Left to Right: Armel Campagna , Ian Greenway, Matt Jones, Stefan Juhlin, Woody McDonald, Mairead Nash, Matt Schwarz, Seth Seigle, Tom Taaffe, Matthew Zweck
Another year, and another group of fresh-faced wonders vie for the industry’s attention in the New Boss list! Welcome to the third instalment of what certainly isn’t X-Factor for the concert business, but certainly is a chance to bring you ten industry leaders of the future. At least given their track record to date. IQ plundered every nook and cranny in our database to cast the voting net as far and wide as possible this year, and it’s safe to say that we’ve never witnessed such a tremendous response. Eligibility is simple – to make the list, nominees must be 30 or under, and working in the industry. And in order to guarantee a different crop of creative visionaries and keen business minds each year, nominees may only be featured once. The spread of names this year spans agency, promotion, festivals, brands and management, and while second generation family members still prove an enduringly popular vote, all of those represented are both energised
and positive about the future of the business. Hopefully, the viewpoints expressed on these pages will inspire readers, or at the very least cause pause for thought or discussion. There are some fascinating stories of entrepreneurship here, and enviable amounts of passion voiced, both for the bands some of our nominees work for, and the industry that they’re going to be vital in developing over the coming years. As before, the votes we’ve received will form the list of nominations for the ‘Tomorrow’s New Boss’ Arthur Award at ILMC in March 2011. The whole ILMC membership will again be able to vote for this, when voting for the awards opens online in December. We’ll keep you posted nearer the time, but for now, I very much hope you enjoy these ten tales of ambition and early success. Greg Parmley Editor, IQ
Armel Campagna (28) VP Promotions, Live Nation France After completing a master’s degree in music and cultural business management, Armel Campagna was employed by Universal Music five years ago, before being hired by Gerard Drouot Productions (GDP) in 2006, working on concerts by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Lenny Kravitz, and AC/DC, along with domestic artists and festivals. When Live Nation was bolstering its French office in December 2009, Campagna was hired as vice-president of promotions. What needs to change about the French industry?
The French market is controlled by five or six big promoters that have been here for 30-35 years, and it’s a conservative market. We want to bring some new ideas to the market, and widen it as well. We’re trying to convince agents and managers to give us a bigger time frame, so instead of doing Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, we could do Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Marseilles, Toulouse, Bordeaux. We’re saying give us two weeks, you know, and you will see what we can do. In France, we are fighting like crazy and looking
22
I Q Ma g a z i n e Se p t 2 0 1 0
ahead I think it’s going to be the smartest and most creative guy who gets the artist. How different is working at Live Nation France?
There’s more responsibility, because I don’t have somebody ahead of me to agree or disagree on the project that I’m working on. So I can basically target big artists and fight against other promoters as normal, but I can also target new artists such as Little Comets, Andy McKee, and Scott Matthews and spend time developing them, creating new opportunities for them in France.
Ian Greenway (27) Director, LarMac LIVE (UK) Ian graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2004 with a degree in Music Entertainment Management. He went on to freelance as a production coordinator on several festivals both in the UK and UAE, which funded the formation of his co-owned company, LarMac LIVE. The production house mixes corporate work with public events and this year produced UK festivals Bestival, Creamfields, Field Day and Underage, and also worked for Virgin and Deutsche Bank. What is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt so far?
Probably flexibility. We scale up and down when we need. We can do one-man tour management, or a festival job that needs 100 staff. We spent a long time examining how we delivered jobs and it works for people who are trying to save costs. We’re busier than we’ve ever been. What are you most proud of?
We worked on Live Earth and Live 8, so putting 150,000 people into Hyde Park with Live Nation was a weird one, and Jo my business partner put together Live Earth in
Rio, which was 750,000 people on the beach, so that was a good one too. Where would you like to be in five years time?
I would like to be producing large-scale, world-class, technologically advanced and pioneering tours and oneoff shows. Technology is the one thing that is really going to sell a ticket, be it 3D technology, be it stunning new sound technology – whatever that is. However we can heighten the experience for the customer is the way forward. The band on its own isn’t enough any more.
Matt Jones (27) Director, SPC/CrowdSurge (UK) Immediately upon leaving school, Matt Jones began promoting shows under his SPC Live banner in Essex and Hertfordshire. He soon moved SPC to London, promoting across the South of England. His second company, CrowdSurge, was launched in June 2008, becoming a transparent seller that artists use to power ticket sales on their websites. CrowdSurge now works with artists including Paul McCartney, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and Them Crooked Vultures. Is there room for new, independent entrepreneurs?
Definitely. There are new ideas and innovations from every corner of the market each year and it’s encouraging for the growth of the business. Entrepreneurs are always a key catalyst for new ideas and driving growth. What are you excited about in the industry currently?
That there is more and more room for independents and a chance to innovate and move things forward. The model is changing all the time and more artists, labels, managers, agents and promoters are willing to adapt to change.
How do you compete with bigger companies?
The CrowdSurge offering is attractive to artists because it’s fully integrated and allows them to sell tickets directly to their fans worldwide, multi-currency, multilingual, whilst also keeping service charges minimal. They also get all the added extras of advanced analytics to report on sales data and better understand how to monetise their fanbase more effectively. They can also cross-sell and bundle tickets with other products. Altogether it is a way of maximising asset rights within the direct-to-consumer relationship.
Stefan Juhlin (27) Agent/co founder, Pitch & Smith (Sweden) Stefan Juhlin began promoting shows aged 14 in his hometown, 100km from Stockholm. He changed tack for years, working with computers instead, but five years ago made the move back into music, getting hired as an agent’s assistant at Luger in Stockholm. He began building his own roster, and launched Pitch & Smith with Kalle Lundgren Smith in 2008. The company’s roster now includes Peter, Bjorn and John; Wolf Parade; José González, and volcano!. What are you most proud of?
Starting my own company – it was a huge step for both my partner and I. We started without any help or investment, so we did it completely on our own. Is being based in Stockholm a problem?
Not really. From Stockholm we have a good overview of the whole of Europe and we also work a lot with Asia and Australia and places like that, and a lot in Eastern Europe. Plus the musical climate and the scene here is amazing, so we’re pretty fortunate with all the Swedish acts we get
to work with at an early stage. What do you think needs to change within the industry?
You can see services like Spotify are doing great and I think people would buy a lot more records if they were a lot cheaper. And the same goes for ticket prices for concerts; everyone should try to make it feasible for the audience, for the fans, to attend, because they are probably the most important people, other than the musicians themselves.
Woody McDonald (25) Music director, Meredith/Golden Plains (Australia) Promoting hardcore and punk shows in Ballarat just outside of Melbourne, Woody McDonald began learning his trade at the age of 13. He dropped out of school at 14, and at 15 moved to the city, promoting international artists at 16. Working as music director for Triple R Radio, he came into contact with Meredith Music Festival (cap 11,500) and Golden Plains (9,000), initially helping out as a consultant before being taken on as booker in 2006. How’s the Australian market right now?
It’s a lot busier than it’s ever been and there’re a lot of exports. We’ve got a lot more Australian music flying to other countries. So in general it’s just sensory overload and there’s a lot more strange, leftfield music doing really well. Everything’s thriving at the moment I think, so it’s good. Where do you think the music industry is heading?
It’s clearly in a flux period, and everyone’s got to work out what those new models are, I think. Everywhere in
the world is pretty similar. It’s this upcoming period of experimentation and trying new ideas to see what works that will decide the state of the industry. Where would you like to be in five years time?
I’m happy where I am right now, but I don’t want to seem too complacent. At the moment I’m happy doing what I’m doing but I definitely want to continue to evolve, you know, and to keep getting better at what we do as a festival. I believe that it’s important to not become stagnant; to keep chipping away at those things.
Mairead Nash (28) Manager, Florence and the Machine (UK) Maireed Nash grew up in Milton Keynes, but moved to London at 16 to perform in a girl band. At 17 she was running the 333 club in Shoreditch, East London, and in 2002 she formed DJ duo Queens of Noize with Tabitha Denholm. After a chance encounter at her club night, she began managing Florence and the Machine, whose debut album, Lungs, was one of the bestselling UK releases in 2009/2010, and was crowned Best Album at the 2010 Brit Awards. What do you think needs to change in the industry?
I would like to see more women. There’s a new generation actually of kids of my era that have done DJing and club nights, and it’s great to see girls being part of the industry, like [indie label/club night] Young and Lost. And I would like to see more independent female managers that aren’t really associated with a big company, who go out there and do it on their own. Was there always a plan to become a manager?
The radio show on 6Music was a great way to learn
about management and also records, but really it all just fell into place. How do you see your role as a manager changing?
I’d like to take on some more bands. You’re forever learning really and Florence is about to make another record. For me, that’s the most rewarding part. Being involved in the musical process; being part of that really excites me. I’m looking to build on that and take on some more people.
Matt Schwarz (28) Head of modern music, MLK (Germany) Originally working in publishing, Matt Schwarz co-ordinated events for Visions Magazine in Germany for four years until August 2003 when he moved to Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, eventually becoming head of modern music. Schwarz has developed the German careers of artists including My Chemical Romance, Paramore, and 30 Seconds to Mars, and is also responsible for the budgeting and logistics on many of MLK’s other tours and festivals. What are you up to at the moment?
I’m preparing tours for autumn. The main one being Linkin Park, as well as My Chemical Romance, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Gossip and a couple of other mid-sized tours. We’re also working on a German band, Sportfreunde Stiller, with which we’re doing an arena unplugged tour and we’ve also already started with bookings for Rock am Ring and Rock im Park 2011. Can you see Rock am Ring/Rock im Park changing over the next few years?
24
I Q Ma g a z i n e Se p t 2 0 1 0
We’ve changed a lot in the last decade and the festivals now have state-of-the-art standards, which we will maintain and upgrade where possible. Overall, I don’t think there’ll be many major changes. We always question ourselves after each year and implement necessary improvements on both sites. Where would you like to be in five years time?
Probably married! I don’t know if I want to stay in Frankfurt that long, but definitely with MLK. I’m very happy with the way things have worked out. We’ll see.
Seth Seigle (29) Agent, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment After completing a finance degree in Washington DC, Seth Seagle moved to New York with the sole aim of getting into the music business. He joined Evolution Talent in 2002, moving to William Morris in 2004 as Sam Kirby’s assistant. Seth was promoted to agent in 2005 and works with artists including Rufus Wainwright, Melody Gardot, Ben Lee and Alberta Cross, as well as late night comedian Conan O’Brien. Is comedy the new rock and roll?
To some extent it is, there’s a lot of crossover between comedy and rock ‘n’ roll and it’s evident when you go to festivals here domestically. It’s becoming more viable for a comedian to host a stage, perform or curate a festival. I’m looking to populate a tour with a comedian – have the right comedian go on tour with an artist and be the opening act. How is the role of an agent changing?
As much as we look to monetise opportunities we also have to be cognisant of opportunities that will lead to
monetisation. It behoves us to find associations with brands, TV platforms and other forms of media that will lead to exposure points that we can then monetise. What needs to change in the industry?
There’s a disconnect with ticketing and you need to find a way to lure consumers back into the traditional concert experience. I don’t think the model always offers the fulfillment the consumer is looking for, which is why a lot of the younger ticketing companies will thrive; they’re looking at it from the consumers’ perspective.
Tom Taaffe (25) Agent, ITB (UK) Booking bands from the age of 17, Tom Taaffe began his agency career in Australia, rising through the ranks at Trading Post Agency until he left in 2007 to move to the UK. A number of offers from London agencies followed, and he settled on ITB, where he’s worked since January 2008. Taaffe’s roster currently includes August Burns Red, Whitechapel, Robert Francis and Every Time I Die. What are you most proud of?
Just competing and building up my roster, and developing a niche for myself. I’m obviously not there yet, but I hope I’m building towards something pretty special that’s different from other areas. So I’m happy to just be where I am now and be able to develop even more. How does this “niche” affect your strategy?
I work with alternative bands, so we’re not relying as much on charts, TV or radio play. It’s more word of mouth, playing live, and finding new areas to get the
music out there. The bands might not have releases in every territory, but we’re still touring for 11 months a year, all over the world. We’re also actively touring SE Asia and South America much earlier, building more working markets. How do you feel the role of an agent is changing?
It’s becoming a lot more pivotal. It’s different from the days where you got a hot act with a hot record. Now there’s so much competition in the live space that as an agent you’re really in the thick of it.
Matthew Zweck (27) Artists and tour partnerships mgr, Live Nation (UK) The son of veteran production expert and agent Andrew Zweck, Matthew Zweck studied marketing at Leeds University while spending his summers and spare time working on live music events and festivals. After an early experience as a brand ambassador for Bacardi, he took a brand relations role at luxury concierge service, Quintessentially, initiating relationships with Citigroup, British Airways, Mansion Group, Christies and BlackBerry. What are you tasked with at Live Nation?
My role is split between working with brands and their agencies to spending time with artist agents and managers. Essentially, I’m tasked with creating partnerships that add value for all parties around an artist Live Nation is touring. How important is sponsorship these days?
The role of sponsors has changed significantly over the last five years; in fact, even the term ‘sponsorship’ is long outdated given the creativity and genuine
partnership role that has developed with artists, events and brands. A true marketing partnership is now a crafted integration of the essential elements of a tour, show or event where key factors like marketing, ticket sales, artist/event personality and the suitability of association all combine in an association that benefits all parties without any compromise of artistic integrity. We would cite Gorillaz with O2 and Jay Z with Barclaycard as recent great examples of the new model. A brands-and-artist association will only succeed if the interaction is intelligent, relevant and stylish.