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Green Guardians 2024: Co-op Live, Latitude Festival, GEI & more

Welcome to the final part of IQ Magazine’s 2024 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.

The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.

This year’s list includes 22 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, and solutions providers, all of whom are working tirelessly to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business.

IQ will publish entries across all categories over the coming days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of IQ here.

 


Co-op Live

New on the UK scene, Co-op Live opened its doors in May this year with sustainability at the heart of the Manchester venue.

Working with Aniron, a leader in commercial and industrial solar energy solutions, the arena has 3,300 solar panels on the roof of the downtown venue.

Once fully operational, the panels will yield nearly 1m kWh per year to aid in powering the building, which also features energy-efficient heat pumps, rainwater recycling, reusable cups, and locally sourced materials and food. The arena also plans to be zero-waste to landfill.

With a focus on fan travel, Co-op Live and Transport for Greater Manchester created a groundbreaking sustainability initiative allowing fans to travel for free on designated routes with an event ticket. An anticipated 1m fans will utilise the initiative over the next year.

 


Latitude Festival

The Suffolk-based UK festival began trialling hydrogen power across their event with a new partnership utilising GeoPura’s Hydrogen Power Units (HPUs) for clean energy at this year’s event (see GeoPura profile). The Festival Republic event, held from 25-28 July, replaced traditional diesel generators with zero-emission HPUs to provide clean electricity. The move aligns with the event’s Green Nation Sustainability Charter, which outlined its goals of reducing its carbon footprint and protecting the environment.

In addition to this change, the festival also used HVO biofuel in its generators, making these major power sources entirely fossil fuel-free. Climate and environmental groups, like Greenpeace, were also given space to engage with attendees about their efforts.

GeoPura’s CEO, Andrew Cunningham, praised Latitude: “By introducing reliable, zero-emission power, organisers are not only lowering the carbon footprint of the event but also enhancing the overall experience for all involved with cleaner air and quieter operations.”

Latitude’s initiative marks a new chapter for festivals and events moving toward renewable energy sources, reflecting a growing commitment to reduce emissions at these communal gatherings.

 


GEI17

Always at the forefront when it comes to green tech and systems to reduce carbon footprints, the Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI) gathers leaders and innovators in the live sector to network and accelerate discussions around environmental and social best practice.

With many industry initiatives targeting a zero-carbon future, how the live sector moves towards a greener business framework has become a critical issue. GEI brings together experts, government reps, and cutting-edge organisations, to identify, share, and implement practical actions and holistic measures to help with this critical transition.

Conference sessions cover topics such as transport, energy, food, equality & inclusivity, climate justice, design & materials usage for circularity, while developers showcase various products and systems that can be used to help achieve sustainability goals.

2025’s edition will be held 25 February, the day before ILMC and in the same venue.

 


Øyafestivalen

The annual Norwegian music festival has tapped into its city’s power grid rather than use fossil-fuelled generators in an effort to protect its location in Oslo’s Tøyen Park. As a result, Øya says the festival site is fossil fuel-free, and organisers are aiming to have a completely emission-free site within the next few years.

Food at the event is almost entirely organic and mostly vegetarian or vegan, motivated by the desire to reduce the festival’s carbon footprint. All food packaging is compostable and turned into biogas – a renewable energy source made from the breakdown of organic waste – post-event, while all non-water beverages are served in reusable cups.

Staff have achieved a material recycling rate of roughly 75% as the festival’s garbage is hand-sorted onsite into 15 different categories. The event is committed to reusable products and regenerative energy sources, evidenced by its varied initiatives.

As a leader in festival sustainability, Øya publishes an environmental handbook for other outdoor festivals and events and is one of the Green Producers Tool developers, helping measure and reduce emissions for the entertainment and event industries.

 


Ecotricity Grid Faeries

The brainchild of sustainability entrepreneur Dale Vince OBE, founder of Ecotricity, and Claire O’Neill, A Greener Future co-founder, Grid Faeries is the world’s first 3MWh battery for the festival market. Debuting at Glastonbury Festival in June, the product powered the entire Arcadia Spectacular arena.

The system has also powered WOMAD’s Charlie Gillett stage with 100% green energy and Massive Attack’s Act 1.5, a one-day large-scale climate action accelerator event in Bristol, UK.

The founders are hoping to roll out Grid Faeries to more events next year and are also working nationwide in the UK to bring grid connection to commonly used event sites to make diesel generator usage a thing of the past.

 


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Euro festival preview: Øya, Boardmasters, Sziget

Continuing our regular European festival previews, IQ gives readers a snapshot of what’s to come this weekend…

Norway’s Øya Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary between 6-10 August, with Jack White drafted in as a late replacement for Queens of the Stone Age. White joined PJ Harvey, Pulp, Janelle Monáe and Gabrielle in headlining the Oslo event, which will also feature The Kills, Vince Staples, The National, Slowdive, Big Thief, Arca, Sampha and Idles, among others.

In addition, White has stepped in for QOTSA at Sweden’s Way Out West and Denmark’s Syd for Solen (both 8-10 August).

The Way Out West lineup already boasts artists including Fred Again.., Pulp, PJ Harvey, The National, Air, Skepta, Charlotte Day Wilson, Peggy Gou, Chase & Status, Andre 3000, Big Thief, Jessie Ware, Tems and J Hus, while Fred Again.. also tops the bill at Syd for Solen, which will also welcome the likes of Jorja Smith, Michael Kiwanuka, Sampha, Air, Big Thief, Kenya Grace, Andre 3000 and The Kills.

Also in Denmark, Smukfest, which runs from 4-11 August, has Deep Purple, Sam Smith, Diana Ross, Hardwell, Icona Pop, Example, Faithless, Joel Corry, Lukas Graham, The Prodigy, Zara Larsson and Kiefer Sutherland.

In Hungary, Budapest’s Sziget (7-12 August) presents an all-star cast starring Fred Again.., Halsey, Janelle Monae, Kylie Minogue, Liam Gallagher, Martin Garrix, Sam Smith, Skrillex and Stormzy. Acts will also include Bebe Rexha, Fisher, Louis Tomlinson, Raye, Four Tet, Fontaines DC, Tom Odell, Becky Hill, Aurora and Big Thief.

Meanwhile, Halsey, Fred Again.., PJ Harvey and Pulp head Finland’s Flow Festival in Helsinki (9-11 August). The bill also includes acts such as Raye, Jessie Ware, Idles, Janelle Monae, Vince Staples, Aurora, James Blake, L’Imperatrice, Kenya Grace and Gasellit.

The UK’s Boardmasters (7-11 August) in Newquay, Cornwall, will be headlined by Chase & Status, Sam Fender and Stormzy, backed by Courteeners, Becky Hill, The Streets, Leftfield, Tom Odell, Nia Archives, Declan McKenna, Maisie Peters, Cat Burns and Mahalia.

Other acts will include The Teskey Brothers, Kenya Grace, Soft Play, Elderbrook, Holly Humberstone, Ghetts, Katy B, Kate Nash, Royel Otis, Los Bitchos and Nick Mulvey.

Boomtown 2024 – Chapter 3: Revolution of Imagination (7-11 August) brings The Pharcyde, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Ezra Collective, Viagra Boys, Marc Rebillet, Earth Wind & Fire Experience by Al McKay, Soft Play and Hak Baker to Winchester’s Matterley Bow in Hampshire.

SBTRKT, Pendulum, Ibibio Sound Machine, Children Of Zeus, Ghetts, Fish 56 Octagon, Dream Wife, Priya Ragu and  Sherelle will also perform at the event.

MEO Sudoeste (7-10 August) in Portugal is headed by Martin Garrix, Anitta, Don Toliver, Da Weasel and Alok, with the supporting cast including Charlotte De Witte, Richie Campbell, Matue, Barbara Bandeira, Lil Yachty and Mizzy Miles.

Elsewhere, the likes of Rise Against, Alligatoah, Deichkind, Beatsteaks, Nina Chuba, Giant Rooks and Feine Sahne Fischfilet will grace Germany’s Taubertal-Festival (8-11 August).

 


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European festival line-ups take shape for ’24

The 2024 festival season in Europe is beginning to take shape after a raft of top events made their first line-up announcements for next summer.

In Germany, Eventimpresents/DreamHaus’ twin Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, held at Nürburgring and Nürnberg, respectively, will welcome the likes of Die Ärzte, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age, Green Day, Broilers, Billy Talent, Måneskin, Parkway Drive and Kraftklub from 7-9 June.

FKP Scorpio’s flagship festivals Hurricane, in Scheessel, and Southside, in Neuhausen ob Eck will also return from 21-23 June with acts such as Ed Sheeran, The National, Bring Me The Horizon, Avril Lavigne, The Offspring, The Hives, Jungle and Fontaines DC.

Denmark’s famed Roskilde has also announced its first batch of artists for its 52nd edition from 29 June to 6 July, which includes PJ Harvey, Kali Uchis, Romy, Trueno, The Armed and Blondshell.

“We have a long-running history of being a progressive festival with an international perspective, and we consistently push ourselves to further that purpose,” says Roskilde programme director Anders Wahrén. “We aim to inspire every single one of our 130,000 festival participants with a diverse lineup characterised by artistic curiosity and groundbreaking headliners presented in a unique festival setting.”

“Roskilde Festival is a very communal event where dreams and new ideas for a better tomorrow are being addressed”

He adds: “Roskilde Festival is a very communal event where dreams and new ideas for a better tomorrow are being addressed, exchanged, cultivated and eventually tried out by our participants. And music and art play a big part in inspiring us to even think and sense those new ideas to begin with.”

Set for 6-10 August, Norway’s Superstruct-backed Øyafestivalen will celebrate 25 years with headliners including Pulp and PJ Harvey, while Croatia’s biggest open-air music festival INMusic, which was cancelled in 2023 due to financial challenges, will return to Zagreb from 24-26 June, topped by Smashing Pumpkins and The National.

Elsewhere, Ed Sheeran was unveiled last month as the first headliner of Rock in Rio Lisbon’s 20th anniversary edition. First held in 2004, the biennial festival returns to Portugal for a double weekender between 15-16 & 22-23 June 2024.

Isle of Wight Festival today became the first major UK event to show its hand. Headlined by The Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys and – in a UK festival exclusive – Green Day from 20-23 June. The bill also includes The Streets, Keane, Simple Minds, Crowded House, Blossoms, Nothing But Thieves and Zara Larsson, among others.

“We’re thrilled to announce our 2024 headliners today and to continue to showcase a truly exciting array of talent for next year’s festival,” says IoW organiser John Giddings. “From globally-recognised and pioneering artists, to chart-topping talent and rising stars, we can’t wait to welcome everyone to the island next year.”

Glastonbury has pushed its 2024 ticket sale back by two weeks

Also in the UK, Derbyshire’s Bearded Theory will welcome the likes of Jane’s Addiction, Amyl and the Sniffers, Sleaford Mods, Orbital and Dinosaur Jr to its 15th anniversary from 23-26 May.

And Slam Dunk, the UK’s biggest independent rock festival, will bring You Me At Six, The All American Rejects, I Prevail, Funeral For A Friend, Asking Alexandria, Waterparks, Palaye Royale and Pale Waves to Hatfield Park (25 May) and Leeds’ Temple Newsam (26 May).

Meanwhile, Glastonbury has pushed its 2024 ticket sale back by two weeks to 16 November (tickets plus coach travel) and 19 November (general admission) “out of fairness” to people who discovered they were no longer registered to attempt to buy tickets, despite believing they were.

“Following this year’s festival, we alerted everyone with a registration which pre-dated 2020 of a scheduled review of the details held by See Tickets in the Glastonbury Festival registration database,” says a statement. “This was in order to ensure that the details we hold are current and that we do not store individuals’ information for any longer than is necessary. These registrants were asked to take action to confirm their registration if they wished to keep it.

“Unfortunately, it has come to light that some individuals hoping to buy tickets for 2024 have discovered after Monday’s registration deadline that they are no longer registered, despite believing they were.

“Out of fairness to those individuals, we will be re-opening the window for registration at 12 noon on Monday, 6th November. It will remain open until 5pm on Monday, 13th November.”

Yesterday it was announced that annual action sport and music festival NASS, held near Bristol, will not take place next year as a result of rising costs. Meanwhile, the debut of new Dutch heavy metal festival South of Heaven has been postponed for a year after “no certainty could be given about obtaining the necessary permit for the first edition”. The event was set for 31 May and 1 June, promoted by TIRR Music Agency, Muziekgieterij Maastricht and Doomstar Bookings.

 


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Europe’s biggest festivals join sustainability pact

Sziget, Pohoda and Øya are among a slate of European events that have joined the Green Deal Circular Festivals (GDCF) sustainability pact.

Launched in 2019 by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, GDCF brings together participating festivals to share knowledge and experience on sustainability practices in a bid to become circular and climate-neutral by 2025.

Festivals from the GDCF, along with the municipality of Amsterdam and other European cities and regions, gathered at the ADE Green conference during the Amsterdam Dance Event on 21 October in Amsterdam, where 23 new festivals joined the initiative.

Mysteryland (NL), NorthSide (DK), Amsterdam Dance Event (NL), EXIT Festival (RS), Awakenings Festival (NL), Awakenings Summer Festival (NL) and Paradise City Festival (BE), join Sziget (HU), Pohoda (SK) and Øya (DK) in signing on to the cause.

With the 23 new additions, the number of participating parties has more than doubled to 43 festivals from 14 countries

Other new signatories include Boom Festival (PT), Castle Fest (NL), Department Festival (SE, DK), Georgie’s (NL), Komm schon Alter (NL), Lago Lago (NL), Le Guess Who? (NL), Meadows in the Mountains (BG),  Orange Blossom (DE), Welcome to the Village (NL), Wild Paths Festival (UK) and Wonderfeel (NL).

With the 23 new additions, the number of participating parties has more than doubled to 43 festivals from 14 countries.

Existing members of GDCF are Amsterdam Open Air (NL), Best Kept Secret Festival (NL), Boardmasters (UK), Body & Soul (IE), Boomtown (UK), DGTL Amsterdam (NL), Down The Rabbit Hole (NL), Eurosonic Noorderslag (NL), Into The Great Wide Open (NL), Lowlands (NL), Mañana Mañana (NL), Milkshake Festival (NL), North Sea Jazz (NL), Pukkelpop (NL), Roskilde Festival (DK), Shambala (UK), Superbloom (DE), Vierdaagsefeesten (NL), We Love Green (FR) and Zwarte Cross (NL).

 


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Nordic test shows: Too little, too late?

After effectively ruling out the 2021 festival season, the governments in Denmark and Norway are now in the process of organising large-scale test events to determine how big gatherings can take place during the pandemic.

According to Denmark’s live association, Dansk Live, such experiments were proposed in December 2020 and also in March 2021 by the government-backed ‘Restart Team’.

Both proposals were “kicked to the corner by the authorities,” according to Dansk Live’s Esben Marcher, but it seems that Denmark’s minister of culture has had a late change of heart.

This week, minister Joy Mogensen asked the government’s Restart Team to assess the possibilities of conducting experiments with large events this summer.

The minister’s request comes three weeks after the government’s roadmap was published, which stated that a maximum of 2,000 participants will be permitted at festivals between 21 May and 1 August 2021.

The announcement was followed by a raft of cancellations from 15+ festivals including Roskilde (26 June to 3 July), Smukfest (4–8 August), Northside (3–5 June) and Tinderbox (24–26 June) – rendering the country’s 2021 festival season over.

“The hope was that knowledge could be created that could ensure better opportunities for this summer’s events”

While Dansk Live’s Marcher has welcomed the news of potential test concerts, he also expresses disappointment that large-scale pilots weren’t approved earlier in the year.

“Already at the end of 2020, we proposed to the minister of culture that experiments be carried out in events that bring many people together,” he says.

“The hope was that knowledge could be created that could ensure better opportunities for this summer’s events. Although it is positive that there now seems to be support for making trial arrangements, it is, of course, a pity that there has been no political will to launch trials in the past.”

The Norwegian government has also shown little political will to organise test concerts up to this point – though, after some uncertainty, this morning the cabinet finally approved a pilot series proposed by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

The institute is planning five test concerts in Bergen and Oslo with up to 5,000 people attending each one. As previously reported in IQ, 15,000 participants will be recruited for a control group and will not actually attend the concerts.

The series is expected to kick off in June and concerts will take place in a number of venues including Oslo Spektrum and Grieg Hall in Bergen.

The Nowegian government this morning approved a pilot series proposed by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health

The research project will investigate whether the risk of the spread of infection is reduced to such an extent that rapid testing can replace the distance requirement during events.

Bergen Live, Øya festival, Palmesus and other Norwegian concert organisers will be involved in the test events – many of which were forced to cancel festivals due to the government’s preliminary guidelines, which restrict festivals to 2,000 attendees until June, 5,000 attendees until August and 10,000 thereafter.

Live Nation-owned festivals Bergenfest and Tons of Rock, Superstruct-backed Øya Festival, Over Oslo, Picnic in the Park, Stavernfetsivalen, Seljord Festival and Country Festival among events have been cancelled since.

Compared with other countries in the northern hemisphere, Norway and Denmark have been slow off the mark with arranging test shows.

Germany began conducting test shows as far back as August 2020, with Restart-19, prompting other nations including Spain, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium and Luxembourg, to follow suit. See an extensive timeline of pilot projects here.

While the test shows haven’t necessarily guaranteed the security of the 2021 festival season – many of the aforementioned markets have already seen the summer season obliterated due to government restrictions – nations like the UK are surging towards a full reopening thanks to reassuring results from the government’s Events Research Programme.

 


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Positive signs but a long way to go, say Nordic promoters

Live music was allowed to return to Norway earlier this month, but event organisers in the country – as well as those in neighbouring Sweden, which has not seen a blanket ban on shows – say the return to business for the live industry is still some way off.

After almost two months of silence, concerts of up to 50 people were permitted to take place in Norway from 7 May, providing a one-metre space is kept between attendees, with capacity limits set to increase to 200 people by mid-June if all goes well and, possibly, to 500 by September

“It’s great to see that some concerts can take place again,” says Anders Tangen of Norwegian live music association Norske Konsertarrangører (NKA), “but to make it very clear – it’s not something that can keep our industry economically afloat.”

In a similar vein to responses from those in the Spanish music industry when reopening plans were unveiled, promoters in Norway suggest that initial restrictions are not viable for live events.

“A capacity of 50 works for private events like weddings and anniversaries, but I don’t see a concert boom returning with these restrictions,” Tonje Kaada, CEO of Norway’s Øya Festival tells IQ. “Maybe if the limit increases to 200 like they say it may from 15 June, but I think most promoters need a 500 limit before finding it financially healthy to restart their businesses.”

“It’s great to see that some concerts can take place again, but it’s not something that can keep our industry economically afloat”

Øya was among major festivals in Norway to cancel its 2020 edition following the extension of the government’s large-scale event ban to 1 September. Although having to cancel is “every festival organiser’s nightmare”, Kaada states it was helpful to be able to do so “in such controlled circumstances”, with time to discuss with other organisers and the wider industry.

“It’s been an incredibly tough time for our whole eco system, but at least we’re in the same boat and I really feel that everyone is doing what they can to support each other.”

Mark Vaughan from All Things Live Norway agrees that there is “no financial reward for anyone” putting on an event under current restrictions. However, the reopening, albeit slight, does “give people a chance to work in many different sectors of the business”, says Vaughan, adding that putting on shows, even under the restrictions, is “a positive step for everyone”.

In addition to capacity limits, the need to maintain social distancing at events provides more problems for promoters. FKP Scorpio Norway head promoter Stian Pride says the one-metre distancing guideline means it is “very difficult to make [shows] work”.

“The economic margins for venues and festivals were tight before the crisis, and this makes it even worse”

In order to facilitate easier and safer reopening, the NKA has developed guidelines for venues and organisers on how to meet regulations from the health authorities. “It’s a lot to consider and implement,” says Tangen, “but at the same time there is of course eagerness to open up and get back to come sort of normality.

“The economic margins for venues and festivals were tight before the crisis, and this makes it even worse.”

The situation in Norway is much the same as that in neighbouring Sweden which, unlike its western European counterparts, has yet to impose a full lockdown, keeping bars, restaurants and shops open and allowing events of up to 50 people.

However, the country’s live industry is facing the same issues as most others. “No concerts at all are taking place,” Edward Janson of Swedish promoter Triffid and Danger tells IQ. “We were supposed to promote 42 concerts from mid-March to late May and all of these have either been cancelled or postponed.” Janson adds that he is “more and more sceptical” as to whether shows rescheduled to autumn will be able to go ahead.

Indeed, unlike in many other countries, no end-date for restrictions or plan for resuming normal business has been given in Sweden, making it difficult for promoters to plan for the future, says Joppe Pihlgren of Swedish live music organisation Svensk Live.

“Our focus is to help our members to survive this spring and summer.”

 


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Norway festivals cancelled, but small events to return

Concerts of up to 200 people will likely once again be permitted in Norway as of Friday 15 June, as the country’s live music sector begins its slow return to normality.

The first live events will return this week, with shows for up to 50 people permitted from this Thursday (7 May), providing a one-metre (3’3”) distance is kept between attendees. From 15 June, the government will also consider allowing events for up to 200 people should infection rates be kept under control, said health minister Bent Høie last week.

The concrete timetable for the lifting of restrictions on concerts – which follows a similar, much-talked-about announcement by Spanish authorities, where events of 30 people (in venues with over 90 capacity) may return from 11 May – welcomed tentatively by promoters’ association NKA, nevertheless comes too late for Norway’s large live events, with the country’s largest and best-known music festivals finally called off last week.

Bergenfest (scheduled for 10–13 June) and Tons of Rock (25–27 June), both owned by Live Nation, and Øya Festival, part of the Superstruct stable, will no longer take place in 2020, after the Norwegian government extended its ban on major live events until 1 September.

“For the larger industry players, events of up to 200 people will not even be close to being financially viable”

Large-scale live events are banned in most of continental Europe this summer to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Going further than Norway, the Netherlands has prohibited all festivals, concerts and club nights until 1 September, while in SwitzerlandIrelandGermanyBelgium and Denmark a ban is in place until 31 August. Hungary has banned mass gatherings until at least 15 August, and Luxembourg and Finland until 31 July. France, meanwhile, has given mid-July as the earliest date when events could go ahead, while Austria has identified the end of June.

“While it is positive that there are now clear signs that society can gradually be reopened, at the same time it will be a long time until we can be together as normal,” comments Norwegian Live Music Association (NKA) head Tone Østerdal. “Our industry was among the very first to be shut down, and will most likely be among the very last to open completely. In the meantime, the focus must be to keep concert organisers and the rest of the players in the music industry afloat.

“For some of the smallest, allowing events for up to 200 people could represent such an opportunity, and I think we will see many positive initiatives going forward. At the same time, we should not underestimate what maintaining the infection prevention rules will require of promoters – and for the larger industry players, events of up to 200 people will not even be close to being financially viable.”

 


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Festivalgoers’ data for sale in latest email scam

Email marketers are offering to sell lists of festival attendee data to music business professionals, in the latest suspected email scam to target the live industry.

IQ has learnt that alleged fraudsters have offered to sell the data of attendees to “many events across Europe”, including Norway’s Øya Festival and the UK’s Tramlines, to booking agencies and record labels.

The majority of the emails, all sharing the same format, come from several email addresses traced by IQ to one Vikram H, operating from an apartment block in Bangalore, India. If one takes Vikram up on his offer, respondents are directed to a company registered anonymously in Arizona. None of the people involved responded to multiple requests for comment.

The alleged scam entails offering music businesses the opportunity to purchase attendees’ full names, email addresses, job titles, complete mailing addresses and phone numbers.

“My guess is that they either don’t have the information they claim to have, or they have nicked the info from our Facebook event somehow”

It is suggested that the data, which is supposed collected from “permission-based, double opt in contacts”, compliant with the new GDPR regulations, be used for “pre-show and post-show marketing campaigns, appointment setting and networking”. It is unclear whether said individuals are actually in possession of the information.

A list of data for 25,127 Øya attendees is priced at US$298. The number is a small proportion of the more than 100,000 visitors expected at this year’s festival – which takes place from 6 to 10 August – but was “very much the same number” as those attending on Øya’s Facebook event at the time of the quotation, says the festival’s chief executive, Tonje Kaada.

“They claim to have gathered the data from surveys, and that all the contacts have agreed to receive emails and calls from third-party companies,” Kaada tells IQ. “My guess is that they either don’t have the information they claim to have, or they have nicked the info from our Facebook event somehow.”

The live music industry has seen several similar scams in recent months. In June, Asian promoters received emails from fraudsters posing as agents of high-profile acts. A scam also targeted artists, with bogus UK festival directors offering acts non-existent headline slots.

 


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“It’s important to be a role model”: Øya gears up for 20th year

Norway’s Øya Festival will next week mark its 20th anniversary with the biggest event to date, according to festival founder Claes Olsen.

Øya Festival (Øyafestivalen), held since 2014 in Tøyen Park, Oslo, has sold out every year since 2004, when it was headlined by the Streets and Air and attracted 38,000 visitors. For 2019’s event, on 6–10 August, the Øya team have boosted capacity to 20,000 per day at the festival site – with more than 100,000 visitors expected over the course of the event, including at Øyanatt (Øya Night) club shows at venues across Oslo.

“We’ve had record sales this year,” says Olsen, who reveals full-week tickets sold out before the summer. “Saturday day tickets, with Norwegian headliners Karpe, sold out before Christmas,” he adds, while “Wednesday, with the Cure, James Blake and Blood Orange, sold out months ago; Friday, with Robyn, Christine and the Queens and Girl in Red, sold out weeks ago; and we only have a few hundred tickets left for Thursday, with Tame Impala, Erykah Badu and Sigrid…”

Part of the increase in capacity for 2019 was necessitated by soaring artist fees – 30% over the last two years alone, reckons Olsen – but it has enabled the festival to book arguably its most impressive international line-up yet, complemented by a strong contingent of Norwegian talent.

Olsen, who is also Øya’s lead booker, attributes the festival’s run of back-to-back sell-outs to “believing in our own profile” – booking acts the team want to see, rather than “desperately chasing trends” – as well its progressive attitude towards the issues of the day, including sustainability and gender parity among staff and performers.

“It’s important to think about the future and not be too nostalgic about our history”

For the third year in a row, Øyafestivalen has a gender-balanced bill (49% women this year, 48% in 2017–18), which “proves that we can sell tickets with lots of amazing female acts all over the line-up”, says Olsen, who adds that 65% of the festival’s volunteers are female, along with more than half of its staff. (As is Øya’s CEO, Tonje Kaada.)

Olsen says that while festival bookers “spend a lot of time talking about this issue” (gender parity), it’s “not too difficult to manage it, or to sell tickets or anything. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re heading in the right direction – there are more and more female artists coming through and, especially among the Norwegian acts, there are a lot to choose from.”

As for staff, Olsen says even 20 years ago, “as a group of friends doing the festival voluntarily alongside other jobs, it was important [to us] to be a professional organisation and always recruit the best people – and naturally lots of them were female. But you need to be conscious of it and not overlook it; it’s important to be a positive role model and get new people on board, rather than scaring them away from getting into the music industry…”

On sustainability, meanwhile, the festival has been run on completely renewable energy since 2009, and all food is organic, with almost 40% of the 100,000 portions of food sold being meat free. Additionally, all food packaging is compostable, all beverages are served in reusable cups – a reduction of 90% in plastic use since 2016 – and over 60% of the festival’s waste is reused for new products.

The event’s “environmental- and climate-friendly operations, food and drink that’s gone far beyond sausages and beer, and social consciousness in addition to all the music” were among the factors that impressed Superstruct Entertainment, James Barton’s private equity-backed festival group, enough to invest in Øya in 2018, Olsen’s fellow co-founder, Linn Lunder, told DN.

“We always recruited the best people, and naturally lots of them were female. But you need to be conscious of it”

How has that deal – which saw Øyafestivalen and Superstruct invest in each other, with Olsen and Lunder acquiring an ownership interest in Superstruct – affected, positively or otherwise, Øya 2019? Not much, according Olsen, who says the first year has been “mainly been getting to know each other better, with new festivals coming aboard”.

However, he expects the Superstruct network – which now includes Denmark’s Down the Drain, Flow Festival in Finland and several ex-Global events in the UK, among others – to include “more collaboration in future years”, especially in coordinating artist booking.

Other than handing out a big 20th birthday cake to the first people on site, Olsen says Øya’s 20th year – unlike, say, Glastonbury’s 40th, which saw festival founder Michael Eavis join Stevie Wonder for an impromptu rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ – will be a low-key affair.

“We’re keeping it a little bit quiet; we don’t have it on the posters or the ads, for example,” he says. “We feel like it’s important to think about the future and not be too nostalgic about our history – and I don’t think people really care that much about it when they’re buying tickets anyway. Besides, every festival is better than the last year anyway…”

Øya Festival 2019 takes place Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 August.

 


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Superstruct invests in Norway’s Øyafestivalen

Øyafestivalen, one of the biggest festivals in Norway, has entered into an investment agreement with Superstruct Entertainment, adding a fourth festival brand to Superstruct’s expanding roster of European events.

The deal is the latest development in what has been a busy year for Superstruct – led by CEO James Barton, the founder of Creamfields and former president of electronic music at Live Nation – following May’s acquisition of Sónar festival in Barcelona, February’s investment in Spanish promoter Elrow and the acquisition in January of a majority stake in Sziget.

The company is backed by private-equity firm Providence Equity Partners, and describes its mission as “building a group of leading music festivals in Europe and other parts of the world with the same level of quality and unique position in their home market” as Øyafestivalen, Sónar and others.

Øyafestivalen (60,000-daily cap.), founded in 1999, is held annually in Tøyen Park in Oslo. This year’s edition, which is taking place now (from 7 to 11 August), sold out in advance, with a line-up featuring acts including Kendrick Lamar, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Lykki Li, Fever Ray, Patti Smith and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

“This partnership is about the festival becoming part of a larger group with common interests”

As part of the deal with Providence, the festival’s senior leadership will join Superstruct’s management team.

“We are happy to have been given the opportunity to become investors in Superstruct and join forces with them at this stage of their expansion, and are confident that our new position will allow us to promote Norwegian music through channels we would otherwise not have had access to while also boosting Oslo as a festival city,” says Claes Olsen, Øyafestivalen’s booking manager.

“This partnership is about the festival becoming part of a larger group with common interests. However, our festival will continue to be run by the same management, it will maintain the profile that our audience knows and loves and Øyafestivalen AS will remain a Norwegian company based in Oslo. Additionally, as part of this agreement, our award-winning environmental work will become international.”

Barton adds: “We are delighted to be partnering with Øyafestivalen, one of Europe’s leading urban festivals and the leading festival in Norway. We look forward to welcoming their senior leaders to our management team and continuing to promote outstanding live music events.”

 


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