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Øya (NO), Flow (FI), Hurricane & Southside (DE), Paaspop (NL) and Welcome To Rockville (US) are the latest festivals to beef-up their 2023 festival line-ups.
Norway’s Øya festival has detailed its gender-balanced line-up for 2023, which includes Sigrid, FKA Twigs, Caroline Polachek, Amyl and the Sniffers, Devo, Håkan Hellstrom, Shygirl and TV Girl.
The Superstruct-backed festival, which will return to Oslo’s Tøyenparken between 8–12 August, will once again put sustainability at the forefront of its operation.
The site operates free of fossil fuels, with 98% of its power being renewable and all construction machinery is run on biofuel.
That approach is also applied to everything from recycling (75% of all waste is recycled, having been sorted by hand) to travel (98% of attendees arrive by bike, foot or public transport).
The Øya site operates free of fossil fuels, with 98% of its power being renewable
Superstruct’s Flow Festival has also revealed the first acts for next year’s edition in Helsinki, Finland, between 11 and 13 August.
FKA Twigs, Caroline Polachek, Suede, Devo, Amyl & The Sniffers, Shygirl, Jockstrap, 070 Shake and more will perform at the culture, music, arts and debate festival in the post-industrial area of Suvilahti.
In Germany, the 2023 editions of FKP Scorpio’s flagship festivals, Hurricane and Southside, are beginning to take shape.
Billy Talent, Muse, Die Ärzte, Kraftklub, Placebo, Casper, Peter Fox and Queens Of The Stone Age will top the bill for the twin events, which this year sold-out and attracted 150,000 attendees.
Southside and Hurricane will return to Neuhausen ob Eck and the Eichenring motorcycle speedway in Scheessel, respectively, between 16 to 18 June 2023.
Danny Wimmer Presents unveiled the line-up for its longest-running annual festival
In neighbouring country, the Netherlands, The Event Warehouse is putting the final touches on Paaspop 2023.
Limp Bizkit today (15 December) joined next year’s line-up which already included 90 names including Antoon, Armin van Buuren, Calum Scott and Danny Vera.
Davina Michelle, De Staat, dEUS, DI-Rect, Flemming, George Ezra, Goldband, Reinier Zonneveld, Rondé, S10, Son Mieux and Triggerfinger are also lined up for the festival, scheduled for 7–9 April 2023 at De Molenheide in Schijndel.
Also today, Danny Wimmer Presents unveiled the line-up for its longest-running annual festival, Welcome To Rockville (US).
Tool, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, Deftones, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Queens of the Stone Age, Evanescence and Incubus are the first name to be announced for the 12th edition.
The event will return to Daytona International Speedway In Daytona Beach, Florida, between 18–21 May 2023. This year’s edition brought together 150,000 fans.
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Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP), a leading independent promoter in the US, has elevated Del Williams to global head of talent.
In his new role, Williams will oversee the curation and booking of all festivals, one-offs and special events at the California-based company.
DWP’s stable of events includes Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, GoldenSky Country Music Festival, Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival, Louder Than Life and Welcome To Rockville.
Williams will also work closely with Billy Brill and Seth Shomes to grow the representation of DWP Talent Services (DWPTS), a division that focuses on entertainment for casinos and fairs.
“Del is part of the core fabric of DWP, going back to our roots in the Rock On The Range days,” says Danny Hayes, CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents.
“Del is part of the core fabric of DWP, going back to our roots in the Rock On The Range days”
“He was there when we started this company and it is fitting that he will help guide us as we continue to develop and grow our business. Our relationships with the artists and their representatives are more important than ever and we are thrilled to have someone as respected and skilled as Del to lead that charge.”
Williams brings to his new role 22 years as a talent booker for some of the biggest brands in entertainment including a previous position as the head of national promotion for Elektra Entertainment.
A winner of Billboard‘s National Independent Promoter Award, he is said to have been instrumental in the early success of Radiohead, Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, Muse, Sublime, Alanis Morissette and Maroon 5, among others.
Williams has also been the co-creator of some of the biggest music festivals in America, including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion and KROQ’s Inland Invasion.
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Ron Burkle’s private equity firm Yucaipa Companies has invested in booking agency Day After Day Productions (DADP).
Founded and led by agent Seth Shomes, the DADP roster includes more than 30 clients such as 98 Degrees, Aaron Lewis, Brian Wilson, Celebrating Meat Loaf, Deal Or No Deal – Live!, Flo Rida, Ice-T presents The Art Of Rap, Jeff Bridges & The Abiders, Matt Fraser, Missy Elliott, Staind, T.I., The Commodores, Tony Orlando, Tyler Henry, War and Wayne Newton.
Industry veteran Shomes relaunched DADP in 2021, having originally founded the agency in 1996. The firm specialises in booking entertainment for casinos, fairs, city events, theatres, PACs and corporate entities. DADP operated independently through 2014 until Shomes joined The Agency Group.
“Over the last decade I have watched with great interest Ron Burkle’s foray into the agency business and I am thrilled to partner with him and Yucaipa,” says Shomes. “As I relaunched DADP in April 2021 with just myself and a laptop, it is a proud moment that our immediate growth has quickly led to a partnership with one of the biggest entrepreneurs out there, and I look forward to finding internal synergies within Yucaipa’s portfolio of agencies and related entertainment companies.”
Yucaipa has existing interests in the live music industry through booking agencies Artist Group International, X-ray Touring, APA and K2, Primavera Sound and Primavera Pro, and US promoter Danny Wimmer Presents. It also previously had a joint venture with Paradigm Talent Agency.
“Seth’s creative approach and client philosophy is in lockstep with ours”
“We are extremely pleased to be going into business with Seth Shomes,” says David Barnes, partner at Yucaipa. “We greatly admire the company he has built and look forward to having a successful partnership with him for years to come.”
As part of the investment, Danny Wimmer Presents has partnered with DADP to grow its DWP Talent Services (DWPTS) division. Shomes has been named partner of DWPTS, which focuses on the casino and fair business and was launched in 2021 with the acquisition of Billy Alan Productions.
“Billy Brill, Danny Wimmer, Del Williams and I have been looking for the right opportunities to expand our talent buying services for third party clients like casinos and fairs,” says Danny Hayes, CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents. “I was Seth’s lawyer the first time he built Day After Day, so I know what his unique skill set, relationships and reputation will bring to DWPTS. Seth’s creative approach and client philosophy is in lockstep with ours.”
DWP is one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in the US, with events including Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, GoldenSky Country Music Festival, Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival, Louder Than Life, and Welcome To Rockville.
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Veteran talent buyer Gary Spivack has joined SaveLive, the “war chest” launched in 2020 by former WME music execs Marc Geiger and John Fogelman to “bailout” struggling US music venues.
Under his role as senior executive of music, Spivack will work with the SaveLive network to enhance day to day operations and long-range business, according to an announcement.
“Over my career, I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the biggest acts on the planet from Radiohead to Metallica and many in between,” says Spivack. “But to those who know me, it’s been and always will be about music discovery and breaking artists. It’s about finding the next Turnstile, Halestorm, Greta Van Fleet.”
Spivack was most recently EVP of talent and curation at festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) and says he will remain as a contractor and consultant to help book DWP’s rock-centric festivals.
“To join the all-star team at SaveLive is an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,”
“To join the all-star team at SaveLive is an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” Spivack adds. “It’s about championing the indies. I’m a big fan of the independent venue community and support independent-minded artists. Thanks to DWP I’ve been able to spread my creative wings and curate some of the world’s top rock festivals under its umbrella. On a personal note, Marc has been a mentor, a peer and a close friend for years so coming in as a senior executive at SaveLive is beyond exciting and I’m ready for this journey. Let’s go!”
SaveLive’s website went online in early April, along with news of the first round of venue partners and a US$135 million round of financing.
Geiger adds: “We are building a network of indie venues and promoters and we need the best possible team made up of great humans with a passionate love of music. Gary fits that bill. For years I have watched him grow into the rock and alternative guru he is now, and we are excited for him to bring that expertise to the SaveLive community.”
Spivak joins a team including notable industry execs such as Jorge Avila (talent buyer, Latinx and world), Evelyn Chia (talent buyer, electronic and alt/indie), Cristian Morales (talent buyer, Latinx and world), Ashlin Palmer (talent buyer, country and Americana and folk), Anthony Paolercio (talent buyer, all genres), Nadia Prescher (head of music), and more are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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US independent promoter Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) has set a number of festival attendance records after making a triumphant return to live music shows this autumn.
DWP attracted the biggest-ever crowd for its Louder Than Life event in Louisville, Kentucky, which pulled in 160,000 fans over an expanded four-day weekend last month.
It also recorded sell-outs for Aftershock in Sacramento, California, which pulled in 145,000 people across four days in September, and Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio, which drew 75,000 concert-goers last weekend.
The DWP festival series will climax at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida from November 11–14, which will feature two sets from Metallica over two nights, in addition to Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Disturbed, Lynyrd Skynyrd, A Day To Remember and The Offspring, among others.
“Nobody’s taking anything for granted, everyone is giving 110%”
“When we announced our fall festivals for this year, we could already sense the excitement, we knew how eager bands were to get back on stage, and how long fans had been waiting for something to celebrate. But these festivals have been on another level,” says DWP founder Danny Wimmer.
“Nobody’s taking anything for granted, everyone is giving 110%. There’s something special happening, not just with the bands’ performances, but the energy that the crowds are giving back. The rock and roll spirit is bigger than I’ve ever felt it. Welcome To Rockville is the grand finale of our festival season, and as a fan I can’t wait to feel that energy one more time in 2021.”
DWP has also announced the dates for its 2022 calendar, which will include Welcome To Rockville (May 19–22), Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival (July 15–17), Louder Than Life (September 22–25) and Aftershock (October 6–9).
One of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in the US, other events held under the DWP banner include Bourbon & Beyond, Epicenter, Hometown Rising and Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival. In 2020, DWP launched the digital series Offstage with DWP and Beyond the Barrel, and ventured into digital content curation, promoting pay-per-view livestreams.
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US festival promoter Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) has acquired Billy Alan Productions, a leading booker of talent for Native American-run casinos.
Billy Alan Productions, which has been rebranded Billy Allan 2, will continue to be led by president Billy Bill, who represents various casinos in California, Oregon and Mississippi. Since 1999, Billy Alan Productions has has booked a range of American Indian bands for casinos, as well as international artists such as Duran Duran, Ringo Starr, Chicago, ZZ Top, Snoop Dogg, Gabriel Iglesias, the Beach Boys and Wynonna.
“I love being the advocate and talent buyer for Native American casinos,” comments Brill. “My goal is to collaborate with DWP and utilise their resources to bring in top-level talent to the casinos, offer better ticket prices and ultimately bring in wider audiences, including more VIPs, to the casino shows.”
“It makes sense for DWP to expand into this space”
Danny Hayes, CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents, adds: “We love the business that Billy has built and feel that our resources will help him grow and develop the platform. Native American properties are becoming a larger part of every artist’s routing and it makes sense for DWP to expand into this space.”
Los Angeles-based DWP produces eight US festivals, including Louder than Life in Kentucky, billed as the biggest rock festival in America. It is part of Y Entertainment Group alongside the likes of K2 Agency, Artist Group International and Primavera Sound, having sold a stake to private-equity firm Yucaipa in early 2020.
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Private-equity firm the Yucaipa Companies has provided backing for another live entertainment company, making a “substantial” investment in independent US festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP).
Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa has existing interests in the live music industry, through its joint venture with Paradigm Talent Agency and minority stake in Primavera Sound and Primavera Pro.
Danny Hayes, CEO of DWP, cites Yucaipa’s “successful investments in the music industry” as the reason for the financial partnership.
“We had several different options for investors, but ultimately selected Yucaipa because they really understood our growth strategy, and they are uniquely situated to help us execute on it,” says Hayes.
“Yucaipa [also] has key relationships in cities where we already operate and others we’d like to enter. We believe they will be able to accelerate our plans to expand into new markets.”
“We believe [Yucaipa] will be able to accelerate our plans to expand into new markets”
Founded in 2011, LA-based DWP produces seven music festivals across the US: Sonic Temple in Ohio, Aftershock in California, Epicenter in North Carolina, Welcome to Rockville in Florida and the Louisville Trifesta series, comprising Hometown Rising, Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond.
DWP festivals attracted almost 750,000 fans in 2019.
The promoter aims to announce its initial acquisitions soon, having also announced new investment from First Horizon Bank and a renewed ticketing partnership with Front Gate Tickets.
“Collectively, the new and renewed partnerships provide DWP with a foundation to aggressively grow the business surrounded by forward-thinking partners,” comments Hayes.
The United Auburn Indian Community, an earlier investor in DWP, continues to hold a position with the company.
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