two months

INDUSTRY MOURNS PRODUCTION GREATS

The international live music industry lost two of its best-loved production personalities during April.

Richard Young, the British production manager known for his work with Radiohead and Adele, passed away aged 47 on 23 April, after being diagnosed with cancer.

Young began his production career in the 90s, having formed Catapult Productions in 1993, and cut his teeth working with Radiohead, succeeding Brian Ormond as the band’s production manager in 2003.

After getting his break with Radiohead, he went on to serve in similar roles for a who’s who of rock and pop, including Pink, Nine Inch Nails,

Dido, Duran Duran, Will Young, Lorde, and

Adele, serving as PM for the record-breaking Adele

Live 2016 tour. When lockdown came in March 2020, he was on tour with The 1975, who had just wrapped up their European tour in Dublin.

Creative Technology’s head of music and touring, Graham Miller, says Young was “the master of asking the difficult technical questions, so you really had to be on your game – which I loved! He really wanted to understand every element of his incredibly technical productions. I even remember Richard getting involved in our LED load-in in rehearsals, just to understand how it all worked better.”

“He was an inspiring guy – the best at what he did but still had the capacity to constantly think of other business opportunities or take a slanted view of how things were being done and ask if they could be done in a different better way,” adds Miller. “Richard, I will miss you.”

Torsten Block, who worked with Young in 2007 on a Pink show in Germany, remembers the late PM as a welcome antidote to the “difficult people” he usually worked with at the time. “[He was] different: friendly, goal-oriented, and every time calm and relaxed,” he writes.

Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known as the singer Lorde, spoke of feeling “such warmth, kindness and mischief coming from the tall Englishman” who helped her build “such beautiful things. He brought so many of my dreams to life, with such care and commitment. I’ll always remember that about him,” she says.

Tour director Ken Watts passed away suddenly during the weekend of 10-11 April.

Colleagues, friends, and artists paid tribute to Watts, who worked on the very first Wham! tour in 1983, as well as with artists such as Michael Flatley, Spandau Ballet, Susan Boyle, George Michael, Natalie Imbruglia, Bond, Blues Brothers, Jamiroquai and Duran Duran.

Dennis Gardner, production manager for Cat Stevens, says Watts was “an industry legend and a personal hero of mine. I have learnt and continue to learn from Ken and the way he approached everything he did with heart, a heavy dose of common sense and, as ever, a wonderful sense of humour.

“He always had time for his crew, not just the close ones but everyone, and made sure they were always respected, cared for, and felt like they belonged,” he continues. “[H]e has been so much more than a tour manager to his touring family.”

Watts, veteran PM Wob Roberts adds, was “one of the industry’s mega-personalities, who will be greatly missed.”

PILOTS PROVE SAFE RETURN TO LIVE IS POSSIBLE

On the eve of two major UK test events (Festival Republic's 5,000-cap Blossoms' show on 2 May, and The Brit Awards on 11 May), findings from clinically monitored test gigs in Spain and the Netherlands present further evidence that indoor concerts needn’t increase the potential for new coronavirus infections.

Festivals per la Cultura Segura, the organiser of the show in Barcelona on 27 March, announced that the event had no impact on Covid-19 transmission among attendees, despite the lack of social distancing observed at the 5,000-person show.

Having analysed the data, doctors from the show’s medical partners (the Germans Trias Hospital and the Fight AIDS and Infectious Diseases Foundation), have concluded that the indoor concert setting did not increase the coronavirus risk – with concertgoers exhibiting a lower incidence of Covid-19 than the general population in

Barcelona at the time.

Taking place at the 17,000-capacity Palau Sant

Jordi arena, the event saw popular local rock act

Love of Lesbian perform to an audience of 4,994 fans, all of whom had tested negative for Covid-19 on the day (six people were turned away after testing positive). While the use of a medical-grade FFP2 mask was mandatory, there was no social distancing among fans, who were separated into three areas once the show got underway.

Compliance with the measures that were in place was “scrupulous,” say organisers.

Of the 4,592 concert attendees who gave consent for the doctors to analyse Covid-19 tests taken after the event, six tested positive for Covid-19 within 14 days of the show. All six cases had mild symptoms, or were asymptomatic, and no secondary transmission was observed; additionally, analysis suggests that four of the cases originated outside the concert.

The six cases, say the scientists, represent a cumulative incidence (at 14 days after the show) of 130.7 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants. Compared to Barcelona as a whole, this is lower than the 259.5 cases/100,000 people in the city’s population at the time.

In a statement, Festivals per la Cultura Segura – comprising Primavera Sound, Sónar, Cruïlla, Canet Rock, TheProject and Vida Festival – say they view the experiment “very positively,” stating their intention to use the lessons of the Love of Lesbian show to push for the safe return of full-capacity live concerts.

“We will continue to work under the guidance of the scientific community in order to make further progress,” they say. “The aim is for this established model to generate new proposals within the framework of a strategic plan of pilot studies, such as the one carried out on 27 March at the Palau Sant Jordi.”

In the Netherlands, seated indoor events can take place as soon as possible – even with a high prevalence of Covid-19 locally – provided certain measures are adhered to, according to the findings of Fieldlab Evenementen.

The Dutch initiative shared the results from the first part of its Back to Live test series, which involved a business conference and a cabaret show by the Dutch comedian Guido Weijers. Each event took place during February at the Beatrix Theater, Utrecht, with around 500 attendees.

Based on the results of the study, Fieldlab says that these so-called ‘type-one events,’ which take place indoors, with seats, and where the public behaves calmly, can take place with 50% occupancy and without social distancing.

However, visitors must be tested before and after the event and wear a mask while walking around the venue. The recommendations are also based on a venue having good ventilation and separating large groups of visitors.

Fieldlab researchers say the results of the study are “encouraging,” noting that 98.4% of the visitors who attended the events adhered to the instructions, and 80% of the visitors downloaded the CoronaMelder (CoronaDetector) app in advance, so that track-and-trace could be carried out easily.

The number of contacts within 1.5 metres and lasting longer than 15 minutes was limited, especially during the theatre test. This number was higher at the conference because people actively sought out colleagues and peers.

The Back to Live series, which has so far included concerts, festivals and other live events, will continue with the Eurovision Song Contest in May.

A planned 10,000-person music festival, 538 Oranjedag, which would have been the series' biggest event to date, was planned for 24 April but was called off amid local opposition. A petition calling on organisers to cancel the event had drawn nearly 400,000 signatures, with campaigners stating that “[having] a party with 10,000 people, 400 metres from a hospital overloaded by Covid-19, is a blow to patients and caregivers.”

Ultimately, the Dutch government left the decision to city authorities, which decided to decline a permit for the event, citing the potential for disruption at the festival.

“The aim is for this established model to generate new proposals within the framework of a strategic plan of pilot studies. such as the one carried out on 27 March at the Palau Sant Jordi”

Festivals per la Cultura Segura

VIAGOGO IN THE DOCK AGAIN ACROSS MULTIPLE TERRITORIES

An Italian court has rejected an appeal by Viagogo against a €3.7million fine for hosting listings for tickets sold in contravention of Italian law.

The judgment, handed down by the regional administrative court of Lazio on 2 April, upholds a 2020 ruling in favour of the Italian Communications Authority, which brought legal action against the secondary ticketing site for listing tickets to 37 events at above face value between March and July 2019.

Ticket touting is effectively illegal in Italy under the country’s 2017 budget law, which states that tickets to entertainment events may only be sold by authorised retailers. Consumers are permitted to sell unwanted tickets but only for a price equal to, or less than, their original face value.

The judges rejected Viagogo’s argument that it was acting merely as a “passive hosting provider” connecting resellers with potential buyers, which would exempt the resale platform from liability under Italian law. Instead, Viagogo was found to provide a range of services, and promote and advertise tickets in a way that could not be considered to be carried out without any awareness or control on its part.

“The service provided by Viagogo […] does not have the characteristics of passive hosting,” the court concluded, “given that it clearly does not consist merely of the ‘storage of information’ but rather optimisation, advertising and promotion of the tickets on-sale.

“Nor has the appellant in any way substantiated the claim that such complex activities would be carried out by the platform in a completely automatic manner and without any awareness and/or possibility of control on its part,” adds the ruling.

The ruling comes as the secondary ticketing marketplace site is also hit with legal action north of the Alps, where the Consumer Protection Foundation of German-speaking Switzerland is suing the Geneva-based company for allegedly selling tickets to events that it is clear will not go ahead.

Viagogo, the complaint alleges, has taken advantage of “the chaos of uncoordinated, pandemic-related lockdowns” across the world to “systematically” sell tickets for events that it knows will not take place.

To test its theory, in mid-January, Stiftung bought two tickets from Viagogo: One for a comedy show by Stéphanie Berger at the Kofmehl venue in Solothurn, and another for a “concert by two Dutch musicians” in Amsterdam, taking place in mid-February and mid-March, respectively. Both events had already been cancelled at the time of the ticket purchase.

Viagogo denies the charges, saying in a statement that if tickets for cancelled events are offered for sale, “it is a mistake.”

Like in Italy, the resale of tickets to large events such as festivals or concerts for above face value, will also be outlawed in the Republic of Ireland, under legislation approved on 20 April by the Irish cabinet.

Under the act, a person found guilty of an offence will face a fine of up to €100,000 or up to two years’ imprisonment.

The bill will be introduced to the Dáil Éireann, the country’s lower house, at the earliest opportunity, and enacted as early as possible thereafter, according to the Irish government.

Once the legislation is passed, operators of venues with a capacity of at least 1,000 will be able to apply to the department of enterprise, trade and employment for ‘designation,’ which will prohibit the for-profit reselling of tickets for that venue.

“This bill will stop opportunists with no interest or involvement in music or sport enriching themselves at the expense of sports and music fans, sporting bodies, artists, and promoters,” says the minister of state at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Robert Troy. “And, importantly, fans will have all the information they need to ensure they are not being ripped off.”

“This bill will stop opportunists with no interest or involvement in music or sport enriching themselves at the expense of sports and music fans, sporting bodies, artists, and promoters”

Robert Troy | Irish Minister of State

YOU CAN'T BEAT THE REAL THING

AGENT AND DAD PLAN 'ROW FOR ALISON' MARATHON

Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena has collected the prestigious Venue of the Year accolade at the annual Middle East Event Awards. Held virtually on 5 April, the awards ceremony marks a significant milestone for the 17,000-capacity arena, as the venue category is notoriously competitive thanks to the quality of numerous state-of-the-art buildings across the region.

“As a team, we are delighted to be recognised for this award after what has been a challenging year for live events,” says the venue’s CEO, Guy

Ngata. “We welcomed fans back with the return of live events in November, incorporating new social distancing and hygiene procedures as part of ASM Global’s VenueShield initiative. We have been delighted to provide live entertainment to

Dubai again, and we anticipate this increasing over the months ahead.”

The venue, which opened in June 2019, has helped extend Dubai’s live events season by six months by offering a state-of-the-art, purpose-built, fully air-conditioned indoor arena that can host shows all-year-round. Among the acts who have already benefitted from its facilities are Maroon 5, Russell Peters, Maluma, A.R.

Rahman, Tony Robbins, Joy Koy, and Arab sensation Rashid Al-Majed.

Free Trade Agency’s David Hughes and his father, Darryl, will be donning the Lycra to take part in a fundraising rowing machine challenge on 28 May, in aid of the hospice team that looked after David’s mother, Alison, who passed away in December.

David, who assists Paul Boswell, will be attempting to row a full marathon (26.2 miles/42.2km) alongside his dad who will take on half the distance, in a bid to raise £5,000.

“My mum had a brain tumour and the support of a very extensive professional care team, alongside incredible amounts of support from her family and friends, enabled her to be nursed at home for nearly 12 months prior to being transferred to the Princess Alice Hospice at Esher for her final days,” says David.

“The Hospice Community Team played a vital role in caring for Mum with their unique knowledge and expertise in palliative care.

However, whilst Alison was at the hospice, I discovered that they are not able to operate to full capacity, due to a desperate lack in funding for nursing staff.”

To support the Hughes family’s efforts, visit: Justgiving.com/fundraising/rowforalison