First acts revealed for ILMC’s Soho Calling
The first five artists have been announced for ILMC’s Soho Calling, rebranded from London Calling for its third edition, set to return on Wednesday, 26 February.
More than 20 emerging artists will perform across six of Soho’s iconic stages: The 100 Club (hosted by Music Venue Trust), 21Soho, The Lower Third (presented by DIY Magazine), Phoenix Arts Club, The Social, and The Forge.
The first artists to join the lineup are Belgium’s Bluai, the UK’s Kai Bosch, Lola Moxom and Punchbag, and Ireland’s Really Good Time, with more to be announced in collaboration with partners Music Venue Trust, The Spanish Wave, DIY Magazine and Kili Presents.
The one-night event aspires to honour the legendary music district, which has played a pivotal role in nurturing up-and-coming artists and hosting groundbreaking performances, by providing a discovery platform for the next wave of talent.
Known as London Calling for its first two editions, the showcase has seen the likes of Noah and the Loners, Nxdia, Hamish Hawk, Babymorocco, Backroad Gee, swim school, Gia Ford and many more perform.
Presented by ILMC, conference delegates can access the shows for free with their delegate pass
Soho Calling launched in 2023, bringing 16 global artists across four venues, and grew to 17 artists across five venues for its second outing in February 2024.
A limited number of Early Bird All Access wristbands, which offer entry to all six venues, are on sale now for £25 plus fees. Tickets and information can be found on the Soho Calling website.
Presented by the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), conference delegates can access the shows for free with their delegate pass on a first-come, first-served basis.
ILMC will host around 2,500 professionals across the four-day music conference, bringing together the top live music professionals from around the world. The 37th edition of the conference will return to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel between 25-28 February 2025.
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All aboard: The journey to ILMC 37 starts now
The countdown is on to the 37th International Live Music Conference (ILMC), which will take place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel between 25-28 February 2025.
Around 2,500 live professionals will muster for the four-day conference to explore ‘current’ affairs, plumb the depths of the business, and chart the new waves of headliners, as they navigate the ever-changing seas of the live music industry.
ILMC 37’s platinum partners are Ticketmaster and, for the 20th year running, Live Nation; gold partners are long-standing supporters CTS Eventim and ASM Global; and silver partners are Tysers, BWO, AXS, Showsec, DEAG Entertainment Group, and LMP Group.
“Live Nation is pleased to be sponsoring ILMC, an event that we have supported for 20 years now,” says Live Nation EMEA president John Reid. “The conference has become a must attend in the diary of everyone working in the live music sector and gives us all the opportunity to come together, take stock, and look ahead to the coming year. We look forward to seeing you all there and to another great ILMC.”
ASM Global will again support ILMC’s Alia Dann Swift Bursary Scheme, which offers a complimentary conference pass and mentoring opportunities to 30 young professionals.
Kicking off the four-day conference is the Greener Events and Innovations conference, run in partnership with A Greener Future, where industry leaders come to discuss the most important sustainability issues impacting the live events industry.
In addition to ILMC’s schedule of debates, workshops, keynotes and events, the conference also sees the return of the second Touring Entertainment LIVE, dedicated to the global business of big brand live entertainment, exhibitions and touring family shows, on Wednesday 26 February.
“This edition of ILMC looks to be a monumental voyage, with a complete overhaul of our agenda”
Meanwhile, ILMC’s Central London showcase event, Soho Calling, has been revamped and expanded and takes place in six music venues across Soho, Central London, during the evening of 26 February.
On Thursday 27 February, The Arthur Awards – the international live music industry’s Oscar-equivalents – will be presented in front of 500 guests during a gala ceremony compered by CAA’s London co-head Emma Banks.
Finally, Friday 28 February sees ILMC Futures Forum come to the fore, with hundreds of up-and-coming future business leaders joining the main group of ILMC delegates for a one-day focus on issues of particular relevance to those earlier in their executive journey.
“This edition of ILMC looks to be a monumental voyage, with a complete overhaul of our agenda designed to cement ILMC’s position as the place where the international live music industry comes together to discuss the issues that matter the most,” says Greg Parmley, head of ILMC.
“2025’s ILMC will feature a sea of networking events, but with new dedicated strands on specific areas of the global business, including workshops, keynotes, presentations and more. We’re excited to reveal more over the coming months.”
The 2024 edition of ILMC included speakers such as Tim Leiweke and Francesca Bodie (OVG), Jay Marciano (AEG Presents), Peter Schwenkow (DEAG), Maria May (CAA), Chris Bray (ASM Global), Emma Bownes (AEG), Phil Bowdery (Live Nation), Marsha Vlasic (IAG), Alex Hardee (Wasserman Music) and Svana Gisla (ABBA Voyage).
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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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Kilimanjaro Live trio hold court at Futures Forum
The team behind DEAG-owned UK promoter Kilimanjaro Live offered a few pearls of wisdom to the next generation in a keynote interview at Futures Forum.
The conference for young and emerging live music executives returned to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Friday (1 March) to conclude the 2024 International Live Music Conference (ILMC).
The FF programme spanned the agency business, artist development, sustainability, the evolution of festivals and more, with speakers including Connie Shao (AEG Presents), Beckie Sugden (CAA), Louisa Robinson (FORM), Caroline Simionescu-Marin (WME), Lottie Bradshaw (TEG Live Europe), Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent) and Jess Kinn (One Fiinix Live).
Rounding off the event, three of Kilimanjaro Live’s principals – Stuart Galbraith, San Phillips and Alan Day – were quizzed by IQ‘s Lisa Henderson about building a modern music company, what they’ve learned on the journey, and how they see both their company and the broader business developing.
Formed in 2008, the London-based firm currently works with artists including Simply Red, Ed Sheeran, Andrea Bocelli, Hans Zimmer, Stereophonics and Don Broco. Here is a selection of key talking points from the session…
“The ability to make a living out of music is getting more and more difficult”
Diversifying the business…
Stuart Galbraith: “The ability to make a living out of music is getting more and more difficult. As a promoter, the risk versus return ratio is atrocious. If you talk to accountants who come into audit our books, they look at you as if you’re mad: ‘You risk this much money to make this much money?’ And if you look at us as a margin business by comparison to any other sector, it just doesn’t make sense – particularly as the world has become smaller and global deals are coming to play, those margins are even more tight.
“So we’ve deliberately in the last seven years diversified [into] more businesses where there is a better market. There is less risk. And it enables us to then justify running a concert promoting business that, to be quite frank, as a standalone business is suspect. However, the fact that you can send an email and say that we promote Ed Sheeran, or we promoted Live 8, or we work with Andrea Bocelli, opens so many doors, and it’s still a very, very crucial part of our business.”
Artist development…
Alan Day: “Some of our biggest acts we met at the very bottom. One of our colleagues, Steve Tilley, met Ed Sheeran supporting Just Jack at Shepherd’s Bush Empire.”
SG: “Which lost £3,500.”
AD: “Sabaton, the metal band, I met at South by Southwest. There were 40 people there [and I] gave them my number. Their first show I did in London was at the Garage, then Electric Ballroom, then Koko… While She Sleeps played Ally Pally recently, first gig Borderline. Don Broco, I met in a bar at a festival where they were playing to 50 people and now we’re in arenas. So that’s how we get there from the get-go.”
“It’s a way of life rather than just a nine-to-five job, seven days a week”
Work-life balance…
San Phillips: “Something that I say to people new to the industry and to the company is that gigs happen at the evenings and weekends. So maybe what do you want when you’re 20, aren’t things you want to be doing when you’re 40, so be mindful of the kind of goals that you want in life. We do what we need to do to get it done. But we love going to gigs. We go to a lot together and that’s what it’s about. You’re not going to necessarily work regular hours, and obviously when you’re launching something, of course it’s time consuming. I’m not going to lie about that. You can’t teach people stamina and I think stamina is one of the things that you really need.”
SG: “Promoting was one of the few jobs where quite literally the more hours you put in, the more successful you’re potentially going to be. And if you look at Alan or Steve, it’s a way of life rather than just a nine-to-five job seven days a week. And if you’re going to go on holiday, the manager still wants to talk to you.”
Challenges for the year ahead…
AD: “Rising costs – from PAs, to security, to crews, riggers, trucking…”
SG: “As a promoter we’re invariably a function of the bottom line, we’re a percentage of what’s left. And those rising costs are unfortunately, as we predicted during Covid, being met by increased ticket prices. So we’re seeing huge escalation in ticket prices that are way beyond anything that we would have expected two years ago. That’s fine if we’re on an indoor tour where we’re working in a finite environment, but when you then come to outdoors and you’ve booked either festivals or small outdoor shows, it becomes very, very scary.
“We run the festival in Scotland called Belladrum, which is now Scotland’s biggest camping festival and our costs at Belladrum in three years have increased by a million pounds. And I just can’t put the ticket price up to match that. With Belladrum, we’ve been able to get a margin increase in capacity, which has helped offset that cost, but we’re having to accept that that festival now can’t be as profitable as it used to be.”
“If we had a discussion, we probably would have avoided making the biggest mistake in Kili’s history”
Biggest career lesson…
SG: “I think our biggest lesson was making sure that within your opinion, because it can be absolutely crucial. When we took Kili private in 2012, within a week, we launched Sonisphere at Knebworth. Within three days, it became very evident that we’d made a huge mistake, and when we took a final decision to cancel it, Alan came up with the line which was, ‘I knew it wouldn’t work. I didn’t think it was a good idea.’
“From that day on, we said, ‘Well, if you have an opinion, then you must express it – particularly in a team environment, because Alan’s viewpoint was absolutely correct. And if we had had a discussion, then we probably would have avoided making what was then the biggest mistake in Kili’s history.
“It was a mistake because we were ahead of our time because we booked Queen with Adam Lambert as the lead singer and Queen fans had not embraced Adam Lambert at that point in time. Now, Queen sell more tickets with Adam Lambert as the lead singer that they used to with Freddie Mercury. But in that particular year, no one wanted to buy the tickets – and Alan knew that.”
SP: “Everybody gets their voice heard. Anybody can come up to you, whatever their position in the company, and say, ‘Oh no, what were you doing that for? Why haven’t we chosen to do this?’ And they’re not told off… Everybody in the company is a [music] fan, and we encourage them to say things.”
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ILMC 36: The Open Forum: The All Stars
The International Live Music Conference’s (ILMC) annual state-of-the-nation opening session lived up to its billing, as senior industry leaders tackled hot topics including the venue boom, ticket prices and breaking talent.
Chaired by CAA’s Maria May, today’s Open Forum: The All-Stars featured panellists Chris Bray of ASM Global, Niamh Byrne of Eleven Management, DEAG boss Peter Schwenkow and Live Nation Spain chair Pino Sagliocco at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.
May began by citing Pollstar figures that showed the worldwide top 100 tours generated $9.17 billion in 2023 – up 46% on the previous year. Gross from the top 100 stadiums and arenas also increased 35% and 29% respectively.
“At the top end of the business, it’s clearly in rude health,” said May. “But there’s a flip side here, with grassroots festivals and venues reporting closures and challenges.”
Schwenkow, who is celebrating 50 years in the business, said: “I think this is my fourth real recession. 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.”
“As long as we have a market outside the market – where certain organisations can ask for twice the ticket price – then tickets are not expensive enough”
The Germany-based DEAG founder and CEO said he agreed with Live Nation chief Michael Rapino’s 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 argued.
Bray discussed the recent renovation work at ASM’s AO Arena in Manchester and the impending opening of Oak View Group’s Co-op Live venue in the city.
“I think competition is driving standards high,” he said. “There’s a fight to get the best talent in the venues, and that’s not just here in the UK, it’s across the world as well. We’ve got 400 venues across the world so we’ve always got to be at the top of our game.”
The ASM Global Europe president also touched upon the venue management firm’s proposed acquisition by premium experiences company Legends.
“There’s also a lot of venues that will be opening up within the next 12 to 18 months, which will only open up lots of markets for us”
“It’s not a done deal yet, we’re still waiting on a few things to come through,” he said. “That probably will be the back end of the year, but that brings with great opportunities for this space and more investment – and more investment is only good for the fans that are coming through and the artists that are playing in the spaces.
“It’s an exciting time for the venue market,” he continued. “We’ve got lots of activity going on, particularly the Legends acquisition which is an exciting opportunity for us over the next few months. There’s also a lot of venues that will be opening up within the next 12 to 18 months, which will only open up lots of markets for us.”
Sagliocco, meanwhile, recalled attending U2’s residency at the groundbreaking Las Vegas Sphere.
“It’s one of the most incredible venues I’ve ever seen in my lifetime,” he said. “We always have to look to bring something more because I think the public demand is also there. They don’t want to be seeing the same thing over and over again. They’re looking for a new experience and I think that the Sphere is a tremendous [vehicle] to do that.
“Now, to make it work, they really have to work hard to find the right concept to make sure people want to go to see it.”
“One thing that we are all good at is being innovators,” added May. “The more innovation there is, the more success that we’re seeing across the world.”
Byrne, however, agreed with May’s suggestion that although the top end of touring was thriving, there were issues for mid and lower range acts, amid reports of some artists at the 1,000-3,000-cap level opting not to go on the road due to it not being financially viable.
“From a mid-level point of view, it’s really, really tough and I feel like we have a big conundrum”
“From an artist point of view, we are so appreciative of innovation and the opportunity to play in different venues and different types of spaces, and long may that continue,” said Byrne. “But from a mid-level point of view, it’s really, really tough and I feel like we have a big conundrum.
“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.”
On the subject of discuss artist development, Sagliocco bemoaned the lack of support for up-and-coming talent.
“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 said. “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.”
The panel then segued into discussing the rapid rise of the Middle Eastern market – particularly Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states’ heavy investment in hosting and providing live entertainment. While concerns were raised about some artists’ views on performing in the MENA region, Bray considered the opportunity a “major development”.
“ASM is about to have one of the biggest entertainment centres in the world in Hong Kong,” he said, advising the audience and his fellow panelists to not disregard Europe.
“We opened a new office in Milan last year, and we’re going to open new venues in Lisbon and Finland as well,” he continued. “It isn’t just the Gulf states where a noticeable growth in the market has occurred.”
“With the number of new markets opening up in recent years, it seems like the live music and entertainment industry is heading towards a truly global era”
May, who mentioned the new arena being built in Lagos, Nigeria as well as the success of last year’s inaugural edition of Lollapalooza in India, said she was “barraged with constant approaches for new markets”.
“With the number of new markets opening up in recent years, it seems like the live music and entertainment industry is heading towards a truly global era,” she said
The panel also voiced their thoughts on the willingness of audiences to pay more for premium tickets.
“I think people will pay to have a little bit of luxury,” said Bray. “They don’t want to have to queue, they want to be able to get in seamlessly. It’s a real trend in the venue space, where customers have realised that they get more out of paying extra for those perks. In return, we’ll invest in making luxury spaces nicer and making that premium experience more accessible.”
Schwenkow agreed with Bray, adding: “Before, it used to be the case that the cheaper tickets would sell more than the premium ones, but it’s now the other way around.”
“Sometimes, going through hardships and recessions can be a really good thing”
Wrapping up, May asked her guests about the challenges they anticipated in 2024 and beyond.
“Sometimes, going through hardships and recessions can be a really good thing,” said Byrne. “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.”
Sagliocco, meanwhile, hailed the explosion of the Latin music market.
“Compared to others, the Spanish market is growing bigger than any other market and this is being reflected around the world with acts like Bad Bunny and Karol G being global stars,” Sagliocco said. “Because Spain is the bridge to the Latin American market and vice versa, I think Spain is in a very good position.”
“I’d love to do more European touring,” concluded Schwenkow. “Can we invent more products? Can we keep the prices stable? Can we be creative? Do we always respect value for money? At the end of the day, we are all in the ‘promise’ business, and our general challenges in this industry haven’t changed much in the 50 years since I began at DEAG.”
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Out of this world: ILMC 36 sells out
The 36th International Live Music Conference (ILMC) is officially a sellout.
All tickets have now been snapped up for the 27 February-1 March gathering at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel, with a record 1,500 delegates travelling from 53 markets this year. The full conference programme is on the ILMC website here.
Passes are still available for Futures Forum and Touring Entertainment LIVE on Friday, 1 March, and the Green Events & Innovations Conference on Tuesday, 27 February.
As part of this year’s ILMC, the even will be running the second edition of its London Calling showcase event on the evening of Wednesday 28 Feb. The central London showcase will bring 17 emerging artists to five stages across Soho: The 100 Club, 21Soho, The Lower Third, Phoenix Arts Club and The Spice of Life.
ILMC 36 highlights promise to include a Hot Seat interview with Oak View Group’s (OVG) Tim Leiweke and Francesca Bodie.
The first-of-its-kind keynote with the father and daughter team will provide the finale to ILMC’s Wednesday conference programme. OVG CEO Leiweke and COO Bodie will give their thoughts on the future of live entertainment, and ponder how venue operators and the broader business can keep pace in this fast-changing, golden era of live.
Meanwhile, this year’s Breakfast Meeting conversation sees AEG’s Jay Marciano sit down with longtime host Ed Bicknell, on Thursday 29 Feb.
ILMC’s opening session, The Open Forum, chaired by CAA’s Maria May, will feature Niamh Byrne of Eleven Management (UK) and Live Nation Spain chair Pino Sagliocco, plus ASM Global Europe’s Chris Bray and DEAG’s Peter Schwenkow.
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Leiweke & Bodie set for ILMC Hot Seat interview
The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has announced that Oak View Group’s (OVG) Tim Leiweke and Francesca Bodie will appear at the conference for this year’s Hot Seat interview.
The first-of-its kind keynote conversation with the father and daughter team will provide the finale to ILMC’s Wednesday (28 February) conference programme at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.
Weeks from doors opening at the new Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, OVG CEO Leiweke and COO Bodie will give their thoughts on the future of live entertainment, and ponder how venue operators and the broader business can keep pace in this fast-changing, golden era of live.
With just two weeks until the live music industry’s principal annual gathering begins, the line up of guest speakers is now largely in place. ILMC’s opening session, The Open Forum session, chaired by CAA’s Maria May, will feature Niamh Byrne of Eleven Management (UK) and Live Nation Spain chair Pino Sagliocco, plus ASM Global Europe’s Chris Bray and DEAG’s Peter Schwenkow.
After a recent UK government report found that misogyny is “endemic” in the music industry, ILMC will be hosting a discussion on Thursday 29 February to consider the response from the live sector. Misogyny in Music: Report & Action will be chaired by Eunice Obianagha of ENSPIRE Management/UK Music with guests speakers Jen Smith from the CIISA (Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority), John Shortell from Musicians’ Union, Christina Hazboun from PRS Foundation/Keychange and the Royal Albert Hall’s Louise Halliday.
Other speakers include Cindy Castillo (Mad Cool), Jan Quiel (Wacken) and Jess Philips (Untitled), who will join Jim King (AEG Presents) and Annika Hintz for Festival Forum: Headline Topics, while Wacken co-founder Thomas Jensen is the latest addition to The Heat Is On: Extreme Weather & Live Music, alongside Jamal Chalabi (A Greener Future), Prof Richard Betts MBE (The Met Office), May Ling (Chugg Entertainment) and Alexandra von Samson of Dekra.
In addition, Matías Lóizaga of PopArt Music (AR), Bradlee Banbury of CAA (UK), Heather Lowe of Fred Perry (Global) and Nillie Münir of Virgin Media O2 (UK) are added to Sponsorship: The Brand Space.
And Rense van Kessel of Friendly Fires (NL) and Coralie Berael of Be At Venues (BE) complete the lineup for Teamwork: Culture & Careers In Live Music, joining the previously announced Jana Watkins of Live Nation (UK), Obi Asika of United Talent Agency (UK) and Sönke Schal of Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion (DE).
This year’s Breakfast Meeting keynote conversation sees AEG’s Jay Marciano sit down with longtime host Ed Bicknell, on Thursday 29 Feb.
ILMC takes place from 27 February-1 March with 1,500 delegates travelling from 53 markets this year. The full conference programme is on the ILMC website here.
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More industry leaders join ILMC 36 line-up
Eight more executives from the top of some of the world’s biggest live music businesses have been confirmed for ILMC 36.
Peter Schwenkow (DEAG), Barrie Marshall (Marshall Arts), Chris Bray (ASM Global), Marsha Vlasic (Independent Artist Group), Jim King (AEG Presents), Obi Asika (UTA), Craig Stanley (Marshall Arts), and Anna Sjolund (ASM Global) have all signed up to speak at the leading live music industry conference.
ILMC takes place from 27 Feb-1 March with 1,500 delegates travelling to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel from 53 markets this year.
DEAG’s Peter Schwenkow and ASM Global’s Chris Bray will lend their insight to The Open Forum: The All Stars Session, ILMC’s annual state-of-the-nation opening panel; Marshall Arts’ Barrie Marshall and Craig Stanley will pull back the curtain on P!nk’s Summer Carnival (alongside the tour’s production manager Malcolm Weldon); Independent Artist Group’s Marsha Vlasic will be part of Touring: The Bread & Butter Business, considering if there is a crisis emerging in the middle of the business; AEG Presents’ Jim King will be among the speakers on the Festival Forum: Headline Topics session; UTA’s Obi Asika will be talking during Teamwork: Culture & Careers In Live Music; and ASM Global’s Anna Sjolund will chair The Agency Business 2024, looking at the future of the agency model.
The newly announced industry leaders join a host of heavyweight speakers already confirmed, including Maria May (CAA), Clementine Bunel & Alex Hardee (Wasserman Music), Cliff Fluet (Eleven Advisory), Jana Watkins (Live Nation), Steve Tilley (Kilimanjaro Live), John Langford (AEG Europe), Robbie Balfour (The O2), Jon Ollier (One Fiinix Live), Nelson Albareda (Loud And Live), Connie Shao (AEG Presents), Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent), Tom Zaller (Imagine Exhibitions), Richard Lewis (Fierylight/The Limelight Group), Svana Gisla (ABBA Voyage), Manon Delaury (TEO), Christoph Scholz (Semmel Concerts) and more.
“It’s great to be able to put together a line-up of so many industry heavyweights and company leaders for ILMC 36”
AEG Presents chairman and CEO Jay Marciano is also already confirmed for The (Late) Breakfast Meeting.
A wide range of crucial issues affecting every sector of the live music industry will be discussed over the course of the three days, from AI to workplace culture, ticketing, mental health, marketing, insurance, A&R, touring and the impact of global conflicts.
There will also be dedicated sessions on key live music business sectors including grassroots and major venues, festivals, ticketing, agencies, booking and touring. The 2024 edition of ILMC also includes Futures Forum, the one-day event for emerging live music executives, and new event Touring Entertainment LIVE which is dedicated to the global business of big-brand live entertainment, exhibitions, and touring family shows.
“It feels like the live music business is at a crossroads in so many different ways at the moment, and it’s great to be able to put together a line-up of so many industry heavyweights and company leaders for ILMC 36,” says ILMC MD Greg Parmley. “With blast-off fast approaching, we’ll have more big names to announce shortly.”
ILMC 36 will take place from 27 February to 1 March. Full information about the conference including The Arthur Awards 2024 here.
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First acts revealed for ILMC’s London Calling 2024
The first wave of artists have been announced for the return of ILMC’s London Calling, which returns for its second edition on Wednesday 28 February.
The central London showcase will bring 18 emerging artists to five stages across Soho: The 100 Club, 21 Soho, The Lower Third, Phoenix Arts Club and The Spice of Life.
The first artists announced to take part are MAVICA, The New Eves, freekind, Forgetting The Future, b1n0 and Lala Hayden, with the latter two acts presented by The Spanish Wave and Mad Cool Festival.
A core element of the 2024 International Live Music Conference programme, ILMC Delegate Pass holders will be able to access the shows for free by showing their pass. Entry will be permitted on a first come, first served basis.
London Calling debuted last year across four Soho venues, with 16 artists representing multiple international markets
A limited number of all-venue wristbands are also available for non-delegates, priced £30, granting access to all five venues throughout the evening. Tickets for The 100 Club and The Lower Third go on sale on Wednesday 7 February.
London Calling debuted last year across four Soho venues, with 16 artists representing multiple international markets.
ILMC will welcome over 1,400 of the world’s top live music professionals from over 50 countries to its 36th edition when it returns to the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London between 27 Feb and 1 March.
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ASM Global extends ILMC bursary scheme partnership
ASM Global and the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) have announced that their partnership to dramatically expand the conference’s Alia Dann Swift Bursary Scheme will continue into 2023.
The link-up, which promotes and encourages the next generation of young executive talent, is supported by ASM Global’s corporate social responsibility platform, ASM Global Acts, which launched in October 2021.
The Bursary scheme will see 30 young executives given a place at next year’s ILMC, which takes place in London from 1-3 March and welcomes 2,000 leading professionals across the week. Through the Bursary scheme, the selected young executives will also have access to invitation-only networking events during ILMC, and a dedicated industry mentor via the ASM Global family; a chance to share knowledge, ideas, and to build new contacts within the industry.
“At ASM Global we are committed to investing in people and strengthening communities all over the world,” says Chris Bray, EVP, Europe at ASM Global. “Through the company’s ASM Global Acts platform, we’re able to take action and create real opportunity for the next generation of industry leaders, so we are delighted to continue our partnership with ILMC on the Alia Dann Swift Bursary Scheme and look forward to meeting with the chosen delegates at next year’s event.”
Founded in 2018, the scheme is named after the late Alia Dann Swift, ILMC’s longstanding producer who was instrumental in both bringing talent into the industry and supporting and encouraging new ILMC members.
“The scheme is a firm step towards supporting the next generation of business leaders across the live sector”
“We’re thrilled to welcome ASM back for the second year as supporters of ILMC’s bursary scheme,” adds ILMC head Greg Parmley. “Just how the business can encourage and foster a new and diverse range of executive talent is a primary focus for all right now, and the scheme is a firm step towards supporting the next generation of business leaders across the live sector.”
To apply, applicants should already be working in the live music business and not have previously attended an ILMC. Full details of the bursary scheme and an application form are available here. The first 10 places on the scheme are now open to applicants internationally, with further places to be released closer to the event.
ASM Global is the company responsible for management and operations at major venues including AO Arena (Manchester), OVO Arena Wembley, Avicii Arena (Stockholm), Tele2 Arena (Stockholm), P&J Live (Aberdeen), first direct Arena (Leeds).
Click here for more information on the ILMC Alia Dann Swift Bursary Scheme.
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