x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Global Promoters Report 2023 out now

The Global Promoters Report (GPR) 2023, the latest indispensable guide to the industry’s leading promoters and touring territories, is out now.

The second edition of the report, available to subscribers of IQ, is significantly expanded and features analysis of 55 markets across six continents.

The GPR 2023 includes key summaries of the major players working with international artists, unique interviews and insight into each of the world’s top live music markets and dedicated editorial on key trends and developments across the global live music business.

“If 2022 was the year the show got back on the road, 2023 saw it break into a record-breaking speed,” says GPR editor James Drury.

“Promoters worldwide are reporting more shows than ever, and while some of the challenges of last year are being overcome, it’s not all smooth sailing, as we discover.”

This year’s GPR also features a special report on how the uptick in stadium shows is affecting the rest of the business.

“While stadium shows have been a feature of live touring since the Beatles played Shea Stadium in 1965, it feels like there’s never been so many of these enormous productions on the road as there is this year,” continues Drury.

“Reports of eye-watering grosses and astonishing attendances are great news for the artists and their teams, but what do they mean for the rest of the business (which makes up the vast majority of all shows)?”

This year’s GPR is available in print, digitally, and on this dedicated year-round mini site. To purchase a print copy of the report, get in touch with [email protected].

A preview version of the Global Promoters Report 2023 is below.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

IQ 123 out now: Alex Bruford, Louis Tomlinson, The Sphere

IQ 123, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online now.

The November 2023 edition sees Gordon Masson talk to Alex Bruford about his first 20 years in music and the philosophies behind his ATC Live agency and, elsewhere, the IQ editor goes behind the scenes of Louis Tomlinson’s Faith in the Future world tour.

In addition, the issue offers a deep dive into the growing live music cruise business, as well as a health check on the Danish market. Plus, the IQ team reflects on the recent International Festival Forum (IFF) and looks ahead to the ‘out-of-this-world’ 36th edition of ILMC.

For this edition’s comment and columns, IQ passes the mick to Nick Morgan for some key takeaways from a decade of producing and organising festivals, while Rachel Flaszczak explains how MVT’s Own Our Venues helped save her grassroots music venue for future generations.

As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.

However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

IQ 120: The Pride takeover edition has arrived

IQ 120 – the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine – is available to read online now.

The July 2023 issue heralds the return of IQ Magazine’s annual Pride takeover edition, made possible thanks to support from Ticketmaster.

Once again, the Pride issue’s marquee feature is the LGBTIQ+ List which profiles 20 queer professionals making an impact in the international live music business and beyond. This year’s top 20, which were announced today, share their challenges, triumphs, advice and email addresses with us in the bumper feature.

Issue 120 also sees the return of the Loud & Proud playlist and feature, in which our agency partners spotlight fast-emerging and noteworthy acts to play close attention to. Contributing agencies include ATC Live, CAA, ITB, One Fiinix Live, Playbook Artists, Primary Talent, Solo and UTA.

Elsewhere, Pride editor Lisa Henderson speaks to the pioneers behind Werq the World, the official RuPaul’s Drag Race tour, as well as some of the other promoters working with touring drag acts. Continuing the RuPaul theme, Your Shout asks previous LGBTIQ+ List finalists what their lip-sync-for-your-life song is.

Following the closure of Elton John’s final tour, IQ Magazines Gordon Masson talks to the power players who helped make it a record-breaking smash.

For this edition’s columns and comments, Saskhia Menendez (Keychange, The F-List for Music, LIVE) outlines the need for a trans and non-binary charter and Jess Kinn (One Fiinix Live) details some of the foundations that she and others are laying to help queer acts and their fans to thrive.

Beyond the Pride-specific content, DJ Mag editor Carl Loben healthchecks the electronic music biz and Lars Brandle delivers market reports for Australia and New Zealand.

As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.

However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:

 

Former IQ news editor Jon Chapple fundraising for cancer care

Former IQ news editor Jon Chapple has launched a fundraising campaign for life-saving cancer treatment.

The 34-year-old writer and PR account manager was diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer in January 2022, aged 32, and has since undergone radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.

“While the combination of chemotherapy and surgery seemed to be successful, my cancer is aggressive and grew back in my liver within a couple of months of being off chemo,” Chapple wrote on his Go Fund Me page. “For this reason, I have now been told no further surgery is possible.”

He is now hoping to raise £75,000 for dendritic cell therapy (also known as cancer vaccines) in Germany – a treatment that is not available through the NHS.

“It’s a miracle treatment: one that could allow me to once again live a ‘normal’ life, able to participate in the things – and make the kind of plans for the future – you expect to be able to in your early 30s,” the post continues.

“It’s a miracle treatment: one that could allow me to once again live a ‘normal’ life”

“When I asked my doctor in the UK, he told me, frankly, that dendritic vaccines are the future of cancer care. Unfortunately, such personalised treatments are still decades away from being on the NHS.

“They are currently only available privately and only in Germany, and are way out of my price range: £50,000 is a conservative estimate for the consultations, the creation of the vaccines, and the vaccines themselves (initially four), and that’s only for the first round of jabs. Novel treatments like dendritic cell therapy, which has a success rate of 60% for stage-four cancers, are now my only hope of being cured – but it will take the kindness of strangers to help me be able to afford it.”

Chapple was IQ‘s news editor for nearly six years, between 2016 and 2021. He recently wrote a comment piece on his journey since leaving for pastures new and his experience with stage-four bowel cancer.

Donate to Jon Chapple’s fundraising page here.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

IQ 118 out now: Doc McGhee, Måneskin, ChatGPT and more

IQ 118 – the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine – is available to read online now, with the physical magazine arriving on desks within the week.

The April 2023 edition celebrates 40 years since legendary artist manager Doc McGhee launched his McGhee Entertainment enterprise, and hears from the architects of Måneskin’s sell-out Loud Kids tour.

Elsewhere, IQ‘s deputy news editor Lisa Henderson talks to the founders of women-led production company Ginger Owl, as they celebrate their 10-year anniversary and Adam Woods investigates how Austria’s live entertainment business has changed in recent years.

This issue also examines the rise of ChatGPT and looks at its implications for the live music sector, and wraps up the coverage of ILMC 35 at its new home.

For this edition’s comments and columns, Rebecca Kane Burton tells readers why innovation is key to meeting customer expectations across the venues and live entertainment industries and Jon Chapple writes about the experience of living and working with cancer.

As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.

However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ from just £6.25 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Global Promoters Report 2022 out now

The Global Promoters Report (GPR), a first-of-its-kind resource that highlights the world’s leading promoters and the 40 top markets they operate in, is out now.

The new report, available to subscribers of IQ, is an indispensable guide to the industry’s leading promoters and touring territories.

The inaugural edition includes key summaries of the major players working with international artists, unique interviews and insight into each of the world’s top live music markets and dedicated editorial on key trends and developments across the global live music business.

“The promise of the ‘roaring twenties’ certainly came true this year, with record numbers of shows and sales worldwide,” says GPR editor James Drury. “More shows by more artists, grossing more than ever before – the top 100 tours worldwide brought in $6.2bn this year, eclipsing even the previous record in 2019, according to Pollstar’s 2022 box office data.”

“Each of the market profiles includes overviews of touring conditions for artists at all levels, from stadium-fillers to those looking to break into new territories. With invaluable insights, it presents local conditions, challenges and opportunities, and interviews with the very people who know their home turf best.”

This year’s GPR is available in print, digitally, and on this dedicated year-round mini site. To purchase a print copy of the report, get in touch with [email protected].

A preview version of the Global Promoters Report 2022 is below.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Here and queer: IQ Magazine’s Pride edition has arrived

IQ 112, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online and in print now.

The July 2022 issue sees the return of IQ Magazines annual Pride issue, which was made possible thanks to support from Ticketmaster.

Once again, the Pride issue’s marquee feature is the LGBTIQ+ List which profiles 20 queer professionals making an impact in the international live music business and beyond. This year’s top 20, which were announced yesterday, share their challenges, triumphs, advice and email addresses with us in the bumper feature.

Issue 112 also sees the return of the Loud & Proud playlist and feature, in which our agency partners profile some of the most exciting queer acts on their rosters. Contributing agencies include 13 Artists, ATC Live, CAA, FMLY, Hometown Talent, Progressive Artists, Wasserman Music, and X-ray Touring.

More recommendations for queer artists are shared in Your Shout, where executives including Rauha Kyyrö (Fullsteam), Raven Twigg (Metropolis Music), Paul Bonham (MMF) reveal the best queer act they’ve seen live.

Elsewhere, Pride editor Lisa Henderson speaks to executives working in the LGBTIQ+ events space to find out more about the economic and social value of the pink pound.

For this edition’s columns and comments, DICE’S Nix Corporan outlines ways the live music industry could make concerts safer and more inclusive for queer fans. In addition, Hatice Arici details the ramifications for the LGBTIQ+ community in Turkey, following the shutdown of Istanbul Pride.

Beyond the Pride-specific content, IQ Magazine editor Gordon Masson learns how the freight and transport business is dealing with its busiest and most challenging year ever.

Derek Robertson looks back on half a century of history that helped to shape Denmark’s iconic Roskilde Festival and Adam Woods reports on the extraordinary growth of live music in Latin America.

As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next six weeks.

However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ for just £7.99 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

LGBTIQ+ List 2022: Submissions now open

Submissions are now open for the LGBTIQ+ List 2022 – IQ Magazine‘s second annual celebration of queer pioneers in the international live music business.

Launched last year as part of IQ Magazine’s first-ever Pride edition, the list highlights and profiles lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer professionals contributing to, improving, or making an impact in the international live entertainment business.

Anyone who works in the global live music industry can put themselves forward, or be nominated by friends or colleagues.

Anyone who works in the global live music industry can put themselves forward, or be nominated by friends or colleagues

The final list will be decided from nominations, alongside an invited steering committee made up of individuals from key companies across the business and last year’s LGBTIQ+ List.

Finalists from last year will not be eligible for the LGBTIQ+ List 2022, in order to give others a chance to fly the flag. A full list of last year’s 20 outstanding queer professionals can be found here.

To submit yourself or someone you know for the LGBTIQ+ List 2022, email Pride editor Lisa Henderson with details of your nomination, and the reason why they should be on the list.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 8 June, giving you three full weeks to spread the word.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

IQ 110 out now: ILMC, Phil Bowdery, Fullsteam & more

IQ 110, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online and in print now.

The April issue sees IQ magazine return to physical print for the first time in two years. In what is possibly the biggest-ever issue, readers can view the full conference and events agenda for the in-person return of ILMC (International Live Music Conference).

Elsewhere, IQ celebrates Phil Bowdery’s half century career in live music, 20 years of Finland’s Fullsteam agency, and Hans Zimmer’s latest tour.

This issue also examines the world’s fastest-growing entertainment market, the Gulf States, and profiles ten new tech innovations.

For this edition’s columns and comments, Music Export Ukraine’s Alona Dmukhovska expresses her country’s passion for music and Semyon Galperin speaks of the Russian music sector’s support for their friends in Ukraine.

In addition, ASM Global’s Marie Lindqvist highlights the importance of supporting and bringing young people into the heat of the business as part of ILMC’s Bursary Scheme partnership.

As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next six weeks.

However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ for just £7.99 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

IQ 108 out now: 10 things we learned from the pandemic

IQ 108, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite monthly magazine, is available to read online now.

In the February 2022 edition, IQ talks to a number of business leaders to identify ten key lessons that the pandemic has taught us.

Elsewhere, IQ editor Gordon Masson talks to the recipient of the 2022 Gaffer Award, Phay ‘Phaymous’ Mac Mahon, about his 40-year career and how he became one of the go-to production managers in the international touring business.

This issue also sees Masson talk to experts about the evolving world of virus mitigation and profile ten products and services that are helping to get businesses up and rolling again.

For this edition’s columns and comments, tour manager Suzi Green explains how music industry support group The Back Lounge is helping the community through a new series of timely and topical free workshops and Driift’s Ric Salmon relives the success of The Smile’s live-stream triple header.

In this month’s Your Shout, execs including Marc Geiger (SaveLive), Georg Leitner (Georg Leitner Productions) and Nick Hobbs (Charmenko) reveal the best showcase they’ve ever seen.

As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.

However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ for just £5.99 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.