Vivendi ‘exploring See Tickets sale’
French-headquartered media giant Vivendi is reportedly exploring the sale of See Tickets along with its festival division.
According to Sky News, the conglomerate is working with advisers on potentially offloading parts of its Vivendi Village subsidiary, which also includes 11 festivals such as the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, as well as Garorock in France.
Sources indicate that Vivendi, which announced the partial spin-off of its stake in Universal Music Group in 2021, has concluded its ticketing and festival businesses were not of sufficient scale to compete with the likes of Live Nation and AEG.
The remainder of Vivendi Village’s operations, including Paris’ L’Olympia venue and a cinema chain in Africa, are not believed to be part of the strategic review process, which is expected to begin imminently. However, insiders caution that the sales of the two businesses were not inevitable, with no final decision yet made.
A Vivendi spokesperson has declined to comment on the report.
“The business is mainly driven by ticketing, which represents 70% of overall revenues and is experiencing strong growth”
See Tickets, which was acquired by Vivendi in 2011, opened its first US base in Los Angeles in 2014 and operates more than 15 offices worldwide including in London, New York, Nashville, Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich. Its executive committee comprises five members: Rob Wilmshurst (Group CEO), Boris Patronoff (Group COO), Leanne Lipscombe (Group CFO), Marijke van den Bosch (CEO Benelux and Germany) and Laurent de Cerner (CEO France).
In 2022, the firm sold more than 39 million tickets for 8,000 clients including the UK’s Glastonbury festival, Tomorrowland in Belgium and AmericanaFest in Nashville, US.
Vivendi Village posted revenues of €238 million last year – up from €102m the previous year – and reported sales of €81m for the first six months of the 2023 financial year.
“The business is mainly driven by ticketing, which represents 70% of overall revenues and is experiencing strong growth, due in particular to the expansion of its customer base to new market segments beyond its traditional activities in the field of music,” said Vivendi in response to the financial results.
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Wasserman, See Tickets and more form Fix the Tix
Nineteen organisations from across the music industry have formed a coalition to “collectively advocate for a ticketing experience better than the nightmare many fans and artists currently navigate”.
The coalition, named Fix the Tix, comprises companies and associations operating in North America such as Wasserman, See Tickets, Universal Music Group and DICE.
“With representation from venues, promoters and producers, the performing arts, artists groups, recorded music, and independent ticketing companies, this coalition represents stakeholders who take on all the risk to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences and bring joy, employment, and economic impact to communities across America,” reads a statement from the alliance.
“We are collectively advocating for a ticketing experience better than the nightmare many fans and artists currently navigate”
“We are coming together to protect fans from price gouging and deceptive and predatory ticketing practices.”
The creation of the coalition comes during an upheaval of ticketing practices in the US, with lawmakers attempting to clamp down on ticket sellers.
Fix the Tix is the latest coalition to be formed by the live industry after Fans & Artists Insisting on Reforms (FAIR) Ticketing, launched in March by 20 companies including Live Nation, CAA, UTA, Wasserman Music and WME.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino this week addressed high-profile furores over ticket prices and on-sales and identified areas of improvement for the ticketing industry.
Fix the Tix has promised more “important announcements” in the coming weeks.
At launch, the coalition includes:
• National Independent Venue Assocation (NIVA)
• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
• Americans for the Arts (AFTA)
• Artist Rights Alliance
• Arts Action Fund (AAF)
• Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP)
• Black Music Action Coalition
• DICE
• Future of Music Coalition
• Music Artists Coalition
• Music Managers Forum (MMF-US)
• National Independent Talent Organization (NITO)
• Recording Academy
• Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
• Seattle Theatre Group
• See Tickets
• Songwriters of North America
• Universal Music Group
• Wasserman
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TicketPlan teams with See Tickets in US
Ticket insurance and protection specialist TicketPlan has partnered with See Tickets to provide a refund insurance solution to customers in the US.
The link-up was secured via TicketPlan’s long-standing relationship with Florida and Pennsylvania-based GoReady, a leading provider of travel insurance in the States.
“We are delighted to be providing See Tickets with a refund insurance solution in the USA via our partnership with GoReady and we are all incredibly excited to be working with one of the US’s fastest growing live event ticketing companies,” says Ben Bray, Ticketplan’s relationship and development director.
Established in 1999, TicketPlan enables ticketing companies, venues, events and other organisations to provide an added value service to ticket buyers and develop a new and incremental source of revenue.
“We’re happy to work with the TicketPlan team to offer added protection for ticket purchases”
“We are big fans of See Tickets’ client-friendly approach,” says GoReady CEO Jason Schreier. “GoReady is proud to add its benefits and services to that already outstanding equation.”
UK-based TicketPlan expanded into the Polish market in 2019, having already established its presence in the Dutch, Danish and Italian markets, and announced a partnership with UK ticketing firm and live events website Skiddle last summer.
“Fans have been asking for a solution to protect themselves when the unexpected happens in a ‘no refund’ world,” adds Boris Patronoff, See Tickets Group COO and CEO of See Tickets North America. “We’re happy to work with the TicketPlan team to offer added protection for ticket purchases.”
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See Tickets bolsters global team
See Tickets has strengthened its global team with the promotions of Boris Patronoff, Marijke van den Bosch and Adriana García-Abril Ruiz, and the hiring of Laurent de Cerner.
Patronoff becomes chief operating officer of See Tickets Group and remains the CEO of See Tickets in North America, which he launched in 2014. He succeeds Karim Ayari, who is returning to parent company Vivendi to work on strategic initiatives for the Group.
“I am thrilled about these appointments across the Group,” says See Tickets Group CEO Rob Wilmshurst. “With Boris Patronoff we have been able to find an ideal internal successor as Group COO. We are delighted that he will continue to bring his leadership and experience at Group level. I would like to thank Karim Ayari for his outstanding work in building our organisation and helping us navigate the challenging environment of the last couple of years.”
Elsewhere, See Tickets Benelux chief Van den Bosch, who has been a member of the firm’s executive committee since the start of the year, becomes CEO of Benelux and Germany, while García-Abril Ruiz, previously managing director of See Tickets Spain, becomes MD of Iberia for See Tickets.
“I am very excited to promote the next generation of leaders in the Group”
In addition, Laurent de Cerner has been brought in as the new CEO of See Tickets in France and joins the executive committee. He remains the president of Parisian concert hall L’Olympia and is also a member of French promoters’ trade body Prodiss.
“I am very excited to promote the next generation of leaders in the Group with Marijke van den Bosch and Adriana Garcia-Abril Ruiz,” adds Wilmshurst. “I also warmly welcome Laurent to the business. He will bring years of knowledge and experience with venues and promoters to continue to strengthen our position in the French market.”
See Tickets Group’s executive committee now comprises five members: Rob Wilmshurst (Group CEO), Boris Patronoff (Group COO), Leanne Lipscombe (Group CFO), Marijke van den Bosch (CEO Benelux and Germany) and Laurent de Cerner (CEO France).
PHOTO (L-R): Laurent de Cerner, Marijke van den Bosch, Rob Wilmshurst, Leanne Lipscombe (Group CFO), Boris Patronoff and Adriana García-Abril Ruiz.
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Spotify launches Live Events Feed
Streaming giant Spotify has launched the Live Events Feed, an in-app destination that allows users to discover concerts in their local area via personalised listings.
The innovation replaces the previous Concert Hub feature, and introduces a number of updates to help fans find shows by their favourite artists.
Listings are sourced from the platform’s ticketing partners including Ticketmaster, AXS, Dice, Eventbrite and See Tickets.
“We’d love to be a part of helping the live music industry recover”
“With shows coming back, and listeners excited to see their favourite artists perform live again, we think this is the perfect time to explore new ways that Spotify can further support the industry,” says René Volker, Spotify’s senior director of live events.
“Thanks to partnerships with leading ticketers like Ticketmaster, AXS, Dice, Eventbrite, See Tickets, and others, Spotify now has most of the world’s concerts listed on-platform in our major markets. Users can now check out those listings on the Live Events Feed. They’ll be excited to see personalised recommendations for upcoming shows based upon their unique taste profile.
“Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that fans are aware of all of the upcoming events by the creators they love and creators they may come to love. We believe if we get that right, then we can get more fans to more shows and help artists and venues have better-filled rooms. We’d love to be a part of helping the live music industry recover and, even more importantly to us, helping to grow it in the years to come.”
“We spent about two years studying the industry, its products and its users”
Sam Sheridan, Spotify’s product manager for live events discovery, explains the Live Events Feed was two years in the making.
“We spent about two years studying the industry, its products and its users,” he says. “One of the key behaviours we see is that fans engage with artists on-platform, but then they leave to search for listings online or to even follow artists on social media for the sole purpose of staying on top of their events. We think the Live Events Feed is an opportunity to help close this loop. This helps ease the burden on fans, reduces the competition artists need to contend with to stand out, and creates new efficiencies around marketing.
“Another core learning was how sticky the discovery pathways are that lead with the artist, which you can see manifest in the design that leans into rich artist imagery, helping fans feel more connected and better informed about their favourite artists. We also included a new way to represent and celebrate the full body of the artist’s touring offering.”
He continues: “In addition, we built a new messaging tool to provide fans with personalised recommendations for upcoming live events based on their listening habits. And we’re putting fans in control of how they want to be communicated with by giving them tools to set their notification preferences, and offering them more information about our different ticketing partners. This, in turn, is helping these partners to find audiences.”
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See Tickets ups Steve Oberman to head of music
Steve Oberman has been named EVP and head of music at See Tickets North America as part of a series of promotions at the firm.
Oberman, who was previously the firm’s VP of business development, will be tasked with leading all music related business development and client acquisition efforts in the region, with responsibility for sustaining long term revenue growth.
The Vivendi-opened company opened its first US base, in Los Angeles, in 2014 and operates more than 15 offices worldwide including in London, New York, Nashville, Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich.
“Steve has been one of the key drivers of See Tickets becoming the most prolific and experienced ticketing partner to independent music festivals and venues in the country,” says Boris Patronoff, CEO of See Tickets North America. “The trust and respect that he has earned in the music space will continue to serve him well in his new role.”
“Our exponential growth in the last few years is indicative of the character and integrity that these three have demonstrated”
The company has also elevated previous VP of business development Daniel Spicka to EVP of venue partnerships, while senior manager of strategy and partnerships Phil Lawrence becomes VO of festival partnerships.
In addition, Nashville-based Steo Britton and Allison Leidy, based in LA, have been hired as account managers following a year of growth for the ticketing giant, which saw it add more than 150 independent venues to its portfolio.
Joe Salem, chief revenue officer of See Tickets North America, added: “This team is the best in the business. Our exponential growth in the last few years is indicative of the character and integrity that these three have demonstrated, and we couldn’t be happier to have Steo and Allison join the team.”
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LGBTIQ+ List 2021: Remembering this year’s queer pioneers
This year, IQ Magazine launched the LGBTIQ+ List 2021 – the first annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business.
The landmark list was the jewel in the crown of IQ’s first-ever Pride edition, which was published on Monday (28 June) and followed our Loud and Proud agency-curated playlist.
The 20 individuals comprising the LGBTIQ+ List 2021, as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee, are individuals that have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for an industry that we can all be proud of.
The inaugural cohort comprised agents, promoters, COOs, CEOs, event producers, wellness specialists, tour managers and more, all of whom identify as LGBTIQ+ and, in the face of adversity, have made enormous contributions to their respective sectors.
“IQ received an unbelievable amount of heartwarming testimonials”
In no particular order, the LGBTIQ+ List 2021 is:
Steven Braines, co-founder, He.She.They (UK). Full profile here.
Sean Hill, director of tour marketing, UTA (UK). Full profile here.
Zoe Williamson, agent, UTA (US). Full profile here.
Will Larnach-Jones, managing director/head of bookings, Iceland Airwaves (IE). Full profile here.
Raven Twigg, promoter assistant, Metropolis Music/founder, Women Connect (UK). Full profile here.
Nadu Placca, global event & experience architect, The Zoo XYZ (UK). Full profile here.
Maxie Gedge, Keychange project manager, PRS Foundation (UK). Full profile here.
Mark Fletcher, CEO, Manchester Pride (UK). Full profile here.
Maddie Arnold, associate promoter, Live Nation (UK). Full profile here.
Lauren Kirkpatrick, promoter assistant, DF Concerts (UK). Full profile here.
Laura Nagtegaal, guitar technician and tour manager, MsGyver (NL). Full profile here.
Joanne Croxford, wellness + diversity specialist/ live touring/ tour assistant (UK)
James Murphy, chief operating officer North America, See Tickets (US). Full profile here.
Guy Howes, music partnerships executive, CAA (UK). Full profile here.
Doug Smith, SVP field operations UK & Ireland, Ticketmaster (UK). Full profile here.
Chris Ibbs, agent, CAA (UK). Full profile here.
Leigh Millhauser, coordinator, Wasserman Music (US). Full profile here.
Austin Sarich, director of touring, Live Nation (US). Full profile here.
Daniel Brown, event producer/programmer, Birmingham Pride (UK). Full profile here.
Rauha Kyyrö, head promoter, Fullsteam Agency (FI). Full profile here.
“I never imagined I’d be so thrilled to see my inbox soar into triple digits – that is until we opened nominations for the LGBTIQ+ List 2021,” says IQ staff writer Lisa Henderson, who guest-edited the Pride issue. “We received an unbelievable amount of heartwarming testimonials from across the business but, thanks to the help of our revered steering committee, we’ve ended up with 20 exemplary individuals who continually prove that diversity is the industry’s greatest strength.”
Subscribers can read the entire Pride edition (issue 101) of IQ Magazine now.
Click here to subscribe to IQ for just £5.99 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:
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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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The LGBTIQ+ List 2021: James Murphy, See Tickets
The LGBTIQ+ List 2021 – IQ’s first annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – was published in the inaugural Pride edition (issue 101) this month.
The 20 individuals comprising the LGBTIQ+ List 2021, as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee, have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for an industry that we can all be proud of.
To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, IQ asked each individual to share their challenges, triumphs, advice and more. Each day this month, we’ll publish a new interview with an individual on the LGBTIQ+ List 2021. Catch up on the previous interview with Maxie Gedge, Keychange project manager in the UK here.
James Murphy
He/him/his
Chief operating officer North America, See Tickets
Los Angeles, US
[email protected]
Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.
Convincing Clear Channel Radio, a very conservative, Texas-based media company, to engage with the LGBTQ community in the late 90s/early 00s. That engagement included supporting local event producers and community-based organisations, culminating in providing more than $2million (€1.7m) in direct support to the local community over a ten-year period.
What advice could you give for young queer professionals?
Always be your authentic self in all aspects of your life. Take measured professional risks in advocating for our community. Being true to yourself will allow you to openly enlist allies and advocates inside your company. Connecting how your business operates in the broader community directly improves lives, including the lives of the business’s employees.
“Being true to yourself will allow you to openly enlist allies and advocates inside your company”
Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person.
Finding the right mix of inclusion and “business success” is oftentimes seen as unrelated objectives. My view is that success and a fair and inclusive work environment are connected, as that type of environment creates the best atmosphere for employees to thrive and deliver. Similarly, convincing partners that a diverse event production and ticketing team will lead to better cultural sensitivities and better service results are equally as connected.
What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?
Realising that diversity in your workforce and better service results are connected. When your customer base sees or hears a person “like them” at an event or on the phone they immediately feel heard. Alternatively, that diverse workforce is more empathetic and your customer will feel that empathy…
A cause you support.
I’ve been actively involved in two local LGBTQ organisations over the past 20 years – APLA Health and Wellness, and The Trevor Project. Both organisations are committed to the health and wellness of our community’s youth. As a past board chair and treasurer, respectively, I was able to influence substantive community change and direct much-needed local resources to both charities. Their amazing work continues.
“[The industry] needs to realise that diversity in the workforce and better service results are connected”
What does the near future of the industry look like?
Covid has provided the industry with an amazing opportunity to reopen safely and deploy technology in unique ways. Virtual experiences or events with a mixed virtual/live offering can provide producers and attendees with safe alternatives until vaccine rates are high enough for attendees and staff to feel safe. Requiring customer compliance with Covid safety protocols as well as offering rewards to vaccinated and/or recently tested customers with benefits should be part of every producer’s offering.
How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?
Safety first, through the deployment of smart and effective technology. I’m hopeful that the industry will focus on local programming and artists as well as local partnerships – for instance, partnering with neighbourhood restaurants that may have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. In addition, the industry should act to reward those that have been vaccinated/tested with benefits that reward productive behaviour with early access to shows, etc.
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Eventim UK appoints Martin Fitzgerald as MD
CTS Eventim has appointed Martin Fitzgerald as managing director of Eventim UK, its London-based ticketing company.
Fitzgerald joins Eventim UK from his role as chief commercial officer at Vivendi’s See Tickets, where he spent 18 years.
He will begin the new role at Eventim UK on 30 March, working alongside John Gibson, who joined the company last year.
“Martin’s appointment reflects Eventim’s continued investment in our commitment to the UK, a core market for CTS Eventim”
Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, founder and CEO of CTS Eventim, says: “Martin’s appointment reflects Eventim’s continued investment in both our people and our commitment to the UK, a core market for CTS Eventim. I have no doubt that Martin and John will make a formidable team, creating new and exciting strategic partnerships.”
Fitzgerald says: “As our industry starts to recover, it’s an exciting time to join one of the leading providers of ticketing services and live entertainment. My philosophy has always been to work in partnership with clients, to deliver innovative technology solutions and services on behalf of the event organiser and a seamless and intuitive experience to the fans.
“I’m very much looking forward to working with John and the rest of the UK team to introduce new clients to Eventim’s impressive portfolio of ticketing technologies and trusted services.”
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