Safe – a European project that deals with event safety, security and crowd management – is inviting the public to join its hackathon, which aims to find innovative and viable solutions to help festival and events manage the constraints caused by Covid-19.

The hackathon will take place in the form of an ideation camp with four different focus groups, which will be guided by experts from the live sector, safety management, technology, data, smart cities and sociology:

• Tracing, guided by Paul Williams (head of security, AEG, O2 Arena), will focus on how to collect and streamline Covid-related health data from live events participants and how to process them at an operational level while ensuring users’ acceptance and personal data treatment compliance.
• Customer journey, guided Daniel Fletcher (chief innovation officer, Primavera Sound) will tackle how to imagine and design the implementation of Covid protection measures in the customer experience journey, with the contribution of technology and data flow to avoid frictions and facilitate seamless access.
• Flow and distancing management, guided by Morten Therkildsen (head of security, health and safety at Roskilde Festival) asks what is the right set and use of advanced tools to facilitate crowd management and meet the requirements of social distancing and available spaces for participants (crowd counter, distance measurement or capacity simulation)?
• Social Acceptance, guided by Pascal Viot (head of safety, security and services at Paléo Festival, director of the Swiss Institute for Urban and Event Safety), will address a transversal framework for reflection on the social acceptability of Covid protection measures (in general as in connection with event activity). Existing tensions exacerbated after 2015 terrorism attacks are palpable today with Covid when it comes to the point of balance between control and freedom, the imposition of measures and the social acceptability of these. How could live events become a laboratory for measures and civic behaviours to be adopted in our daily lives?

The Safe hackathon will take place on 21 and 22 January from 9:30 am –12:30 pm CET. Each group will host a maximum of 12 participants and registration is now open.

Safe is a project lead by Prodiss, with International Live Music Conference (ILMC), Le Laba, Issue, Wallifornia, TSC Group Management, Mind Over Matter Consultancy, BDV and European Arenas Association, and backed by the European Union via Erasmus Plus program.

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Newly formed German promoters’ association BDKV has won a legal victory against Ticketbande, a leading secondary ticketing site, securing a judgment that prevents its listing tickets where resale is prohibited by the promoter.

The BDKV (Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry), formed in November by the merger of BDV and VDKD, launched its Nein zum Ticketschwarzmarkt (No to the Ticket Black Market) campaign in August, pushing for a price cap of 25% above face value for secondary market tickets.

In a ruling on 21 January, the regional court of Hanover agreed with the association’s assertion that any further mark-up is anti-competitive, and forbade Ticketbande from reselling tickets where the T&Cs prohibit it, and where there is a “blank line for the name of the ticket purchaser to be filled in” (ie a named ticket).

“The verdict finally eliminates a crucial grey area in ticket sales,” says Johannes Ulbricht (pictured), BDKV’s lawyer. “It brings event organisers a great step further in the fight against the commercial secondary market ticketing trade.”

“The verdict finally eliminates a crucial grey area in ticket sales”

The court additionally rejected Ticketbande’s protests that the partial resale ban would be ineffective at stopping unauthorised ticket touting, according to BDKV.

“It is also crucial that the secondary market ticket platform is fully liable in the event of a breach of the resale prohibition, and cannot claim a fault on the seller’s part,” adds Dr Ulbricht.

The judgment follows similar legal victories for Rammstein and promoter MCT-Agentur, and Ed Sheeran and FKP Scorpio, which prohibit Viagogo from reselling tickets for their upcoming German dates.

According to the International Ticketing Yearbook 2018, Ticketbande is one of four main ticket resellers in Germany, along with StubHub, Viagogo and Eventim’s price-capped fanSALE platform.

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As of 1 January 2019, Germany’s concert organisers will be represented by a single professional body: the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry.

The new association, Bundesverband der Konzert- und Veranstaltungswirtschaft (BDKV) in German, will be formed by the merger of the Federal Association of the Event Industry (BDV) and Association of Concert Management (VDKD), whose members have unanimously approved the union.

BDV president Jens Michow and VDKD president Pascal Funke will serve as joint presidents of the new BDKV.

Commenting on the two associations’ general meetings on 29 October, when the merger was agreed, Michow says: “It was a truly historic day for the German event industry. The bundling of almost all companies in the sector into a single association gives the BDKV considerable clout. I am particularly pleased to be able to represent the interests of the many classical music organisers and brokers who were previously only organised within the VDKD.”

“The bundling of almost all companies in the sector into a single association gives the BDKV considerable clout”

“I would like to thank Jens Michow, the board members and legal advisors for the effective cooperation in recent months and the members for their trust,” adds Funke. “This will enable us to face the challenges of the future with confidence.”

The make-up of BDKV’s executive board, also fixed until 2021, will initially be Christian Doll (BDV), Elisabeth Ehlers (VDKD), Christian Gerlach (VDKD), Michael Hermann (VDKD), Daniel Rothammer (BDV), Ulrike Schirrmacher (BDV), Sonia Simmenauer (VDKD), Stephan Thanscheidt (BDV), Michaela Russ (VDKD) and Klaus Wollny (BDV).

The Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry’s combined membership will include around 500 concert organisers, promoters and agencies.

The German events industry collectively sells around 113.5 million tickets each year, for a total turnover of €5bn.

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Members of BDV, the German concert promoters’ association, are putting on a united front against ticket touting with a new campaign that aims to educate the public about the risks of buying from the secondary market.

The initiative will see BDV’s members – which comprise all major German promoters, including Live Nation, DEAG, FKP Scorpio, Wizard Promotions and Peter Rieger Concert Agency – as well as anyone else who supports the campaign, display the Nein zum Ticketschwarzmarkt (No to the Ticket Black Market) logo on their tickets, posters and websites to raise awareness of the issue.

Following on from its general meeting in November, the association is also demanding a price cap of 25% above face value on all tickets resold in Germany.

BDV’s legal advisor, Johannes Ulbricht, decries a situation in which tickets are being listed on platforms such as StubHub, Viagogo and local resale site Ticketbande for up to 250% of the original price paid. “We have been fighting for years against this growing cancer on the events industry,” he says. “And, as the resellers mostly remain anonymous or have their headquarters abroad, it’s difficult to have them shut down.”

“As other ecommerce platforms are still being exploited for illegal activities, and are generating significant revenues, there is a need for legislative action

BDV president Jens Michow, while welcoming the recent announcement by Ticketmaster it is shutting down Seatwave and Get Me In!, says Germans are still being ripped off by secondary ticketing sites. “Ticketmaster’s decision is far-sighted,” he comments. “It is a decision that benefits audiences and artists, and is one that will increase quality and sustainability in the events industry.

“Unfortunately, as other ecommerce platforms are still being exploited for illegal activities, and are generating significant revenues, there is a need for legislative action.”

He adds that, “in the case of Viagogo, we are currently preparing a claim for damages.”

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A who’s who of European music industry associations, including Yourope, Live DMA, Italy’s Assomusica and the newly formed Innovation Network of European Showcases, have voiced their support for Music Moves Europe, a European Parliament-backed pilot project that aims to win monetary support for a “dedicated EU music programme” in the European Union’s next funding round.

A total of 29 industry groups gathered in Brussels last week for the launch of Music Moves Europe, which has been allocated an initial budget of €1.5 million to begin the “preparatory phases for a specific law on music”, similar to the EU’s existing audiovisual guidelines, according to EU agency EURICCA.

“The European Union is focusing on music and culture, and this is where we must step in, along with the major European music associations,” says Assomusica head Vincenzo Spera, while Jens Michow, of German promoters’ association BDV, adds the pilot is the “first step towards creating a promotional programme tailored to the needs of the music industry”.

In an open letter, representatives of the 29 associations urge European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to support the introduction of a full-scale European music project after the Music Moves Europe pilot ends in 2020.

“The music sector in Europe is very dynamic and an important contributor to jobs and growth, accounting for 1m jobs and over €25bn in turnover,” it reads. “Europe is home to some of the best composers, artists, music groups, concert halls, clubs, festivals, labels, publishers, producers, engineers, streaming services, music schools, radios, etc., covering all music genres and styles. And millions of Europeans are also actively making music, be it as amateurs or professionals.

“Let’s give ourselves the means to make this one of the EU’s great success stories”

“The sector is vibrant and eager to grow, but it also faces significant challenges.

“The music ecosystem must continue to shape and adapt to a fast-changing environment. The ways we listen, record, distribute and play music are constantly evolving. With these changes comes the need to update our tools and skills. All this costs time and money.

“And of course, one of the most crucial challenges is meeting European citizens’ appetite for culture and diversity, as part of their cultural rights. It is important to ensure that the widest diversity of European music can circulate and reach its audience, and that Europe’s artists and citizens are encouraged to fully express their creative freedom.

“This preparatory action is designed to be a first step towards filling a gap in today’s EU cultural policy. The next step is a tailor-made EU music programme with a budget which is proportionate to its economic, social and cultural contribution.

“Among other things, a fully-fledged music programme would help trigger more investment in the sector, boost diversity and increase the mobility of artists and repertoire across borders.

“Let’s give ourselves the means to make this one of the EU’s great success stories.”

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The German live events market generated revenue of nearly €5 billion in the year ending 30 June 2017, an increase of 31% since 2013, according to new research by commissioned promoters’ association BDV.

In the period 1 July 2016–30 June 2017, sales from concerts and other live events totalled €4.99bn, compared to €3.82bn at the time of the last study by BDV (Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft, or Federal Association of the Event Industry), in 2013. In the four years since, the live industry has jumped ahead of the book trade to become the leading economic driver of Germany’s growing entertainment market.

However, BDV president Jens Michow warns that growth has come despite falling visitor numbers, largely as a result of increased ticket prices.

“Despite all the happiness about this development, we should note two less encouraging facts,” explains Michow (pictured). “The study shows that despite the significant increase in sales, the total number of tickets sold declined from 120.6 million in 2013 to 113.5 million in the period investigated. It also demonstrates that the sales growth is largely due to increased ticket prices and a higher visit frequency, and not increasing visitor numbers.

“The main beneficiaries of the strong demand for live entertainment are not the organisers, but the artists”

“Artists and event organisers must give this some thought.”

The visit frequency, defined as the number of visits to live events per person annually, increased 8%, from 3.7 in 2013 to four in 2017.

Michow adds that artists, not promoters, are the ones who have mostly benefited from that 31% growth. “These figures should not obscure the fact that the main beneficiaries of the strong demand for live entertainment are not the organisers, but the artists,” he says. “Their continually increasing earnings expectations together with the ever increasing production costs and rising operational costs, are without doubt the main reason for the sales performance from event ticket sales.”

IQ’s European Arena Yearbook 2017 revealed that arenas in the GSA countries (Germany, Switzerland and Austria) had a particularly strong 2017 compared to venues elsewhere in Europe, although family shows are proving more popular than concerts.

The BDV study was undertaken by market research firm GfK with support from CTS Eventim.

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Promoters’ association BDV is to lobby Germany’s parliamentarians to raise awareness of – and eventually introduce legislation to prevent – “commercial” ticket resale, in a first for a country which has so far been largely absent from the growing international conversation around for-profit secondary ticketing.

At its annual general meeting, held last Friday (17 November), BDV’s membership resolved to initiate an “engaging public campaign” to raise consumer awareness of what the association describes as “the risks and effects of ticket scalping”.

In the longer term, BDV (Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft, Federal Association of the Event Industry) is to call on politicians to introduce “possible regulations against commercial ticket reselling”, according to the association’s president, Jens Michow (pictured).

“Any regulatory framework must ultimately result in legal prohibition”

The International Ticketing Yearbook 2017 reveals the resale market in Germany is “not nearly as significant as in comparable territories”.”The consumer culture in Germany means that secondary ticketing is looked upon unfavourably by most ticket buyers, making it a less attractive region to enter for the big secondary players such as Viagogo, Seatwave, StubHub and co.,” according to the Germany market report.

Despite this, BDV – which represents all  major promoters, including DEAG, FKP Scorpio, CTS Eventim, Live Nation GSA, Semmel Concerts, Neuland Concerts and ASS Concerts – feels the sector is large enough to warrant government intervention. “Any regulatory framework must ultimately result in legal prohibition, as is already being pursued in France and other EU member states, for example,” says Michow.

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German performance rights organisation (PRO) Gema has agreed a new concert tariff rate with promoters’ associations, bringing to a close three years of negotiations.

Effective 1 January 2018, tariffs will be levied on net, as opposed to gross, ticket sales, with other services included in the ticket price – such as, for example, fees for camping at festivals – also included for the first time.

The new rate will be 5.75% of net receipts for events under 2,000 people (it is currently 5% on gross receipts), 7.6% for 2,000–15,000-capacity shows (currently 7.2%) and 8% for events with a capacity of 15,000+ (currently 7.65%).

The changes follow a round of negotiations between Gema (Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte, Society for Musical Performance and Mechanical Reproduction Rights), which has more than 70,000 members, and the BDV and VDKD, which between them represent the majority of Germany’s concert promoters.

Gema board member Georg Oeller says the new tariff structure represents an “important step forward for the work of Gema. Particularly in the rapidly evolving market of ticket sales, including secondary ticketing, [these new rates are] of great importance for the evaluation of appropriate remuneration for musicians.”

In the UK, a similarly long period of negotiations is approaching its end, as PRS for Music moves towards replacing the current flat rate of 3% on gross box-office receipts.

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The PRG Live Entertainment Awards (LEAs) returned to Frankfurt for 12th time on Monday, honouring the best and brightest in the German live industry.

Accolades were given in 15 categories, including promoter of the year, which went to FKP Scorpio; stadium tour of the year, which was awarded to Think Big for Udo Lindenberg’s Keine Panik! tour; arena tour of the year, presented to Wizard Promotions and Zucchero Fornaciari for the Black Cat world tour; and concert hall tour of the year and the jury prize, both of which went to Semmel Concerts, for Niedeckens BAP’s Jubiläumstour tour and PxP Festival, respectively.

“For 12 years we have been honouring the outstanding event achievements of the past year with the LEAs,” says Jens Michow, producer of the awards ceremony and president of German promoters’ association BDV.

“Twenty-sixteen was a particularly difficult year – with increased security risks , hurricane-like storms, torrential rains and violent thunderstorms that presented the industry with significant challenges – [so] I am all the more pleased by the level of professionalism with which these were overcome.”

A full list of winners is below:

Stadium tour of the year
Udo Lindenberg, Keine Panik! tour 2016 (Think Big Event- und Veranstaltungs)

Arena tour of the year
Zucchero Fornaciari, Black Cat tour 2016 (Wizard Promotions)

Concert hall tour of the year
Niedeckens BAP, Jubiläumstour tour 2016 (Semmel Concerts)

Club tour of the year
Max Giesinger, Der Junge, der rennt tour 2016 (Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion)

Festival of the year
OpenAir St Gallen

Concert of the year
David Gilmour, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria (Barracuda Music)

Show of the year
Kaltenberger Ritterturnier (Ritterturnier Kaltenberg Veranstaltungs)

Promoter of the year
FKP Scorpio

Artist development of the year
Popakademie Baden-Württemberg

Manager/agent of the year
Esteban de Alcázar, Sector3 Management

Local promoter of the year
Handwerker Promotion, Unna

Club of the year
Capitol, Hanover

Concert hall/arena of the year
Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt

Jury prize
PxP Festival, P x P Embassy/Semmel Concerts

Lifetime achievement award
Dieter Weidenfeld

A list of 2016 PRG LEA winners is here.

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GWVR, the recently launched German collection society which enables member promoters to earn royalties from live recordings, has announced the launch of a tool to facilitate the easy upload of audio recordings to Apple Music and iTunes.

Also planned is a proprietary format for concert recordings that incorporate both audio and video – “concerts, festivals, club performances, comedy, circuses and shows, theatre and musicals: everything live,” says GWVR (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Veranstalterrechten, Society for the Exercise of Promoters’ Rights).

“[Exploiting] the live format on Apple Music and iTunes is one important step towards our strategic goal of breathing life into […] neighbouring rights for promoters according to section 81 of the German Copyright Act,” explains Jens Michow, president of BDV, the promoters’ association behind GWVR.

GWVR general director Johannes Ulbricht adds: “We will create an alternative to the flood of illegal mobile videos on well-known streaming platforms. Our alternative is legal, fair and of high quality.

“The aforementioned flood is negative for artists, promoters and the audience. It is positive only for those generating advertising revenue.

“We will create an alternative to the flood of illegal mobile videos on well-known streaming platforms”

“We see labels as partners for the production of live content which is legal and of good quality. Together we will claim the legal right of numeration for the creative industries from video platform owners. But we also need a legal alternative. Here Apple is – once again – a pioneer.”

Stefan Schulz of ConvertMedia, a video-monetisation specialist whose clients include AEG, AXS and Warner Bros, suggests other streaming services will follow in future: “At a later stage we aim to realise more attractive content and formats to create new revenue streams for the live industry.”

GWVR launched officially earlier this year after more than a decade in development. It allows the organisers of concerts and live events in Germany – international promoters included – to earn royalties from the use of audiovisual content, such as live albums and concert films, captured at their shows.

After Spotify, Apple Music is the second most popular on-demand music streaming service, topping 20 million paying subscribers in December.

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