Q-dance acquires 50% of festival promoter Art of Dance
Dutch promoter Q-dance, part of the ID&T group, has taken a 50% stake in event organiser Art of Dance and electronic artist agency Most Wanted DJ.
Art of Dance is one of the largest organisers of dance events in the Netherlands, attracting more than 200,000 visitors annually to festivals including Masters of Hardcore, Supremacy, Syndicate and Free Festival.
The promoter has worked in collaboration with Q-dance for years, organising hardcore festival Dominator. Other events in the Q-dance portfolio include Defqon.1, Qlimax, Impaqt and Qapital.
The Most Wanted DJ agency, an affiliate of Art of Dance, has a roster of DJs including Miss K8, Radical Redemption and Angerfist. The agency also offers artist and brand merchandising and talent scouting.
ID&T chief executive and Q-dance founder Wouter Tavecchio says the acquisition is “a very important step for Q-dance”, which will help to “strengthen and expand our market position in the Netherlands.”
“As part of a larger group, we strengthen our position in this highly competitive market”
“Art of Dance is, just like Q-dance, an organisation that has been at the cradle of this industry and has developed over the years into a professional and very successful party,” says Tavecchio, adding that “ we can reinforce each other in many ways.”
Art of Dance chief executive Matthijs Hazeleger says he looks forward to building on the pre-existing collaboration with Q-dance.
“We will use the international network of Q-dance and ID&T to ensure that this benefits our events, affiliated artists and the experience of our visitors,” states Hazeleger. “As part of a larger group, we strengthen our position in this highly competitive market.”
Both Art of Dance and Most Wanted DJ will continue to operate as independent companies under the ID&T banner.
ID&T, part of EDM giant Livestyle, organises events including Mysterland, Amsterdam Open Air, Tomorrowland and Sensation, as well as running promoters Air Events and b2s.
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‘Hardcore festies’ also key to Australian success
Mirroring the trend seen in the UK and US, festival super-fans – dubbed ‘hardcore festies’ – are driving the majority of festival business in Australia, despite making up only 14% of festivalgoers, research by Eventbrite reveals.
The ticketing company’s State of Australian Music Festivals 2016 study found that while Australian hardcore festies represent a smaller proportion of the overall market than in Britain and America (where they comprise 28% and 20% of festivalgoers, respectively), they still “outrank casual fans in VIP purchasing, social influence and virtually every other aspect of spending, attending and engagement”, with an average annual festival ticket spend of over A$600 (US$459 or £348).
Eventbrite also revealed that, despite the recent disappearance of high-profile music festivals such as Stereosonic and Soundwave, demand remains strong, with 65% of respondents going to the same number or more music festivals this year compared to 2015 and 49% planning to attend more festivals next year.
“While people have a growing appetite for festivals, there are also more festivals than ever before… which is why the hardcore festival fan is so critical”
As in Britain and America, headliners are the number one reason (35%) for attending festivals, with the artist line-up as a whole most important overall (46%).
Hardcore festies’ favourite festivals are (in order) Stereosonic, Groovin the Moo, Soundwave, Falls Festival and Splendour in the Grass.
“While people have a growing appetite for festivals, there are also more festivals than ever before,” says the report, “making it harder for festival producers to turn a profit – which is why the hardcore festival fan is critical to the success of your business.”
Read the report in full at Australian Festival Fans Revealed: What Drives the Most Valuable Festival-Goers to Spend and Attend More.
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