New UK promoter Crosstown Concerts launches

Crosstown Concerts, the new promotion venture from former Metropolis Music directors Paul Hutton and Conal Dodds, officially entered the world last night with a launch event at London venue Magic Roundabout.

The first show by Crosstown – a joint-venture limited liability partnership (LLP) between Hutton, Dodds and Oaksmere hotel owner Fraser Duffin – was Massive Attack’s sold-out 30,000-cap. homecoming concert on the Bristol Downs on 3 September, with future shows including Benjamin Francis Leftwich at the Islington Assembly Hall (800-cap.) on Thursday 22 September, Kano and Little Simz at the O2 Academy in Brixton (4,921-cap.) on 7 October and PJ Harvey at Starworks Warehouse (5,000-cap.) in Wolverhampton on 4 November.

“First and foremost we are music fans,” says Hutton, who left Metropolis earlier this year. “We are in this to promote quality concerts and events, and at the core of our business is working with artists from the beginning of their careers.

“The most important people to us are the general public; they pay our salaries by purchasing concert tickets, and for too long they have not been treated with the respect they deserve. One of the key areas we will be tackling is secondary ticketing, which has a huge negative impact on the UK live music scene. We are committed to tackling the problems surrounding the resale of tickets and providing fans with better-than-ever live experiences.”

“The most important people to us are the general public; they pay our salaries by purchasing concert tickets, and for too long they have not been treated with the respect they deserve”

To that end, Songkick will be Crosstown’s exclusive primary ticketing and technology partner for all events.

The new company, based in London and Bristol, also encompasses a record label, Crosstown Recordings, which launches later this month. “Paul and I share a lifelong dream of setting up our own label to bring forth exceptional new talent,” comments Dodds, “and with both Moses and Keir we are thrilled to bring them to everyone’s attention. They are both really exciting new artists.”

“Ultimately our priority is to promote great artists and give people memorable life experiences,” concludes Dodds. “We and Songkick are committed to doing our utmost to prevent the reselling of tickets for profit on secondary ticketing sites. We’re going to be bold and committed in our approach, and are looking forward to creating many unique moments for artists  and their fans.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.