To celebrate the hard work of the numerous independent operators that make the live entertainment industry such a vibrant – and growing – business worldwide, IQ is publishing its inaugural Indie Champions list.

Our shortlist of 20 companies were chosen by the IQ readership and have headquarters across 11 different nations but service live events the world over, thanks to their various satellite offices and the artists and partners they work with.

The Indie Champions will become an annual staple of IQ, so if your company did not make it onto this year’s debut list, fear not, as you have a full ten months to prove your credentials to friends, colleagues, and business partners ahead of next year’s nomination process.

IQ will continue to publish entries across all categories over the coming days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of IQ here. Find part one, which includes Alter Art, Crosstown Concerts and more, here.

evenko (CA)

One of Canada’s largest independent promoters, evenko produces nearly 1,600 music, family, and sports events throughout Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, and the eastern United States on an annual basis. Its key events include hugely successful music festivals OSHEAGA Music and Arts Festival, FUEGO FUEGO, îLESONIQ, and LASSO Montréal, while throughout the year, the company regularly presents shows by Disney on Ice, Cirque du Soleil, and several Broadway shows.

In 2024, evenko’s four festivals attracted more than 270,000 music lovers of all genres – îLESONIQ (55,000), OSHEAGA (147,000), FUEGO FUEGO (35,000), and LASSO Montreal (35,000) – while the company also promoted shows by the likes of Madonna, Burna Boy, Olivia Rodrigo, Andrea Bocelli, Noah Kahan, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, Cyndi Lauper, Justin Timberlake, and Sabrina Carpenter. It will round off the year with performances by Bruce Springsteen, Iron Maiden, Cirque du Soleil, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Russell Peters.

Legendary acts such as Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Justice appeared as part of the lineup for OSHEAGA’s 17th edition

The company’s festival lineups in 2024 included acts like SZA, Chappell Roan, Maluma, Noah Kahan, Sam Hunt, Tiësto, Rauw Alejandro, and Eric Church, while legendary acts such as Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Justice appeared as part of the lineup for OSHEAGA’s 17th edition.

Jelly Roll and Bailey Zimmerman are set to headline the fourth edition of LASSO Montréal country music festival next August, and the company will promote shows by Kylie Minogue, Jerry Seinfeld & Jim Gaffigan, Heart, Kane Brown, and more at Montréal’s Bell Centre in the coming year.

Fource (CZ)

Anthony Jouet founded Fource in 2011, after finding himself working in Prague as a consultant in-house promoter at the city’s O2 Arena. “I felt there was a gap in the market, but I was frustrated to be tied to arena shows, so I told my boss, Jacob Smid, and between us we set up Fource to specialise in artist development,” he explains.

The idea was a success and, in 2017, Fource opened a second office in Warsaw, Poland.

“Our business model is based on artist development. So usually, we begin at club level with the artists that we decide to work with. And then we develop them in the market and work with all the possible venues in town up to arena level. 95% of what we do is promote shows.”

“It was very important that we are accountable for everything that we do”

Jouet’s approach to artist development is taking everything in-house. “We have our own ticketing [team], we do our own production, and we have our own marketing team, rather than doing what other players do here, which is relying on venues to promote their shows. For me, it was very important that we are accountable for everything that we do.”

Now employing eight people in Prague and five in Warsaw, the organic growth of Fource sees the company now promoting around 100 shows a year in Czechia and 80 in Poland.

Gérard Drouot Productions (FR)

Founded by Gérard Drouot in 1986, Gérard Drouot Productions (GDP) has become a pillar of concert production in the French music industry, while its name is recognised, appreciated, and trusted by artists and their fans all over the world. Now run by the late founder’s son, Matthieu, the company remains fiercely independent through its continual desire to renew itself and to approach each tour and event as a unique project, requiring creative marketing and promotional strategies.

As a lover of jazz, Gérard Drouot quickly added rock and pop, and more recently, rap, to the company’s portfolio, while film concerts have also become a speciality.

Despite the death of Gérard in 2022, GDP has a bright future ahead of it

GDP’s reputation revolves around relationships built on trust, offering artists opportunities to go beyond the norm to produce memorable performances, be they in a 400-seat venue or at the massive Stade de France. Despite the death of Gérard in 2022, GDP has a bright future ahead of it, with Matthieu Drouot overseeing 600 shows per year, including a raft of upcoming shows whose eclectic range is emphasised by the likes of Fally Ipupa, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Shaârghot, The World of Hans Zimmer, Cradle of Filth, and Laura Pausini.

Greenhouse Talent (BE)

Founded by Pascal Van De Velde in 2005, Greenhouse Talent has become the largest indie concert promoter in Benelux, with 50 employees across Belgium and The Netherlands organising around 1,500 events annually for 1.5m fans. Van De Velde’s promoting career began when he was a teenager, and his pathway to launching Greenhouse saw him working for Belgian independent Make It Happen before that became part of the SFX/Clear Channel/Live Nation stable in 2001, where he worked as a consultant before creating his own operation.

“We promote international and domestic shows, we are a booking agency, and we organise festivals, comedy, and family shows,” says Van De Velde. “We do it all: production, marketing, admin, legal, and ticketing; and our mission is to remain talent-driven and participate in the growth process of our artists, based on a personal approach tailored to the artist’s career demands.”

“We do it all”

Among the company’s cornerstone events are Gent Jazz (57,000 attendees in 2024) and Netherlands events such as Zuiderpark Live (25,000), Spoorpark Live (22,500), and Country to
Country festival (10,000).

Looking ahead, Greenhouse has sold more than 200,000 tickets for a series of 40th anniversary shows for Clouseau at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, and two sold-out shows with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at the same venue. And in the Netherlands, the company will host UB40 at Ziggo Dome, Fally Ipupa at RTM Stage, NCT Dream at Rotterdam Ahoy, Max Richter at Carré, and Kaleo at AFAS Live before the end of this year.

Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion (DE)

The company was officially founded in 1962 by Karsten Jahnke, who finally turned his hobby of promoting concerts into a business. These days, it offers touring services in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as local shows in Hamburg, including, for the past 49 years, Stadtpark Open Air from mid-May to mid-September.

The company is involved in festivals like Reeperbahn, MS Dockville, Spektrum, Habitat, Vogelball, Elbjazz, Überjazz, and Baltic Soul Weekender. Touring clients include The Cure, Beck, Childish Gambino, BLACKPINK, ATEEZ, Branford Marsalis, Cypress Hill, Diana Krall, Gianna Nannini, Gregory Porter, Erasure, Herbie Hancock, Ludovico Einaudi, Nils Landgren, Portishead, Royel Otis, Taylor Swift, Thundercat, Tower of Power, Sasha Velour, Walk off the Earth, Trixie & Katya, Van Morrison, and Wu-Tang Clan.

It offers touring services in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

With a staff of 50 employees, this year, the company promoted two shows with Taylor Swift at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion; tours with Joss Stone, Diana Krall, Sean Paul, Cypress Hill, Birdy, Garbage, Kaleo, Childish Gambino, Gianna Nannini, Gregory Porter, and Tower of Power, amongst many others; around 1,200 shows in the GAS region; and 350-400 shows in Hamburg each year.

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.

The team at Germany’s Stadtpark Open Air are making preparations for its 50th anniversary next year after welcoming around 160,000 fans in 2024.

Presented by Karsten Jahnke Concert Management (KJCM), the 4,000-cap Hamburg concert series ran a total of 44 events between May and September headliners with such as Noah Kahan, Alice Cooper, Dropkick Murphys, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Diana Krall, Loyle Carner, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets and Keane.

“It is a great pleasure every year to host the Stadtpark Open Air season and to experience fantastic concerts in this unique atmosphere,” says MD Ben Mitha, as per t-online. “It is particularly nice to feel the cross-generational enthusiasm that unites regulars and newcomers.”

The sole disappointment surrounded Ronan Keating’s 4 September gig, which was cancelled shortly before it was due to begin due to thunderstorms, with the area subsequently evacuated.

“The team is now working with great motivation to make the big anniversary season, 50 years of Stadtpark Open Air, next year a very special one”

“Safety must always take priority. And given the extreme lightning, we unfortunately had no other choice,” KCM press spokesperson Frehn Hawel told the Abendblatt in the wake of the cancellation. Despite organisers’ best efforts, it was not possible to reschedule Keating’s performance.

Meanwhile, a performance by OneRepublic in June was brought forward by an hour because of a storm warning.

Preparations for Stadtpark Open Air’s golden anniversary in 2025 are already well underway, with the season’s traditional curtain raiser Lotto King Karl confirmed for 17 May and Gregory Porter announced for 10 July.

“The team is now working with great motivation to make the big anniversary season, 50 years of Stadtpark Open Air, next year a very special one,” adds Mitha.

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.

The 17th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses, in association with Futures Forum, was revealed in IQ 129, recognising 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business. 

To get to know this year’s class a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2024’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Passionate about the performing arts, Emilia Backhaus majored in theatre and media studies before interning at Reeperbahn Festival. Inspired by her mother’s stories of legendary promoter Karsten Jahnke, she landed an apprenticeship at Karsten’s company, and two years later, began working alongside CEO Ben Mitha on international acts such as Blackpink, Childish Gambino, Ludovico Einaudi, and Diana Krall, while this summer, she has been focusing on Taylor Swift’s stadium shows.

Having a background in theatre, you probably approach the music side of things from a different perspective than most of your peers. How would you encourage more people with a similar background to explore careers in live music?
I was always a little conscious about not having a background in music but I think it sometimes helps as you can see the bigger picture of a performance, experiencing the music as a fan would rather than focusing too much on minor technicalities like a drum missing a beat or a guitar being slightly off. You don’t have to have booked your first gig at 13 in your local youth club or know every Rolling Stones song. You can major in theatre and still end up being involved in Taylor Swift shows. The live music industry offers a wide variety of jobs, so in the beginning, I tried to experience as many aspects of it as I could: working in a venue, as a local promoter, at a record label, and eventually settling in the tour department. Take your time, find your niche, and don’t be intimidated by men in the industry who have played guitar since they were two years old.

You work with a lot of drag acts. How have you seen that scene develop during your time in it?
I have been really interested in the US drag scene for a while now and I was really happy to see more and more people in Germany recognising the amazing performances that drag acts offer. The bigger acts are still coming from the US, but I do see a lot more local artists getting a platform, which is amazing and what we should be working towards. I think the German drag market is still in its early stages, but there is a lot more to come. It’s important for me to get more people to see the extravagant, funny, and highly political sides of drag. And who wouldn’t be amazed by Sasha Velour starting her show singing dressed up as a chair?

“I think the German drag market is still in its early stages, but there is a lot more to come”

Diversity is very important to you. In your opinion, what could the rest of the German industry – and indeed the entertainment business globally – be doing to improve the situation?
Realising that diversity is a chance and that it will take us further, rather than setting us back. We need the people who are currently making the decisions to make space for others. Decision-makers should mentor the next generation, hand over responsibility, and step back when necessary. For instance, one approach that stuck with me: no highly important meetings after 3 PM, to allow people who work part-time due to care work to still participate. So to everyone currently making decisions: open the door, grab a chair, and invite new people to the table! And everyone: talk openly about your salaries. Transparency is an important step toward equality.

You’ve been working on the biggest tour in history. Without giving away any trade secrets, what are some of the things you’ve learned about working with Taylor’s team on these historic shows?
The importance of an NDA… But talking about our team, it takes a lot of people to make something like this happen. With such a strong team and a broad variety of competencies on site, there is always a solution. Not having a decade or more of industry experience, there were situations where I lost my cool, but I was always reminded that everybody knows somebody who knows someone that can fix the problem. It was incredible to see the whole team working together on these shows.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Being involved in the Taylor Swift shows in Hamburg was definitely a highlight. Working on it for over a year, practically moving into the stadium before the shows, and then watching her pop out of the stage. Seeing everything come together after all the hours we put in and watching a sold-out stadium cheering for the artist, knowing I had been a part of something this big was very moving. There might have been a tear, but that might have also been due to the lack of sleep.

“Being involved in the Taylor Swift shows in Hamburg was definitely a highlight”

And what about any low points?
Working from my kitchen table during the pandemic in my one-room apartment was tough. First postponing the shows I was really excited about for the third time and then eventually canceling them. It took a lot during that time to remember why we are doing this. But as soon as I got away from that kitchen table and back into the venues, it came back to me.

What’s the best advice you have been given?
There are two: Be kind. Even if you have slept for two hours and the artist’s name is nowhere to be found on the hotel’s list. Be kind and look for solutions. A phone call goes a long way. In most cases, it is better to just call than to write three emails.

What would you like to be doing in five years’ time? 
Hopefully being on your 35 Under 35 list! And keep being involved in new approaches to promoting live entertainment and maybe bringing Taylor Swift back to Germany with another era or two.

What do you do outside of work to relax?
I am annoyingly passionate about films and cinema. That is where I spend a lot of my time. I enjoy completely falling into the plot of a film or a play. That is probably why I enjoy extravagant show productions so much. I always have. I also play squash, so hitting a ball against a wall for 45 minutes and the cinema is a pretty good mix to keep me balanced throughout this sometimes hectic day-to-day.

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.

KCON, the Korean pop music and culture convention operated by Korea’s largest media conglomerate CJ ENM, will debut in Germany this September.

Organised by Karsten Jahnke in cooperation with AEG Presents and CJ ENM, the German premiere is slated for 28–29 September at the Messe Frankfurt complex, with artists to be announced.

The last European KCON was held in Paris, France in 2016, and the French edition of CJ ENM’s K-pop music chart show, M COUNTDOWN FRANCE, was held in 2023.

KCON was launched in the US in 2012 and has since been held in Japan, UAE, France, Mexico, Australia, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.

“KCON Germany 2024 has much more to offer than fans would expect at a premiere”

Over the past 12 years, the brand has drawn around 1.83 million fans worldwide, earning the title of ‘The world’s biggest K-pop fan and artist festival’.

“We are very happy that KCON will be held in Germany for the first time – especially for the K-Pop fans in Europe who have been waiting for this for so long,” says Harry HK Shin, head of music Entertainment at CJ ENM.

“With spectacular stage shows and a diverse program, KCON Germany 2024 has much more to offer than fans would expect at a premiere. We will do our best to create and offer interactive and comprehensive experiences between fans and artists.”

KCON is due to hold five editions this year: Hong Kong and Japan editions have already taken place, a Los Angeles instalment is set for July, and Saudi Arabia is on the cards.

Germany previously hosted Europe’s first K-pop festival, Kpop.Flex festival, which sold more than 70,000 tickets in 84 countries.

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.

European conference and showcase festival Reeperbahn has announced a keynote speech with FKP Scorpio boss Folkert Koopmans on the current state of the festival market.

The news comes as Reepberbahn announces the first wave of names for this year’s event, taking place between 20 and 23 September across Hamburg, Germany.

This year’s conference programme will revolve around the theme of social sustainability, with discussions on monopolisation, AI, abuse of power and discrimination-free spaces, diversity, transformation processes, tomorrow’s perspectives, challenging a growth mentality and overcoming upheavals.

This year’s conference programme will revolve around the theme of social sustainability

Under that banner, Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion’s CEO Ben Mitha will be exploring the market power of the music industry’s stars, while digital transformation expert Charlotte Stahl (head of music operations DACH, TikTok) will talk about the best ways musicians can exploit the opportunities of TikTok.

Kiki Ressler (CEO, KKT), e-commerce expert Iris Bögenholz (COO, white label eCommerce) and Rembert Stiewe (festival director, OBS, Glitterhouse) will be discussing the impact of models, such as dynamic pricing or social ticketing, on the ticket market.

Elsewhere, mental health will be the main theme covered by songwriter Clueso in conversation with his manager Dr. Olaf Meinking. The pair will discuss the challenges faced by artists dealing with the highs and lows of their careers as well as the special relationship that exists between artists and their managers.

A rundown of all the speakers confirmed so far for the conference programme at Reeperbahn Festival is available 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.

German concert legend Karsten Jahnke was honoured with the Bottle Award as the international live music business flocked to the biggest Arthur Awards yet.

With more than 400 professionals in attendance at ILMC’s new home, the five-star Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, it was the most well-attended Gala Dinner in the event’s history.

Reflecting this year’s focus on the Latin live music market, this edition took place as The ILMC Gala Fiesta & Arturo Awards, with AEG Presents’ Lucy Noble and A Greener Festival CEO Claire O’Neill standing in for CAA’s Emma Banks as hosts.

Eleven gongs were awarded in total, including the Bottle Award, which recognises an individual who has contributed greatly to the live music industry. Jahnke, founder of Germany’s renowned Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion, celebrated his 60th year in the business last year.

Elsewhere, the top promoter gong went to Kelly Chappel of Live Nation, while the ‘second least offensive agent’ category was won by Alex Bruford of ATC Live. The top festival award (Ligger’s Favourite Festival) went to Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival.

“Many thanks to all the live music professionals at the 2023 ILMC Gala Dinner who helped make it the biggest edition in our long history”

“Congratulations to this year’s deserving Arthur winners, and many thanks to all the live music professionals at the 2023 ILMC Gala Dinner who helped make it the biggest edition in our long history,” says ILMC MD Greg Parmley. “It was a particular pleasure to recognise Karsten Jahnke with the prestigious Bottle Award, with him having celebrated a phenomenal 60 years in business in 2022.”

For more than two and a half decades, The Arthur Awards have been handed out during ILMC. The shortlist of nominees in each category are decided by a committee of 150 industry professionals. Winners are then decided by a combination of an open vote of all ILMC members and IQ Magazine readers, and a closed panel of judges made up of senior industry figures.

The full list of 2023 Arthur Awards winners is as follows:

THE VENUE AWARD
(FIRST VENUE TO COME INTO YOUR HEAD)
Barclays Arena, Hamburg

THE PROMOTER AWARD
(THE PROMOTERS’ PROMOTER)
Kelly Chappel, Live Nation

THE AGENT AWARD
(SECOND LEAST OFFENSIVE AGENT)
Alex Bruford, ATC Live

THE FESTIVAL AWARD
(LIGGERS’ FAVOURITE FESTIVAL)
Montreux Jazz Festival

THE PRODUCTION SERVICES AWARD
(SERVICES ABOVE & BEYOND)
Beat the Street

THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD
(MOST PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL)
Katie Moore, Live Nation

THE ASSISTANT AWARD
(THE PEOPLE’S ASSISTANT)
Kai Henderson, AEG Presents

THE TICKETING PROFESSIONAL AWARD
(THE GOLDEN TICKET)
Marcia Titley, Eventim Norway & Sweden

THE INDUSTRY CHAMPION AWARD
(THE UNSUNG HERO)
Holger Jan Schmidt, YOUROPE

YOUNG EXECUTIVE AWARD
(TOMORROW’S NEW BOSS)
Dan Rais, CAA

THE BOTTLE AWARD
Karsten Jahnke, Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion

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.

Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion and Morgenwelt owner Björn Hansen have taken a stake in Hamburg-based festival promoter Kopf & Steine via their joint venture KJ Projects.

Kopf & Steine has been promoting festivals in the Hamburg district of Wilhelmsburg since 2007, such as MS Dockville, Vogelball, Spektrum, MS Artville, Habitat festival and Lüttville.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Claudio and Frank, who, together with their former partner Enno Arndt, have created great formats over the last 15 years!” says Ben Mitha and Björn Hansen, managing directors of KJ Projects.

“MS Dockville, Vogelball and Spektrum have been excellently positioned in the festival landscape and also are continuously developed with a lot of love and and eye for detail, so that they are now considered renowned institutions in the international festival calendar. The current times are characterised by many challenges for creative industries, which is why the new constellation enables us to bundle our interests vis-à-vis politics, administration and service providers, so we can represent them even more strongly in the future.

“The new constellation enables us to bundle our interests vis-à-vis politics, administration and service providers”

“At the same time, this participation underpins our strategy of extending the value chain within the framework of our own network. Through our affiliated companies such as Stereolicious GmbH (event catering) and ADDWISE Engineering GmbH (production and festival planning office), a high level of added value is created not only for all those involved but also for Hamburg as a city of culture. It is important to all of us that Hamburg continues to be an important music location in the future, known internationally for its cultural offerings and strong cultural and festival formats. Especially in the current situation, strong and independent partners and a joint strategy for action are indispensable, so the cooperation between KJ Projects and Kopf & Steine was a logical step.”

Claudio Urban and Frank Diekmann, managing directors of Kopf & Steine, add: “Kopf & Steine has welcomed KJP into its team of shareholders: This share is a great benefit for our formats and the future of music, art and festivals in Hamburg and Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. We count on KJP as a strong partner with whom we can continue to maintain Kopf & Steine’s independence in the festival industry – and at the same time look forward to a close collaboration in which we can learn and benefit from each other in many areas.

“With almost 100,000 visitors, the festival summer on the Elbe island is a beacon of Hamburg’s music and cultural landscape. Together, we strengthen these formats – such as MS Dockville, Vogelball and Spektrum – while also preserving the jobs related to them and additionally create numerous synergies while doing this. This partnership will ensure that independent, diverse and well-attended festivals will continue to take place in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg in the future. Hamburg will remain to be a headliner for music, culture and festivals – this is the aim we will be working on together with Ben Mitha, Björn Hansen, KJ Projects and the Kopf & Steine team. We are very much looking forward to taking this next step together.”

Founded in 2021, KJ Projects is responsible for festival and open-air formats such as Baltic Soul Weekender, Cruise Inn Hamburg and also Zeltphilharmonie.

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.

Ahead of the return of our daily IQ Index newsletter on Tuesday, 3 January, we are revisiting some of our most popular interviews from the last 12 months. Here, we celebrate 60 years of legendary German promoter Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion…

When Karsten Jahnke registered the company name back in 1962, the enthusiastic music man had already been immersed in his favourite genre –jazz – since the decade before but admits that running a company that would allow him to indulge in his passion was never really a goal.

“The first jazz ball I promoted was 1959 for a band of a friend,” he recalls. “Afterwards, I remember receiving a letter from the authorities telling me that I needed a type of licence to put on such a show.”

At the time, Karsten was working in an export company in Hamburg, but with his evenings free, he would organise shows when he found the time and otherwise spent his waking hours listening to jazz records and trying to contact the representatives of the artists he liked best.

Finally, in 1962, his employer persuaded him it was maybe time to chase the dream, and with the registration of Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion (KJK), he took possession of the licence that local government had been urging him to obtain for his concerts and events.

“When I started, I had one assistant and one freelancer because I have no knowledge about the technical side of things, so I made sure to have an expert for the technology,” he tells IQ. “I had a fantastic start because I was working with a German ‘nonsense’ group called Insterburg & Co. and every year we had between 80-150 sold-out shows with capacities of 1,000-2,000. So for ten solid years, we made money.”

““When I started, I had one assistant and one freelancer because I have no knowledge about the technical side of things”

The success of the boutique KJK operation also attracted the attention of Germany’s powerhouse promoters, and Karsten would often find himself working with Marcel Avram and Marek Lieberberg at Mama Concerts, as well as Fritz Rau, who dominated the German market from the 1950s right through to the 80s. Those collaborations saw Karsten working with the likes of David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Santana, and Neil Diamond, expanding his roster beyond its jazz routes.

Indeed, while losing money on the odd show was, of course, part of the reality of being a promoter, the first time Karsten experienced real difficulties was 20 years into his career. “It was 1983, and Marius Müller-Westernhagen cancelled a tour one day before it was scheduled to start,” says Karsten.

“I was insured by an English company who said they would pay, but all of a sudden it was six months later, so I employed an English lawyer, and after 18 months we got the money, which at that time was DM650,000. It was a lot of money [about €330,000 in today’s money], and if we had not got it back, the company would have been bankrupt.”

While a passion for the art lies at the heart of everything Karsten does, he is a realist when it comes to working in the industry. “I like music, but it makes no sense if you like the music and you can’t make money,” he states. “We had a lot of successful tours and, okay, sometimes you lose some artists – Depeche Mode we lost, Herbert Grönemeyer we lost. But some, like The Dubliners, we’ve booked for their entire 40 years. And we still have Peter Gabriel and we still have The Cure, so to be honest, I’m really happy.”

I like music, but it makes no sense if you like the music and you can’t make money”

Keeping it in the Family
Although Karsten was always keen to keep his eponymous company within the family, sons Torsten and Heiko found careers elsewhere, albeit Torsten still designs many of the company posters and artwork, while Heiko curates ÜBERJAZZ Festival and works with the company’s booking team on certain acts. Instead, the family business skipped a generation, with grandson Ben Mitha assuming the CEO role in 2014 alongside his grandfather and long-time chief Hauke Tedsen as the company’s three general managers. But it wasn’t always a certainty that Ben would take over the reins.

“During my school days, there was always this soft push and wish of Karsten to get somehow involved in the company,” he reveals. “But I kept my options open to do something different. So when I finished my A levels, it was a choice for me to either go into sports journalism or go Karsten’s way.”

The decision was made during an open house visit to Hamburg University. “Part of the programme was a journalism lecture,” says Ben. “There were, like, 2,000 people in there and about 2,000 more trying to get in. So I realised, no matter how good I think I am, pursuing a career as a journalist would be challenging. So I made the decision to go into music business and never regretted it.”

Keen to learn his trade, Ben found a role as an intern for Ted Kurland in Boston, while embarking on dual studies for both a bachelor degree and a merchant degree. “After three years, I had both degrees, and then I just started working my way through at KJK, starting as a booker and working my way up to managing director as I assumed more and more responsibilities.”

“We are now in a position where we pretty much have a specialist or a booker with knowledge of pretty much every genre”

“Of course, he started really when he was three years old in the StadtPark during the summer,” interjects Karsten. “Little Ben was always around, and he loved it.”

“It’s true,” says Ben. “My mom did the box office at Stadtpark, so I was always hanging around and playing in the bushes and stuff like that. So I suppose I got the experience from very early on.”

Karsten describes Ben’s path to the top as natural. “As a school pupil, he started to work at the company during his holidays. And after his A Levels, he started his own company, Digga Events, a full-service agency for security and stage personnel that now also handles concert production. So when he decided to join our company, it seemed like a very logical next step, and I was really happy to have a family member on board to have him leading the company into the future.”

And Ben’s impact on KJK’s activities over the past decade has been obvious. “When I started at the company, I started to open up the general roster in a more diverse and wider way,” he explains. “So we are now in a position where we pretty much have a specialist or a booker with knowledge of pretty much every genre except the classical market and German folklore (schlager) business, which we don’t cover.

“The first ILMCs I joined Karsten at, I could see that everybody knew him, everybody liked him, everybody respected him”

“While Karsten loves jazz, I originally come from the hip-hop and urban world,” he adds. “There are a few names I’m working with now, like Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, J. Cole, who definitely are some heroes from my teenager years. It makes me proud to be a small, tiny part of their art.”

That passion for music is something passed down the generations, and Ben is in no doubt about the legacy his grandfather has created for the family.

“Karsten’s 70th birthday was a big party at the Schauspielhaus in Hamburg with 1,200 guests,” recalls Ben. “It was remarkable how many domestic and international stars showed up – Paul Weller, The Dubliners, Nils Landgren, Til Brönner, Herman van Veen, Justin Nozuka – as well as loads of politicians and celebrities. It was really impressive to see how many people travelled to Hamburg just to honour this guy.”

And he says his first trips to the Royal Garden Hotel similarly underlined his grandfather’s status in his eyes. “The first ILMCs I joined Karsten at, I could see that everybody knew him, everybody liked him, everybody respected him and wanted to speak to him. Seeing his standing on the international stage showed me how well respected Karsten is throughout the business.”

“[Karsten] taught me that life is too short to deal with assholes”

So with such a sage to learn from, what has the grandfather’s best advice been to the new company leader? “He taught me that life is too short to deal with assholes,” says Ben. “Besides that, I try to follow his style and manner of doing business. We have a saying in Germany that he is a typical Hanseatic businessman, which means he is always laid back, calm, loyal, trustworthy and respectful. That’s something he showed me from the very beginning, and I try to keep that spirit alive. Your word is your bond.”

Covid
Marking the company’s 60th anniversary while the German market is still trying to manoeuvre its way out of Covid restrictions will undoubtedly put a dampener on celebrations, but it hasn’t stopped the KJK staff from working tirelessly to prepare for their return to action.

“During the last two years, there was a strong focus on local and domestic artists because those were the only ones available and the only ones present in Germany,” Ben observes. However, he pours scorn on suggestions that emerging domestic talent has benefitted.

“Germany only had a few newcomers that came through, because the only thing they could do was streaming or some social media stuff. Otherwise, there was a huge lack of options and possibilities for the newcomers to come through,” notes Ben. “Obviously, the more popular and well-known domestic artists had a platform because all the attention was focused on them. But everything that comes after them struggled during the last two years. So I wouldn’t say that the domestic scene has experienced much growth.”

“Germany is one of the very few countries that still has so many local promoters in place”

Examining the changes to the German market during the pandemic, Ben notes the arrival of both DreamHaus and All Artists Agency, but he believes the new sense of camaraderie within the country is also boosted by the very unique nature of the way in which the live music business operates in the nation.

“As it stands right now, we are all very cooperative and there’s a spirit of solidarity, but once you open the gates and the normal competition comes back in, this will be shifted to the side pretty quickly,” he laughs.

He continues, “Germany is one of the very few countries that still has so many local promoters in place. Everywhere else is more centralised and the big players can easily take over a whole country by storm. It doesn’t work that way in Germany because of our historic background and also from the cultural differences within the country – the people from Bavaria are very different than we are in the north; the people in Eastern Germany are very different than the Western people, and stuff like that.”

Nonetheless, KJK is not immune from attracting suitors, and the pandemic has seen a number of approaches from corporations keen to add the Hamburg-based experts to their portfolio.
“We had some offers, but I was not interested,” Karsten tells IQ. “I want us to remain independent, and with such a young guy by my side, I can be happy.”

“I want us to remain independent, and with such a young guy by my side, I can be happy.”

Ben says, “Yes, a couple of bigger corporates approached us. Corona has been hard for all of us, but the company came through pretty well because we had good years before the pandemic, and we had lots of money saved that we could use to get us through this crisis.

“If we were to sell the company, it would be because the deal would bring us certain benefits: maybe access to another pool of artists that we couldn’t get access to without being part of a corporate, or maybe synergies in the label world. But so far, everybody who approached us just wanted to give us a ton of money for 50% of our annual revenues. And that’s not interesting for us at all because we don’t need to sell anything or to generate money.”

Talking through KJK’s Covid experience, both Karsten and Ben emphasise the strength in remaining independent, as they managed to retain all 46 staff and used government furlough schemes to keep staff on full pay when they were not otherwise working normal hours.

Detailing some of the company activity during 2020-21, Ben says, “We started with drive-in concerts, and then we took on seated shows at the Stadtpark with a very reduced audience – only playing one-quarter of the overall capacity. We also did a streaming series, and we came back in summer 21 with a whole bunch of open- air social distance concepts.

Loyalty toward employees is one of the reasons that many staff remain at the company for their entire career

“None of the shows made us any money, but they helped to keep us busy and to keep the whole infrastructure around us alive with all the suppliers, the crews, the bands, and the artists. This was one of our main concerns, as we saw it as our responsibility to keep our suppliers and the people we need open, ahead of things getting back to normal, otherwise we might have a huge lack of suppliers. So, that was our main intention for our pandemic shows.”

That loyalty toward employees is one of the reasons that many staff remain at the company for their entire career. “I started on first of April 1994, which makes it 28 years and counting,” says Frehn Hawel, the company’s head of communications, noting, “I’m not the only person clocking in around 30 years – there’s our third general manager, Hauke Tedsen, there’s Peter Gramsch head of our local department, and in my team I have Kai Friedrichsen who has also been here around 30 years. We have a long history of people who dedicate their lives to this company.”

And Hawel epitomises the family feel to KJK, having worked his way up through the ranks organically. “I was friends at school with Karsten’s youngest son, and when we moved into our first bachelor pad together, Karsten’s wife, Girlie, offered us some box office jobs to boost our income,” says Hawel. “My job during the day ended at five o’clock in the afternoon. So it was perfect to go to Karsten’s office, pick up everything and start in the box office at seven o’clock.”

Determined to find a full-time job with Karsten, Hawel even spent his holiday time doing an internship in the booking department at KJK. And it paid off when in 1994 a vacancy arose. “Unfortunately, it was not as a booker, but as a bookkeeper. But it got my foot in the door, and a couple of years later our press team left to join BMG’s record labels and, after a bit of persuasion, Karsten trusted me to step into the job. He just said ‘I think you’re my new press guy then.’ And that was that.”

“Karsten is an artist man, first and foremost”

With the company now around triple the size it was in the mid-90s, Hawel oversees a team of five people, all of whom are being moulded in the KJK tradition. “Karsten is an artist man, first and foremost,” states Hawel. “Ben is similar but he has a laser focus on the business side of things, too – they kind of feed off each other in terms of that Ben comes from an economic point of view. A company that’s only looking at figures will not have the connections to the artists that we have with our artists, so it works very well and the transition has been smooth.

“I know it was a relief for Karsten when Ben joined the company because Ben has a strong entrepreneurial side that allows him to see opportunities and then do the research to make sure they will be a success. The good thing from an employee’s point of view is we know the leaders will steer the ship, and we can trust them totally, and that’s been underlined by this pandemic – thanks to their leadership we’re emerging even more closely knit than we were before.”

Reeperbahn Festival
That concept of considering the needs of the industry is a Jahnke family trait. The company is a partner in the massively successful Reeperbahn Festival, with Karsten being one of the event’s founders.

“I met Karsten for the first time in 2004, when the company [had] already existed for more than 40 years,” Alex Schulz, managing director of Reeperbahn Festival, tells IQ. “I was searching for a professional promoter for my idea for Reeperbahn Festival because it was quite clear that we could not establish this event with only my company, which had absolutely no experience in artist booking, etc.

“It wasn’t a new idea, but the Reeperbahn in Hamburg is the absolute right place to present new music”

“The option to establish a platform for new talents and established acts that Karsten personally liked – no, loved – was definitely one of the driving forces. And from the first edition of Reeperbahn Festival in 2006 until now, Karsten is present at as many programme events as possible, from midday until midnight, four days in a row. Every year, about one week before the event starts, Karsten will call me in order to ask me to send a list of recommendations for both the conference sessions as well as concerts.”

Karsten states, “It wasn’t a new idea, but the Reeperbahn in Hamburg is the absolute right place to present new music. And now the conference is getting very big, alongside maybe the biggest showcase festival in Europe. The first idea was to present unknown bands, but now it’s an international festival and I think we’ve developed it well.”

Schulz believes that Inferno Events’ partnership with Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion has been crucial to the success of Reeperbahn, while the close relationship between the operations involves many of KJK’s staff working directly on the event. “Petra, Alina, Anja, Jessica, Frehn, Karen and Stefan are just a few of the people in the team that we share our daily business with,” he says.

“About ten years ago, Karsten introduced me to Ben, and I appreciate his point of view and advice very much, especially since we have been working closer together for the last two years.”

For his part, Ben comments, “At the beginning, we had the wrong strategy [for Reeperbahn], so we lost a ton of money because we just had too many venues and too many unknown bands involved. We thought about bringing bigger acts to smaller venues and charging specific venue tickets or day tickets to make up the finances, but that wasn’t the case, so we made big losses and that forced us to adapt the concept.”

“No matter how efficient and how successful we are, [Reeperbahn] would not be possible without the gov funding we receive”

Expanding the remit of the event to appeal to an international audience was part of the solution. “In the end, this is the success of Reeperbahn – it’s now a global brand,” says Ben. “People from abroad know that if you want to take your first steps in Europe, you can do it via Reeperbahn because you have everything in one place.

“But no matter how efficient and how successful we are, the festival and conference would not be possible without the government funding we receive, as the capacity is just too small to generate enough income to cover the costs on our own. But thankfully, this is recognised by the German government and the city of Hamburg who provide funding.”

The Future
While KJK’s principals carefully plot the company’s path out of the pandemic, its independent style already has it a step ahead of some of its peers in Germany. A number of promoters in Germany participated in the nation’s voucher scheme when the pandemic first hit the events calendar, but KJK opted out.

“I think it was mainly a tool for people who had cashflow problems,” says Ben. “So we decided not to participate, and I’m now hearing a lot of partners are facing huge problems because the scheme ran out at the end of last year but people now want refunds of their vouchers.”

“We are more hands-on simply because it’s our own money that we might lose”

Smooth Transition
The passing of the leadership baton to his grandson gives Karsten satisfaction on a number of levels. “Ben is now doing all the great shows that I promoted before. And that leaves me to do my favourite music: jazz,” says Karsten, who has created a genre-specific series called JazzNights. “In this series, I work with live venues like the Elbphilharmonie or the Old Opera in Frankfurt or the Philharmonic in Cologne, all the concert halls and so on. And musicians and audiences like these venues, so it’s been a great success.”

He adds, “When I was young, jazz was the most important music in Germany, in the 50s. Rock came in the early 60s, but the 50s was all about jazz. And for me, it’s the most interesting music. To be honest, it’s a privilege to promote music that you like, and even better if you don’t lose money.”

Not losing money is a bit of a family mantra. “Live Nation or AEG can easily say, ‘Okay, we might lose money in Germany, but that’s not a problem because we can cross-finance the tour with the UK leg or US or something like that,’” opines Ben.

“From our point of view, we only have this one market in which we can compete, so we have to be more thoughtful and careful about the offers because if we lose money, it’s not shareholder money, it’s our own money. And we don’t want to get in the situation where we can’t pay our wages or Karsten has to sell his house.”

But Ben also sees that process as an advantage. “We are more hands-on simply because it’s our own money that we might lose. So we put harder work into projects to make them a success.”

As for company expansion, Ben believes that “smart growth” is the way forward.

“We’re quite happy with the independent position we have in the market right now”

“We’re quite happy with the independent position we have in the market right now, and we also get a lot of trust and respect from our clients and the managers we work with because they like our hands-on approach.

“But at the same time, we look left and right. So, for example, we just took over the Baltic Soul Weekender, which is a huge soul-, r&b-, 60s-, Mo- town-related event, which perfectly fits our company’s strategy and our company brands. It’s a smart acquisition that totally makes sense.

“We also launched a new company called KJ Projects, which is currently running a 4,000-capacity tent venue in Hamburg because there’s a huge lack of venues of this size in the city. This is another smart approach for us to grow the brand. And we’re talking to a couple of venues and a couple of smaller boutique festivals that might fit our brands and be good add-ons.

“This is more or less our strategy: we’re always pretty niche with most of our core business, so we want to stay in that niche and look left and right to identify other niches that could make sense for us.”

And with Karsten able to devote more of his time to jazz, he’s more than happy to leave the future in Ben’s safe hands. “I happened to develop real friendships with many artists over the years, especially with Herbie Hancock, but also Branford Marsalis, Gregory Porter, Herman van Veen, and, of course, John Sheahan of The Dubliners,” says Karsten. “I’m incredibly lucky that I’ve always worked with artists whose music I really like – it can’t get much better than that in this business.”

This article originally appeared in Issue 109 of IQ Magazine.

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.

The 15th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses was published in IQ 114 this month, revealing 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

To get to know this year’s cohort a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2022’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Catch up on the previous New Bosess 2022 interview with Seny Kassaye, agent at Fort Agency in Canada. The series continues with Sönke Schal, head of people & culture at Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion (DE).

Sönke made his first contact with the music business back when he was 18 years old and playing the drums in a band with his friends in Hamburg. As tasks needed to be divided within the band, the drummer was assigned to book the shows.

Despite playing a few festivals and believing [they were on the verge of] a glorious breakthrough, reality kicked in when his voluntary year at the local library came to an end and his family started asking about future plans. Luckily Google was there to help. After typing in “concerts+hamburg+apprenticeship,” Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion (KJ) showed up as the first result.

After 2.5 years at KJ, the apprenticeship was completed and he started working as a full-time promoter. In that time, he worked with artists such as Peter Gabriel, The Cure, and Sean Paul alongside his boss Ben Mitha. Along the way he started building his own roster, which includes artists such as Sticky Fingers, Men I Trust, and Hinds, and took over the curation for the boutique Way Back When Festival. Shortly before the pandemic hit he began to study business psychology on the side. In 2022, having reached his ten-year anniversary at KJ, he was promoted and now also manages the company’s HR activities.

You started booking shows when you were a drumming librarian. How did you learn to do that, and who did you turn to for advice?
Actually, it was a means to an end. Our singer was already located in Hamburg, so the voluntary year at the library was my ticket to move to the city. Getting a gig for our band itself was a lot of trial and error. The Internet was the place we turned to for advice as we didn’t know any people from the music business. From creating an alias “manager” to contacting all the info@mail-accounts, I think I went through the same struggles and [made the same] mistakes a lot of up-and-coming artists still have to deal with today. It definitely made me realise that landing a show for a newcomer act requires a lot of persistence and persuading.

What did being an apprentice at KJ involve? Did you spend time in every department at the company?
It started off with going on tour with Sean Paul. Mostly because my boss didn’t have a driving licence and needed a chauffeur. I guess life’s not easy as an apprentice. But actually, I’ve enjoyed the 2.5 years of getting to know the company a lot. I was able to work in our touring, PR/marketing and local department. Of course, every department has grown and further developed in the past years, but I still find it very helpful today to know how the departments operate. The vocational school also offered a one-month internship in London. Thankfully, Isla Angus took me in at Nomanis agency back in the day. I was able to go to a lot of gigs, take part in meetings with festival bookers, and get a little glimpse of the agent world. Also, I had to set up several IKEA shelves, but I guess life’s not much easier as an intern either.

“It started off with going on tour with Sean Paul”

You’ve now been at the company for ten years. What has been your biggest highlight so far?
There were many highlights, of course, but one thing that left a big impression was Karsten’s 80th birthday party. To see international superstars like Peter Gabriel, Herbie Hancock, and Gregory Porter sending very personal congrats videos or even performing at the event in Hamburg in person, showed me that an honest and loyal business relation can turn into a respectful friendship between artist and promoter.

Who would be your ideal three headline acts for Way Back When Festival?
Does it need to be realistic? Harry Styles? I guess ideal headline acts would be something like Girl in Red, Idles, and King Krule. I could very well live with that.

You’ve been studying business psychology. How has this helped your everyday work life or is it more about being able to be a better negotiator for deals?
I think many business decisions and issues have a strong psychological level. It really helped to learn about different scientific models and approaches. What I’ve found most interesting were the questions about how to create a motivating work environment or how to enable people to reach their full potential. So I hope that my work as a promoter, as well as my additional new tasks in the fields of HR, can benefit from that knowledge.

“Listen to younger colleagues who can anticipate much more precisely which artists are the next big thing”

As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
I’d love to see more young professionals in responsible positions earlier on. The live market is in a constant transition and artists these days break in various bubbles. Only five-ten years in age can make a big difference. From K-Pop to artists going viral through Netflix series or TikTok, it becomes increasingly important to listen to younger colleagues who can anticipate much more precisely which artists are the next big thing.

You’ve just taken on the role as head of people and culture at the company. What would you like to see yourself doing in five years?
Celebrating my 15th company anniversary, hopefully… But more importantly I’d love to see KJ establish its status as the biggest independent promoter in Germany whilst also being an exciting and productive place to work. If I can help to shape that future as a part of the team, I’d be in a very happy place.

“I’d love to see KJ establish its status as the biggest independent promoter in Germany”

Having a good bond with agents and artist managers is crucial. How did you maintain contact with people during the pandemic, and do you feel that the working relationship between agents and promoters has changed over the past couple of years?
I’ve really missed seeing everyone at the annual conferences during the Covid pandemic, so it was a relief when restrictions were finally lifted. During that time, I had many calls with agents and managers. For me, it felt like these were on a more personal level than before by sharing common experiences and worries. Today the business seems to be running faster than ever: more shows, additional issues, etc. So, unfortunately, we tend to stick to old working routines instead of implementing new ones, but I’m sure this will change slowly but steadily.

See the full list of 2022 New Bosses in IQ 114, which is available now. To subscribe, and get access to our latest issue and all of our content, click 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.

The 15th edition of IQ Magazine‘s New Bosses can now be revealed, highlighting 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

New Bosses 2022 inspired the most engaged voting process to date, with hundreds of people taking the time to submit nominations. The final 20 comprises executives working across agencies, promoters, ticketing companies, charities and venues in 12 different countries.

In no particular order, the New Bosses 2022 are:

Benji Fritzenschaft, DreamHaus (DE).
Clara Cullen, Music Venue Trust (UK).
Dan Rais, CAA (CO).
David Nguyen, Rock The People (CZ).
Daytona Häusermann, Gadget ABC (CH).
Grant Hall, ASM Global (US).
James Craigie, Goldenvoice (UK).
Kathryn Dryburgh, ATC Live (UK).
Resi Scheurmann, Konzertbüro Schoneberg (DE).
Seny Kassaye, Fort Agency (CA).
Agustina Cabo, Move Concerts (AR).
Sönke Schal, Karsten Janke Konzertdirektion (DE).
Steel Hanf, Proxy Agency (US).
Steff James, Live Nation (UK).
Stella Scocco, Södra Teatern (SE).
Vegard Storaas, Live Nation (NO).
Lewis Wilde, DICE (UK).
Zoe Williamson, UTA (US).
Jonathan Hou, Live Nation (US).
Maciej Korczak, Follow The Step (PL).

Subscribers can read shortened profiles of each of the 2022 New Bosses in issue 114 of IQ Magazine, which is out now. Full-length Q&As will appear on IQ in the coming days and weeks.

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.