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Untitled Group reshapes senior leadership team

Australian independent promoter Untitled Group has announced a series of strategic promotions within its ranks.

Laura Hughes, who has been with Untitled for seven years, has been elevated from head of public relations to director of communications, and also joins the senior leadership team.

Hughes will oversee a newly consolidated communications department that encompasses corporate communications, customer relations, PR and social impact. The change is expected to further streamline Untitled Group’s brand messaging and external relations.

In the touring team, Chris Sheppard has been promoted to head of programming, Jim Henessey has been elevated to head of marketing and Ellen Sproule rises to head of operations.

“The changes we have announced today come off the back of a sustained period of growth for Untitled Group”

A newly created department, commercial growth, will be under the leadership of co-founder and managing partner Christian Serrao. The new department encompasses the partnerships team, led by former Red Bull executive Dwayne Thompson, alongside the ticketing team, with Courtney Tahar also elevated to head of ticketing.

“I am consistently amazed by our team’s intrinsic motivation for growth and development – particularly into senior and leadership roles,” says Untitled general manager Andrew White. “The changes we have announced today come off the back of a sustained period of growth for Untitled Group and are proof that understanding your audience is the key to success in this fast-paced and often challenging industry we are a part of.”

The moves follow a bumper 2023/24 summer season for Untitled Group, with more than 500,000 tickets sold.

The company has also confirmed the expansion of Ability Fest, its fully accessible festival, to two states in Australia in Melbourne and Brisbane, and is currently gearing up for the ninth edition of its flagship four-day camping festival, Beyond The Valley, set for 28 December to 1 January.

 

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Untitled Group celebrates best festival season yet

Australian independent promoter Untitled Group has told IQ how it capitalised on a late surge in ticket sales to deliver its biggest summer season yet.

The Melbourne-headquartered company, which hosted 112 events around the country, sold more than 250,000 tickets during the 2022/23 summer period – a 25% increase on the previous 12 months.

Highlights included the first post-Covid camping edition of its Beyond the Valley festival, Dom Dolla’s New Year’s set and Nelly Furtado’s first Australian show in over 20 years.

“We’ve noticed a trend where people are more cautious with their spending and are only attending events that they deem as a non-negotiable,” Untitled managing partner and co-founder Nicholas Greco tells IQ.

“The challenge is to create a concept that offers a unique experience. In the current climate, trusted event brands have shone through, particularly those who are actively engaged with their audience.

“We’ve also seen that camping festivals which offer an immersive experience have a significant advantage over other festivals. The unique nature of the camping format sets it apart, and being able to see so many artists across multiple days makes it a more cost effective option.”

Greco says there has been a noticeable shift towards fans waiting longer to buy tickets for events.

“The current economic climate is impacting attendance numbers”

“We are seeing a strong uplift of ticket sales in the final four weeks leading up to the event date, even more so in the final week, which hasn’t really been the case for us in the past,” he observes. “So a key focus of ours is developing strategies to sustain the momentum all the way throughout our campaigns.”

He continues: “The current economic climate is impacting attendance numbers. With the cost of living increasing, our audience have a lot less disposable income to spend on entertainment. This also comes with the costs for artists to tour increasing, making it more challenging for music festivals to attract top tier talent. Festivals need to remain agile and adapt to survive.”

Untitled’s touring team has worked on tours for the likes of Glass Animals, The Kooks, Hayden James and Wu-Tang Clan, as well as its established festivals such as Beyond The Valley, Wildlands and Grapevine Gathering.

“Curating our festival lineup is definitely a team effort,” adds Greco. “We attend shows to get a firsthand experience of a wide range of artists, catch up with labels and other touring companies to get the pitches on upcoming acts, and have regular discussions with agents from around the world to keep up to date with who’s on cycle and wants to come to the region.

“This part is a lot less glamorous but the team analyses statistics on a daily basis to determine the popularity of artists and gauge our audience’s interest. It’s all just information gathering and it allows us to make the most informed decisions on which artists to include in the festival lineup, ensuring a diverse lineup that feels fresh every time.

Untitled Group recently hired former Live Nation and Three Six Zero veteran Andrew White as its new general manager. The firm restructured its booking team following its expansion to Asia Pacific and Europe in 2022, upping senior touring agent Monty McGaw to head of electronic, and went on to announce a further spate of new hires and promotions earlier this year.

 

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Australia’s Beyond the Valley reveals new location

Australia’s Beyond the Valley festival has revealed a new site, official dates and full lineup for its comeback edition.

The Victoria-based event was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and last year was reimagined as a two-day event in Melbourne dubbed Beyond The City.

This December, the four-day camping festival will return but at a new location, Barunah Plains in Hesse, some 125km from Melbourne’s central business district.

The scenic site boasts a natural amphitheatre spanning 100,000 square metres with “sweeping trees, rolling hills, a wool shed, mystic bridges and a winding creek”.

All three of the festival’s signature main stages will return, albeit with various upgrades.

The scenic site boasts a natural amphitheatre spanning 100,000 square metres

In addition, this year’s edition will host its first-ever podcast stage, as well as a secret stage installation called the Schmall Klüb where artists will perform impromptu DJ sets on no fixed schedule.

There will also be a heightened focus on accessibility for the 2022 event. Main stage performances will feature Auslan interpreters and dedicated viewing platforms, while a designated accessible campsite will be positioned closer to the main arena.

Other new features include a Beach Club with swimming pools, a series of interactive art installations, an open mic stage, sessions for yoga, pilates and meditation, and a range of other non-musical programs.

News of the relocation comes as Beyond the Valley announces this year’s lineup, led by Nelly Furtado, Kaytranada and Denzel Curry. Diplo, Bicep, Honey Dijon, Aussies Dom Dolla, HAAi and Flight Facilities are slated to join them.

 

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The New Bosses 2020: Filippo Palermo, Untitled Group

The New Bosses 2020 – the latest edition of IQ’s annual celebration of the brightest young talent in the live business today, as voted for by their peers – was published in IQ 93 this month revealing the twelve promising promoters, bookers, agents, A&R and production experts that make up this year’s list.

To get to know this year’s cream of the crop a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2020’s New Bosses, to discover their greatest inspirations and pinpoint the reasons for their success. Catch up on the previous New Bosses interview with Joe Skarzynski, a production co-ordinator in the US, here.

Filippo Palermo (27) is co-founder of Untitled Group, one of Australia’s largest independent music and events companies. After cutting his teeth on the Melbourne nightclub scene, aged 18, Palermo co-founded Untitled Group, which has grown to encompass a portfolio that includes music festivals and artist management, along with a booking agency, record label, international touring division and a music-tech investment arm. Since its first music festival in 2014, the group’s festival roster has grown to over ten touring and camping properties and bespoke metropolitan events, selling more than 250,000 tickets annually.

 

What are you working on right now?
We’re working on a number of new projects within the music, artist management, recordings and music tech industries, as well as using this “breathing space” while we don’t have a music festival on every second weekend, to brainstorm new event experiences for Beyond The Valley and Pitch Music & Arts in particular.

I’m currently in the process of hunting down, negotiating terms and actioning compliance and feasibility studies on new, exciting locations which have yet to be seen by the Australian music industry, in preparation for our return.

I’ve enjoyed discovering new breakthrough talent and brainstorming all Australian lineups with my UG team for when mass gatherings return but before travel sanctions update to allow for international touring again. I’ve also been assisting in the career growth of artists on my personal talent management arm such as Big Words, Cassettes For Kids and Bertie.

What are some of the highlights of your career to date?
Five years ago, when we were new to the industry, we flew to London, LA and New York in an effort to introduce ourselves to every major music talent agency in the globe. We found after a couple of meetings that a pattern had emerged; we would arrive nice and early with a company deck on hand and a big list of headliners we wanted to tour only to discover we were actually meeting the agent’s assistant to discuss emerging talent and the deck was a pointless accessory no one wanted to read.

In hindsight, it was a necessary reality check to help us reprioritise fostering emerging talent at the time, and it’s been a highlight walking into the same buildings in recent years to discuss the once-considered “unrealistic” headliners as real opportunities for us to work with in Australia.

“I’ve learned it’s important to find your own niche and bring something unique to the public”

Other highlights include receiving the bureaucratic green light on introducing our bespoke stage structure known as the Dance Tent to Beyond The Valley in 2018. It’s 80 metres long, 50 metres wide, covered in Mecano fabric rich in a colour gradient I chose myself, features 120 LED par ceiling lights and is paired with a 50 metre wide LED wall which intimately hosts some of the world’s most talented DJs and producers every New Years Eve.

Receiving government approval to activate a colossal, heritage listed, 70-year-old Wool Store warehouse to host artists such as Solomun and Jamie Jones since 2017 was also a special moment, especially considering at one point all signs were pointing towards cancelling the first event due to permitting issues. Highlights in more recent years include selling out Beyond The Valley 2019 in a record time of five minutes, marking it one of Australia’s most in-demand music festivals, as well as launching and selling out the inaugural Wildlands Festival in Brisbane which shared BTV’s 2019 headliners Rüfüs Du Sol and Tyler, The Creator.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt working in live music?
Whether you work in recordings, festivals, touring or artist representation, I’ve learned it’s important to find your own niche and bring something unique to the public. It’s also equally as important to acknowledge that innovation always means some level of risk, but if you educate yourself on every facet of your industry and work hard on mastering your craft, you can not only limit your exposure to this risk but also pull off something that will be genuinely enjoyed and appreciated by people.

Did you always want to be a promoter?
No, as a child I was a passionate guitarist and drummer playing in some pretty questionable cover bands. When I hit my teenage years, Mum shared with me her One Love and Ministry Of Sound compilations, introducing me to electronic music which was really influential.

“Our stunning Aussie outback, unique architecture, pristine wineries and CBD parks  make fantastic festival locations”

At the time, I had my now business partner and best mate Michael make me a fake ID using nail polish remover, a toothpick and a printer (don’t try this at home kids) so I could DJ at nightclubs around Melbourne underage. I always wanted to be the star up on stage until I started promoting clubs at 18, discovering my true passion was in project managing and curating an event experience holistically from behind the scenes.

What’s it like working in the Aus market?
It can be challenging. We’re very far away from the rest of the world, so when it comes to touring, we’re traditionally an afterthought for a lot of artists. However, our stunning Aussie outback, unique architecture, pristine wineries, CBD parks and state of the art live music venues provide us with some fantastic festival location opportunities that I, personally, haven’t discovered abroad.

What impact has Covid-19 has on your job?
It’s had a massive impact. Simply put, mass gatherings is the core of our business, and this has come to a complete halt. It has however allowed us to refocus some of our time and energy towards growing our artist roster, the music tech arm of our company, our record label, and expanding on new ideas for our major festival properties for 2021 onwards.

Do you have a mentor in the industry?
There are many industry professionals I’ve admired and learned from over the years, but I don’t have one particular “mentor” who has been there with me along the journey. I would say I idolise the work of Ed Banger records owner and Daft Punk manager Pedro Winter most.

“Th industry needs to improve diversity in programming and subsidising costs associated with accessibility infrastructure”

What does the live music industry do well, and what can we do better?
Live music enriches the lives of its fans globally. As a massive live music fan myself, I would say I live a more fulfilling and happier lifestyle as a result of its existence. The live music industry needs to improve on its diversity in programming and subsidising costs associated with accessibility infrastructure.

At Beyond The Valley we’ve pledged for a 50/50 gender balance on our lineup from 2022 onwards and we’re proud co-owners of Australia’s first all-inclusive festival, Ability Fest. However, I know that there’s a lot more we, and the rest of the industry could be doing.

What advice would you give to someone who’s new to the business?
It really does take persistence to make it in the music industry, for most people it’s years of hard work. Stick at it and don’t give up when the going gets tough!

What are the biggest challenges you’re facing currently?
Trying to get creative with a temporary live music solution to Covid times. It’s very difficult to make a socially distanced gig commercially viable, to the point where I feel it’s worth waiting until mass gatherings can return safely.

Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?
I hope to see my team and I still proudly waving the Untitled Group flag, as Australia’s most influential live music promoters.

 

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Australian Festival Association: Drug policy “endangering lives”

The newly formed Australian Festival Association (AFA) has written to government urging urgent drug policy reform following the deaths of several Australian festivalgoers over the Christmas period.

Suspected drug-related fatalities over the festive period – mid-summer in Australia, and the height of its festival season – include a 19-year-old man, Callum Brosnan, at Knockout Games of Destiny in Sydney, a 20-year-old man at Beyond the Valley in Larnder, near Melbourne, and a 22-year-old man, Joshua Tam, at Lost Paradise in Glenworth Valley.

Despite the deaths – and a pill testing trial at last year’s Groovin the Moo that was hailed an “overwhelming success” by harm-reduction campaigners – the government of New South Wales (NSW), which contains Sydney and the Glenworth Valley, has once again rejected industry calls for permitting drug testing at live music events.

“The government position is quite clear on pill testing: We oppose the use of illegal drugs at these festivals,” NSW planning minister Anthony Roberts told reporters in Sydney. “We appeal to you, just enjoy the festival and do it without taking drugs.”

“Encouraging drug abstinence instead of education is out-of-touch, proven to be ineffective and unnecessarily risking lives”

In an open letter to Australia’s six state premiers and two chief ministers, the AFA today warned that by continuing to “encourag[e] drug abstinence instead of education”, the country’s decision-makers are endangering festivalgoers’ lives.

The AFA, which launched in December, represents Australian festival producers, promoters, organisers and operators. Its 2019 board is Jessica Ducrou (Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival, Download), Adelle Robinson (Listen Out, Listen In, Field Day, Harbourlife, Curve Ball), Danny Rogers (Laneway), Matthew Lazarus-Hall (CMC Rocks) and Rod Little (Groovin the Moo, the Plot).

Read the AFA’s open letter in full below.

 

We are deeply saddened to hear of the deaths at Australian festivals during the recent holiday period and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives. Our thoughts are also with the medical, festival, production, security and law enforcement staff who were on the ground when these tragedies occurred.

Drug use is a complex issue and the current policies and strategies of our state and territory governments are needlessly endangering lives. Be it abuse of prescription medications, MDMA use at festivals or the devastating impact of ice [methamphetamine] on some of our regional communities, drug use is a national health issue that impacts many Australian families. We need to better understand drug use behaviour, identify significant intervention points, better coordinate between regulators, health, police, businesses and broader communities, and make sure that the health and safety of Australians is the ultimate priority.

As festival promoters, the last thing we want is someone to be hurt under our care. We need to be able to legally implement preventative strategies, not just reactive ones, and include any harm minimization [sic] tools that are available. We believe, and have evidence to support, that a combination of robust harm minimization strategies will help Australians make safer choices and reduce the harmful impacts of drug use on festival-goers and the broader community. This necessarily involves a collaborative, multi-layered approach of drug education, peer-to-peer support, pill-testing, health services and policing.

We ask state and territory governments across Australia to:

We do not believe that pill-testing is the only answer. But it is a crucial part of a broader harm reduction strategy that prioritises people’s health and safety, over criminality or laws. Encouraging drug abstinence instead of education is out-of-touch, proven to be ineffective and unnecessarily risking lives. Young people deserve better. Older people deserve better. Families deserve better.

We implore Premier Berejiklian, Premier Andrews, Premier Marshall, Premier McGowan, Premier Palaszczuk, Premier Hodgman, Chief Minister Gunner and Chief Minister Barr to be open to better ideas and to work with experts on making festivals safer for everyone.

 

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