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DEAG fully acquires EDM promoter I-Motion

DEAG says it plans to “continue playing an active role in the consolidation of the live entertainment industry in Europe” after confirming the full acquisition of electronic music promoter I-Motion.

The German-headquartered giant secured a majority 50.1% interest in the company back in 2019, and has now acquired the remaining 49.9% share from former JV partner LiveStyle, which formed following the collapse of the late Robert Sillerman’s SFX Entertainment in 2016.

I-Motion was founded in 1994 and draws around 250,000 visitors to its EDM festivals each year, including Nature One, Mayday, Toxicator, Ruhr-in-Love and Syndicate.

“The cooperation with I-Motion has developed very positively since 2019,” says DEAG co-CEO Detlef Kornett. “Our expectations have been more than fulfilled, both strategically and economically, so that the acquisition of all shares in one of Europe’s most successful EDM event promoters is now the logical next step for us.”

“We have steadily expanded our open-air and EDM events in recent years and see high potential for expansion in this area”

The live entertainment group adds that it will continue to drive its growth through M&A, and is placing a focus on complementary acquisitions in ticketing as well as expanding into other European markets and further business segments.

“Together with the long-standing managing director of I-Motion, Oliver Vordemvenne, and his great team, we have steadily expanded our open-air and EDM events in recent years and see high potential for expansion in this area, also in other European countries,” adds Kornett. “I am very much looking forward to the continued successful and trustful cooperation with Oliver and the I-Motion team as part of the DEAG family.”

DEAG is aiming to generate revenue of over €300 million (compared to €325m in 2022) and a further improved EBITDA compared to the previous year (€30.9m) in 2023.

“We are very pleased that we are now fully part of the DEAG family and will continue to write our success story,” says Vordemvenne. “Together with a strong team, we want to further develop our event formats and expand into new markets. We still have a lot of plans for the future.”

 


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LiveXLive acquires EDM promoter React Presents

Festival streaming platform LiveXLive has acquired React Presents, a Chicago-based promoter of electronic dance music events, for US$2 million.

React Presents, which puts on events including Spring Awakening Festival, Summer Set Music Festival and Mamby on the Beach, as well as over 250 club and venue shows a year, was formerly part of the LiveStyle portfolio (previously SFX Entertainment). The promoter generated $15m in revenue last year.

“This is a transformative moment in the evolution of LiveXLive,” comments the company’s CEO and chairman Robert Ellin. We have quickly become a leading livestreaming and original music content platform with a large global audience and more than 820,000 paid subscribers.

“By acquiring this key asset in the EDM space, we expanded our audience reach with the addition of more than 250 programmes and events”

“By acquiring this key asset in the EDM space, we added $15 million in revenues, expanded our audience reach with the addition of more than 250 programmes and events, and continued to fill in our flywheel with event ownership and management.”

In addition to its livestreaming platform for festivals including Rock in Rio, EDC Las Vegas and Montreux Jazz Festival, LiveXLive produces its own original music content, and also owns ticketing company Wantickets, management firm LXL Influencers, digital radio business Slacker and has partnered with esports venue giant Allied Esports.

Photo: swimfinfan/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) (cropped)

 


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ID&T partners with Electric Zoo promoter Made Event

The Netherlands’ ID&T, the world’s largest electric music promoter, and New York-based Made Event, the company behind leading dance music festival Electric Zoo, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at expanding both firms’ events portfolios internationally.

ID&T’s festivals include Dutch EDM mainstays Mysteryland, Awakenings, Amsterdam Open Air, Defqon.1 and Sensation, while Made’s Electric Zoo drew 110,000 attendees to Randall’s Island Park in New York over the last weekend of August 2019. Both companies are part of the LiveStyle group, the successor to SFX Entertainment.

Under the partnership, Made Event will work with ID&T’s European executive team to continue to produce Electric Zoo while and expanding its club and concert business in the New York area. ID&T, meanwhile, will help expand the Electric Zoo brand internationally, with Made working to bring in ID&T’s brands to its home market.

Adam Richman, SVP of Made Event, says: “We are honoured to be working with ID&T, the world’s most notable dance music promoter. Working together with them will allow us to take our flagship brand Electric Zoo to cities around the world.

“We can’t wait to share New York City’s No 1 festival with the rest of the globe.”

“Working together with them will allow us to take Electric Zoo to cities around the world”

Ritty van Straalen, CEO of ID&T Group, adds: “Made Event and ID&T share the same vision. We both believe in high quality experiences and want to bring the best music to market. The Made Event team, with Adam [Richman] and Kevin [Mitchell] as the inspiring leaders, have shown that they know how to create and produce successful events and premier festivals in a very competitive market.

“We are looking forward to be back in New York and working with them on new ideas.”

“Made Event will continue its ongoing expansion of our concert, club and theatre business in the New York area, and the addition of ID&T’s rich portfolio of brands will only act to strengthen this endeavour,” adds Mitchell, Made’s senior director of talent.

Other members of the ID&T Group include promoters ID&T Events, Art of Dance, Q-dance, Monumental and Air Events, booking agencies Platinum Agency and Most Wanted, and management company Headliner Entertainment. The company’s events are attended by more than two million visitors annually and sells 1.5m tickets.

Last month, the company acquired Missin’ Link, a Rotterdam-based urban booking agency.

 


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ID&T appoints Edo van Duijn as music director

Electronic music promoter ID&T has named Edo van Duijn as its new music director, as the company prepares for a new series of global touring events in 2020.

Van Duijn, who has over 20 years of experience in the industry, will lead the music team for curating and booking events across the ID&T portfolio, including flagship brands Mysteryland, Sensation, Welcome to the Future and Amsterdam Open Air.

The new ID&T music director has a long history with the promoter, which was formerly part of SFX Entertainment (now LiveStyle), having founded sister company Plus Network in Brazil and programmed festivals such as Tomorrowland Brazil and Electric Zoo São Paulo.

He also leads ID&T’s Headliner Entertainment team, which focuses on artist management and special projects centred around artist brand activations.

Over the last decade van Duijn has toured South America with the likes of Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, Afrojack, Steve Angello, Axwell and Nicky Romero, and worked on brand collaborations with Samsung, Nike and Red Bull.

“Not only are our established brands performing exceptionally, but we’re now focused on creating new event experiences for our fans”

Van Duijn has also helped to launch the careers artists including DJ Marky, Bruno Martini and Alok and co-produced festivals such as Skolbeats and Nokia Trends.

“This is an exciting time to be part of the incredible music team at ID&T,” says van Duijn. “Not only are our established brands such as Mysteryland performing exceptionally, but we’re now focused on creating new event experiences for our fans and building stronger ties with the artist and agency community.”

ID&T’s COO, Ritty van Straalen, adds: “Edo is well known in this industry for his eye for talent and music, and has great relationships with the artists, agents and managers. For me it was a no-brainer to ask him back and guide ID&T to the next chapter in electronic music.”

Founded in 1992, ID&T organises around 80 events a year, attracting more than one million visitors annually. The ID&T Group includes the companies b2s, ID&T Events, Q-dance, Monumental (Awakenings), AIR and events such as Milkshake, Thunderdome, Defqon.1 Weekend Festival, Qlimax, Awakenings, Decibel Outdoors and Masters of Hardcore.

The ID&T Group also encompasses hard dance booking agencies Platinum Agency and Most Wanted DJ, as well as management agency Headliner Entertainment.

 


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Randy Phillips steps down as LiveStyle CEO

Randy Phillips, the man who helped to salvage SFX Entertainment post LiveStyle rebrand, is stepping down as the company’s chief executive, as first reported by Billboard.

Phillips will stay on at LiveStyle as a consultant to investors, as the company prepares to sell off several of its assets.

The former LiveStyle boss will now focus on managing US boy band Why Don’t We, whom he states “are really starting to take off”.

Phillips took over the running of Robert Sillerman-founded SFX Entertainment in early 2017. The company had become insolvent two years after launching and Phillips was brought onboard to turn it around as the company emerged from bankruptcy. He led the dance music behemoth, rebranded as LiveStyle, for three years.

In just one year, Phillips turned losses of US$30 million into earnings of $20m.

Randy Phillips, the man who helped to salvage SFX Entertainment post LiveStyle rebrand,  is stepping down as the company’s chief executive

“I was given my mission and I fulfilled my mission,” says Phillips. Under his leadership, LiveStyle sold assets including Paylogic to Vivendi and a minority stake in Rock in Rio to Live Nation and axed the US-leg of festival Mysteryland.

During Phillips’ tenure, LiveStyle made a number of high-profile hires, including Hard Events founder Gary Richards (president, North America), ex-Universal Music Group executive Chris Monaco (chief revenue officer) and NRG Productions founder Neil Ryan (senior vice president and head of North America production).

Prior to his work at LiveStyle, Phillips served as chief executive of AEG Live.

LiveStyle produces dance music festivals including Electric Zoo, Defqon.1 and Awakenings, operating through promoters and entertainment companies including Made Event and All My Friends in the United States, ID&T in the Netherlands and majority DEAG-owned I-Motion in Germany.

SFX founder Sillerman was recently charged with fraud in relation to his online publishing business, Function(x).

 


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Q-dance acquires 50% of festival promoter Art of Dance

Dutch promoter Q-dance, part of the ID&T group, has taken a 50% stake in event organiser Art of Dance and electronic artist agency Most Wanted DJ.

Art of Dance is one of the largest organisers of dance events in the Netherlands, attracting more than 200,000 visitors annually to festivals including Masters of Hardcore, Supremacy, Syndicate and Free Festival.

The promoter has worked in collaboration with Q-dance for years, organising hardcore festival Dominator. Other events in the Q-dance portfolio include Defqon.1, Qlimax, Impaqt and Qapital.

The Most Wanted DJ agency, an affiliate of Art of Dance, has a roster of DJs including Miss K8, Radical Redemption and Angerfist. The agency also offers artist and brand merchandising and talent scouting.

ID&T chief executive and Q-dance founder Wouter Tavecchio says the acquisition is “a very important step for Q-dance”, which will help to “strengthen and expand our market position in the Netherlands.”

“As part of a larger group, we strengthen our position in this highly competitive market”

“Art of Dance is, just like Q-dance, an organisation that has been at the cradle of this industry and has developed over the years into a professional and very successful party,” says Tavecchio, adding that “ we can reinforce each other in many ways.”

Art of Dance chief executive Matthijs Hazeleger says he looks forward to building on the pre-existing collaboration with Q-dance.

“We will use the international network of Q-dance and ID&T to ensure that this benefits our events, affiliated artists and the experience of our visitors,” states Hazeleger. “As part of a larger group, we strengthen our position in this highly competitive market.”

Both Art of Dance and Most Wanted DJ will continue to operate as independent companies under the ID&T banner.

ID&T, part of EDM giant Livestyle, organises events including Mysterland, Amsterdam Open Air, Tomorrowland and Sensation, as well as running promoters Air Events and b2s.

 


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DEAG buys into LiveStyle German arm

Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG) is acquiring a majority 50.1% interest in I-Motion GmbH, the German division of electronic music behemoth LiveStyle.

The joint venture is the second DEAG announcement this month, following the company’s takeover of Stuttgart-based promoter C2 Concerts on 3 June.

DEAG alluded to in-the-works investments in its recent Q1 financial report. The executive board estimates that the additional sales potential from the LiveStyle deal will total €15 million annually.

I-Motion has organised electronic music events for over 25 years and sells 200,000 tickets annually. The promoter’s festivals include Mayday, Nature One and Ruhr in Love. Nature One took the best festival gong at the 2018 German Live Entertainment Awards (LEAs).

“Our German subsidiary always knows how to set new accents in the field of events and entertainment, and profits from our international network,” comments LiveStyle executive vice president and chief financial officer, Chuck Ciongoli.

“With DEAG, we now have a strong partner at our side who can look back on a wealth of experience in this market. We are convinced that both sides will benefit from our new relationship and are looking forward to a long-term partnership.”

“With DEAG, we now have a strong partner at our side who can look back on a wealth of experience in this market”

DEAG chief executive Peter Schwenkow expects that the partnership with I-Motion will stimulate growth for DEAG’s ticketing business via MyTicket, with growth opportunities including expanding Mayday in the UK and Switzerland.

“The key execs at I-Motion feel that DEAG is a great fit for them and I know it will be a great partner for LiveStyle in Germany,” says LiveStyle president and chief executive Randy Phillips.

LiveStyle, the US-based parent company of I-Motion, claims to be the world’s largest promoter of electronic music. The company formed following the collapse of Robert Sillerman’s SFX Entertainment in 2016.

The company promotes events across the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia. Its North American business units include AMFAMFAMF, Made Event, React Presents, Disco Donnie Presents and Life In Color, as well as the brands Electric Zoo, Spring Awakening, the FriendShip, and All My Friends Music festival.

In Europe, LiveStyle operates through Monumental and Q-Dance in the Netherlands and ID&T in Belgium.

 


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AMF appoints new director of business development

LiveStyle president Gary Richards has announced the appointment of Taylor Stevens as West Coast director of business development to the company’s LA-based concert and festival promoter All My Friends (AMF).

Stevens joins with experience in the electronic music space, running his own concert promotion and production company, the CLCTV (formerly Collective Efforts Events).

Founded in 2017, the CLCTV has put on multiple events on the West Coast and Hawaii. Past events include the Feels Music and Art Festival in San Luis Obispo, California, Electric Palms Music Festival, in Honolulu, Hawaii and Avila Beach Party, also in San Luis Obispo.

In his new position, Stevens will manage and expand the AMF and LiveStyle brands, as well as rolling several CLCTV events into the LiveStyle portfolio of properties. He will be based in the company’s Beverly Hills office and report to LiveStyle president Richards.

“Taylor has an undeniable passion for the scene and creating exciting events”

“Taylor has an undeniable passion for the scene and creating exciting events. We look forward to him working on behalf of our brands and events, and for us to expand upon the events he is bringing to the LiveStyle family,” says Richards.

“LiveStyle has become a force in the industry and I am happy to be a part of the team. I am very excited to work with and learn from Gary, Chuck (Ciongoli, executive vice president) and Randy (Phillips, chief executive) as we explore new and exciting projects from small to big in the west,” comments Stevens.

“Gary has built a number of successful brands over the course of his career and I look forward to having a hand in the growth of AMF and the other LiveStyle properties,” adds Stevens.

LiveStyle formed in September 2016 from the remains of dance music behemoth SFX Entertainment and is the world’s largest promoter of electronic music festivals. LiveStyle produces and promotes a number of festivals including Electric Zoo (US), Spring Awakening (US), Mysteryland (the Netherlands), Awakenings (the Netherlands) and Tomorrowland Brazil.

The company also owns key operating entities across the United States and Europe such as b2s, Disco Donnie Presents, I-Motion and Made Event, as well as DJ e-commerce platform, Beatport.

 


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AEG alum Neil Ryan joins Randy Phillips at LiveStyle

Neil Ryan has joined LiveStyle, the former SFX Entertainment, as senior VP and head of North America production, where he will oversee the company’s event production business from its New York offices.

Ryan comes to LiveStyle from his own firm, NRG Productions, whose clients included Goldenvoice/AEG Presents (main-stage production for Coachella, Stagecoach, Desert Trip and Arroyo Seco) and CID Presents, which promotes ‘destination’ music festivals in Mexico’s Riviera Maya.

Prior to launching NRG, Ryan was director of production, north-east, for AEG Live for more than ten years, where he worked with LiveStyle president and CEO Randy Phillips.

“While running AEG Live, I had the pleasure of working with Neil and saw first hand his depth of expertise in the live event/production space,” comments Phillips. “He adds to LiveStyle’s exceptional staff as we continue to bring on the best and the brightest.”

“I am excited to be reunited with Randy and to be working with the team at LiveStyle”

Adds LiveStyle’s executive VP and CFO, Chuck Ciongoli: “Neil is exceptionally experienced and will be a valued addition to the LiveStyle team. His professionalism and hands-on approach is second to none. We are incredibly fortunate to have Neil on our team.”

“After years of working with some of the best people in the music industry across all musical genres, I am excited to be reunited with Randy and to be working with the team at LiveStyle,” comments Ryan.

LiveStyle Inc., formed in September 2016 from the ashes of Robert Sillerman’s SFX Entertainment, is the world’s largest promoter of electronic music festivals. Its festivals include Tomorrowland, Mysteryland, Electric Zoo, Hard Bass, Amsterdam Open Air, Life in Color and rock event Rock in Rio.

 


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Hard founder Gary Richards named LiveStyle pres

Hard Events founder Gary Richards has been appointed president, North America, of LiveStyle, joining Randy Phillips at SFX MkII following his departure from Live Nation early last month.

In the newly created role, Richards – for a decade the driving force behind the Hard festival brand (Hard Summer, Holy Ship!, Hard Australia), and arguably the most famous promoter in electronic dance music – will oversee LiveStyle’s US festival operations, including Electric Zoo, its flagship event in New York.

“When Chuck Ciongoli and I took over the former SFX, the global leader in electronic music festivals and the parent company of Beatport, we rebranded it LiveStyle to signal that a new vibrant business was emerging debt free with some of the greatest assets in the live entertainment industry,” says LiveStyle CEO Randy Phillips, who joined the company last November. “To complete our executive suite, we wanted to bring some real authenticity to the management of LiveStyle, and no single candidate to be the president of North America fulfils this role better than Gary Richards, of Hard and Holy Ship! fame.

“In fact, this is a delayed goal for me, since I tried to make a deal with Gary ten years ago while I was running AEG Live. Not only is he an accomplished working DJ (DJ Destructo), he is a very astute businessman with an affinity to his fellow artists. With Gary on board, LiveStyle is prepared for creative and strategic growth in the years ahead.”

Richards adds: “Randy Phillips has been a trailblazer in the music and entertainment industry for as long as I can remember. Having known Randy personally for many years, I’m excited that the stars have aligned and I’m able to build a new platform for live music with him. I look forward to coming on board as president of LiveStyle and have a much larger role to play in the music community.

“This is a delayed goal for me, since I tried to make a deal with Gary ten years ago while I was running AEG Live”

“Their portfolio of brands, such as React, Made Event/Electric Zoo, DDP and Beatport to name a few, is an incredible place to start from and build. In addition, I plan to create new festival concepts and cruises at LiveStyle. We will continue on the path that I created with the Hard and Holy Ship! brands.”

Richards told Variety in April there had been “positive and negative” aspects to Hard’s relationship with Live Nation, by which it was acquired in 2012. “I think that Hard has grown by leaps and bounds and Live Nation has given me a platform to expand monetarily in things I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was funding everything,” he said. “But, then again, there are other forces at play here that are running the electronic scene in different directions [to] me, and they kind of battle with me and that part of it’s not fun – and it’s unnecessary.”

He also reportedly had a fierce rivalry with Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella, whose company was bought by Live Nation the following year.

LiveStyle Inc., formed last September from the ashes of Robert Sillerman’s SFX Entertainment, is the world’s largest promoter of electronic music festivals.

Sillerman, who led SFX into a messy bankruptcy in February 2016, is now CEO of online news company Function(x), which was recently delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange amid allegations of alleged unauthorised withdrawals of company funds by Sillerman.

 


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