The New Bosses 2024: Sandro Thalmann, Mainland Music

The 17th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses, in association with Futures Forum, was revealed in IQ 129, recognising 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

To get to know this year’s class a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2024’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Sandro found his way into the music industry through an internship at Mainland Music where, determined to follow the promoter route, he started booking artists alongside his regular work. During Covid, he began studying design at the Zurich University of the Arts but kept booking shows. And following the completion of those studies, he returned full-time to Mainland Music.  

You recently completed a degree in design. Did those studies help with your day-to-day work at Mainland Music?
I wouldn’t say it helps me in my day-to-day business, but it certainly helps me in my way of working and looking at things in the music/live industry. In my studies, we learnt to communicate things in a new way. And to think things through again and again. The competition is huge, both for us as organisers or festival promoters and for the musicians/artists. To be successful, you have to break new ground, rethink things and be creative. I think you can definitely learn a lot from design. And I hope I can use these skills in the future.

What one thing would you like artists, fans, and other music industry professionals to learn about your country to persuade them to listen to some Swiss bands and artists?
You should be aware of the diversity in our country. Switzerland has four national languages, but many others are also spoken. This diversity is also reflected in music and culture. It’s always great to see when Swiss artists are successful beyond the country’s borders and inspire people. A great example of this is the Bern-based artist LEILA, for whom I book shows as a booking agent. Growing up as the daughter of bicultural parents (Swiss/Bosnian), she now writes, sings and performs her songs in English and is successful beyond borders.

“Seeing all the people having a great time at a gig you booked is an amazing feeling”

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
I can’t break it down to one moment. Of course, the first sold-out event was a great feeling. Seeing all the people having a great time at a gig you booked is an amazing feeling. But for me, the most mentionable moments are when you can help build up an artist or a band from small bar shows all the way to huge festival gigs.

Where is your favourite venue?
This is a tough one. I once threw myself into the crowd from the balcony of the Volkshaus Zurich. That’s probably why I have to go with the Volkshaus. Otherwise, I always like going to Hafenkneipe for the sweaty pub vibe or to Exil Zurich for great hip-hop shows.

What events, tours or festivals are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
I definitely want to go to Glastonbury next year. I’ve been watching the videos afterwards for years and regret never having been there. But I also always look forward to Swiss festivals like Gurten Festival, especially when you have a few artists playing there. Back in the day, I was a regular visitor at these festivals and a fan of the bands and artists playing there. Now being a part of it is amazing and always makes the Swiss festivals really special.

“It’s always great to see when Swiss artists are successful beyond the country’s borders and inspire people”

You’re obviously enjoying learning about the business as your career progresses. How would you encourage the next generation to choose the live music sector for their chosen career path?
The live music industry is a wild bunch where you can have a lot of fun, but also try out a lot and meet a lot of different people. I’ve worked my way up from an internship to marketing manager to concert promoter and learnt a lot in the process. I really appreciate these paths and have found a job that I can live out with great passion. I rarely or never get up in the morning and think “Shit, I have to work tomorrow”. That’s a luxury that I value incredibly highly.

Do you have a mentor, or anyone you rely on to bounce ideas off?
I don’t have a mentor, but I would like to mention a few names. Martin Schrader and Santosh Aerthott (former managing directors at Mainland) opened the door into the music industry back then and also gave me a bit of a indie and punk mentality, for which I am still grateful today. Fabio Serafini started at Mainland Music a year before me and he is a great colleague and also just a great friend from whom I have learnt a lot over the last few years. And last but not least Andrej Malogajski, head of touring and festivals at Mainland Music, is a great inspiration for me.

“The diverse scene in Switzerland should have a way more diverse industry behind it”

And what about meeting new contacts in the business – are there any conferences, festivals or other events that you have attended that been useful for networking?
As I promote a lot of shows for German artists, the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg is clearly number one for me.

As a New Boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
I have highlighted the diversity in the Swiss music scene above. Unfortunately, this diversity is still lacking in the booking/promoter and also managing positions and this can also be felt in the programme of festivals and venues. Such a diverse scene should have a way more diverse industry behind it.

What would you like to see yourself doing in five years?
For now, I’m really enjoying promoting shows and there’s still a lot to achieve. But I also have to say that booking a whole tour of an artist is another challenge that has given me great pleasure. I would like to experience more of this in the future. I want to develop and realise ideas, both in the area of festival development and also in the development of artists.

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