Live Nation GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) has announced that Ioannis ‘Pana’ Panagopoulos has rejoined the company as director of A&R.

Panagopoulos previously spent more than five years with the firm prior to switching to CTS Eventim’s DreamHaus as director of talent buying in 2021.

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Pana back to the Live Nation family, both personally and professionally,” Andre Lieberberg, Live Nation GSA president and MD, tells IQ. “He brings with him a wonderful roster of outstanding artists and a wealth of relationships, further strengthening the top tier of our promoter and booking team.

“I believe that his ‘homecoming’ also underscores the culture and vision we aspire to build here at Live Nation GSA, so really am looking forward to what will all accomplish together in the years ahead.”

Panagopoulos’ re-appointment is effective from today (2 December).

“I am very much looking forward to be working with some of my old and new German and international friends again”

“After three and a half years at DreamHaus and being and part of their amazing team, I decided that it is time for a new adventure,” he says. “I’m very grateful for everything and it was a real pleasure to work with each and everyone in the company.

“Now, I am totally thrilled and excited to rejoin André, Uli [Meyer-Madaus], Marek [Lieberberg] and their brilliant team at Live Nation GSA. I am very much looking forward to be working with some of my old and new German and international friends again. I really can’t wait.”

It was revealed in September that Berlin-based DreamHaus and fellow CTS subsidiary Peter Rieger Konzertagentur (PRK) were merging to form a combined company, PRK DreamHaus.

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Twin German festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park have reported “fantastic” ticket sales for their anniversary editions in 2025, which are selling at a record pace.

Nürburgring’s Rock am Ring has shifted over 70,000 tickets for its 40th instalment while Zeppelinfeld’s Rock im Park has sold 50,000 for its 30th, according to the organisers.

The milestones come 226 days in advance of the festivals, which will take place from 6-8 June and feature 100 acts – made possible by a fourth stage introduced especially for the anniversary editions.

Speaking to IQ, Matt Schwarz, CEO PRK DreamHaus & eventimpresents, says: “The great feedback and strong ticket sales for The Rocks are truly fantastic. We are happy about the billing, including exclusive EU performances by Bring Me the Horizon and Sleep Token.”

The June presale for the festivals was also strong with Rock am Ring selling 30,000 tickets and Rock im Park selling 20,000 in the first 24 hours.

The news comes as Rock am Ring/Rock im Park add dozens of names to the lineup including The Prodigy, In Flames, Spiritbox, Rise Against, Imminence, Nothing More, Stray From The Path, Boston Manor, an Electric Callboy DJ set and more.

They join headliners Bring Me The Horizon and Slipknot, as well as previously announced performers Sleep Token, Jinjer, Powerwolf, Lorna Shore and more.

“We are happy about the billing, including exclusive EU performances by Bring Me the Horizon and Sleep Token”

Thirty acts are yet to be announced for the German festivals, including two headliners whose identity will remain a secret until the shows begin.

The unnamed artists have been described as “two highly sought-after top acts who regularly headline the biggest festivals”.

Weekend passes for Rock am Ring start from €219 and camping tickets for Rock am Ring start from €278, with prices set to increase on 1 November.

Rock am Ring was founded by Marcel Avram and Marek Lieberberg’s Mama Concerts in 1985, while Rock im Park took place for the first time in 1995 under Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK). The twin festivals are now promoted by DreamHaus, eventimpresents and FKP Scorpio, after the firms formed a strategic collaboration.

Last month, it was announced that DreamHaus and CTS Eventim’s Peter Rieger Konzertagentur (PRK) are merging to form a combined company, PRK DreamHaus. CTS announced its German subsidiaries are pooling their strengths to “create additional synergies, optimise management structures and drive growth even more effectively”.

The new firm will be led jointly by Klaus-Peter (Matze) Matziol and Matt Schwarz, the current managing directors of Cologne-based PRK and Berlin-based DreamHaus, respectively, with Tobi Habla to be appointed as an additional MD. The sites and existing teams will remain unchanged.

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CTS Eventim’s Peter Rieger Konzertagentur (PRK) and DreamHaus are merging to form a combined company, PRK DreamHaus.

CTS has announced its German subsidiaries are pooling their strengths to “create additional synergies, optimise management structures and drive growth even more effectively”.

The new firm will be led jointly by Klaus-Peter (Matze) Matziol and Matt Schwarz, the current managing directors of Cologne-based PRK and Berlin-based DreamHaus, respectively, with Tobi Habla to be appointed as an additional MD. The sites and existing teams will remain unchanged.

“The merger between PRK Peter Rieger Konzertagentur and DreamHaus will optimally position the company so that it can continue growing and sustainably strengthen its live entertainment presence within a challenging market environment,” says CTS CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg. “With the combined expertise and dedication of both teams, we are ideally equipped to seize new opportunities and invest maximum energy in developing the newly merged company. I wish Matze, Matt and their teams the very best for this new phase.”

Schwarz and Matziol will work together closely to share their knowledge and continue driving future growth.

“This strategic transition should ensure that, even when Matziol steps down at a later date, the subsequent changes will occur seamlessly”

“This strategic transition should ensure that, even when Matziol steps down at a later date, the subsequent changes will occur seamlessly and in a future-focused way for the company, the artists and the partners,” adds the company.

PRK was founded in 1983 by Peter Rieger and has been led by Matziol since 2015. Rieger passed away in 2017 aged 63. CTS has been the majority stakeholder in the company – which has promoted acts such as David Bowie, P!nk, Cher, U2, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney – since 2000.

DreamHaus was founded by former Live Nation GSA MD/COO Schwarz in 2021 as a subsidiary of the CTS Eventim Group. It stages Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, and has worked with international artists including Green Day, Slipknot, Måneskin and Muse.

CTS share price rose slightly today (19 September) to €87.35, giving the firm a market cap of €8.39 billion.

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Germany’s Hurricane and Southside festivals have unveiled the first wave of acts for 2025, following a record-breaking presale.

The first confirmed artists for the twin festivals are Green Day, AnnenMayKantereit, SDP, Alligatoah, Electric Callboy, Nina Chuba, Biffy Clyro, 01099, Yellowcard, Von Wegen Lisbeth, Wet Leg, Amyl & The Sniffers, Berq, Blond and Ikkimel.

In June, Hurricane and Southside shifted 60,000 tickets for the 2025 events in less than 24 hours and before a single act was announced. The first advanced sales run of 10,000 tickets was sold out in just 17 minutes.

Demand for the 2025 events exceeded that of last year’s presale when 50,000 tickets were sold on the first day.

The twin festivals, which are organised by FKP Scorpio and DreamHaus, will return to Scheeßel and Neuhausen ob Eck between 20–22 June 2025.

The first confirmed artists for the twin festivals are Green Day, AnnenMayKantereit, SDP, Alligatoah, Electric Callboy, Nina Chuba

The two promoters, along with eventimpresents, recently revealed the 2025 bill for their other twin festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park.

Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon, Sleep Token, Biffy Clyro, KIZ, A Day To Remember, Beatsteaks, Lorna Shore, The Warning, Feine Sahne Fischfilet, Idles, Jinjer, Powerwolf and The Ghost Inside are among the first confirmations.

Both events will mark significant anniversaries from 6-8 June next year, with Nürburgring’s Rock am Ring celebrating its 40th birthday and Nürnberg’s Rock im Park turning 30.

Elsewhere, FKP and DreamHaus recently celebrated the successful premiere of 6PM festival, which took place as part of Germany’s IFA Sommergarten – the centrepiece of leading technology and industry trade fair IFA Berlin.

The one-day event, organised in partnership with streetwear brand 6PM and TwoSlides, saw 10,000 fans flock to see performances from German-language rappers or Deutschrap.

Luciano, Pashanim, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Reezy, Ski Aggu, Juju, Yung Hurn and surprise guest Central Cee delivered performances at the inaugural event.

Elsewhere, FKP and DreamHaus recently celebrated the successful premiere of 6PM festival

Many of these artists are at the forefront of the Deutschrap boom, as reported in IQ‘s recent Germany market focus.

When half-Mozambican, Saxony-born Luciano tours late next year, it will be in the finest arenas in Cologne, Hanover, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Berlin.

Another DreamHaus-promoted act, Apache 207, born in Ludwigshafen on the Rhine, of Turkish extraction, recently concluded a 24-date tour of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and likewise hit all the biggest German arenas, typically for two or even three nights each.

“Germany is a very big market in itself,” says López. “So a lot of German hip-hop artists already have very good fanbases and a good market playing in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland,” said Neus López, head of export at German music funding institution Initiative Musik.

DreamHaus, All Artists Agency, and Landstreicher Booking are among those who have put a heavy emphasis on German-language hip-hop, nurturing the genre as it has exploded over the past decade. While DEAG has recently has spun off its hip-hop booking division into a standalone brand called District Live.

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German twin festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park are among the first major European events to unveil their 2025 lineups.

Both events will mark significant anniversaries from 6-8 June next year, with Nürburgring’s Rock am Ring celebrating its 40th birthday and Nürnberg’s Rock im Park turning 30.

Slipknot were the first headliner to be confirmed in the aftermath of this year’s editions and a number of additional acts have now been revealed.

In a European exclusive, Bring Me The Horizon are the second headliner to be announced. The performances will be the band’s only concerts on the continent in 2025.

Organisers say more than 90,000 tickets have already been sold for the festivals’ 2025 anniversary editions

Sleep Token will also be playing their only European shows of the year at the events, while other artists will include Biffy Clyro, KIZ, A Day To Remember, Beatsteaks, Lorna Shore, The Warning, Feine Sahne Fischfilet, Idles, Jinjer, Powerwolf and The Ghost Inside.

The 2024 incarnation was headlined by Die Ärzte, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age and Green Day.

Rock am Ring and Rock im Park sold a combined 50,000 tickets for their 2025 anniversary editions in the first 24 hours of going on sale in June.

Organisers say that number now exceeds 90,000, with around 55,000 tickets sold for the former and 35,000 for the latter. The festivals are staged by FKP Scorpio, eventimpresents and DreamHaus.

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Germany’s Hurricane and Southside festivals have sold 60,000 tickets for their 2025 events in less than 24 hours, surpassing last year’s record.

The twin festivals in Scheeßel and Neuhausen ob Eck, which are organised by FKP Scorpio and DreamHaus. have a combined capacity of 143,000. The first advanced sales run of 10,000 tickets was sold out in just 17 minutes.

Demand exceeded that of last year’s presale, when 50,000 tickets were sold on the first day. The 2024 editions starred acts including Ed Sheeran, Bring Me The Horizon, K.I.Z, Deichkind and Avril Lavigne from 21-23 June.

“The fact that the demand for tickets for our festival flagships would be high was to be expected based on the advance sales launches of recent years,” says Stephan Thanscheidt, CEO and head of festival booking at FKP Scorpio. “However, we were surprised that we would once again significantly exceed last year’s record.

“Our own costs across all areas of festival production have also risen by around 45% compared to before the pandemic”

“We have a fantastic festival weekend behind us with shows by Ed Sheeran, K.I.Z, Avril Lavigne, Bring Me The Horizon, Deichkind and many other acts that seem to have completely thrilled our guests. Music fans in the north and south of Germany have expressed their trust in us with this bombastic demand, which we greatly appreciate, especially in a phase of rising living costs.”

Tickets for next year are on sale now priced €219.

“Our own costs across all areas of festival production have also risen by around 45% compared to before the pandemic and are therefore at a level that we neither can nor want to pass on to our guests,” adds Thanscheidt. “This popularity makes it easier for us to plan and shows how important live culture is to people out there. Our contribution to this will therefore also consist of a top-class line-up and good organisation in the coming year.”

Also in Germany, the FKP Scorpio/eventimpresents/DreamHaus-promoted twin festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park sold a combined 50,000 ticket in the first 24 hours of the presale for their anniversary editions. Nürburgring’s Rock am Ring celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, while Nürnberg’s Rock im Park turns 30. Slipknot are the first 2025 headliner to be confirmed.

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Twin German festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park have already sold a combined 50,000 tickets for their anniversary editions in 2025, organisers have revealed.

Rock am Ring has shifted around 30,000 tickets for next year’s festival and Rock in Park 20,000 in the first 24 hours of the presale beginning on Monday.

Nürburgring’s Rock am Ring celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, while Nürnberg’s Rock im Park turns 30, with metal icons Slipknot the first headliner to be confirmed. Weekend passes for the former cost €179, with camping tickets for the latter event starting at €248.

The events are set to return from 6-8 June next year and will feature around 100 acts – more than ever before – made possible by a fourth stage introduced especially for the anniversary editions. As per Frontstage, there will also be new camping categories as well as other innovations announced in the next few months.

The 2024 incarnation of the FKP Scorpio/eventimpresents/DreamHaus-promoted festivals each attracted in the region of 80,000 fans last weekend to see artists such as Die Ärzte, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age and Green Day.

“The positive response to this year’s festivals was overwhelming, so we are all the more pleased that fans are just as excited about the big anniversary year”

“The positive response to this year’s festivals was overwhelming, so we are all the more pleased that fans are just as excited about the big anniversary year as we are and are securing their tickets early,” says DreamHaus CEO and festival organiser Matt Schwarz.

FKP expanded its collaboration with CTS stablemate DreamHaus by forming a strategic partnership to co-promote Germany’s Rock am Ring/Rock im Park and Hurricane/Southside festivals together from this year. Previously, DreamHaus and FKP Scorpio had already jointly organised the Tempelhof Sounds Festival in Berlin in 2022.

Last year, FKP’s Hurricane and Southside, which will be held from 21-23 June, also set advance booking records after putting tickets on sale for 2024. The festivals will star the likes of Ed Sheeran, Avril Lavigne, The National, The Kooks, The Offspring, The Hives, Jungle and Fontaines DC.

Fans bought over 50,000 tickets on the first day of the presale, setting a new bar in the 20-plus-year history of the twin festivals in Scheeßel (Hurricane) and Neuhausen ob Eck (Southside), which have a combined capacity of 143,000. Each batch of 10,000 tickets for the first price level of €199 sold out within just 20 minutes for both festivals.

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Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park have confirmed Slipknot as the first headliner for their landmark 2025 festivals.

Rock am Ring, held at Nürburgring, celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, while Nürnberg’s Rock im Park turns 30.

The 80,000-cap events are set for 6-8 June and will feature around 100 acts – more than ever before. There will also be a fourth stage introduced especially for the anniversary editions.

The announcement comes in the immediate aftermath of the FKP Scorpio/eventimpresents/DreamHaus-promoted twin festivals’ successful 2024 editions, which welcomed artists such as Die Ärzte, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age and Green Day.

“The last few days have gone incredibly well,” says Rock am Ring festival director Jana Posth, as per Sport-Rhein. “We were very lucky with the weather, the setup and the event went smoothly.”

“We are looking forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of Rock am Ring at the Nürburgring next year”

Weekend passes for Rock am Ring cost €179, with Rock im Park camping tickets starting at €248.

“The site offers us optimal conditions to put on a great festival,” adds DreamHaus CEO Matt Schwarz. “We are looking forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of Rock am Ring at the Nürburgring next year and would like to thank the entire team and the best audience in the world.”

Day tickets for this year’s Rock am Ring were €121.50, up from €99 in 2023, and €271.50 for three-day tickets, compared with €229 last year, but Schwarz says the price increases were unavoidable.

“We all notice every day in the supermarket, at the gas station or in all other areas of everyday life how the geopolitical situation, inflation and the pandemic have a lasting impact on life and simply make it more expensive,” he tells Watson. “Festivals are no exception.”

Adding that this year saw the launch of “a new, better and louder sound system”, he notes: “This year we have further improved the stage technology to make the experience for visitors even more gigantic.”

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Berlin-based promoter DreamHaus is strengthening its festival team with three new hires: Jana Posth, Marlene Ryba and Johanna Neuber.

All three executives will work on the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, which DreamHaus has been responsible for since 2022 after it was acquired by CTS Eventim.

Jana Posth takes over the position as head of festival operations/festival director Rock am Ring. She has held roles in the events sector for 10 years, including managing the Lollapalooza Festival in Berlin.

“With fresh ideas and their great know-how in the field of festivals, Jana, Marlene and Johanna enrich our team enormously”

Marlene Ryba assumes the role of senior communications & PR manager of festivals, having previously worked in the PR department at Lollapalooza.

And Johanna Neuber, who has been active in the music industry for five years, joins the team as a junior project and event manager.

“With fresh ideas and their great know-how in the field of festivals, Jana, Marlene and Johanna enrich our team enormously and contribute to the future-oriented development of Rock am Ring/Rock im Park,” says Marc Seemann, director of strategy & business development.

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CTS Eventim “significantly exceeded” its forecast for 2023 thanks to a “very strong” Q4, according to the company’s latest financial results.

The pan-European giant enjoyed a record year, attaining consolidated revenue of €2.359 billion for the 12-month period – a 22.5% increase on the previous year’s €1.926bn. CTS had previously projected group revenue in excess of €2bn for 2023 as a whole last October.

In the preliminary figures, the group also reported normalised EBITDA of €501.4 million, up 31.9% from €380.1m in the previous year. CTS’ full annual report for 2023 will be published on 26 March.

The growth was powered by the German-headquartered firm’s ticketing and live entertainment segments. Ticketing revenue rose 32.5% to €717m (2022: €541m), with normalised EBITDA leaping 46.6% to €382.4m.

For the live entertainment strand, revenue jumped 18.9% year-on-year to €1.677bn (2022: €1.410bn), with normalised EBITDA almost flat at €119.1m, compared to €119.2m in 2022.

The group figures include income of €37.4m to which CTS group companies are directly entitled, resulting from compensation paid by the German government to the joint venture autoTicket GmbH, Berlin.

“The year-on-year growth rates shown here reflect the success of the operating business”

“As the prior-year figures contained a similar volume of income that had been received under pandemic-related economic aid programmes, the year-on-year growth rates shown here reflect the success of the operating business,” adds a company statement.

According to Pollstar’s 2023 global rankings, the Eventim Group is the world’s second-biggest promoter. The firm’s portfolio includes festivals such as Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane, Southside,and Lucca Summer.

It also operates venues, such as the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, the K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, the Waldbühne in Berlin and the Eventim Apollo in London.

Visions reports that more than 90,000 tickets have already been sold for Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, which take place from 7-9 June at Nürburgring race track and Zeppelin Field, respectively.

Operated by CTS’ Dreamhaus subsidiary, the twin festivals will be headlined by Die Ärzte, Måneskin and Green Day. The events’ new premium camping offers are said to be almost sold out, while tickets for the Backstage Camp, Seaside Backstage Camp and Caravan Camping are already sold out.

“The demand for tickets is strong and the fans’ anticipation is huge,” says Dreamhaus CEO Matt Schwarz.

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