspire the masses to further the cause. “Nothing to do with Live Aid was directly producing food in Africa, but what it did is it made the Western world understand third-world poverty – for 20,30,40 years, it had a huge impact,” he said.

Musician Nuno Bettencourt agreed, urging the industry to empower artists to speak about sustainability. “We need the agents and managers and experts to give artists a utility belt and superhero cape by showing them how to do it and make them excited about the cause. Fans want to be inspired, they don’t want to hear you blame the politicians.”

And Anna Golden of AEG Presents emphasised that any progress is a step in the right direction. “It’s not that we have to get this perfect the first time around, and yeah we do need to get some sort of charter and some sort of objectives and achievable roles in place, but actually, if we’re having a slow start because resourcing and finances are tight, all we have to do is be better than yesterday.”

THE ILMC PRODUCTION MEETING 2021

The 14th ILMC Production Meeting (IPM) gathered the world’s leading production managers; health, safety and security specialists; crewing companies; production suppliers; transport and travel firms; new technology suppliers; and venue and promoters’ reps to discuss the most pressing issues affecting the live event production industry.

The event examined potential pathways back to business and how the live entertainment supply chain can work together to make shows Covid-safe and persuade authorities to lift restrictions sooner rather than later. Among the highlights of the event were:

Let’s Get On With It: Part II explored how the production sector can help get the events industry back on its feet post-pandemic, on the back of part I, which took place at the Event Production Forum East in Budapest.

Addressing how the production sector can help live entertainment return in some capacity but with restrictions, Chris Woodford of Logical Safety Solutions Ltd stated that, “A mass testing solution, coupled with vaccinations, is probably the only way forward.”

Glen Rainsbury, general manager of Ticketek, believes governments will be more inclined to bring back live entertainment if organisers consider the wider risk of an event, including concerns such as public transport. “Our responsibility as event organisers, promoters and venues is no longer just the drip line of the venue, it is the full picture, and governments and regulators are absolutely focusing on it because they’re not actually seeing it as being a benefit [but] a risk,” he said. “You’ve got to prove that you can manage their risk as far out as it spreads from your venue because you are the core. Fold that into your risk matrix and your communications plan.”

We Don’t Need No Education: Erm… Yes, you do!

saw session chair Dan Craig of Superstruct Entertainment suggest that there could be value in a common ‘passport’ ensuring equal standards across the production industry globally. David Suslik from the Czech Republic’s OnSinch was supportive, saying the production business is “late to the party” and should be collaborating on an international standard.

The UK’s Keith Wood opined that there’s nothing better than hands-on experience, while he also spoke of the benefit of international travel to learn how crews in other countries do things – whether good or bad – allowing both sides to learn from eachother.

“Here in Jakarta, we learn many things from production managers who come through Indonesia,” agreed show director and stage manager Asthie Wendra.

In the first of two Gaffer Q&As, Ed Sheeran production manager Chris Marsh sat down with IQ’s Lisa Henderson to discuss his career in live music production – a job he likened to a “drug” to which he has been addicted from an early age.

Marsh likened the production challenges of working with a solo acoustic act like Sheeran, particularly at stadium level, to a comedy show, where it’s similarly important every person feels engaged with, and can hear, the live performance, regardless of their position in the venue.

Marsh also spoke about his recent work on making touring more sustainable with the PSA’s Tour Production Group, as well as how and when live entertainment will return post-pandemic.

In the second Gaffer Q&A, IQ‘s Jon Chapple quizzed Jake Berry on his career in live production, working with the likes of AC/DC, U2, Barney, Cher and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Commenting on the ongoing shutdown of the live music industry, Berry said: “It amazes me that you can fly these days in a ‘cigar tube’ with 150-200 people, no problem, for ten hours, and sports players can go back and forth and be exempt from all the quarantine rules, but we can’t put people in [a] theatre.”

However, in reference to the UK’s recently announced roadmap, Berry said, “It’s probably too soon to announce shows… we don’t want to come back too soon and risk another lockdown.”

Health & Mental Health: Of sound body & mind

explored realistic improvements in the health and wellbeing of those working in post-pandemic event production.

Kate Bunyan of MB Medical Solutions/ Doctor Care Anywhere said the digitisation of wellbeing resources due to the pandemic will prove extremely useful when crew members hit the road again. “One of the things that the last 12 months has done is show people what [help] they can access virtually. We’ve seen this explosion of resources available online, which means [when crew go back on tour] you won’t need to find resources in each town, each city, each country you’re going to, and you can start having some continuity of those tools, through the virtual network.

“That is something that we have to be grateful to Covid for. I think the fact that we have been able to elevate resources and put them into a more remote environment to tap into wherever you’re travelling to really does help,” she says.

WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY 3 MARCH 2021 3 MARCH 2021 3 MARCH 2021 3 MARCH 2021 THE OPEN FORUM

ILMC’s traditional opening panel welcomed returning chair Phil Bowdery along with CAA’s Emma Banks, Oak View Group’s Tim Leiweke and AEG’s Jay Marciano to reflect on the year that wasn’t.

Noting that he usually begins The Open Forum by recapping the biggest grossing tours of the year, Live Nation’s executive president of international touring, Bowdery, instead asked his guests how they’d spent the past year in the absence of selling millions of tickets.

Banks summed up the mood when she said, “we’ve all been busy fools,” rearranging tours and shows with no knowledge of when live music might be able to return. “Anybody that claims they know when we’ll be able to do international tours, they know something the rest of the world does not,” echoed Leiweke. “This thing has its own path of destruction it has to reap, and we’re going to have to be patient.”

When the time is right “we have to open up globally,” stated Marciano. Referring to the number of fans who have kept their tickets for postponed events, Marciano added that he’s been struck by how patient people have been. “I want to open up – I have $5billion [€4.2bn] invested in nine new arenas. But in order to open up we have to have an agreement [as to when], because if one of us opens up too early it’ll affect the rest of us, too,” he warned.

Noting the upsides to 2020’s time out, Banks said, “One thing that has been good is no planes – hopefully, that’s been helping the planet we’ve been wrecking. Travel represents a tiny amount of carbon emissions, but – without taking away the gig – what we’ve learnt with Zoom, Webex, Teams, etc., is that we don’t need all the meetings we have, which we fly all over the world for, often only for a day. We need to rethink what we’re doing.”

Both Leiweke and Marciano pointed to advances in new technology such as 5G while touring has been on pause. “Technology didn’t take a year and a half off,” said Leiweke. When shows return, “we’re going to see brand new technology that will enhance the experience but won’t replace it,” he added.

Whenever it is live returns, none of the panellists were in any doubt about fans’ continued passion for live music, referencing the incredible pent-up demand for shows that has been building throughout 2020/21.

“I’ve never seen this kind of demand. [For 2021] we have 180 holds in our new arena in New York already,” added Leiweke. “We’re going to get through this.”

SCHULENBERG PREDICTS LONG HAUL TO RECOVERY

Speaking during his ILMC keynote interview, Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, founder and CEO of CTS Eventim, shared his belief that it will take the industry until late 2023 or 2024 to get back to the same levels of business that it enjoyed pre-Covid.

In conversation with ILMC chief Greg Parmley, Schulenberg was responding to a question about consumer confidence in a post-pandemic world and revealed that his company’s research indicated that 80% of people would buy a ticket three months after the end of the pandemic. But that meant 20% of people would not be willing to buy a concert ticket.

That problem prompted his assertion that artists and agents need to understand that they should be more modest in their demands as the industry starts to recover. Indeed, he suggested that promoters should try to persuade artists to share in the risk of a show. “The guarantee should go down,” he said, while acknowledging that such conversations did not always find a sympathetic ear.

“Reopening is not recovery,” he said . “We are now looking at reopening, but recovery would mean that fans would come back at levels of 2019 and recovery would mean that people could attend a concert care-free.”

He also forecast that show costs could rise by as much as 15-20% in the short term because of the effect of the pandemic and the fact that local costs will be much higher than they used to be. “Look at the stagehands, look at the security, service companies for light and sound and maybe even the venues will try to make up their losses they incurred in 2020 and probably 2021 as well,” he explained.

Echoing the excitement over technological development that had been flagged up in The Open Forum, Schulenberg said the adoption of 5G was something his company had been working on, as they could radically change the way shows work – citing fan-to-fan communication and fan-to-artist communication within a show as possibilities. “We want to stay as a technological leader, so we have been working on new tech and new features and I am pretty optimistic in this respect,” he commented.

And he also opened the doors to collaborating with rivals Live Nation and others when it comes to improving the industry’s lobbying efforts with politicians and policymakers. “I never take competition personally,” he said. “We are all in the same boat and I am a fan of good partnerships – that’s how we made our business and we welcome everybody to partner with us. It’s to all of our advantage.”

But he concluded that the industry needs to understand that having a strong voice requires expenditure, although he suggested that many companies are not ready to put their money where their mouths are. “We need professional associations and we have to know that professional associations are expensive – they cost money – and the industry must be willing to invest, but I think that’s a problem,” he observed.

While the past year has been quiet across the live events industry, the time has not been wasted by those involved in tech, prompting ILMC to launch PULSE – a platform that sits at the intersection of technology and live entertainment. A collaboration between ILMC, agent Mike Malak (Paradigm), and digital entertainment expert Yvan Boudillet (TheLynk), topics covered in the inaugural event were as follows:

The Business of Live Tech discussed emerging business models and new deals around tech and music. Unsurprisingly, one of the panel’s most interesting discourses was about the perceived fan-appetite for live-streaming before, during and after the pandemic – a recurring topic throughout ILMC.

Steve Hancock from Melody VR claimed that demand for live-streaming was strong before the pandemic and will continue to be a valuable complementary offering to live. “Live-streaming will never replace live, but I think a hybrid, and marriage, of physical and digital attendance is, in my opinion, the way forward,” he said.

Cheryl Paglierani from United Talent Agency, extolled some of the new revenue streams the technology might offer: “There are going to be ways for us to create virtual balconies or virtual meet-and-greet experiences,” she said, noting that some fans would be willing to pay for experiences through Zoom or similar platforms.

Asking how to keep the fan at the centre of new virtual performance spaces, The New Fan Experience saw Sheri Bryant from virtual events platform Sansar, speak of the importance of connecting fans with performers but not competing with the live experience.

Where the sector goes next, suggested Brandon Goodman of Best Friends Music, “depends on the artist. […] I don’t think artists should necessarily do what Billie [Eilish] did. For example, I loved the Dermot Kennedy stream – but I don’t think Dermot Kennedy in an XR world, like Billie, would be very on-brand for an artist like him.”

Trivium frontman Matt Heafy opened The Live-streamers’ Guide to Live Music by talking about videogame-focused site Twitch, where he has more than 200,000 subscribers.

Julie Bogaert from Facebook spoke of the importance for streamers of having a “presence on as many platforms as possible, because they all have different audiences.”

Viewer engagement is key, added Heafy. “That’s what separates live from video. That viewer-streamer relationship is the big difference [between a live broadcast and] a video that already exists.”

Sweet Streams – Best in Class saw Live Nation GSA’s Lars-Oliver Vogt assemble leaders in the live-streaming space to share best practice and reflect on 2020’s standout events.

James Sutcliffe, LiveNow Global, detailed the success of Dua Lipa’s Studio 2054 broadcast, which garnered more than 500 million views and 300,000 ticket sales.

Mike Schabel, Kiswe, enjoyed similar success with K-pop band BTS and their Map of the Soul On:e pay-per-view live stream, which saw 993,000 people across 193 countries tune in.

Speaking on the role of an agent in live-streaming, Natasha Gregory from Mother Artists (UK), reported that the decision to use the Idles broadcast as a marketing tool was wise, because six weeks of hard work resulted in 12,000 streams for a band that can sell 2,500 tickets for a London show.

However, Tim Westergreen, Sessions Live suggested that the monetisation of live-streaming for mid-range acts depends on two things: a fan and audience development platform, as well as a monetisation mechanism similar to those tried and tested in gaming. “Gaming has done [this] for two decades now. It’s why, as an industry, it’s been so much more successful than music in the digital era.”

Fabrice Sergent reported the rapid adoption that his company Bandsintown had witnessed through listing 70,000 live streams last year, 75% of which were listed by artists of less than 100,000 followers, while from July to October the number of live streams that were ticketed jumped from 2% to 50%. “For something that started as a free medium, it has only taken ten months for fans to accept they have to pay for tickets to a live stream,” said Sergent. “When music was pirated on Napster, it took ten years for fans to finally accept [buying a] subscription to music streaming.”

PULSE also became the home for ILMC’s traditional New Technology Pitches, hosted by Steve Machin of LiveFrom Events, who oversaw presentations from Moment House, Bramble, Driift, Noq, Notetracks, Lookport, FanSifter, and Eighth Day Sound.

THURSDAY THURSDAY THURSDAY THURSDAY 4 MARCH 2021 4 MARCH 2021 4 MARCH 2021 4 MARCH 2021 IRVING AZOFF “HOPEFUL” FOR RETURN TO LIVE IN JULY

Legendary artist manager Irving Azoff is hopeful that the US live sector will see a “decent reopening” this July, he said during his keynote interview with Ed Bicknell, which also touched on his early career in management with acts such as REO Speedwagon and Dan Fogelberg, hell-raising with Keith Moon, his long association with Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and recent deals with The Beach Boys and David Crosby.

Azoff believes the US is “much more optimistic” about returning to live music – albeit with caveats – since the number of Covid cases has dropped off quicker than predicted. However, he warned that the US live sector faces two big issues.

“The first issue is: When are states going to be open at full capacity or near it? The second is, without insurance, do you want to really take the risk, after a year or two of no income, of putting your production together to try to work the rest of this year – or do you just want to wait till 2022?”

Even once the US has found a way to reopen, Azoff predicts “a lot of drama” with test and tracing to get into live events. “A lot of major artists are saying, ‘I’m just going to wait till 2022,’ but 2022 is going to be a train wreck here, just getting avails and everybody trying to run at once.”

The full Breakfast Meeting interview – which also included Azoff giving the inside story of Ticketmaster’s 2010 merger with Live Nation, as well as recounting how he fired Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac – is available to watch back until 5 April 2021 for ILMC 33 ticket holders.

SUSTAINABILITY AND DIVERSITY TOP AGENTS’ AGENDAS

The sustainability of the post-Covid return to business, and how the business, in general, can be more open to attracting people from different backgrounds were the main topics discussed during The Agency Business 2021.

Session chairman Tom Schroeder of Paradigm Talent Agency admitted to guests Lucy Dickins (WME), Mike Greek (CAA), Sam Kirby Yoh (UTA) and Obi Asika (UTA previously Echo Location Talent Agency) that prior to the panel he thought his passion, sustainability, would be the main takeaway from the panel, but instead it turned out to be diversity.

Earlier in the session, Schroeder had joked that UTA had been the most aggressive agency during the pandemic, so much so that they had a 50% market share of the panel guests, thanks to the 3 March announcement that the company had acquired Asika’s Echo Location operation.

And it was Asika who, in tackling a question about race and diversity, recounted a story from his youth where his mother, a sociology teacher, had urged him to read a book by Jock Young who wrote about labelling theory, opening Asika’s mind to the dangers of stereotyping. “I was aware from the age of 13 or 14 that I was constantly stereotyped by teachers at my school, by parents of the children, by school friends, and even maybe sometimes myself, because you end up, potentially, becoming that stereotype,” said Asika. “We all do it, but if you are judging somebody before you’ve given them a chance, think about how dangerous that can be. And on the other side of it, think about how powerful the industry we work in is – someone who felt that way, because of the love of music, is now sitting here and has just started as the head of the UK office of a global agency, having a talk with all you fine people.”

Also making its ILMC debut was The Experience Economy Meeting (TEEM), which as the world’s only conference dedicated entirely to touring exhibitions and the experience economy, brought a host of leading professionals, including expo producers, promoters, venue bookers and suppliers to ILMC 33.

TEEM consisted of the following sessions:

What’s Next in the World for Experience

Exhibitions? saw Christoph Scholz of Semmel Concerts and Charles Read of Blooloop focus on ways of enhancing the user experience of exhibitions from design, production and cross-cultural standpoints.

Panellists spoke of the importance of creating multilayered immersive environments that can provide sensory reality. “We see more and more experiences that integrate smell, sound, touch, and really surrounding people so they can have a proper immersive experience,” said Manon Delaury of Teo in France. “Another key trend, which will emerge, is transformative experiences that are truly social. The idea is that once you’ve been through the experience you feel a little bit different. You’ve learned and you’ve grown.”

Teem’s second panel of the day, Taking Exhibitions Further, explored the post-Covid future of the experience economy.

Serge Grimaux of venue Fórum Karlín predicted the exhibition world would experience a post-Covid boom: “We have a lot of people who have been very hungry for entertainment, live entertainment and edutainment,” he said. “The technology that is now available, and becomes more available every month, can provide an environment that will be incredible for everybody and at the same time, affordable. Because as soon as we get out of this Covid war and the economy starts, affordability will be important and exhibitions will definitely be a very sought after product.”

Paola Cappitelli, 24 ORE Cultura, pointed out that tech should play an important role in making exhibitions appeal to younger people, noting that museums have to meet the challenge of catering to all demographics.

The meeting concluded with The TEEM X ILMC Flea Market, which gave delegates representing touring exhibitions and producers just three minutes to present their shows to the promoters and venues in the room.

The session featured presentations from Corrado Canonici of World Touring Exhibitions; Amy Bornkamp of IMG Events; Glenn Blackman of Global Touring & Promotion; Teo’s Manon Delaury; Pierre Morand of GAAP Bookings; Zuppar’s Nick Zuppar; Charles Reed of Blooloop; Alex Susanna of Expona; Giorgio Castagnera of Hereleb; Semmel Concerts’ Anna Lenhof; and Jole Martinenghi of Contemporanea Progetti.

Exhibitions and attractions presented included King Tut, Pompeii, Travelling Bricks (Lego), Kid Koala, the Walt Disney 100th anniversary exhibition, and The Monster, an inflatable playground for adults.

UNSUNG HERO

Sandra Beckmann & Tom Koperek, Alarmstufe Rot

“It was a great honour to be nominated for the award and it’s absolutely amazing to receive it. We accept this award on behalf of more than three million people in the event industry of Germany that have been affected by this crisis. We would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for their support. We will keep on fighting to make sure that everyone gets through this. Thank you very much and stay safe.”

SERVICES ABOVE & BEYOND: ARTHUR OF THE DECADE

Beat The Street (Jörg Philipp)

“Arthur of the Decade? Does that mean it comes with £10million? Just the right timing. Thanks very much, it means a lot.”

PEOPLES’ ASSISTANT: ARTHUR OF THE DECADE

Sarah Donovan, Live Nation UK

“It’s a bit different to the last time I won this award – I’m not drunk, for starters, which is not helping at this moment in time. To Phil [Bowdery], I know we joke about how I could have got less time for murder, but it’s honestly been a pleasure. Thanks you so much to everyone who voted.”

LIGGERS’ FAVOURITE FESTIVAL: ARTHUR OF THE DECADE

Glastonbury Festival (Emily Eavis)

“We really, really appreciate it and it means a lot to win this award, especially this year when there are not any award ceremonies. Thank you so much, we’ll see you in 2022.”

TOMORROW’S NEW BOSS

Alexandra Ampofo, Metropolis Music

“Thank you for voting for me. I’m really grateful and would just like to thank everyone who has supported me.”

THE PROMOTER’S PROMOTER: ARTHUR OF THE DECADE

Simon Moran, SJM Concerts

“I was amazed to even be on the nominations list, so thank you so much to the people who voted for me. It’s very much a team effort at SJM and everyone is brilliant, but especially Chris, Rob, Matt, Katie, John and Emma. And thanks to all the brilliant artists we work with – it’s down to them that we’re even in business. I’d like to dedicate the award to the legendary and much missed Michael Gudinski.”

THE SECOND LEAST OFFENSIVE AGENT: ARTHUR OF THE DECADE

Steve Strange, X-ray Touring

“I’m shocked and thrilled. I just wanted to thank all my clients who I’ve been working with for many, many years; all the people at Team Strange; and all the people at X-ray Touring who have all had a difficult year, but we’re getting there. Thank you very much indeed.”

THE GAFFER: ARTHUR OF THE DECADE

Chris Marsh (Ed Sheeran)

“I’m amazed. I was very honoured to be on the list alongside such amazing gents, so to win is totally [unexpected]. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who made it possible for me to win something like this, and that is the teams I work with on the tours that I do. They make huge sacrifices, they work so hard and are so dedicated, and without them I definitely wouldn’t be in the position I’m in today. So to all those guys and girls that I work with on tour, thank you.”

THE ULTIMATE VENUE’S VENUE The Royal Albert Hall (Craig Hassall)

“I guess that one of the only high points of the pandemic is that The Arthurs can be at The Royal Albert Hall, so that’s good. But for the industry, this last year has been the most crippling for all of us. Normally every night there is some amazing act on this stage, which is hallowed ground for the industry and everyone watching. For audiences and artists, this place is so special, and yet everyone is welcome and I love that about the Royal Albert Hall, as it’s been that way for 150 years. We’re looking forward to welcoming you back live with live artists on the stage and live people in the audience, and that will be soon. So on behalf of all of our staff – and to all the agents, artists and promoters, this is for you. Thank you and we will see you very soon.”

TOUR OF THE DECADE Ed Sheeran (agent Jon Ollier)

“Ed has asked me to accept the award on his behalf. I know that he would like me to thank the Arthurs for nominating him; I know he would want me to thank everyone for voting for him; I know he would like me to thank each and every member of his team and every person involved that make tours like this possible. I also know that everyone would approve if I was to dedicate this to the late Michael Gudinski who really has left the biggest hole in our industry and in our hearts. We will miss you Michael. Thanks everyone.”

THE BOTTLE AWARD

André Béchir, Gadget abc Entertainment Group

“Winning the Bottle Award is very special for me – even more special under the actual circumstances. To be nominated by people from the live music industry such as agents, managers, tour managers, friends and colleagues, and to receive the lifetime achievement award from this industry is definitely a peak in my life. "As you know, I’m still full of passion for what I am doing and for what we are doing, and I’m thankful that I still can do it. A big thank you for your support over more than 50 years in the business, and for your loyalty. I promise you I will do my best also in my new role as senior adviser. You can count on me. Quality and friendship will remain for the next decade. It’s a shame we cannot celebrate together but I hope to see you soon. "I am thrilled. It’s a very special prize for me.”

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY 5 MARCH 2021 5 MARCH 2021 5 MARCH 2021 5 MARCH 2021

NEW BOSSES REFLECT ON A YEAR OF TURMOIL

While Futures Forum, ILMC’s gathering for young professionals, took a year off in 2021, its traditional opening session survived ILMC’s move online, welcoming five emerging execs to take the temperature of the business from an under-30s' perspective.

“It’s been a year and a half since my last show, and I’m very uncertain about what’s going to happen this summer,” said Sziget’s Virág Csiszár, reflecting on a difficult year. “It’s been a really tough time – we’ve had to let go of a lot of good colleagues and friends.”

Live-streaming has filled the gap to a certain extent, said Metropolis Music’s Alexandra Ampofo (winner of the 2021 Tomorrow’s New Boss Arthur Award) although it will never replace the real thing. “It’s really great from an accessibility point of view,” she continued. “It’s a real progressive move for our whole scene, given that there are people who can’t go to [physical] gigs.”

Discussing panellists’ routes into the industry and their obligations to the next generation, CAA’s Bilge Morden argued it’s essential that internships and entry-level jobs should be well paid, to ensure a diversity of voices. “Even when I was doing a paid internship, I was still putting on shows in Liverpool to make ends meet,” he said.

The legacy of Black Out Tuesday and the Black Lives Matter movement makes the conversation about diversity particularly important, said Kedist Bezabih from FKP Scorpio in Norway. “It’s not just race – it’s gender, and even disability,” added Ampofo. “When you listen to people, you’re able to make the tangible change you need to make. Companies need to put their money where their mouth is.”

Looking ahead to the immediate return of concerts, Bezabih said she believes we’re going to see enhanced cleaning and sanitisation for years to come, adding that, “2022 is going to be amazing. It’s packed with shows already. I’m very hopeful for 2022.”

FESTIVAL LEADERS LOOK TO DOMESTIC ARTISTS FOR 2021

Gathering speakers from Australia, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, Festival Forum: Reboot & Reset delved into the states of those local markets and their various timelines for reopening, and agreed that if open-air events go ahead this summer, they will likely be dominated by domestic acts.

Jessica Ducrou of Secret Sounds revealed that although refunds had been offered to fans after Splendour in the Grass moved dates from July to November, “the retention is high at 90% despite rescheduling three times. So that shows that people are really looking forward to events reopening,” she said.

Tommy Jinho Yoon of International Creative Agency revealed he was not making any festival plans for 2021, but the shows he is booking for Q1 and Q2 of 2022 are in conjunction with artists who are also confirming Australian dates, hinting that international touring could be on the way back sooner than some people imagine.

While domestic talent will be the key for most events in 2021, Stephan Thanscheidt, CEO of FKP Scorpio, stated that format would not work for some of Scorpio’s festival brands, where restrictions such as social distancing or zero alcohol policies wouldn’t be a good fit either.

But Thanscheidt ended on a positive vibe by repeating a theme that ran throughout ILMC regarding industry unity. “The teaming up by different companies in solidarity is, for me, a very astonishing and very good outcome,” he declared, citing regular conference calls that the FKP Scorpio team have had with the likes of AEG Presents, Eventim Live, Goodlive, Live Nation and Superstruct as part of Yourope’s Solutions for Festivals Initiative.

Live stReams Live stReams

More than 50 acts recorded performances at ILMC this year, thanks to partners UK Sounds, ATC Live, ITB, Paradigm, UTA, Primary Talent, Sound Czech, HOTS and Why Portugal. Over two nights (3-4 March) the gigs, which were available only to ILMC delegates, were watched more than 1,600 times, while a repeat broadcast on 5 March saw hundreds more enjoying some of the hottest emerging talent on the planet. Details of each act and contacts for their representatives can be found on the relevant partner pages of the 33.ilmc.com website.