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CTS Eventim ‘significantly’ exceeds 2023 forecast

CTS Eventim “significantly exceeded” its forecast for 2023 thanks to a “very strong” Q4, according to the company’s latest financial results.

The pan-European giant enjoyed a record year, attaining consolidated revenue of €2.359 billion for the 12-month period – a 22.5% increase on the previous year’s €1.926bn. CTS had previously projected group revenue in excess of €2bn for 2023 as a whole last October.

In the preliminary figures, the group also reported normalised EBITDA of €501.4 million, up 31.9% from €380.1m in the previous year. CTS’ full annual report for 2023 will be published on 26 March.

The growth was powered by the German-headquartered firm’s ticketing and live entertainment segments. Ticketing revenue rose 32.5% to €717m (2022: €541m), with normalised EBITDA leaping 46.6% to €382.4m.

For the live entertainment strand, revenue jumped 18.9% year-on-year to €1.677bn (2022: €1.410bn), with normalised EBITDA almost flat at €119.1m, compared to €119.2m in 2022.

The group figures include income of €37.4m to which CTS group companies are directly entitled, resulting from compensation paid by the German government to the joint venture autoTicket GmbH, Berlin.

“The year-on-year growth rates shown here reflect the success of the operating business”

“As the prior-year figures contained a similar volume of income that had been received under pandemic-related economic aid programmes, the year-on-year growth rates shown here reflect the success of the operating business,” adds a company statement.

According to Pollstar’s 2023 global rankings, the Eventim Group is the world’s second-biggest promoter. The firm’s portfolio includes festivals such as Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane, Southside,and Lucca Summer.

It also operates venues, such as the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, the K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, the Waldbühne in Berlin and the Eventim Apollo in London.

Visions reports that more than 90,000 tickets have already been sold for Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, which take place from 7-9 June at Nürburgring race track and Zeppelin Field, respectively.

Operated by CTS’ Dreamhaus subsidiary, the twin festivals will be headlined by Die Ärzte, Måneskin and Green Day. The events’ new premium camping offers are said to be almost sold out, while tickets for the Backstage Camp, Seaside Backstage Camp and Caravan Camping are already sold out.

“The demand for tickets is strong and the fans’ anticipation is huge,” says Dreamhaus CEO Matt Schwarz.

 


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Matt Schwarz on DreamHaus’s first festival season

DreamHaus CEO Matt Schwarz has spoken to IQ about the company’s “hugely successful and record-breaking” festival summer.

Having launched in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Berlin-based promoter waited almost two years to clock in for its first festival summer and even then, it wasn’t business as usual in Germany.

“Rock am Ring and Rock im Park were the first two major festivals of the season in central Europe after two years of Covid-19 related cancellations,” explains Schwarz.

“By March we still didn’t know if we could host the festivals due to Covid-19. Almost everything happened at the last minute, including the introduction and implementation of new features such as cashless payment for both editions, new festival apps and much more.”

In addition to the time crunch, the promoter had to deal with a slate of prevailing challenges including “lack of specialised personnel, increased production costs, and inflation and recession due to the geopolitical situation and the world being upside down”.

Despite the numerous hurdles, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park went ahead between the 3–5 June at Nürburgring race track and Zeppelin Field and sold a record 90,000 and 70,000 tickets respectively.

“[Rock am Ring] was the most successful festival stream ever in Germany”

“We were all the more relieved that the festivals turned out to be a huge success with record-breaking attendances and Rock am Ring being broadcast live/live in its entirety,” says Schwarz. “Streaming numbers exceeded any expectations making it the most successful festival stream ever in Germany.”

The festival was livestreamed via German streaming service RTL+, with fans around the world able to watch performances from the likes of Green Day, Muse, Volbeat, Placebo and Måneskin – free of charge.

In addition, the festival partnered with TikTok to bring the ‘Rock am Ring experience’ to the worldwide community through hashtag campaigns, live programmes, official playlists and backstage content with popular creators.

This year marks the first time DreamHaus has organised and programmed the twin festivals (along with eventimpresents) and for Schwarz, it’s a full-circle moment.

Rock am Ring was founded by Marcel Avram and Marek Lieberberg’s Mama Concerts in 1985, while Rock im Park took place for the first time in 1995 under Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK).

Schwarz was formerly VP of touring and festivals at MLK, before becoming MD and COO of Live Nation GSA when Lieberberg sold MLK to Eventim’s live music subsidiary Medusa Group in 2015. From 2016, the CTS-owned festivals were co-promoted with Lieberberg, now CEO of Live Nation GSA.

“I pondered a lot about what it would be like to work on The Rocks again”

Schwarz resigned his position at Live Nation GSA in February 2020 and in October of the same year, DreamHaus was launched with scant details and the ominous message “If you know you know”.

At the same time, it was announced that Schwarz would return to work on Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, but this time as head of eventimpresents (the company formerly known as MLK).

In February 2021, CTS Eventim acquired DreamHaus and it was announced that, under the Eventim Live umbrella, the promoter would be responsible for organising and programming the festivals from 2022, along with eventimpresents.

“Beforehand, I pondered a lot about what it would be like to work on The Rocks again,” Schwarz tells IQ. “Honestly, it felt like getting back on the bike – you never forget how to do it.”

While the DreamHaus CEO says that working on the marquee festivals was his highlight of 2022, the promoter has plenty of milestones to pick from.

This year also saw DreamHaus join forces with FKP Scorpio and Loft Concerts for a brand new Berlin-based festival, Tempelhof Sounds.

“Our new heavyweight domestic act Apache 207 sold over 60,000 tickets in seconds blowing out five arenas”

Touted as “an inclusive and cosmopolitan festival,” the three-day event saw the likes of Muse, The Strokes and Florence and the Machine perform on the grounds of Tempelhof Airport between 10–12 June.

On the touring side of the business, Schwarz says DreamHaus has promoted hundreds of concerts this year – mainly on the club and theatre level – and sold approximately 750,000 tickets in 2022.

“Our new heavyweight domestic act Apache 207 [German rapper] sold over 60,000 tickets in seconds blowing out five arenas,” says Schwarz. “We’re also very pleased with the ticket sales for Måneskin, Kid Cudi, Muse, Sam Smith, Lewis Capaldi and Tenacious D.”

Among Schwarz’s personal highlights for 2022 was a rescheduled concert from German superstar Marteria at the open-air concert venue Berlin Waldbühne (cap. 22,290).

“It got cancelled just minutes before doors due to a massive thunderstorm,” he says. “Luckily, we were able to return to the venue a few days later when Marteria caught up on the show and delivered a terrific concert.

“Another highlight was the beautiful James Blake show at Verti Music Hall, booked by Pana [Ioannis Panagopoulo] from our team. He is one of my favourite artists and it was such a special night.”

DreamHaus’ touring numbers are all the more impressive given Germany’s fractured and sluggish reopening, which has seen the market trail behind its European counterparts.

“2023 is going to be an uphill battle; the worst is yet to come”

“There was a lot of uncertainty around the varying Covid restrictions in the individual federal states,” says Schwarz. “And when a lot of the western world opened up, we still had to deal with these restrictions. This certainly had an impact on the potential ticket buyers who are still wary.

“People tend to wait and buy their ticket much later in the campaign and closer to the show date for most of the tours unless it’s blockbuster content. Outdoor shows are getting more popular.”

Schwarz expects that consumer trepidation will continue next year, prolonging the business’ full recovery.

“Everyone thought 2022 to be the transition year after the pandemic,” he says. “Now it turns out that 2023 will be the transition year. We will have to face inflation and recession which have an impact on how and what people will spend their money on. It’s going to be an uphill battle; the worst is yet to come. Our modus operandi, therefore, is “less is more” in regard to show count and risks.”

 


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DreamHaus poaches Goodlive’s Julian Gupta and team

CTS Eventim’s DreamHaus has announced the appointment of Julian Gupta as director of festival booking.

His team, which consists of talent buyer Benjamin Fritzenschaft and talent buying assistant Moritz Kob, will follow him to the Berlin-based agency.

Gupta joins DreamHaus from Germany’s Goodlive where he was head of festival booking and curated line-ups for events including splash! (Ferropolis) and Heroes (Kassel, Freiburg and Geiselwind).

“I’m grateful that with Julian, Benji and Moritz we have been able to win an amazing team, who perfectly fit into DreamHaus’ DNA”

Gupta and his team have also worked on tours for the likes of Stormzy, Odesza, Little Simz, Khalid, Skepta and Dave.

Commenting on the new appointments, DreamHaus CEO Matt Schwarz says: “I’m grateful that with Julian, Benji and Moritz we have been able to win an amazing team, who perfectly fit into DreamHaus’ DNA.”

Gupta adds: “Since the first talks, I’ve been convinced that we can implement new ideas with the team here. I’m looking forward to the upcoming tasks in a perfect environment.”

Marc Seemann, director strategy & business development at DreamHaus, says: “We are very pleased about the new opportunities the integration of Julian and his team will open up together with their convincing market competence. We will further expand the areas of marketing and brand partnership by using new synergies.”

DreamHaus is responsible for organising and programming the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, along with eventimpresents. The agency says it is planning to “build up additional live platforms” with the new team.

 


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DreamHaus and veteran exec Alex Richter to collaborate

DreamHaus has announced an exclusive collaboration with Alex Ritcher, the former managing director of Four Artists agency.

According to the Berlin-based promoter and agency, Ritcher will help expand its national acts starting with Michael Patrick Kelly’s extensive arena tour.

Richter will utilise his 22 years’ worth of expertise as MD for Four Artists agency, which he left of his own volition in November 2019.

“I’m looking forward to working with Alex. His resounding successes, his passion for music, and not to mention his great sense for artist development speak for themselves,” says DreamHaus CEO Matt Schwarz.

“Together with Alex, we will significantly expand the DreamHaus domestic talent portfolio”

Alex Richter comments: “I’m very happy to have found a competent partner for future live projects in Matt Schwarz and his highly motivated DreamHaus team. The start of our collaboration is the B.O.A.T.S. arena tour of Michael Patrick Kelly – an extraordinary artist who, with his talent, vita and personality highly impressed me.”

“Together with Alex, we will significantly expand the DreamHaus domestic talent portfolio. In addition to established artists, the joint, long-term development of long-lasting careers is very exciting for us as an agency,” comments Marc Seemann, DreamHaus Director Strategy & Business Development.

Michael Patrick Kelly’s tour runs between 15 September 2022 and 11 February 2023, visiting arenas in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Last month, CTS Eventim-backed DreamHaus announced its first-ever arena tour with one of Germany’s biggest artists, Marteria.

The agency/promoter has also announced tours with international acts such as Bullet For My Valentine, Jake Bugg, James Blake, Orla Gartland, Rebecca Black, Evanescence, Maneskin and Yungblud, as well as a brand new festival, Tempelhof Sounds.

 


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ESNS bolsters 2022 programme

ESNS 2022 is taking shape after organisers confirmed a keynote interview with DreamHaus CEO Matt Schwarz and inked a long-term deal with See Tickets.

Eurosonic Noorderslag, which returns to Groningen, the Netherlands from 19-22 January 2022, will also feature talks from Urgenda director Marjan Minnesma, Dutch music entrepreneur André de Raaf and psychologist Anne Löhr of Mental Health In Music.

See Tickets will handle all ticketing for the conference and festival as part of a new four-year partnership.

“ESNS is always on the lookout for new possibilities to take the customer journey to a higher level,” says Dago Houben, CEO of ESNS. “Especially in this time, smart data interpretation and personal communication with our visitors are key. We’re looking forward to building a strong partnership with See Tickets.”

This partnership fits in perfectly with the experience we have in the dance industry and our ambitions in live music

Under the agreement, all products will be selectable in one single transaction and ESNS will also be one of the first partners to benefit from the new See Tickets CRM-tool Identity.

“The combination of history and heritage of the festival/conference and our scalable e-commerce solutions promises a lot for our joint future,” adds See Tickets Benelux MD Marijke van den Bosch. “This partnership fits in perfectly with the experience we have in the dance industry and our ambitions in live music.”

Meanwhile, 60 up-and-coming European acts have been added to the ESNS line-up, including 10 new Spanish acts (Marta Knight, Marina Herlop, Mundo Prestigio, Pódium, Biznaga, Gabriela Richardson, Santa Salut, Maika Makovski, Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba and Dora) for Eurosonic, along with five Dutch acts (Don Melody Club, Flemming, Hang Youth, Kuzko, and Son Mieux) for Noorderslag. Spain has already been announced as the focus country

“[The focus on Spain] will bring a wide palette of young, emerging and talented acts from all over Spain to show how fresh, alive and exportable artists we have in our country,” says César Andión, of The Spanish Wave and Live Nation Madrid.

The 2021 edition of ESNS was held entirely online and welcomed nearly 4,000 people from 124 countries to its digital conference and festival platforms.

 


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DreamHaus appoints Ioannis ‘Pana’ Panagopoulos

CTS Eventim’s new Berlin-based agency DreamHaus has officially announced the appointment of Ioannis ‘Pana’ Panagopoulos as director of talent buying, effective from today (1 April).

Panagopoulos joins the agency from Live Nation GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), where he served as director of A&R for over five years.

He joins the management team comprising CEO and managing partner Matt Schwarz, as well as Marc Seemann, Claudia Schulte and Tobias Habla – all of whom previously worked at Live Nation GSA.

Panagopoulos joins the management team comprising Matt Schwarz, as well as Marc Seemann, Claudia Schulte and Tobias Habla

Schwarz joined forces with CTS Eventim as head of eventimpresents in January this year, tasked with “acquiring attractive national and international tours and shows,” on behalf of Eventim Live, CTS Eventim’s promoter network.

Following the Eventim acquistion, the team will be responsible for organising and programming the Rock am Ring (cap. 95,000) and Rock im Park (cap. 75,000) festivals, starting from the 2022 editions, along with eventimpresents.

The CTS-owned festivals have been co-promoted with Marek Lieberberg, now CEO of Live Nation GSA, since 2016.

DreamHaus will also collaborate with Kingstar on Vainstream Rockfest, after forming a strategic alliance with the Hamburg-based booking agency.

Kingstar will cooperate with DreamHaus on the Rock am Ring/im Park festivals.

 


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CTS Eventim’s DreamHaus and Kingstar form alliance

CTS Eventim’s new Berlin-based promoter DreamHaus is forming a strategic alliance with Kingstar, a promoter and booking agency based in Hamburg.

The two companies will cooperate on Kingstar’s Vainstream Rockfest, as well as Eventim Presents/DreamHaus’s Rock am Ring (cap. 95,000) and Rock im Park (cap. 75,000), which were recently called off for a second year running.

The alliance will also see the German promoters collaborate on touring projects and the establishment of new events.

“With this alliance, we want to bring our creative visions to life,” says Matt Schwarz, CEO and managing partner, DreamHaus.

“Kingstar contributes equally valuable festival expertise, musical knowledge and their successful artist development to this cooperation. Through an intensive exchange of experience between our two companies, we will create trusting synergies and thus provide the artists with the best service and skills for the future.”

“We will create trusting synergies and thus provide the artists with the best service and skills for the future”

Timo Birth, managing director, Kingstar, says: “Since the structures in the industry are changing at high speed, Kingstar and DreamHaus are laying a very good foundation for the future with this cooperation. We are not only optimally equipped for the future of our industry, we will also actively shape it together.”

Marc Seemann, director of strategy and business development, DreamHaus says: “A close friendship has developed from years of trusting cooperation with Timo, which is why this strategic alliance between DreamHaus and Kingstar is a logical consequence and an important pillar in the development of DreamHaus.”

Alongside Vainstream Rockfest, the 15th edition of which is scheduled for this June in Münster, Kingstar’s festival portfolio includes Restless Summer, Close to the Water, Impericon Festivals and Picknick Konzerte.

The company’s booking arm represents artists including Broilers, Bonez MC and RAF Camora.

DreamHaus was recently acquired by CTS Eventim and Schwarz was named as CEO and managing partner, following his departure from Live Nation GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) as COO and MD in February 2020.

 


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CTS Eventim acquires new Berlin-based promoter DreamHaus

German ticketing and promotion giant CTS Eventim has acquired a majority stake in new Berlin-based promoter DreamHaus.

DreamHaus will be led by Matt Schwarz as CEO and managing partner, following his departure from Live Nation GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) as COO and MD in February 2020.

From 1 April, Schwarz will be joined by former Live Nation GSA executive Ioannis ‘Pana’ Panagopoulos, who joins the management team alongside Marc Seemann, Claudia Schulte and Tobias Habla.

Schwarz joined forces with CTS Eventim as head of eventimpresents in January this year, tasked with “acquiring attractive national and international tours and shows,” on behalf of Eventim Live, CTS Eventim’s promoter network.

Under the Eventim Live umbrella, DreamHaus will be responsible for organising and programming the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, starting from the 2022 editions, along with eventimpresents.

The CTS-owned festivals have been co-promoted with Marek Lieberberg, now CEO of Live Nation GSA, since 2016.

“Even in the face of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, Eventim Live continues to grow its network and strengthen both its market position and potential,” says Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO of CTS Eventim. “We have always claimed that CTS Eventim will emerge stronger from this crisis.”

“I am grateful to CTS Eventim for the confidence the company has shown in jointly implementing our visions within this partnership”

Matt Schwarz added: “I’m very pleased about the partnership between CTS Eventim and DreamHaus, which offers our team all manner of opportunities for a successful future. I am also grateful to CTS Eventim for the confidence the company has shown in jointly implementing our visions within this partnership and thus offering artists the best possible service and the ability to reach the greatest possible audience.”

With a combined attendance of 150,000, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park take place concurrently from 11 to 13 June at Nürburgring race track and Zeppelin Field in Nüremberg respectively.

Rock am Ring was founded by Marcel Avram and Marek Lieberberg’s Mama Concerts in 1985, while Rock im Park took place for the first time in 1995 under Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK).

Schwarz was formerly VP of touring and festivals at MLK, before becoming MD and COO of Live Nation GSA when Lieberberg sold MLK to Eventim’s live music subsidiary Medusa Group in 2015. Schwarz resigned his position at Live Nation GSA in February this year.

The acquisition of DreamHaus expands Eventim Live’s pan-European network to 35 promoters in 15 countries.

 


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Matt Schwarz moves to CTS Eventim

Matt Schwarz, former COO and MD of Live Nation GSA, is returning to work on Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, but this time as head of eventimpresents (the company formerly known as MLK).

Schwarz will join forces with CTS Eventim from January 2021, and is tasked with “acquiring attractive national and international tours and shows,” on behalf of Eventim Live, CTS Eventim’s promoter network.

Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK) was founded in 1987 and housed both Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, which were started by Marek Lieberberg in 1985 and 1993 respectively.

Schwarz was formerly VP of touring and festivals at MLK, before becoming MD and COO of Live Nation GSA when Lieberberg sold MLK to Eventim’s live music subsidiary Medusa Group in 2015. Schwarz resigned his position at Live Nation GSA in February this year.

Schwarz is tasked with “acquiring attractive national and international tours and shows”

The CTS-owned festivals have been co-promoted with Marek Lieberberg, now CEO of Live Nation GSA, since 2016. A spokesperson for Eventim would not comment on the ongoing relationship between Lieberberg, eventimlive and the two festivals.

With a combined attendance of 150,000, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park take place concurrently from 11 to 13 June at Nürburgring race track and Zeppelin Field in Nüremberg respectively.

Across the Eventim group, other festivals include Hurricane, Southside and Lucca Summer, alongside a venue portfolio that includes the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, the K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, the Waldbühne in Berlin and the Eventim Apollo in London.

The most recent financial reports from the group showed an almost balanced EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation), capping losses in the first half of 2020 to €2.7 million, thanks to “rigorous measures to minimise costs and boost efficiency”.

 


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MD Matt Schwarz leaves Live Nation GSA

Live Nation GSA’s managing director and COO, Matt Schwarz, is leaving the company after almost five years, he announced today.

“Today I resigned from [this] office as managing director with immediate effect,” Schwarz wrote in an email to colleagues this afternoon (19 February).

Schwarz has been MD and COO of Live Nation GSA (Germany, Switzerland and Austria) since September 2015, when the staff of his former employer, Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK) joined the newly formed company. He was formerly VP of touring and festivals at MLK.

He was the keynote interviewee at Reeperbahn Festival last September, speaking about his career to date and changes in the German concert business.

“Live Nation and Matt Schwarz have mutually agreed to end their collaboration”

Schwarz’s current projects will be taken over by Live Nation GSA colleagues Carrie McNamara, Matias Muelas and Nastassja Roberts, the email continues.

“Live Nation and Matt Schwarz have mutually agreed to end their collaboration,” reads a statement from Live Nation GSA.

“Matt Schwarz has resigned as a managing director with immediate effect.

“Live Nation would like to thank Matt Schwarz for his successful work over many years.”

 


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