The ups and downs of the metal sector – and the lessons the genre can offer the mainstream scene – were pored over in a candid discussion at the International Festival Forum (IFF) in London.

Jan Quiel of Wacken Open Air chaired the Metal: Keeping in time, shredding old rules panel, which brought together Jouni Markkanen, promoter of Finland’s Tuska Festival, K2 Agency’s Sharon Richardson and Merle Doering, owner and MD of Catch 22 agency.

A key question centred on the lessons other events could learn from metal’s enduring ability to nurture a dedicated fanbase.

“Metal festivals are not focused on such a tiny pool of super-hot bands,” said Markkanen. “I don’t focus only on the headliners, but on the balance. You need to have a very strong start to the day; the party needs to start when the gate opens and it needs to last until the gate closes.

“At Tuska, we never made the mistake of just putting on one massive band because then it is like a park concert with a few support bands. Of course, somebody is closing the night, but it’s the collection of art for the weekend. You are trying to serve the wider audience; we are not just looking at modern metal bands, there is a twist of all genres here and there. Communication with the audience is super-important.”

“The pool of available bands was diminishing and we were like, ‘Okay, we need to find a new batch – a new style – to get the audience average age down.'”

Quiel added the metal “community” had bred fan loyalty through the years, although Doering pointed out that happened organically.

“I don’t think that can be learned,” she advised. “In pop music, you can have a one-hit wonder, but nobody cares about them the next year because they’re on to the next trend. I grew up very close to Wacken, and we went to Wacken on the first weekend of August. It didn’t matter who played; that was just what we did. And that’s a thing with metal culture – people identify very strongly with the festivals.”

The panellists also shared how they had succeeded in attracting a younger demographic in recent years, with Markkanen explaining he had changed his booking strategy “quite drastically” over the last few years, leading to fresh headliners such as Ghost, Electric Callboy and Lorna Shore.

“The audience was getting older and older,” he said. “The pool of available bands was diminishing and we were like, ‘Okay, we need to find a new batch of bands – a new style – to get the audience average age down.’ We didn’t do it in one stroke, but added more modern stuff here and there.”

Markkanen noted that this year’s booking of electronic rock band Pendulum was greeted with a frosty response on social media, yet their set attracted the festival’s third biggest crowd ever.

“Festival booking has become a fight for smaller to medium-sized bands, because so many bands want to tour and there are so few slots”

“Trying to find new ways of shocking the audience is nothing bad,” he added. “Of course, the old audience says that, ‘Markkanen has ruined the festival, Tuska has nothing to see anymore.’ But we grew from 15,000-cap to 23,000 and we’re selling out.”

On a similar theme, Richardson noted that K2 achieved a “phenomenal” result after securing a slot for Canadian metal band Spiritbox on the Reading & Leeds bill.

“Your job as an agent is to build that artist profile, but to get longevity out of an artist, so the slots for festivals are really important,” she said. “Reading & Leeds nowadays is more of a pop-indie festival, so for Spiritbox to play on the main stage was really difficult for them. But they won the crowd around, and it was a really good result in the fact that we put Alexandra Palace on sale around [their performances] – that’s 10,500-capacity – and it sold out in two and a half weeks, which was a phenomenal result from taking a risk.”

Wrapping up the session, Doering stressed that the metal scene was not without its struggles.

“A lot of changes need to happen because we are facing a lot of challenges,” she cautioned. “I don’t think the scene is necessarily handling the challenges very well overall, but generally it is adapting. Festival booking has become a fight for smaller to medium-sized bands, because so many bands want to tour and there are so few slots.

“At least for me, there’s a bigger threshold to taking on bands from North America because the cost of bringing them over are so much higher… Building a smaller act, especially from abroad – and you probably all know what flight costs are like nowadays – is so much more challenging. The financial situation of the band is something that comes up very early on, which was probably not the case to the same degree 10 years ago.”

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A huge week of live announcements has continued with news of tours for Kylie Minogue, Metallica and Stevie Wonder.

Minogue has announced her biggest outing in a decade, with the Tension Tour launching in her native Australia in February next year, stopping at RAC Arena, Perth (15 February), AEC Arena, Adelaide (18 February), Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (20-21 February), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (26 February) and Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (1-2 March).

The CAA-represented singer will then visit Asia later in March to play venues to be announced in Bangkok, Tokyo, Kaohsiung and Manila, before the tour arrives in the UK in May.

The British leg will include dates at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro (16 May), Utilita Arena, Newcastle (17 May), AO Arena, Manchester (19 May), M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool (22 May), Utilita Arena, Sheffield (23 May), London’s The O2 (26-27 May), Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham (30 May) and BP Pulse Live, Birmingham (31 May).

Elsewhere, Metallica have confirmed their M72 World Tour will be extended into a third year, with the announcement of 21 North American shows spanning April, May and June 2025. The group will also return to Australia and New Zealand next year, with dates still to be revealed.

Since opening April 2023 in Amsterdam, M72 has seen Metallica play to three million fans. Its 2024 leg will conclude with four nights at Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros, where the band will play to more than 250,000 fans over the course of two No Repeat Weekends.

Booked by K2 Agency, their 2025 schedule will continue the No Repeat Weekend tradition, with each two-night stint featuring entirely different setlists and support lineups.

Metallica’s 2025 itinerary will also include two festival headline slots

In addition to playing stadiums across the US, their itinerary will also include two festival headline slots – the opening night of the run April 12 at Sick New World at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. That will be followed by a festival/No Repeat Weekend combo on 9 & 11 May as Metallica play two headline sets at Sonic Temple at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Support on M72’s 2025 North American run, produced by Live Nation, will come from Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies and Ice Nine Kills. A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to local charities via the band’s All Within My Hands foundation.

And the legendary Stevie Wonder has also announced he will be playing 10 dates across the US next month, at the height of election season, in a call for “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war”.

The performances, titled Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart, are produced by Wonder Productions and promoted by AEG Presents in partnership with Free Lunch, begin 8 October at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

The run will also include shows at Madison Square Garden in New York (10 October), Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center (12 October), CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore (15 October), Greensboro Coliseum (17 October), Atlanta’s State Farm Arena (19 October), Little Caesars Arena, Detroit (22 October), Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee (24 October) and Minneapolis’ Target Center (27 October), concluding at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on 30 October).

Wonder, who is repped by CAA, will be offering a designated amount of complimentary tickets to “those in our communities who are already working tirelessly to fix our nation’s broken heart”.

Last week meanwhile, Semmel Concerts & RCI Global announced Hans Zimmer will return to Europe’s biggest arenas in 2025 and 2026 with Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level. More than 400,000 fans witnessed Zimmer’s most recent European tour.

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Metallica has announced a 46-date world tour, which will see them play two dates in every city they visit but with a new setlist and different support acts on each of the nights.

The M27 outing comprises 23 ‘No Repeat Weekends’ in Europe, North America and South America between April 2023 and September 2024. Venues on the tour are yet to be announced.

The tour, produced by Live Nation and presented by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey, will premiere a new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed Metallica Snake Pit to centre stage.

Support acts joining the jaunt include Architects, Mammoth WVH, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, Pantera, Volbeat and Greta Van Fleet.

Fans will have the option of purchasing a single-day ticket, a two-day ticket or an ‘I Disappear’ full-tour pass. For the first time, discounted tickets will be available for fans under 16 years of age.

A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to the band’s All Within My Hands foundation, which is dedicated to “creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services”.

News of the tour comes shortly after Metallica announced they would play two unique sets on the Thursday and Saturday nights of the UK’s Download festival.

The American rock band, which is represented by K2 Agency founder John Jackson, says they haven’t played the same set twice in almost 20 years.

See the full list of dates for Metallica’s M27 world tour below.

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London-based K2 Agency has signed metal superstars Bullet for My Valentine for all international (excluding North America) representation.

The signing is the first major deal struck by K2 following the agency’s partnering with private-equity company Yucaipa’s Y Entertainment Group in August.

“I have admired Bullet for many years and I am honoured to be chosen to represent such an iconic British band,” comments K2 founder John Jackson. “K2 and Raw Power Management will be a formidable force, and I look forward to working with Craig Jennings and his fantastic team.”

“I am honoured to be chosen to represent such an iconic British band”

Bullet for My Valentine, who were formerly represented by UTA’s Paul Ryan, continue with CAA in the US and Canada.

The band are currently working on their seventh studio album, the follow-up to 2018’s Gravity, with plans for a tour in 2021.

Bullet join the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, A Day to Remember, Ghost, Alter Bridge, Shinedown, Volbeat, Gojira and Mastodon on K2’s roster of rock and metal heavyweights.

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UK-based international booking agency K2, which represents the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slayer, has announced a joint venture with investment firm Yucaipa’s umbrella of companies.

Under the new partnership, K2 joins the Yucaipa-owned international booking agency Artist Group International (AGI) in the Y Entertainment Group.

Yucaipa’s existing interests in the music industry also include a joint venture with Paradigm Talent Agency, a minority stake in Primavera Sound and Primavera Pro and an acquisition of US promoter Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP).

“I have had the pleasure of collaborating with [AGI chairman] Dennis and the team at AGI for many years,” says K2 founder and renowned music agent John Jackson.

“Not only is there mutual respect between us, but we share a similar philosophy and work ethic when it comes to our artists, agents and staff. As such, joining forces is the perfect fit and an opportunity to flourish on the global stage.”

K2 agency was launched in 2004 and in recent years has acquired UK companies EGO Agency and Factory Music Management and Agency.

“Joining forces is the perfect fit and an opportunity to flourish”

Founder of Factory Music Management and Agency, Sharon Richardson, brought to K2 her roster of over 20 rock and metal artists, which include Delain, Sabaton, Steve Harris’s British Lion and Metal Allegiance. The acquisition of EGO brought over company founder Jim Morewood, agent Yerry Stetter, and EGO’s largely heavy metal-focused roster.

Chairman Dennis Arfa says, “John runs one of the best agencies in the world. We’re thrilled to be working with him and his K2 team. We share many clients including Metallica, Ghost, and Volbeat and over the years have developed a natural synergy. We are pleased that our ownership has staunchly facilitated and supported our expansion efforts.”

AGI was founded in 1986 and represents artists such as Billy Joel, Metallica, Def Leppard, Rod Stewart and Motley Crue.

It was acquired by The Yucaipa Companies in 2011, with an eye towards expanding its reach in the live entertainment space through strategic acquisitions and organic growth.

The companies say plans for collaboration, expansion and diversification will be further revealed in the coming months.

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US thrash-metal legends Slayer, along with their management, agent and promoter, were presented with award frames by the SSE Arena Wembley following their last-ever show at the 12,500-cap. London venue.

The awards were handed out by arena GM John Drury and booking manager James Harrison following the sold-out 3 November concert, part of the band’s Farewell world tour. After support from Obituary, Anthrax and Lamb of God, the show kicked off with ‘Repentless’, accompanied by 10ft columns of fire erupting from the stage, and came to a close nearly an hour and a half later with an encore comprising ‘Raining Blood’ and ‘Angel of Death’.

Pictured after the show, left to right, are Tom Araya and Ernie Gonzalez (Slayer); John Jackson (K2 Agency); Kristen Mulderig (manager); Kerry King (Slayer); Rick Sales (manager); Gary Holt (Slayer); John Drury; Andy Copping (Live Nation); Jane Miller (K2 Agency); James Harrison; and Paul Bostaph (Slayer).

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IQ’s New Bosses 2018 goes live today, with agents dominating the winners shortlist – no fewer than six bookers make our annual top ten.

The New Bosses scheme is now in its 11^th year and relies on IQ readers and ILMC’s members to nominate those individuals, aged 30 and under, whom they believe are helping to shape the future of the live music industry. And it would seem you are good judges of character, as looking back across the New Bosses over the previous ten years, many of our named winners have indeed gone on to become leaders in their chosen fields.

So, congratulations go to this year’s cream of the crop: Bradlee Banbury (Creative Artists Agency), Kelly Bennaton (DHP Family), Leo Benton (K2 Agency), Tom Bownes (Live Nation), Erin Coleman (Paper and Iron Booking), Kevin Jergenson (ICM Partners), Michael Jones (The MJR Group), Maxim Karlik (United Talent Agency), Meryl Luzzi (Paradigm Talent Agency) and Aino-Maria Paasivirta (Fullsteam Agency).

“I remember pitching for an act and the agent subtly mentioned I had won the award, to the artist and manager; they were so impressed, I am now their national promoter.”

IQ’s New Bosses will be automatically shortlisted for the Tomorrow’s New Boss Award at the Arthur Awards in March 2019 – voting for which will open in mid-November. Last year’s winner, Anna-Sophie Mertens from Live Nation UK, comments, “Nothing beats being able to call yourself Tomorrow’s New Boss! The best part is your colleagues and business partners never fail to highlight the title, whether to celebrate or to mock you.

“I remember pitching for an act and the agent subtly mentioned I had won the award, to the artist and manager; they were so impressed, I am now their national promoter. Congratulations to this year’s New Bosses.”

To find out more about this year’s winners, click here to read our New Bosses 2018 feature.

Our winners also gave IQ lengthier insights into their careers and working methods, the full versions of which will be posted here on the IQ website over the coming weeks, so be sure to check the website regularly to find out more about Aino-Maria, Bradlee, Erin, Kelly, Kevin, Leo, Maxim, Meryl, Michael and Tom.

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