Croatian biz “exceptionally strong” thanks to Euro
Croatia’s live music business has been “exceptionally strong” in 2023 so far, thanks to the country’s adoption of the Euro and an increase in international fans.
“Switching to the Euro helped in raising ticket prices and the public seems ready to follow that. Now we can come pretty close to Western European ticket prices – something that was unheard of four to five years ago,” says Mario Grdosic, managing director of Croatian independent promoter LAA.
Based in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, LAA typically promotes 50-75 shows a year with previous clients including Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, The xx, The Prodigy, The Cult, Whitesnake, Lorde, Slayer and King Gizzard.
“If someone told me three years ago I would sell a ticket for close to €150, I definitely wouldn’t have believed it”
LAA has held around 30 shows so far this year with “only three to four concerts underperforming,” Grdosic tells IQ.
The company’s biggest offerings in H1 were Florence + The Machine in Pula Arena, and two nights with Robbie Williams in the same venue. Grdosic says those shows are the perfect example of how switching from the Croatian Kuna (KN) to the Euro has helped business.
“I had the Foo Fighters in June 2019 in Pula Arena and our prices then were KN370–460, which was €49–62, and there were some complaints on socials that we were charging way too high,” he explains.
“This year, four years later and with prices in Euro, we had Florence and Robbie in Pula with tickets between €75–139 and nobody said a word.
“When super-fans plan to travel to see their favourite artists, they’re increasingly choosing Croatia”
“If someone told me three years ago I would sell a ticket for close to €150, I definitely wouldn’t have believed it. It was unimaginable here for the biggest shows some five to six years ago…”
And it’s not just domestic fans that are putting their hands in their pockets; Grdosic notes an increasing trend of international fans attending shows in Croatia.
“When super-fans plan to travel to see their favourite artists, they’re increasingly choosing Croatia. For the Robbie Williams shows, around 45% of ticketholders came from outside of Croatia,” he says.
“Even in Zagreb, which was never a particularly strong touristic destination, we now have club shows where 70% of tickets are from Croatia and 30% are from elsewhere. That was never the case some seven to eight years ago.”
“We’ll see if there is enough money in fans’ pockets to follow the trend into 2024/2025…”
While Grdosic is revelling in the market’s upswing, he does admit that 2023 may be an anomaly. “This is a bit of an unusual year, being the first year after Covid and the first with prices in Euros. When things do settle down a bit, I expect people to be more cautious with their money and for 2024 to be a bit less successful than this year.”
The market is also facing universal challenges such as inflation, staff shortages and over-saturation in the market. “But I’m definitely happy with how most things have sold this year,” he adds. “There’s so much stuff happening, so many choices for fans, and ticket prices are higher – it’s better than I expected it to be. We’ll see if there is enough money in fans’ pockets to follow the trend into 2024/2025…”
LAA’s upcoming shows include Tasha Sultana at Tvornica Kulture in Zagreb and two nights with Sigur Ros at Saint Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik.
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‘He was a beautiful man’: Croatian promoter Jordan Rodic passes
Croatian concert promoter Jordan Rodić, responsible for bringing international greats including Sting, U2, Depeche Mode, Jamiroquai and Ennio Morricone to his home country, has died aged 43.
Rodić, the CEO of Premium Events and GigArt, and a longstanding ILMC member, took his own life in January after falling into depression following the last-minute cancellation of a planned show at the Roman amphitheatre in Rodić’s hometown, Pula, in August.
Zagreb-based artist manager, booker and promoter Hrvoje Hum, a longtime friend and colleague of Rodić, explains: “They [the artist’s management] sent him the contract one month prior to the show, and he was obliged to pay a percentage – 30–40% – immediately, and the rest a month before the show. As you know, in our business, it is ‘normal’ to be one or two weeks late with payment, we all collect money from the presale and then pay artists. Most of the biggest management [companies] tolerate this, especially if they know that have done many shows with them and you will work with them in the future.
“Unfortunately, management didn’t want to wait, and cancelled the show five days before it was supposed to happen. At that moment, Jordan personally lost at least €80,000…
“After that, he became depressed. He had two shows agreed for winter, and wanted to cancel them. […] I thought he would be fine, because we had some big plans for this and next year, and he was really excited about it. I don’t know why he did it [commited suicide] – a few hours before, we were on the phone and he looked forward to our next projects…”
Perhaps the biggest highlight of Rodić’s four-decade career in the live industry was selling out Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb with U2, where he and two other colleagues sold more than 120,000 tickets over two nights in 2009.
“He was a loving, caring, gentle, kind, beautiful man with a big heart”
He was also the driving force behind Marilyn Manson’s landmark Croatian show in 2005, as well as the local leg of the Bodies Revealed exhibition, which sold more than 800,000 tickets in a few months.
Jadranka Rodić, Jordan’s twin sister, describes her late brother as a “beautiful shining soul”.
“He has done so much for his family, friends, his city and his country,” she says. “He has achieved the unachievable: he worked and brought so many big stars to Croatia and other countries, as music was his life and passion. He was a visionary man, of no limits, and his creativity and passion was so admirable.
“But, most of all he was a loving, caring, gentle, kind, beautiful man with a big heart. He was loved for who he was, all over the world, and he always will be. People respected him, and his energy was palpable. His heart, energy and vision were out of this world. He has done so much for all of us and the country, and he will be greatly missed.”
Jadranka tells IQ she hopes her brother’s death will raise awareness of the pressures facing all those working in the live industry, and the toll they can take on mental and physical health and wellbeing.
“The stresses, the risks and the pressure had made an impact on his mental health, and contributed to the outcome [his death],” she says. “But his vision was so advanced, and his actions so big, I can be only proud to be his sister. He brought energy, love, passion and new horizons to Croatia, and all of us can only be proud to have had such inspiration.”
“I know this business is ruthless, but the whole system has to change”
While Hum says the music industry is full of good people – Scott Mantell at ICM Partners, for example, was “really helpful” when Rodić, who counted Mantell as a friend, was struggling with mental illness and wanted to postpone two shows by Postmodern Jukebox in Zagreb and Belgrade – he warns that promoters are often seen as “replaceable”, despite their taking the risk on the show.
He says: “We are replaceable – they [agents] will find another promoter, who will pay a fee and [be prepared] to lose everything they have, or even doesn’t have. They don’t care about it. On the other side, I understand that they are responsible to the management, and they have to bring them money – I know this business is ruthless, but I think the whole system has to change.
“The tragic death of Jordan Rodić, and probably more promoters, has to contribute towards this, because all of us risk too much money just to bring culture to our area.”
Despite this ruthlessness, Rodić “loved what he did,” concludes Jadranka. “Music was truly his passion, and he lived it. He gave it his all, as he could see a higher vision and was fearless.
“He saw no limitations – as he knew music was life.”
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Foo Fighters’ first Croatian show sells out in 2 mins
Tickets for Foo Fighters’ first-ever show in Croatia sold out within minutes when they went on sale earlier today, promoter Los Angeles Agency (LAA) has announced.
All 7,000 tickets for the Pula Arena show – part of a string of recently announced 2019 European tour dates, which also include headline slots at Hurricane and Southside in Germany and Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK – were snapped up within the space of two minutes, according to LAA.
“We are sorry for all those who did not succeed [in buying one], but the interest was simply too great for such a small capacity,” reads a statement from the promoter.
Foo Fighters will play Pula Arena – a Roman amphitheatre built between 27BC and AD68 – on 19 June 2019.
According to Croatia Week, it is the fastest-ever sell-out in Croatia, beating U2 in Zagreb, David Gilmour in Pula and Chris Cornell in Zagreb (though it should be noted the U2 show was at a stadium).
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