The C2C factor: How country music spread its wings
The sky is the limit for country music in Europe, with arena and stadium tours on the horizon for the genre’s biggest stars, according to C2C booker Rachel Lloyd.
The return of the UK edition of Country to Country (C2C) has been confirmed for 13-15 March next year at The O2, London, OVO Hydro, Glasgow and The SSE Arena, Belfast, presented by SJM Concerts, AEG Presents, DF Concerts & MCD in association with Country Music Association (CMA).
Upcoming tours include Alexandra Kay, Kip Moore, Midland, Darius Rucker, 49 Winchester, Old Dominion, Max McNown and Tanner Adell, while Zach Bryan will welcome 180,000 punters to his three-night stand at Dublin’s Phoenix Park in Ireland in June, prior to playing to 130,000 fans at his two BST Hyde Park headline shows in London the following week.
“There was a time when the Eventim Apollo was the pinnacle of what you could do as a country artist in the UK, and now that’s a stop on the way up to arenas and beyond,” says AEG Presents UK promoter Lloyd. “So many artists are touring at Academy and theatre level now, because they’re on their second or third trip to the UK. I don’t think there’s any ceiling: we’re going to have country acts in stadiums in the next few years; it’s on the up and nothing is going to stop it.”
Lloyd, who joined the C2C booking team in 2021 following spells at Warner Music, WME and The O2, outlines the main factors driving the explosion of the genre outside its traditional US heartland.
“Fans have got more access than ever before through streaming, playlisting and online radio, so the barriers for discovery have come down,” she tells IQ. “Over the last 10 years, you’ve seen the growth of acts that are willing to put the effort in and come over and tour in the UK. Even regionally, things are popping up all over because more and more fans are starting to put on their own club nights and writers’ nights.
“Once you know there’s going to be an outlet for your passion – and you can get excited about the fact these acts are coming to play – you can get more into it and you will naturally listen to them more.”
“It’s developed a younger fanbase because some of the artists are a bit cooler”
The CMA’s Brand Power of Country Music in the UK presentation, which kicked off C2C 2025 at The O2 earlier this month, highlighted the genre’s tremendous streaming gains, and Lloyd notes the festival itself is also integral to that development.
“You see the streaming numbers go up before C2C, then you see it peak again after C2C because everyone’s listening to the lineup,” she says. “They’ve really established the fandom, so that’s made a difference. Obviously, we look to the US here for what’s popular – we’re naturally mirroring the growth in the US for the majority– it’s growing there and has been for many years.
“It’s developed a younger fanbase because some of the artists are a bit cooler, a bit more into fashion and brands, and are online personalities. I’ve got a tour with Alexandra Kay in May and she got her start on TikTok. She’s an incredible artist, but that’s where she gathered all her fans. That happens in pop all the time and it’s happening with country acts now as well.”
And while Beyoncé’s move into the country world on her 2024 album Cowboy Carter split opinion to an extent, Lloyd sees her impact as wholly positive.
“I am her number one fan so I’m all on board,” she smiles. “You can’t deny what that’s done for the genre here, with the spotlight she has given it over the last year.”
Indeed, Lloyd believes the current country landscape represents the biggest boom in the UK since the 90s.
“The new styles are more singer-songwriter/Americana-leaning, and that’s really connecting in the UK because we’ve always loved a singer-songwriter over here,” she observes. “Your Zach Bryans, Sam Barbers and Waylon Wyatts are coming over, and they’re quite palatable. They’re not super ‘yee-haw!’ country, they’re on the fringe of indie and Americana and so that’s a little gateway in for people.
“There are so many touch points for why it’s gathering momentum, and once you’ve got that momentum going, you can’t really stop it because then everybody’s engaged and are naturally going to be fed more.”
“There’s a core fanbase that has been there since the start, but every year you see another crop of new, younger fans”
Europe’s biggest country festival, C2C 2025 was headlined by Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley and Cody Johnson. In view of the genre’s enhanced popularity, Lloyd reflects on the event’s current purpose within the wider network.
“We knew it was going to be the most successful one yet in terms of sales and attendance, with more artists than ever, but energy-wise you could feel a shift with everything that’s gone on with the genre as a whole,” she says.
“C2C has always been about bringing over the best in the genre to deliver those arena shows, and then also bringing over the newest talent that’s about to either break or just starting to gain momentum. You’re going to see it before it blows up, and you’ll be able to say, ‘I saw that act play to 500 people, and now look at them,’ so that hasn’t fundamentally changed. There are still plenty of acts we want to get over that haven’t come over yet from the US, and the pool of new talent is growing exponentially, so we’re fighting people off every year.
“I think there will always be a want for diehard country fans to completely immerse themselves in the genre for a weekend. We want to make sure that we are delivering country music first and foremost, but giving them a little taste of what they can get within the genre, so that they go away and listen to the bits that they liked the most. So it’s about growing the ecosystem, because that impacts everybody else and helps us all.”
Launched in London in 2013, the event has expanded to other markets including Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia.
“London’s festival stages are well established now; people know exactly what they’re going to get and we want to make sure we can give that to the other markets as well, so that’s the focus for the future,” adds Lloyd. “I don’t think it’s necessarily ever going to hit a ceiling and plateau, because the genre is changing so much. There’s a core fanbase that has been there since the start, but every year you see another crop of new, younger fans coming in. And there’s more development to be done in Europe as well, so who knows where we could end up next.”
A feature exploring the growth of country music around the world will appear in an upcoming issue of IQ.
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Purchasing power ‘top challenge’ in emerging markets
Purchasing power, ticket prices and the cost of infrastructure are among the top challenges in emerging touring markets, according to executives.
Connie Shao (AEG Presents), Tom Matthews (Live Nation APAC), Naman Pugalia (Book My Show) and Melanie Eselevsky (Move Concerts Argentina) united at last month’s ILMC Futures Forum to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by newer touring territories.
While India is on the verge of a breakthrough as a must-play destination for global artists, Pugalia said that the market’s purchasing power is “still not where it needs to be”.
“However, there are forward-looking artists who realise that India is the next big market they need to cultivate,” he continued. “And they’ve agreed to lower prices and be flexible with the number of tickets allowed per transaction etc. Those artists who have bet on the market are now beginning to reap the rewards.”
Pugalia referenced recent high-profile tours by Coldplay and Ed Sheeran – acts that have frequently visited the territory over the last decade and continually invested in the market.
“A million dollars in Singapore and a million dollars in Jakarta is very different, and we can’t achieve both without causing an issue”
Matthews, a former UTA agent who was recently appointed director, talent & touring at Live Nation APAC, pointed out that many artist teams approach the continent of Asia as a single touring market. He reminded delegates that purchasing power varies widely from country to country.
“The big problem I’ve seen recently – on the agent and promoter side – is artists wanting a million dollars for a show,” he said. “A million dollars in Singapore and a million dollars in Jakarta is very different, and we can’t achieve both without causing an issue. It means we’re going to have to pump the ticket price, but the average income across these countries is not the same.
“With a European or North American tour, an agent could increase the price by $40 or €40 across the board. You can’t do that in Asia. Each market is too different, so it’s very price sensitive. So you need to weigh it up. Our goal is to make the artist as much money as possible but selling out the show is the best thing for their career. There are other ways to make money that don’t affect the artist sales so we have to be smart as promoters and educate the artist.”
Pugalia agreed that raising ticket prices isn’t the best way to achieve a higher artist guarantee – especially in a country with such a huge disparity between socioeconomic classes.
“Our country is very compartmentalised,” he said. “There is a segment of society that will pay top dollar for shows in India and those VIP prices compare to anywhere else in the world and sometimes are even more expensive. But as far as GA is concerned… that still needs to pull its weight.”
“This may come as a surprise but doing a show in India is more expensive than doing a show in Europe or North America”
Eselevsky said that Move Concerts Agentina has been forced to increase ticket prices to compete with an increasingly crowded market, though fans aren’t entirely happy about it.
“Last year we went on sale with Eric Clapton and we were the first promoter to go on sale with ticket prices over the 200,000 pesos mark. Fans were like, ‘Oh yeah, but it’s more expensive than in the UK’. Then the other promoters started to scale up their prices as well. Now it’s standard for a GA stadium ticket to cost $150, which is a lot for any market.”
The cost of infrastructure is also an issue when it comes to staging shows in South America, according to Eselevsky. “We don’t have enough lighting equipment, sound equipment, stages or roofs and bringing it from abroad is way too expensive,” she added.
Investing in infrastructure is a top priority for Book My Show. “Every time we’re doing a festival or a show, we’re essentially building a city that we need to dismantle right after and it’s very expensive,” said Pugalia. “This may come as a surprise but doing a show in India is more expensive than in Europe or North America because of the paucity of equipment and venues. We’ve got to build a market here.”
Though these newer touring territories have a way to go with purchasing power and infrastructure, the panel was confident that international artists will reap the long-term benefits of visiting the markets.
“A lot of our artists are now making Asia a primary market and planning the rest of their world tour around it”
“Yes, it’s a lower guarantee now but if we look at a 2-3-4 year plan and we start generating the ticket prices at this number, this is how much you’re going to get on your VIP lift on your first tour, and on your second tour, and on your third tour,” said Matthews. “We don’t want artists to come in as a one-stop. We want them to come back year on year. A lot of our artists are now making Asia a primary market and planning the rest of their world tour around it. It’s a beautiful market with incredible infrastructure and if it’s done correctly, you can reap huge financial rewards.”
Pugalia was similarly optimistic about the potential of higher touring revenues in India, especially now that the concert economy has entered the political lexicon.
“There’s traditional sponsorship and we work with brands – both in India and globally – to try and make sense of these P&Ls,” he said. “But governments are increasingly stepping in. They have realised – for better and worse – that tickets are political currency, as well as social and cultural currency. As a result, state governments in India are competing to get business, which we’ve never seen in the past. That’s supremely helpful. I believe this is a good thing for the overall market in terms of pricing.
He continued: “With no venues, abysmal infrastructure and scant interest, we’ve already made our presence felt over the last few quarters. With all of these things improving and artist interest increasing, we’re just getting started. This is day zero for us.”
Eselevsky, meanwhile, said Argentina stands to benefit from newfound economic stability. “We’ve had the same exchange rate for over a year, which is a long time,” she said. “I foresee much more investment in our market because the economy is not as unclear as it was not so long ago.”
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Brisbane arena plans suffer Olympics setback
Plans to build an 80,000-capacity stadium for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics have been confirmed, but hopes for a new arena have suffered a blow.
Announced today by the Queensland government as part of its 2032 Delivery Plan, the new Victoria Park stadium will replace The Gabba – aka Brisbane Cricket Ground – which is set to be demolished.
The government had been set to allocate A$2.5 billion (€1.5bn) from the A$7.1bn (€4.1bn) scheme to develop a 18,000-cap arena, Brisbane Live, in Roma Street, but has now taken steps to allow it to be delivered by the private sector.
“The government’s decision not to proceed with the arena as part of the Games plan does not mean the death of Brisbane Arena – far from it,” Queensland premier David Crisafulli told reporters. “What it does mean is an opportunity to put the $2.5 billion the federal government has budgeted towards other infrastructure.
“To show how serious we are about progressing plans with the private sector, today I officially announce our government will move the new Brisbane Arena priority site from Roma Street to the vacant Goprint site at Woolloongabba, and we will proceed immediately with a market-led proposal.”
Brisbane-based ASM Global APAC entered an early operator engagement deed with the state government in 2018 at the Roma Street location. And the venue management firm’s chair & CEO Harvey Lister AM says he welcomes the certainty the announcements have provided.
“Brisbane has never enjoyed a purpose-built inner-city arena”
“Clearly after over a decade of investment and planning we are disappointed to see Brisbane Arena not be named as one of the Olympic venues at the Roma St site,” says Lister. “We are however encouraged by the premier Crisafulli’s commitment to immediately call for market-led proposals for Brisbane Arena for the alternative site at Go Print site in Woolloongabba.
“We eagerly await details regarding the urban renewal opportunity the deputy premier and infrastructure minister Jarrod Bleijie has now assumed responsibility for and further clarity of the process of delivering at this alternative location.”
Brisbane’s biggest indoor venue is currently the near 40-year-old Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which has hosted acts such as Taylor Swift, Pink Floyd, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish.
“Brisbane has never enjoyed a purpose-built inner-city arena,” adds Lister. “Our city is currently served by the 12,000 seat Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall, which was, ironically, built as the gymnastics venue as part of a previous Olympics bid by Brisbane in 1992.
“Premier Crisafulli shares our Brisbane Live vision where Brisbane is well served by our concept of a world-class, indoor, inner city 18,00-seat arena.”
A Live Nation Australia spokesperson also welcome the Crisafulli Government’s announcement regarding the Olympics delivery plan.
“We support the inclusion of a world-class arena in Brisbane’s CBD and welcome the opportunity to partner with the government to ensure its delivery,” says a statement. “Our proposal offers a commercial model that significantly minimises government investment and eliminates taxpayer risk. With Live Nation and its partners leading the way, the Brisbane arena is poised to become a premier entertainment destination, attracting global tours and driving economic growth for decades beyond the Olympics.”
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Travis Scott extends record-breaking world tour
Travis Scott has extended his record-breaking Circus Maximus World Tour with a slate of international stadium shows this autumn.
Produced by Live Nation, the global run will comprise five stops: Johannesburg (South Africa), Delhi (India), Seoul (Korea), Hainan (China) and Tokyo (Japan).
The outing includes Scott’s first-ever performance in India at Dehli’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 18 October. With recent concerts by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Green Day and Shawn Mendes, leading executives say the India’s touring scene is poised to ‘explode’.
The 33-year-old’s stop in China at Hainan’s Sanya Stadium on 1 November is also notable, as the country loosens its strict policies for international artists.
The Circus Maximus World Tour includes Scott’s first-ever performance in India
Scott’s Circus Maximus World Tour kicked off in October 2023 and included 76 sold-out stops across North America, Europe, the UK, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand throughout 2023 and 2024. The tour concluded as the highest-grossing rap tour in history with $209.3 million and 1.7 million tickets sold.
Next month, Scott will headline Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
The rapper is billed as the fourth headliner, occupying the same spot on the poster that No Doubt did in 2024 with the tagline “Travis Scott designs the desert”.
In a press release, Scott’s representatives state he is slated to headline the main stage on Saturday night “where he will debut an entirely new era of music to the world”.
Scott was scheduled to headline in 2020 before the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. He was booked again in 2022, but was taken off the lineup following the fatal crowd crush at his own Astroworld Festival in 2021.
The Houston-hailing act will also headline the UK’s Reading & Leeds in August alongside Chappell Roan, Bring Me The Horizon and Hozier.
Scott is represented by Cara Lewis in North America and Wasserman Music’s James Rubin for the rest of the world.
Circus Maximus World Tour:
Sat Oct 11 – Johannesburg, South Africa – FMB Stadium
Sat Oct 18 – Delhi, India – Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Sat Oct 25 – Seoul, Korea – Goyang Stadium
Sat Nov 01 – Sanya, Hainan, China – Sanya Stadium *
Sat Nov 08 – Tokyo, Japan – Belluna Dome
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Kiss plot live return with ‘unmasked’ show
Rock icons KISS have announced their return to the stage with a one-off ‘unmasked’ concert, just 15 months after their final performance.
The concert is part of the KISS Army fan club’s 50th anniversary celebrations, set to take place at the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on 14-16 November.
According to an email sent to fans, the concert also promises “a special live performance from former KISS member Bruce Kulick, along with other special guests, activities, exclusive experiences and more”. The guitarist played on five KISS albums before leaving the band in 1996.
The news comes a day after Gene Simmons postponed 17 dates on his upcoming solo tour in April and May, with the tour set to kick off at the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, California on 5 April.
The Las Vegas performance will be the band’s first since December 2023, when they wrapped up their End of The Road Tour with a two-night stand at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
The news comes a day after Gene Simmons postponed 17 dates on his upcoming solo tour
Despite the large-scale farewell tour (their second, after 2001’s KISS Farewell Tour), there has been speculation the band would return to the stage at some point.
Bassist Gene Simmons told Rolling Stone in November 2023, “I’ll say right here, right now, my hand on the Bible, it will be the final KISS-in-makeup appearance,” alluding to an ‘unmasked’ show.
KISS had first appeared without makeup in 1983, beginning their ‘unmasked’ era alongside the release of their album Lick It Up.
Months after the band’s final performance, it was announced that KISS had sold the rights to their name, music, image and likeness, in a deal valued upward of US$300 million.
Pophouse Entertainment, the Swedish entertainment firm that helped bring ABBA Voyage to life, acquired the rights to the band’s logo, famed character makeup design, recording royalties and trademarks.
As part of the deal, the firm has confirmed plans for an avatar show in 2027, along with a biopic and themed experience.
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Endeavor goes private, WME Group formed
Endeavor is being renamed WME Group after going private once again following the completion of its acquisition by majority shareholder Silver Lake.
The name change reflects the company’s focus on its representation businesses, which include talent agency WME, global marketing agency 160over90, IMG Licensing and Pantheon Media Group. US-headquartered Endeavor went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021.
The move has resulted in role changes for Ari Emanuel, who switches from Endeavor CEO to WME Group executive chairman, and Mark Shapiro, who becomes president and managing partner, WME Group, having previously served as Endeavor president and COO.
“Our ability to deliver landmark partnerships, career-defining business opportunities, and enduring cultural moments is amplified by this transaction and the formation of WME Group,” says Shapiro. “The Silver Lake team has proven time and again that they are all-in on representation and content, and our clients, partners, and employees will thrive under our new structure.”
Endeavor stockholders are entitled to receive $27.50 in cash for each share of Endeavor Class A common stock they owned.
“I am grateful to Egon and the team at Silver Lake for the trust they have placed in me as a founder and entrepreneur,” adds Emanuel. “Together, we have created and enhanced a foundation unlike any other to accelerate value creation for clients and partners across WME Group and TKO, which I am excited to continue to build and grow.”
“This remarkable moment – and the even more exciting future it launches – is thanks first and foremost to Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell”
The company was formed as WME-IMG via the 2013 merger of music/media agency William Morris Endeavor and International Management Group, rebranding as Endeavor in 2017.
The firm will retain its controlling ownership stake in TKO Group – the publicly listed entity consisting of UFC and WWE. According to Silver Lake, when consolidating all of TKO’s value into Endeavor, the combined total enterprise value is $25 billion, making it “the largest private equity sponsor public-to-private investment transaction in over a decade, and the largest ever in the media and entertainment sector”.
Meanwhile, former Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell will become the CEO and founder of a new platform in partnership with Silver Lake to invest in and scale properties and IP across sports, media, and entertainment.
“This remarkable moment – and the even more exciting future it launches – is thanks first and foremost to Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, and to the relentless and ambitious strategic vision they have shared for more than 20 years to build Endeavor into a global powerhouse across talent, brands, and IP spanning entertainment, media and sports,” says Egon Durban, co-CEO and managing partner of Silver Lake.
“Silver Lake is proud and honoured to be their partners since 2012 as they have continued to build the company. Over this period, revenue has grown by twentyfold. Silver Lake has previously invested on six separate occasions to support Endeavor and now, with this latest investment, it is the single largest position in our global portfolio.”
WME‘s music roster includes the likes of Coldplay, Adele, Dua Lipa, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Pearl Jam, The Killers and Foo Fighters.
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Spotify rolls out Concerts Near You playlist
Spotify is rolling out personalised playlist Concerts Near You to help listeners discover upcoming concerts in their area.
The list is updated each Wednesday with 30 songs from artists performing nearby, inspired by users’ listening habits.
The function also includes full event details and ticket links directly from expandable track rows in the playlist, with both the playlist and the event info designed to be easily sharable, so friends can plan to attend a concert together.
“There’s nothing worse than realising that your favourite artist played your town last week,” says Charlie Hellman, VP, global head of music product at Spotify. “Concerts Near You solves for that. This new playlist not only makes it easier for fans to find shows nearby, but it also gives artists a powerful new way of selling more tickets and filling venues with the audiences who love their music most.”
To find their playlist on their own personalised Live Events feed, fans just need to search for “concerts” on the Spotify app.
The streaming platform recently declared that it had paid the music industry US$10 billion in 2024
The streaming platform recently declared that it had paid the music industry US$10 billion (€9.2bn) in 2024, amid the ongoing row over royalty rates.
Live Nation boss Michael Rapino confirmed during the company’s earnings call last month that the promoter had held talks with Spotify, as well as streaming rivals Apple and Amazon, over potential ticket presale deals.
“They’ve approached us all,” he said. “We’ve talked to them all about ideas if they wanted inventory. There’s a cost to that and we would entertain and look at that option if it made sense for us in comparison to other options we have for that presale, which is a very valuable asset.
“We do deals for the artists, but ultimately the artist has control of it and that artist’s job is to maximise the revenue from it. They’re not giving that away to anyone for free. So whether we partnered with them and found sponsors, or we paid for it, it’s valuable.
“It’s always the easy go-to, ‘Let’s give them presale access.’ The hard part about presale is just scaling it. Everybody wants Beyoncé presale and that’s hard to scale. So we’ve been working with all three of them, trying to find a model that may work for us and them and I assume that they’re talking to others also.”
Last December, The Weeknd starred in Spotify’s first-ever Billions Club Live concert in Los Angeles, held exclusively for his top fans on the service, to celebrate having the most songs with more than one billion streams on the platform.
The company also expanded its its Mi Primer Escenario (My First Stage) scheme, which launched in Mexico last year, to Argentina, offering up-and-coming artists a slot at one of the country’s top rock festivals.
The streaming giant previously courted controversy in December 2023 when it announced it was withdrawing its financial support from two French festivals – the Francofolies de La Rochelle and the Printemps de Bourges festivals – in response to a new tax imposed on streaming services in the country. It went on to increase its subscription prices in France last year due to the “additional costs” of the tax.
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Ethics & cancel culture: Touring’s big questions
Cancel culture and the ethical decisions confronting the touring business were tackled head on in ILMC 37’s gripping Ethics & Activism: Adapting to Artist & Fan Views panel.
Chaired by Media Insight Consulting chief Chris Carey, the session at London’s Royal Lancaster ran the rule over some of the thornier questions facing the industry in 2025.
Ola Krakowska of Poland’s largest independent promoter Alter Art, organiser of Open’er Festival, spoke of the “moral backbone” that guides the company’s decision-making on everything from sponsorship partnerships to its artist lineup.
“It’s about integrity, honesty and also fairness,” she said. “We all know how difficult it is to navigate, but we really stick to this. We always double-check everything that we’re doing, and we really dig into it. Each year we say no to several sponsors. We have cases of companies that we dropped because of moral reasons.
“We do the same with the artists. I’m sorry, but we’re checking you guys…. We really focus on the lineups and we really check the backgrounds.”
Asked whether its policy made it hard to balance the books, Krakowska responded: “No, I think that when you’re good, the good people come to you.”
She also expressed her admiration for Dua Lipa for speaking out against performing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to the country’s human rights record.
“We really admire those artists who just say no,” said Krakowska. “I love the quote [from Dua Lipa]. She basically said, ‘I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup.'”
“Where and when possible, we should all be amplifying our voices and supporting one another”
Music and culture executive Amanda Maxwell considered the pitfalls artists can encounter by taking a stand publicly, thereby putting themselves at risk of being “immediately shut down and immediately cancelled”.
“That is the tightrope that everybody is very concerned about at the moment,” she advised. “It feels particularly hot – or has done over the last 18 months – with various different things that we’ve seen going on in the world, so it becomes really difficult. But I think where and when possible, we should all be amplifying our voices and supporting one another.”
Artist manager Bradley Kulisic of Singing Light Music pointed out that some artists “self-censor”.
“If people want to be agnostic about what they say on the stage and to their audiences, they should be allowed to,” he added. “And if people want to confront and put opinions forward and, in turn, accept the accountability for that, I would support them as well – as long as they’re not being disgusting or exclusive.”
However, he acknowledged that by sticking their head above the parapet, acts left themselves open to criticism down the line.
“If you are putting yourself in various activist conversations, you will be held to a certain standard,” he said. “And if, for whatever reason, you’ve crossed the picket line on a certain issue that that community feels strongly about, you will be held to a harder account. And whether or not I think that’s fair… if you get in the ring, you’re going to get hit.”
“More and more artists are probably going to just disengage… because they think, ‘Is it worth me facing the criticism?”
Alt-J’s Gus Unger-Hamilton brought up the recent backlash to Stormzy’s partnership with McDonald’s.
“I think if an actor or musician who had no history of activism had done a brand partnership with McDonald’s, they wouldn’t face as much criticism as Stormzy did,” he said. “I don’t know how you protect artists in an age of social media because, of course, the democracy of social media is that everybody has the same voice. You can write a tweet at an artist and that tweet has just as much relevance as any other tweet that was sent that day to that artist.
“Sadly, I think more and more artists are probably going to just disengage, not look at their social media, not put their hand up and stand up for good causes, because they think, ‘Is it worth me facing the criticism? Do you want me to lose fans over this? Maybe I’m just going to kind of keep my head down, stay in my seat and just make music,’ which I think is a pity.”
Unger-Hamilton suggested that several issues were “peaking at once” in the current climate, creating a dilemma for musicians.
“The cost of touring crisis for artists is really, really hard,” he said. “Artists are more than ever struggling to pay the bills go on tour. And I’m not just talking about grassroots artists, I’m talking about artists who might be perceived to be at the top of their game, and therefore, where corporate partnerships and endorsements might well be a way to actually balance the books.
“Unfortunately, that is coming at a time of greater than ever scrutiny and a feeling perhaps that people are either perfect or completely terrible. There’s not much nuance in the views of people in that way.”
“Where is the line between approving of a regime by going to a place, or going there and bringing new perspectives and a new message?”
Unger-Hamilton admitted to personal regrets over playing in certain territories in the past.
“We’ve played in Russia two or three times – of course, before Ukraine was invaded – and at the time, I think the view we took was, ‘Where do you stop with scrutinising a country’s ethical record?’ You can’t really say where the line is,” he argued. “Everybody talks about the boycotts of South Africa that went on in the 80s. That’s generally agreed to have been a very good thing, but it’s hard to say now what that equivalent is.
“Let’s not forget that Russia was under a lot of quite correct international criticism for its treatment of LGBT people – it wasn’t like invading Ukraine was the first bad thing Russia had done in the 21st century. We played in Ukraine as well, I’m happy to say, and would like to play there again if we could.”
Unger-Hamilton pondered whether playing in a country automatically represented an endorsement of its government.
“I suppose there seems to be a consensus that the answer to that question is yes, but I’m not sure if that is true every time,” he said. “I do think that there is a validity in the viewpoint that perhaps by going to a country with a repressive regime and bringing in music which people might not have heard before – which might have a message in it that would counter what those regimes are saying to their people – could be a good thing.
“It is really hard to know where the line is. Where is the line between approving of a regime by going to a place, or going there and bringing new perspectives and a new message to that place?”
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Lady Gaga Singapore presales attract 1m+ fans
More than 1.6 million fans attempted to secure tickets for Lady Gaga’s Singapore shows according to local media.
The superstar will return to the island state this spring for the first time in 13 years with a four-night stand at National Stadium.
The 18, 19, 21 and 24 May shows are the star’s only confirmed concerts in Asia and are expected to draw more than 200,000 local and international fans.
Pre-sales opened on Tuesday morning for Mastercard cardholders with queue numbers soon going well above 1.6 million.
Fans battled for tickets in the Mastercard pre-sale on 18 March and within 10 minutes the queue reached over a million people.
Ticket prices on the official ticketing platform, Ticketmaster, ranged from S$148 to S$368 for general admission and S$648 to S$1,348 for VIP packages.
As noted in the International Ticketing Report 2024, ticket scalping is not illegal in Singapore
New Straits Times noted that minutes after pre-sales kicked off, VIP tickets priced up to S$38,888 appeared on the online marketplace Carousell while tickets priced up to $12,000 (€8,200) appeared on Viagogo and StubHub.
Scalpers also took advantage of Taylor Swift’s six Eras Tour shows at National Stadium, selling tickets up to 10 times the original price.
Ticket scalping is not illegal in Singapore, as noted in the International Ticketing Report 2024. The Consumers Association of Singapore has raised concerns that scalping could lead to price distortion and make tickets unaffordable for many.
However, terms and conditions on tickets mean if a concert organiser discovers that a ticket-buyer has resold their ticket, they can seize or void it without providing a refund. Ticketmaster has taken steps to combat and curb this malpractice in the form of its Resale scheme.
Mega gigs from the likes of Swift, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran helped drive tourism in Singapore to record heights last year.
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Our 2025 policy platform can empower the UK’s live industry
2025 is shaping up to be an exciting and impactful year for LIVE as we establish the LIVE Trust (more on that below) and see our partnership with the Labour government deliver policy advances that address concerns and unlock opportunities for all in live music. Advances that will supply the economic growth for which the government is so desperate and send a clear message to the global live music industry that the UK remains the best place to tour.
To truly have an impact and deliver the best possible trading environment for us all, we need to focus our efforts where they matter most. The groundwork was laid in our 2024 manifesto, so now, our 2025 policy platform can empower the UK’s live music industry. And we do this work knowing we have a UK government that values our sector as an economic powerhouse, bringer of
joy, and source of soft power on the global stage. A government that believes in the power of music and wants to see more opportunities for more shows and festivals in more towns and cities across the UK.
The LIVE 2025 policy platform has six focus areas:
Kickstarting growth – Strengthening the sector and wider economy
LIVE will leverage its strong relationship with government and its plans for a new industrial strategy (launching this spring), to put live music at the heart of economic policy for the first time. This is an opportunity to push forward on reforms to VAT, tax, and business rates while also seeking export support, planning reform, improved skills provision, and investment to accelerate the green transition.
LIVE is committed to working closely with government to continue to improve and strengthen Martyn’s Law prior to it going live in 2027
Breaking down barriers to opportunity – Addressing the damage to EU touring post-Brexit The government is committed to delivering improved touring arrangements and access to more economically viable live performance opportunities. Negotiations with the EU will commence in the near future, and LIVE will play a pivotal role in ensuring government understands the required outcomes and has the most compelling data and evidence available with which to argue its case.
Ensuring a safer Britain – Making Martyn’s Law work for everyone
Live music has always prioritised its audiences and the public, with venues and events placing great emphasis on staffing, training, and procedures to deliver engaging and safe experiences. Martyn’s Law is an important new piece of legislation that needs to be implemented in a way that works for everyone. LIVE is committed to working closely with government to continue to improve and strengthen Martyn’s Law prior to it going live in 2027.
Making the UK a clean energy superpower
LIVE is committed to helping build a sustainable live music sector by accelerating its transition to net zero through increased funding and technical support and continuing to shape a unified vision for climate action in the UK’s live music sector. Delivering robust regulation of the secondary ticketing market, LIVE has worked closely with government on their plans for ticketing with a view to countering touts and secondary platforms while ensuring steps to increase visibility around pricing are appropriate.
“There is so much more we could be doing if the climate was right”
Establishing the LIVE Trust
In response to the crisis in grassroots music, the LIVE Trust has been created to deliver vital funding in support of grassroots venues, festivals, and the artists that play them and promoters that work with them. LIVE, alongside its members, has been at the forefront of developing the LIVE Trust and will play a key role in overseeing these efforts to safeguard the grassroots, boost the wider economy, and strengthen relationships with government.
Separately and together, the component parts of this policy platform show our values as a sector – partnership, inclusion, progression. Our sector generated over £6bn for the UK economy in 2023, but there is so much more we could be doing if the climate was right. And the crisis in grassroots music shows that interventions are needed to relieve the pressure on the venues, festivals, artists, and promoters that drive this critical layer of our ecosystem. LIVE will continue to act as a critical friend that will hold those in power to account while seeking to galvanise policies that align with the government’s own missions to kickstart economic growth, break down barriers to opportunity, ensure a safer Britain, and make the UK a clean-energy superpower. There are so many positive wins to be secured off the back of this partnership approach. I look forward to writing about them in IQ this time next year.
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