A Greener Future launches GEI17 conference
A Greener Future (AGF) has revealed details of the 17th edition of the Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI17).
AGF‘s flagship event, GEI17 is organised in partnership with the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) and will take place on Tuesday, 25 February 2025 – the day before ILMC – at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
The 17th edition of the leading conference for event sustainability will tackle and celebrate the future of green events with a programme of discussions, case studies and showcases, along with networking opportunities and a five-star vegan lunch and closing drinks party.
Last year’s GEI welcomed over 50 speakers including artists Brian Eno, Jarvis Cocker and Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets); climate justice activists Dominique Palmer and Tori Tsui; plus Dale Vince OBE (Ecotricity), Cathy Runciman (EarthPercent), Carol Scott (TAIT), Patricia Yagüe (Live Nation), John Langford (AEG Europe), and Tom Schroeder (Wasserman Music).
“Events and the live sector are feeling the impact of global tensions first hand with growing costs, ethical scrutiny, and uncertainty, and in the worst cases, direct impacts to operations caused by war and climate change,” says AGF CEO and founder Claire O’Neill. “Some are simply moving in the wrong direction, whilst others are taking the most ambitious green actions we’ve ever seen. We’re experiencing significant change, which is sharpening focus, boosting innovation, and inspiring action.”
“The purpose of GEI is to expedite that transition through events and to have fun while doing it”
One of the main topics of discussion will be audience travel, which will include an exclusive deep dive into the TICKET TO RIDE project by The Changency & Crowd Impact together with German rock band AnnenMayKantereit and the impact of business structures and ticketing on fan travel.
In addition, Massive Attack’s Act 1.5 Climate Action Accelerator – which has been hailed as the future of green events – will be presented, in addition to an exclusive panel dedicated to phase 2 of the project. Meanwhile, The Quick-Fire Innovation Round will provide select delegates with the opportunity to pitch their innovative solution. Applications are open here.
“The purpose of GEI is to expedite that transition through events and to have fun while doing it,” adds O’Neill. “We can’t wait to come together again in February.”
The event will conclude with the International AGF Awards 2025, sponsored by Skydiamond (the world’s first carbon-negative certified diamonds made from atmospheric carbon).
Last year saw finalists from 12 countries, with the top accolade – the International Greener Festival Award 2024 – going to Belgium’s Paradise City.
“The climate crisis is no longer something in the future – it’s happening now, and we must act before it’s too late”
In other news, Vision:2025 – a shared vision for a sustainable outdoor events industry – has assembled a cross-industry working group, chaired by LIVE CEO Jon Collins, to produce the third edition of The Show Must Go On state of the industry report.
Set to be published in March 2025, it will focus on creating a climate transition plan for the festival and live outdoor events industry, and making the case to the government for support to unlock potential for a more sustainable festival and outdoor events future.
Specialists are collaborating with Vision: 2025 to review data and information, establish benchmarks, consider trends and opportunities, engage with industry, and shape a vision for 2030.
The industry working group comprises A Greener Future, Attitude is Everything, Association for Independent Festivals, Betternotstop, Cheltenham Festivals, Festival Republic, Hope Solutions, Julie’s Bicycle, LIVE and Norfolk & Norwich Festival.
“The climate crisis is no longer something in the future – it’s happening now, and we must act before it’s too late,” says Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn. “Each event business has its own unique challenges in taking climate action but we can pull together in the same direction as an industry to make the journey easier and more impactful.”
The funding target of £50,000 from industry sources will match funds raised from Arts Council England, EarthPercent, Dixon Foundation and Festival Republic. Click here for information on how to contribute.
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Green Events & Innovations Conference 2025 launches
Registration for the 17th edition of the Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI) is now open.
The leading conference for sustainability in the live events sector will return to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Tuesday 25th February 2025.
The one-day event is a partnership with not-for-profit sustainability specialists A Greener Future (AGF) and the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), which takes place immediately after GEI.
“Things are really heating up, literally and figuratively, in the lead-up to GEI17,” says GEI producer and AGF co-founder Claire O’Neill.
“The events and live sector is feeling the impact of global and national tensions first-hand with growing costs, ethical scrutiny, and uncertainty, but at the same time pulling out the stops on some of the most ambitious green initiatives we’ve ever seen.
“We’re in a time of significant transition, which is sharpening focus and boosting innovation and action”
“We’re in a time of significant transition, which is sharpening focus and boosting innovation and action. The purpose of GEI has always been to do its small part to make the transition that we all have to face, a transformation for good. To be better people, making better choices, creating better experiences, and having the most fun possible during this brief time we get to be alive, together, at the same time, on this beautiful planet.”
GEI17 promises engaging talks, panels, discussions, case studies and networking opportunities. The conference concludes with the annual International AGF Awards Ceremony.
Previous GEI speakers include Brian Eno, Jarvis Cocker, Pat McCabe, Aurora, Dale Vince (Ecotricity), Mark Donne (Act1.5), Cathy Runciman (EarthPercent), Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets), John Langford (AEG), Carol Scott (TAIT), Em Weirdigan (Green Gathering), Tori Tsui, Mark Stevenson (CUR8), Patricia Yagüe (Live Nation) and Fay Milton (Music Declares Emergency).
Super Early-Bird tickets are now on sale for £139 (€165), which includes access to the conference, the International AGF Awards Ceremony, a drinks reception, plus a five-star lunch.
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Futures Forum and MMF host artist development workshop
ILMC’s Futures Forum (FF) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF) joined forces this week for an event that saw emerging live music executives and artist managers discuss the future of artist development.
The workshop and networking drinks took place on Tuesday night (28 May) at The Garage in London, hosted by FF’s Lisa Henderson and MMF’s Svi Dethekar, with support from AEG Europe, AXS, The O2 and ILMC.
Attendees from companies including Runway Artists, ATC Live, X-Ray Touring, Royal Albert Hall, Live Nation, Red Light Management, Wildlife Mgmt, East City Management, AEG Presents and CAA attended the free admission event.
The 75-minute hosted debate saw the executives discuss barriers to developing and growing a fanbase in live music, strategies and innovative approaches to ensure a successful tour, and solutions to ensure the next-generation headliners rise to the top.
Discussing key considerations for developing an emerging act’s live career, one exec said: “Artists need to put in their 10,000 hours to be at a professional level. Patience is important – from both artists and managers – especially when you’re looking to build.”
Another exec added: “We need to help emerging artists understand that initially, they need to take ownership of their live career. It’s important that they have mentors and guidance on how the live music business works and how you can get paid – whether that’s via ticket sales or PRS. They also need an understanding of how the industry is changing.”
According to attendees, the biggest barriers to artist development include a lack of government funding, high audience expectations, venue availability, converting online fans to ticket buyers and the cost of touring.
“There was an awful lot of knowledge and passion in the room, especially around areas like grassroots and mid-level touring”
The latter was a major talking point for attendees when sharing their strategies and innovative approaches for a successful tour.
“You’ve got to be creative,” one attendee said. “Think about brands subsidising the costs of a tour, or using influencer marketing to reach new audiences.”
Other execs warned that artists should choose wisely when to go on tour and ensure that every show counts.
“Think about collaborations and providing something special for a fanbase,” said one attendee. “Think about your marketing campaigns, creating interesting assets, and think about data capture to help plan future events.”
Exploring solutions to the aforementioned issues, attendees said they would like to see a UK ticket levy introduced to support grassroots touring. Execs also called for more transparency about where fees go and revenues flow.
“As Futures Forum continues to build out a year-round programme for its community of young live music professionals, the evening truly showed how creative the various sectors of the live business can be when they get together to collaborate,” says Greg Parmley, head of ILMC.
“We would especially like to thank Futures Forum’s annual partners AEG Europe, The O2 and AXS, for making unique moments like this possible.”
Manasvi Dethekar, membership secretary, MMF, added: “Working with Futures Forum was a really exciting collaboration for the MMF. Importantly, it was also an opportunity to capture views from a wide diversity of upcoming managers, booking agents, venues and others who are dedicated to building the live careers of artists. There was an awful lot of knowledge and passion in the room, especially around areas like grassroots and mid-level touring. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who participated, and we’ll be using all the feedback we gained to inform some of the MMF’s upcoming projects.”
Futures Forum is a year-round platform for the next generation of live music industry leaders to forge relationships and exchange ideas.
The organisation hosts a one-day conference discussion and networking event in London each spring, on the final day of its renowned parent event, the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).
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Mid-level touring: Cruising or crisis?
While the A-list tours break box office and attendance records, there’s a fear that those high-end, high-priced tickets are causing a vacuum for the career touring mid-tier acts. James Hanley looks back on some of the concerns raised during ILMC 36.
In many an argument, the truth often lies in the middle. And that is exactly what the global touring biz is grappling with, as it faces up to a potential mid-tier crisis. Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…
On the surface at least, business is red hot – the embodiment of the smartphone fire emoji, if you will. Records are being smashed left, right, and centre on a monthly (sometimes even weekly) basis. The worldwide top 100 tours earned $9.2bn in 2023 – up 46% on the previous year – according to Pollstar’s year-end charts. Attendance was up 18.4% in total tickets sold to 70.1m. Gross from the top 100 stadiums and arenas rose 35% and 29%, respectively.
It doesn’t end there: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour became the first in history to surpass $1bn in revenue and is projected to gross another $1bn this year. Swift led a touring boom in 2023, with more tours than ever grossing above $300m (three), $200m (seven) and $100m (17).
But while the numbers don’t lie, they don’t tell the whole story either. Delve beyond the spectacular headline figures and a more complex picture emerges – a puzzle that was the talk of the town at ILMC 36 in London last month. It’s widely known that production costs have rocketed post Covid, and with margins on mid-level shows far tighter than arena and beyond, some promoters are saying that the economics of some tours now just don’t add up.
“At the top end of the business, it’s clearly in rude health,” says CAA’s Maria May, chair of Open Forum: The all-stars, the conference’s traditional state-of-the-nation opening address. “But there’s a flip side here, with grassroots festivals and venues reporting closures and challenges. “We’re also fully aware that in the middle and lower range, it is tough – really tough. And at the 1,000-3,000-cap level, there are reports of artists who are deciding not to tour at all. The budgets simply don’t add up, and artists are just not going on the road.”
“Unless the industry stimulates solutions to the mid-level of the market, we have a massive time bomb”
The UK’s Music Venue Trust declared that 2023 was the worst year for UK venue closures since its launch a decade ago, while UK trade body the Association of Independent Festivals reports that more than 21 UK festivals have now announced a postponement, cancellation, or complete closure in 2024.
So, as A-list tours reach new heights, is live music’s bread-and-butter business stuck in the starting blocks? For Eleven Management co-founder Niamh Byrne, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
“From a mid-level point of view, it’s really, really tough, and I feel like we have a big conundrum,” says Byrne, whose roster includes Bastille, Blur, and Catfish and the Bottlemen. “There is no live business without artists and audiences, and we shouldn’t be hammering fans to make that make sense. There needs to be something done in order to be able to invest and drive culture because, ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.”
As mid-level acts rely on touring for their income, one potential safeguard being touted is for collection societies to consider providing breaks for mid-sized shows. “We’re losing tours, events, and festivals because of the spiralling costs of everything, which in turn means the royalty societies will suffer exponentially. To protect themselves, as well as their members, they should consider some kind of discounted rate,” states one European festival executive.
“Everyone talks about grassroots touring being difficult, or the 1% at the top making too much, but the middle is where the crisis really is. And it’s the ancillary value of those bands not touring, or touring less, that’s the biggest problem. Unless the industry stimulates solutions to the mid-level of the market, we have a massive time bomb.”
“It’s becoming harder and harder for artists to reach a point where they actually make a profit on touring”
Given the widening gap between the superstars and the rest, One Fiinix Live founder Jon Ollier questions whether “boom and bust” would be a more apt description of the modern circuit.
“It feels to me like it’s becoming harder and harder for artists to reach a point where they actually make a profit on touring,” he offers. “It’s either massive and it makes money, or it’s small and it’s not.
“You’re not seeing those artists get up to 3,000-cap level, stay there, and churn that over as their career. You’re seeing them blow through that barrier into arenas and make money, or struggle underneath that.”
Finland-based Fullsteam founder Rauha Kyyrö agrees it is becoming increasingly difficult to make money on shows below arena level.
“If we have enough touring on a club- and medium-size-level, we can probably cover our overheads and make it work somehow, but we will need the stadium [concerts], or very successful festivals, to make money,” she says. “Touring, for me, is more [for] artist development actually.
“That [200-300-cap club] level has always been about developing, but now it feels like you’re also just investing at the 1,500 [capacity level], instead of at least getting your costs covered.”
“The biggest [touring acts] make more money than ever – but I don’t see the ones that are still in the investing phase making a living out of it”
She adds: “I also own a management company, and not many of the artists make a lot of money on basic touring. Some do – the biggest ones make more money than ever – but I don’t see the ones that are still in the investing phase making a living out of it. That’s where you need to find someone to pay for it, I guess.”
Be that as it may, legendary agent and Independent Artist Group vice-chair Marsha Vlasic maintains the predicament does not represent uncharted waters for the sector.
“Way before the pandemic, even way before any economic problems, bands came and did 20- to 30-city tours in a van and put the time and effort into it,” she recalls. “They stopped at every radio station and record store and promoted their music. They didn’t make money then.”
Indeed, those principles still form the backbone of the promoting trade, nods Mercury Wheels/Live Nation Spain’s Barnaby Harrod.
“[With] bands coming through, it’s always been about investing in them,” he says. “People [being] prepared to break even or to make small amounts of money to invest in the band so that they will come back and do the 2,000/3,000 [capacity shows] and then into the arenas and stadiums if we’re lucky.”
“As long as we have a market outside the market – where certain organisations can ask for twice the price that is on the ticket – then tickets are not expensive enough”
Germany-based DEAG founder and CEO Peter Schwenkow supports Live Nation chief Michael Rapino’s recent assertion that ticket prices “are still not high enough,” referencing the secondary ticketing market.
“As long as we have a market outside the market – where certain organisations can ask for twice the price that is on the ticket – then tickets are not expensive enough,” he argues.
Nevertheless, even in the face of rising costs, Kyyrö floats the idea of reducing ticket prices and treating club shows as loss leaders in a bid to entice more people through the doors and elevate acts at a faster rate.
“In order for any of that to make any financial sense, the ticket prices will have to be at a level where it’s actually not an introduction to the market anymore,” she says. “You actually need to have fans. So is it then better that we just make the ticket price €10 and take that hit? Because we’re gonna take the hit anyway, and then at least it helps us grow the artists to the next level faster. I think it’s an interesting conversation.”
However, lowering prices is simply not a realistic option, contends Jan Digneffe of FKP Scorpio Belgium.
“We have to keep [bringing these bands over and putting] them in front of an audience at a cost. Because if we [don’t] keep doing that as promoters, then we’re ambushing our own industry”
“I think that’s difficult,” he says. “Ticket prices are not high enough, but I think we can all agree that they shouldn’t be any higher – they should be as low as possible for everybody – so we’re kind of stuck in that situation. […] We have to keep [bringing these bands over and putting] them in front of an audience at a cost. Because if we [don’t] keep doing that as promoters, then we’re ambushing our own industry, and we will get in trouble.”
Digneffe points to ingrained issues, disclosing that the promoter’s fee for a sold-out show at a prominent Belgian club remains the same as it did more than 20 years ago.
“Everything is getting more expensive,” he says. “Somebody is getting the extra money – ticket prices are actually going up. But on that level, where it is important to help build artists, it’s clearly not going in that direction, and I think that is a problem.”
And the challenges are not limited to certain markets, adds Digneffe – similar hurdles are popping up across the board.
“We are all seeing the same things,” he notes. “If it’s a very big show, you can earn money. From the moment you take it down a level, it’s getting a lot harder. There is still a little bit of money to be made, but we all know with the smaller clubs, it’s the last 50 or 100 tickets that will make the difference between making some money or losing some money. And you need a whole lot of them to get somewhere to be able to cover your costs. So, indeed, if your bigger arena tours are not there or your stadiums are not there, I see an alarm light flashing.”
“There’s a whole generation that doesn’t leave their rooms, and they know an act by one song. They don’t even have the desire to go for the live experience”
Kyyrö, who was recently promoted to president of touring & artist development at FKP Scorpio, suggests the sector is also battling competition from other forms of media, such as the burgeoning video game market.
“I think we’re losing out on a lot of young people going to the shows to get that experience because, first of all, the ticket prices are high, and also the market has changed in other ways, too,” says Kyyrö.
“It actually might be a better 90-minute experience to play Fortnite than to go and see a little show,” she muses. “If you look at what’s happened with gaming, just as an example, it’s developed so much faster than our live experience has. But the price of the live experience is going up all the time.”
US-based Vlasic, who collected the prestigious Bottle Award during ILMC 36’s Arthur Awards, acknowledges that the shift in habits among younger people was a contributing factor to the status quo.
“There’s a whole generation that doesn’t leave their rooms, and they know an act by one song,” she says. “They don’t even have the desire to go for the live experience. They’re very content with their group chats and TikTok and just discovering new songs, not artists. That’s the worrisome generation, because they don’t even think about going to a live show.”
“It’s all about the streaming, and if I hear more streaming numbers, I’ll go crazy. It’s just maddening – and streaming numbers don’t sell tickets”
Furthermore, Vlasic laments the obsession with streaming numbers, which she blames for distorting an artist’s worth on the live scene. “You still go out, and you’re still looking, you still hope, but you don’t get the calls from the record companies,” she sighs. “It’s all about the streaming, and if I hear more streaming numbers, I’ll go crazy. It’s just maddening – and streaming numbers don’t sell tickets. I’ve always prided myself in working with career artists. How do we develop groups? It’s a really frightening thought.”
Veteran promoter and Live Nation Spain chair Pino Sagliocco bemoans the lack of support for up-and-coming talent, which he believes cuts to the heart of the matter.
“I think the problem is that we don’t do enough to build a bridge to help younger talents who are asked to try and make a living every day,” he says. “That’s why I’m so proud to help develop burgeoning Spanish musicians while convincing local politicians that we need a sponsorship break. We have the funds to support these artists through the banks, and I feel that is really important.”
Moreover, Digneffe suggests the time and attention given to huge global tours by established top-tier acts is to the detriment of those both in the mid-tier and at the start of their careers.
“What is frustrating everybody about these world tours is this cherry picking that’s going on all the time,” he continues. “I don’t want to be like a preacher in a church or anything, but cherry picking also comes with a responsibility to look after the next generation. No one is doing that at the moment, and I think that’s a real problem. The promoters that find solutions for that will help keep our business healthy.”
“As bigger acts are getting off the festivals and going into stadiums, the only way to do it is to piggyback and share the cost of the production”
Indeed, there appears to be an audience malaise for some of the bread-and-butter acts – those artists and musicians that rely principally on live for the majority of their income and therefore regularly tour every 12-24 months are, anecdotally, not seeing the same ticket sales anymore. Fans that know those artists will come around again soon, seem less willing to buy a ticket, whereas the high value stadium shows that do not come around every year are more unique and doing better than ever.
With increasing frequency, co-headline and packaged tours are coming to the fore as a means of sharing the load. Proponents include Mötley Crüe & Def Leppard, Suede & Manic Street Preachers, The Charlatans & Johnny Marr, Stone Temple Pilots & +LIVE+, Pixies & Modest Mouse, I Prevail & Halestorm, and Green Day, Fall Out Boy & Weezer.
While such combinations have proved particularly popular among the rock fraternity, Vlasic suggests the acts do not necessarily have to be a perfect fit.
“As bigger acts are getting off the festivals and going into stadiums, the only way to do it is to piggyback and share the cost of the production,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be completely compatible; it’s just entertainment. When you think of packaging an act… it’s [about], how does this package look in terms of bringing in additional people and different audiences?
“[But] so many of them want to headline on their own, and the market is saturated. I don’t know how the summer’s going to do this year – and everybody’s gone on sale so much sooner.”
“Some people need to step down from their throne in order to be able to play better venues, and that will make the costs go down”
Though Digneffe applauds the idea, he advises that persuading all parties of its merits can be easier said than done.
“I think it’s an interesting idea, but you have trouble getting everybody on board,” he says. “If you look at the metal and the hard rock scene, there is a lot more going on, and there is a lot more understanding between bands as well.
“We all know it’s an ego business. But I think that some people need to step down from their throne in order to be able to play better venues, and that will make the costs go down. It’s a more fun night for the punter anyway, so I see nothing but advantages. But to get it done, you need everybody on board. You need the agents to be on board. You need the management to be on board.”
Vlasic also implores artists to embrace VIP ticketing, admitting that the reluctance of some acts to do so – notably those outside the United States – is a growing source of frustration.
“VIP is huge,” she says. “We had a package two summers ago that broke every record. But I have artists that just won’t do it. And it’s so frustrating because, again, they don’t understand the value of it. It’s actually mostly non-American artists that don’t allow it. But it’s such a big source of additional income.”
“Sometimes, going through hardships and recessions can be a really good thing”
Putting a more positive slant on the current state of play, Eleven’s Byrne shares her conviction that difficult periods can spur innovation.
“Sometimes, going through hardships and recessions can be a really good thing,” she says. “It’ll force us to become more innovative with our ideas, and I’m looking forward to exploring new ways of doing things, as well as opening up lots of international markets.”
Wrapping up, DEAG’s Schwenkow attempts to finish on a similarly optimistic note.
“I think this is my fourth real recession,” he concludes. “And I love recessions because people don’t buy new houses, apartments, cars, washing machines; they’re spending their money on live entertainment. We had a terrific ’22, we had a very, very good ’23, and ’24 looks great as well.”
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IFF announces details of landmark 10th edition
The International Festival Forum (IFF) celebrates its 10th edition this year, as it returns to a campus location at South London music venue Omeara from 24-26 September.
This year’s event will see 1,000 professionals attend with around 60 countries representing over 700 festivals and thousands of artists. The 2024 edition will take place with a campus format for the second year, mixing booking agency showcases, pop up offices, speed meetings, conference debates, parties and more.
An invitation-only event organised by the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), IFF has become the leading annual gathering for festivals and booking agents since launching in 2015, bringing the industry’s principal buyers and sellers together for 2.5 days each autumn, when conversations about the following year’s festival line-ups are well underway.
Booking agency partners on this year’s IFF include CAA, WME, Primary Talent, ATC Live, Wasserman Music and many more. Previous editions of IFF have included early performances from Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, Yonaka, Bob Vylan, Sam Ryder, Slaves, Raye, Black Midi, Loyle Carner, Dermott Kennedy, Shame and others.
“It’s hard to imagine that when we launched IFF 10 years ago it would become such a central fixture in the festival calendar”
“It’s hard to imagine that when we launched IFF 10 years ago it would become such a central fixture in the festival calendar,” says ILMC head Greg Parmley. “This year, between expanding the campus, a new venue for the conference debates and the world’s top agencies and festivals getting involved once more, it already looks like our best yet.”
This year’s IFF is presented in association with TicketSwap for the third year running.
“As we support IFF’s continuous path of innovation and expansion, we are pleased to collaborate with such a significant conference and be among the key industry leaders that IFF attracts,” says TicketSwap CEO Hans Uber comments.
Full details, including how to apply to attend are at www.iff.rocks. Meanwhile, the 2023 aftermovie can be viewed here.
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The heat is on: extreme weather and live music
How the industry can best cope with the increasing number of extreme weather events impacting festivals and open-air events was a major topic of conversation during this month’s ILMC in London.
Presented by GEI, The Heat Is On: Extreme Weather & Live Music session was chaired by veteran tour and production manager Jamal Chalabi of A Greener Future and included a presentation from Met Office meteorologist Prof Richard Betts on changing climate patterns.
The debate also featured May Ling of Australia’s Chugg Entertainment and freelance festival security and safety consultant Alexandra Von Samson, as well as Wacken Open Air co-founder Thomas Jensen.
“I do find it quite amazing in this industry that we still think we have a choice to deal with climate change, we clearly don’t have a choice,” said Chalabi, who gave a sample of events around the globe to have been hit by the elements over the past 12 months.
The list included Primavera Sound Madrid, Awakenings in the Netherlands, Slovenia’s MetalDays, the UK’s Kaleidoscope, shows by Louis Tomlinson show and Ed Sheeran in the US, Burning Man, Taylor Swift in Brazil, Elton John in New Zealand and Wacken Open Air in Germany.
“We’d had bad weather in the past, but last year was kind of different”
Jensen recalled Wacken’s near-catastrophic weather-related struggles last summer, which saw the festival proceed at reduced capacity after the site was hit by rain and thunderstorms in the days leading up to it, leaving the camping areas “impassable”.
“We’d had bad weather in the past, but last year was kind of different,” said Jensen. “There was a long dry period, leading up to the festival from mid June until early July, right when we started to set up the production. And then it started to rain, up to when the fans were arriving.
“The whole traffic system basically collapsed. It got really dramatic. Everything got stuck.”
Around 30,000 ticket-holders were subsequently denied entry after organisers allowed no further admission due to the adverse conditions.
“In over 30 years, it was the hardest decision I ever had to make,” said Jensen. “We’re in the music industry and timing is is crucial, and so we made the decision to have an ingress stop, which was very hard. At the end of the day, it’s debatable: could we have let a couple of more people in or not? Had we been strict enough? But I think, in principle, it was the right decision.”
“Thirty years ago, it was mostly the rain, but it’s now changed to raining one second and being 35 or 40°C suddenly after that”
He added: “We always say the ones that stayed home made the festival possible, at the end of the day, and they saved the insurance companies a lot of money. They made it possible for the other two-thirds to have a party. That’s why we’re extremely grateful.”
The Diplomat reported last week that more than 40 Australian music festivals have been cancelled, postponed, or evacuated due to heat, fires, rain or floods over the past decade, with more than 20 such incidents occurring in 2022 alone, amid record rainfall in the eastern states.
Ling told the session that extreme weather “has always been a part of what we have to deal with” in the region.
“Thirty years ago, it was mostly the rain, but it’s now changed to raining one second and being 35 or 40°C suddenly after that,” she said. “Even if we prepare for everything, you still can’t really control that.
“One thing we always did was have a meteorologist on site at our big outdoor shows. We also had the fire department in extreme heat conditions, and would have them hose the front of the crowd because those kids couldn’t get out to get water. You can give away as much free water as as you want, but those kids are not losing their spot before Guns N’ Roses comes on stage.”
“A 100% safe event is not existing in this world”
She continued: “Another huge safety concern that people forget about and it’s that everybody at the front of the stage can get electrocuted if a flash flood happens, and you have to know when to pull the plug basically so that all these kids don’t get electrocuted.”
Von Samson recommended the business should learn from each other, adding that communication is crucial at all levels.
“It’s great if you have your plans, but it’s not so great if not everyone knows about them – and I’m including audience in that as well,” she said. “Make them aware they are part of the festival. I strongly believe in informing them as much as much as you can to keep them self-aware and empowered.
“You don’t want to be the festival or the promoter where something really bad happens. No one wants that, so you have to set up risk assessments. A 100% safe event is not existing in this world.”
Offering her final thoughts, Ling said battling the increasingly unpredictable conditions was a fact of life as an outdoor event organiser – but employing the right people behind the scenes is still paramount.
“We’re all about adaption – that’s why this industry can adapt quickly to this situation and be a leading light to change”
“As best you can prepare, when when an emergency happens, you just have to have good people that are safety conscious, know what they’re doing and act quickly, and they keep the crowd and the bands safe. Weather is a thing that is not going away, no matter what extremes it goes to. And as an outdoor event person, you have to deal with it.”
Betts called upon the music industry to lead the way in taking steps to help combat the climate crisis.
“The live music sector can play a really important role in setting an example about how to live with the weather we’ve made more extreme, but also stopping it getting more extreme, and stopping climate change by being more sustainable in the industry,” he said.
Chalabi brought proceedings to a close on a similarly positive note.
“Our community in the music industry, we’re the best,” he said. “We’re all about adaption – that’s why this industry can adapt quickly to this situation and be a leading light to change.”
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Behind the scenes of P!nk’s Summer Carnival
The team behind P!nk’s Summer Carnival Tour gave a unique glimpse behind the scenes of the global trek at the recent ILMC Production Meeting (IPM).
Marshall Arts’ Barrie Marshall, Craig Stanley and Anna De Neiderhausen were joined by Gaffer Award-winning production manager Malcolm Weldon for the special session, moderated by Okan Tombulka of eps at the Royal Garden Hotel in London.
The speakers discussed the planning and execution of the tour, which now stretches until late 2024 and has already broken multiple records. Just last weekend, P!nk – real name Alecia Moore – became the first female headline artist to grace Auckland’s Eden park in New Zealand in the venue’s 120-year history, hosting more than 100,000 fans over two nights.
Weldon, who joined the panel remotely from the ANZ leg of the jaunt, started off by explaining how the singer’s live vision (and renowned acrobatics) comes to life.
“They come up with the ideas and the concept, and I try to pull it off”
“It all starts with [P!nk], [show director] Baz Halpin and [manager] Roger Davies,” he said. “They come up with the ideas and the concept, and I try to pull it off. It’s their dreams and so my job is to make sure that I can get it from point A to point B to point C, to try to make sure that I can give her the same show every night.”
He continued: “The biggest challenge that we have is because of the acrobatics, everything that’s above us has to correlate precisely on the ground. It’s not like a rock and roll show, where it’s just some guy standing there playing guitars or beating on drums, it’s a theatrical pop show. So you’re trying to get all of those elements to align every show, they have to be where they have to be.
“The majority of everything she asked for is there. The only time that we can’t give it to her is when we’ve done some festival dates – because the show is an intricate show and certain things wouldn’t work – but that hasn’t caused too much of a problem. With Alecia, once you can explain to her why she can’t have something on a certain date, she understands. She may not like it, but she understands.”
Below is a selection of other takeaways from the in-depth chat…
Picking the right cities…
Barrie Marshall: “A lot of it’s done by Roger Davies, because he knows exactly what he wants to do and where he wants to play. In the case of Alecia, she’s so successful… there’s no problem where you’ve got some countries that are weaker than others. It’s quite useful if we can start here [in the UK] sometimes, because a lot of the equipment comes from here… so that means access is easier. Although things have become so sophisticated now, it seems to me that you can get most equipment you need in most territories, so it’s not critical.”
Venue availability…
BM: “I find it difficult because the pandemic changed many, many things. There were no shows, everything stopped. Everybody was at the bus stop and the bus never came, so there was no way to accommodate people’s needs. We all stayed at home and waited, tried to do things, but waited until it was clear enough for us to go back to work. That meant then there were for two and a half years, maybe three years, a backlog of artists who definitely wanted to get out and tour, so you tried to put three years of touring into a year. It’s beginning to ease up a bit, but it’s still very difficult, so venues are in great demand.”
“It is complicated because now there’s so much legislation and each country is different”
Licensing issues…
Craig Stanley: “A few years ago… we would leave it until fairly late to be able to pass all the information to the licensing authorities, recognising that the artist is also making up her mind – quite rightly – of the show she wants to present. Now, you start your licence applications six, seven, eight months ahead, and then through Europe it’s exactly the same story. But it is complicated because now there’s so much legislation and each country is different. Even within Germany, Munich is just a different universe in requiring certain paperwork. Here in the UK, Scotland is completely different to England. You think you’ve got everything down, and then the licensing officer changes and you have to go back to square one.”
Anna De Neiderhausen: “We have to appease the local authorities, so we are ultimately the middleman. Sometimes local authorities are a little bit unrealistic and maybe don’t really have the experience, [whereas] some of them really are all over it. So it’s just finding that balance trying to not make Malcolm’s life hard, but at the same time, making sure the show goes ahead.”
CS: “Part of my role is to go around Europe, and the advance trip is absolutely crucial. Malcolm and his team are brilliant at actually going there, meeting with the local people and explaining what he needs, understanding their problems, and we find some middle ground.”
Malcolm Weldon: “In 2023, I felt like I was a step behind because we didn’t know what the show really was until we got to Bolton and built the whole show, so you’re kind of learning as you go. And then as you get more shows under your belt, you go, ‘Okay, this is what this is.’ And then you leave Europe and go to North America, and now you’re on a different stage and you’re playing baseball stadiums, which no show of this size should be playing. But they bought tickets, they’re showing up and so we make it happen.”
“You can’t change the ticket price once you’ve charged for the ticket. You have to somehow try and make those budgets work”
Maximising capacity…
BM: “One of the great advantages with Alecia is her performances are phenomenal, she’s never in one place for very long, so therefore the sightlines in the stadium are such that you see her a great deal of the time. That’s a big advantage to having an artist who’s performing in a certain position all the time, more or less. She moves around a lot and she’s very aware of her audience. She has a great sense of humour and also has a particularly unique way of talking to her audiences, it’s very personal. And the screens we’ve got now are superb so the quality of the video content is phenomenal.”
Budget concerns…
BM: “You can’t change the ticket price once you’ve charged for the ticket. You have to somehow try and make those budgets work. Artists put a lot of money in to production and give the very best they can, and they don’t want to fall short. And Malcolm, in his position, can’t and won’t let the standard down.”
MW: “I [was once working with a very famous artist] and I was trying to stay within budget. They went outside the budget, so I said, ‘That’s going to be more expensive if we do it this way.’ And that artist told me, ‘Don’t worry about how I spend my money, Malcolm.'”
“It’s very easy to think you’re just selling the show, you’re actually supporting the artist’s career”
The importance of the collective…
MW: “It’s a total group effort. If you have somebody on the crew whose job is just doing towels and water, the most important person to the artist at the point when they got sweat in their eyes, or they’re thirsty, is the person that puts out the towels and water. It’s all a group effort.”
BM: “We all work for the audience and the artist at the end of the day, so we all contribute to that and we all have respect for that. We just all have to look after each other in the best way we can and we’ll get the best results.”
CS: “It’s also about… working with our colleagues and understanding how the marketing is done. The marketing is to sell tickets absolutely, but it’s also about respecting the artist and working with the record company. It’s very easy to think you’re just selling the show, you’re actually supporting the artist’s career. One reason why Marshall Arts has incredibly long relationships with the artists – we’ve worked with P!nk for 22 years – is understanding what the manager, as well as the artist, needs to actually help build the career. And now we’re at the stadium level, we don’t take anything for granted.”
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TEL panel breaks down ‘The State of the Nation’
Industry leaders in live entertainment production gathered to kick off ILMC’s inaugural Touring Entertainment Live (TEL) and share their thoughts on ‘The State of the Nation’.
Chaired by Imagine Exhibitions’ Tom Zaller, the panel — which included guest speakers Liz Koops (Broadway Entertainment Group), Jenny Sirota (RoadCo Entertainment), James Harrison (ASM Global) and David Pitman (Cirque du Soleil) — discussed topics such as booming demand and higher costs, technological advancements, an over-reliance on established IP, and a lack of venues.
Zaller started by bringing up the effects of a post-Covid environment.
“Consumer demand is booming in certain areas, and inflation is causing issues for some of us in certain places,” he explained. “We’re also seeing different types of ticketing deals and dynamic pricing, but we’re also seeing production, operational, and labour costs rise.”
Koops, whose Broadway Entertainment Group has established itself as a key player in the Middle Eastern market with their productions of Disney classics, reckoned that while the increasing interest in the Gulf states is always a positive (“Doing 77 shows of Shrek across the region and within three cities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai, and Qatar was phenomenal!”), there was still a problem affecting the burgeoning territory.
“The touring world and circuit is getting smaller, unfortunately”
“There’s been genuine interest in developing the market, but while there are many more opportunities nowadays, there aren’t enough venues to accommodate the increasing demand,” she said.
That sentiment was shared by Pitman, who referenced certain geopolitical factors to explain dwindling availability in territories Cirque du Soleil used to sell out in.
“We used to tour Russia for 12 weeks, which isn’t going to happen for a long time now,” he said. “Prior to Covid, we held our ice show Crystal in Ukraine, the big venue in Helsinki [Helsinki Halli] is still shut, and there’s the situation in Israel as well to consider. The touring world and circuit is getting smaller, unfortunately.”
Another major point of discussion was the reliance on familiar IP, which the panel agreed made it difficult for original productions to get booked.
“There’s been such a massive spike in ideas being developed and everyone wants to get stuff out there, but especially after Covid, people crave the big IPs more,” explained Sirota. “It’s “comfort food”, they want to buy tickets to something they recognise,” adding that while the US doesn’t share the same experiences with venues as other territories, it’s still difficult to book fresh programming at present. “Especially with costs going up, it’s a real risk for producers to book anything that’s not heavily branded right now.”
“Customers tend to respond more in secondary and tertiary markets because it’s something different for them. There’s not as much competition”
Sirota also expressed concerns over heightened travel costs and a lack of transport availability.
“Trucking is incredibly expensive, and in terms of availability, buses for tours are booked up from 10 to 100 weeks,” she said, adding that it’s highly unlikely they’ll reduce their fees due to fuel prices anytime soon. “There’s so many shows nowadays, and there should be more trucking and bus companies to keep up with such demand.”
The panel soon moved on to entering new and developing territories. While Asia and the Gulf states have been her company’s bread and butter, Koops also stressed the importance of established markets that are smaller by comparison.
“We found that working with local promoters in the Eastern European markets has been incredibly successful for us,” she said, citing high demand in the likes of Croatia and Slovenia that enables her to develop multi-week touring opportunities.
“You don’t necessarily need to be in the A+ markets like London, Paris, or Berlin to have a successful touring production,” added Harrison. “Customers tend to respond more in secondary and tertiary markets because it’s something different for them. There’s not as much competition, so there’s more opportunities for fresher productions.”
To close out the panel, Zaller asked each guest for a one-word answer on what they’d like to change the most: Pitman responded with logistics, both Harrison and Sirota wanted more original shows, while Koops wished for more venues.
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Is a mid-level touring crisis emerging?
The litany of challenges facing the live industry – from breaking acts to gaming – came under the microscope in ILMC’s Touring: The Bread & Butter Business session.
Chaired by One Fiinix Live founder Jon Ollier, the panel featured Jan Digneffe of FKP Scorpio Belgium, Mercury Wheels/Live Nation Spain’s Barnaby Harrod, Finland-based Fullsteam founder Rauha Kyyro of FKP and agent Marsha Vlasic, president of Independent Artist Group in the US.
While the top end of the business is booming with record earnings for A-list tours, the discussion focused its attention on the potential crisis emerging in the mid-level.
Kyyro suggested the sector was struggling not only with high ticket prices, but from competition from other forms of media – such as video games.
“I think we’re losing out on a lot of young people going to the shows to get that experience because, well, first of all, the ticket prices are high. And also the market has changed in other ways, too,” she said. “But it actually might be a better 90 minute experience to play Fortnite than to go and see to a little show. If you look at what’s happened with gaming, just as an example, it’s developed so much faster than our live experience has. But the price of the live experience is going up all the time.”
“There’s a whole generation that don’t leave their rooms… They don’t even think about going to a live show”
Vlasic agreed the shift in habits among younger people was an issue.
“There’s a whole generation that don’t leave their rooms, and they know an act by one song,” she said. “They don’t even have the desire to go for the live experience. They’re very content on their group chats and TikTok and just discovering new songs, not artists. And that’s the worrisome generation, because they don’t even think about going to a live show.”
Vlasic added that the reluctance of some artists – particularly those outside the United States – to embrace VIP ticketing was a growing source of frustration.
“VIP is huge,” she said. “We had a package two summers ago that broke every record. But I have artists that just won’t do it. And it’s so frustrating because again, they don’t understand the value of it. It’s actually mostly non American artists that don’t allow it. But it’s such a big source of additional income.”
The subject switched to the topic of festival headliners, as Kyyro warned against an over-reliance on big name talent.
“We gave up on trying to get a seven-figure acts and we just focused on whatever we actually have access to and that the audience actually likes”
“If you’re really dependent on getting those few big names, then that’s going to kill your budget,” she said. “You’re probably not even going to even make any money unless you sell out.
“The key is to build a brand that is not so much dependent on having the number one artist every year. Provinssi, which is a Finnish festival we work with, has been around for over 40 years and it has had its ups and downs. I think the reason it’s now doing so well is that we gave up on trying to get a seven-figure acts and we just focused on whatever we actually have access to and that the audience actually likes. Then it doesn’t need to sell out, but we can still keep it going.”
The rise of joint headline and packaged tours was also touched upon, with Vlasic suggesting the acts do not necessarily have to be a perfect fit.
“As bigger acts are getting off the festivals and going into stadiums, the only way to do it is to piggyback and share the cost of the production,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be completely compatible, it’s just entertainment. When you think of packaging an act… it’s [about], how does this package look in terms of bringing in additional people and different audiences?
“[But] so many of them want to headline on their own and the market is saturated. I don’t know how to the summer’s going to do this year – and everybody’s gone on sale so much sooner.”
Some people need to step down from their throne in order to be able to play better venues
While Digneffe applauded the concept, he cautioned that persuading all parties of its merit was easier said than done.
“I think it’s an it’s an interesting idea, but you have trouble getting everybody on board,” he said. “If you look at the metal and the hard rock scene, there is a lot more going on and there is a lot more understanding between bands as well.
“We all know it’s an ego business. But I think that some people need to step down from their throne in order to be able to play better venues, and that will make the costs go down. It’s a more fun night for the punter anyway, so I see nothing but advantages. But to get it done, you need everybody on board. You need the agents to be on board. You need the management to be on board.”
“The metal thing is true,” added Harrod. “I went to see four metal bands in a 300-cap club in Barcelona. The kids had a great time.”
There was concern, however, about the lay of the land for breaking acts, and the apparent dearth of viable new headliners. Digneffe believed the focus on global tours was hurting those lower down the food chain.
“If I hear more streaming numbers I’ll go crazy. It’s just maddening – and streaming numbers don’t sell tickets”
“What is frustrating everybody about these world tours is this cherry picking that’s going on all the time,” said Digneffe. “I don’t want to be like a preacher in a church or anything, but the cherry picking also comes with a responsibility to look after the next generation. No one is doing that at the moment and I think that’s a real problem. The promoters that find solutions for that will help keep our business healthy.”
Vlasic lamented the obsession with streaming numbers, arguing they can give a false impression of an artist’s worth on the live scene.
“It’s all about the streaming and if I hear more streaming numbers I’ll go crazy,” she said. “It’s just maddening – and streaming numbers don’t sell tickets. I’ve always prided myself in working with career artists. How do we develop groups? It’s a really frightening thought.”
Harrod, meanwhile, remained hopeful that the tried and tested approach to building rising stars would still bear fruit going forward.
“We have to be proactive,” he said. “We have to get out, we have to support the new acts. Push them, get them out, and that’s it. It’s always been that. Nothing is easy. It’s [about] supporting bands, keeping doing those 200 and 300-cap shows and enjoying them.”
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ILMC 36: The pros and cons of dynamic ticketing
Dynamic ticketing took centre stage during ILMC’s Ticketing: At What Price? panel, as leading executives debated whether the growth of market-based pricing in the US will be replicated in other major international markets.
Chaired by Kilimanjaro Live promoter Steve Tilley, the session brought together Eventim Norway and Sweden’s Marcia Titley, Ticketmaster UK’s Sarah Slater, AXS’ Chris Lipscomb and Arnaud Meersseman of AEG Presents.
Recalling going to see Bruce Springsteen at New York City’s Madison Square Garden last year, Tilley admitted he was prepared to pay “whatever it costs” to get into the show. However, Meersseman pointed out the practice was less established in territories like France, which made it harder to compete when booking top acts.
“We’re being pushed more and more by artists to incorporate dynamic pricing,” he said. “To them, it doesn’t make sense on a financial level to tour Europe compared to the US, where dynamic pricing is widely common.”
Meersseman speculated there would be “massive pushback” against the practice across France. “It’s also a question of accessibility, and fans are likely to end up wondering whether gigs will only be reserved for the rich in the not-too-distant future,” he warned.
Lipscomb added that dynamic pricing is already happening in several European markets, including the UK, and predicted it will increase in prominence sooner than most think.
“Ten percent of all UK shows may already be sold under dynamic pricing. In a couple of years, I’d expect that number will increase by 30%-40%”
“Ten percent of all UK shows may already be sold under dynamic pricing,” he said. “In a couple of years, I’d expect that number will increase by 30%-40% and maybe even rise higher to 70%-80%.”
The discussion segued into the secondary market, with Titley noting that while countries like Norway and Denmark put laws in place to prevent resales above face value, dynamic pricing was necessary to “drive higher revenue”.
“Ultimately, it’s all about protecting the fans, and I believe in combining tech and legislation to eradicate those excessive profit margins,” she said.
Ticketmaster has successfully introduced its own fan-to-fan resale service in the UK, and Slater said: “There are plenty of safe, face-value resale sites to sell your tickets to in the UK. We’ve heavily pushed the fact that tickets are transferable, but we always encourage customers to only buy from authorised sites.”
Sam Shemtob, director of Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT), made a brief cameo to explain the role that the EU Digital Service Act will play in combating illegal ticket listings.
“If the ticket is being sold by a trader, that needs to be listed right at the front in a clearly accessible manner, and ticket resale sites will now be banned from using design tricks that manipulate consumers into decisions, such as “pop-ups” or giving prominence to specific choices,” explained Shemtob.
“Nailing the on-sale is absolutely critical, but marketing the shows via a long-term campaign with the artists up until the actual event is just as important”
Shemtob, who is collaborating with the European Commission on how to streamline a complaints mechanism for fans and promoters, launched ‘Make Tickets Fair’ last year — a campaign to educate and empower fans to avoid being ripped off by ticket touts.
“The platforms will also be required to make it clear throughout the buying process that the tickets listed are provided by a third party,” he said. “If a platform fails to do this and fans are led to believe that the tickets are provided by the platform itself, the platform can be held responsible for any tickets listed in contravention of national laws.
“All of these sites need to have a clear and simple complaint mechanism.”
Another major talking point was the perception that tickets must be bought as soon as they go on sale.
“Obviously, nailing the on-sale is absolutely critical, but marketing the shows via a long-term campaign with the artists up until the actual event is just as important,” Slater said, citing the concert industry’s shift towards post-sale engagement, which includes events integrations in collaborations with Spotify and TikTok, as well as creative marketing strategies to keep fans engaged.
“Most people think that if they can’t get tickets within the first hour, they’ll end up being scammed when attempting to purchase them at a later time,” added Meersseman. “It all ties to what we discussed earlier about properly educating customers on the ticket sale process.”
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