The concert industry’s biggest stories of 2024
With the end of 2024 in sight, IQ presents a look back the biggest live music industry stories from the past year. Revisit the most notable moments from the last 12 months below – and there is only one place to start…
A $2bn juggernaut: Taylor Swift wraps up Eras Tour
After 149 shows, five continents and an unprecedented box office gross, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour came to an end in Vancouver, Canada, in December.
The epoch-defining 21-month trek garnered an all-time record US$2,077,618,725 (€1.96 billion) at the box office after selling more than 10.1 million tickets, with the economic benefits of staging an Eras residency for host cities even earning its own term – “Swiftonomics”.
The run’s 80 shows this year raked in $1,043,421,552 (€993.4m) from 5.2m ticket sales at an average ticket price of $200.27 (€190.68). IQ explored how Swift captured the zeitgeist like no other artist in decades upon the conclusion of the tour’s European leg at London’s Wembley Stadium in August.
Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour was a distant second in the tour rankings – grossing $421.7m, having moved 3.3m tickets for 54 concerts (average ticket price: $128.05). The ongoing run has also made history after claiming the overall record for tickets sold on a single tour, shifting 10.3m tickets since commencing in March 2022, and is already the second highest-grossing ever.
The top 10 list was completed by P!nk (367.3m), Luis Miguel ($261.5m), Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band ($251.3m), the Rolling Stones ($235m), Bad Bunny ($210.9m), Zach Bryan ($199.2m), Metallica ($179.4m), and Madonna ($178.8m).
Global investment firm buys Superstruct for €1.3bn
American global investment firm KKR acquired festival giant Superstruct Entertainment from Providence in a €1.3 billion deal.
Fellow private equity firm CVC also went on to secure a stake in the firm, which owns and operates over 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Benicàssim, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters.
Superstruct was launched in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence.
IQ charted the increasingly close links between the international touring industry and PE here.
Meanwhile, Superstruct’s Barton will give his first interview in the company’s history at next year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC).
Oasis confirm 2025 reunion tour
Legendary British rock band Oasis confirmed they are reuniting for a 2025 world tour.
The Gallagher brothers last performed together in August 2009, when they split following a backstage bust-up at France’s Rock en Seine.
The Oasis Live ‘25 Tour was the biggest concert launch ever seen in UK and Ireland, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to buy tickets for the group’s first shows since 2009.
However, the unprecedented demand soon gave way to a dynamic ticketing controversy that has prompted multiple inquiries. There was widespread media coverage of fan anger after customers were offered “in demand” tickets for more than twice the advertised face value under surge pricing after queuing online for several hours.
Dynamic pricing was subsequently not employed for the group’s other tour dates in North America, South America, Asia and Australia, which have all sold out.
Adele’s Munich run ‘a milestone in music history’
The team behind Adele’s historic German run hailed acclaimed show as “a milestone in music history”.
More than 730,000 tickets were sold for the singer’s 10-night stint at a giant pop-up stadium in Munich, held between 2-31 August. The “bespoke” outdoor venue boasted a 220m x 30m LED screen, supplied by Solotech, which has been certified by Guinness World Records as the Largest Continuous Outdoor LED Screen (temporary) ever built.
Alongside the venue, the 75,000-square-metre Adele World – which included an authentic English pub, a fairground wheel, karaoke, Farmers Markets, merchandise and a typical Bavarian beer garden with live entertainment – attracted 500,000 visitors.
“We could not simply use a blueprint of another project – we had to start from scratch,” said Live Nation GSA CEO Marek Lieberberg, who co-promoted the residency with Klaus Leutgeb, CEO of Austria’s Leutgeb Entertainment Group.
“Before this started, I said: ‘Never before and never again.’ Now, I would say, ‘Never before but maybe again.
“It’s a milestone in music history, for sure. And it seems too good to waste. But if we ever did something like this again, it has to cater to the specific vision of the artist, like this one has.”
Co-op Live Manchester bounces back
A whirlwind first six months for Manchester’s Co-op Live (cap. 23,500) saw the UK’s largest live entertainment rebound from its delayed opening.
The £365 million facility hosted prestigious events including the UFC and the MTV EMAs, as well as indoor shows by Paul McCartney, the Eagles and Pearl Jam.
NEC Group veteran Guy Dunstan joined in October as its new general manager and SVP, with Rebecca Kane Burton, formerly of The O2, LW Theatres and Sodexo Live, becoming EVP of venue management for OVG International.
Originally slated to join the OVG fold over the summer, Kane Burton was parachuted in as interim boss of Manchester’s Co-op Live in April, as the venue’s launch was pushed back two weeks following a series of hitches. It ultimately launched on 14 May with a triumphant hometown concert by Elbow.
“I think any of us now, if we hear any Elbow music, will cry tears of joy, because that’s the moment we finally got the doors open and ready and away,” Kane Burton told IQ. “And then June just was amazing, because it was just literally back-to-back gigs and you start becoming a very well-oiled machine.”
CTS Eventim wins race to acquire See Tickets
CTS Eventim acquired Vivendi’s festival and international ticketing businesses in a €300 million deal.
The agreement included See Tickets and a portfolio of 11 festivals including the UK’s Love Supreme and Kite, as well as Garorock in France. Vivendi concert halls including L’Olympia concert hall in Paris, plus See Tickets France and Brive Festival, are not part of the deal.
The French firm’s ticketing and festival activities acquired by CTS collectively produced €137 million in revenues in 2023.
“With See Tickets and its festival operations, Vivendi has established two notable players in the ticketing and live entertainment sector,” said CTS CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg.
“The acquisition supports our internationalisation strategy and will also benefit artists and their managers, as we will be able to offer even more seamless services on a global scale. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues on shaping the future of live entertainment.”
DOJ sues Live Nation over alleged ‘monopoly’
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an explosive lawsuit which could seek to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster after alleging the company has violated antitrust laws.
LN and Ticketmaster, who merged in 2010, are accused of using their “power and influence” to “insert themselves at the centre and the edges of virtually every aspect of the live music ecosystem”.
The suit, which was filed in May in the United States District Court Southern District of New York, claims: “Through a self-reinforcing ‘flywheel’ that Live Nation-Ticketmaster created to connect their multiple interconnected businesses and interests, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have engaged in numerous forms of anticompetitive conduct.”
The defendants vigorously contest the claims, with the case set to go to trial in 2026.
Live Nation’s share price rocketed to an all-time high in the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory in November, and the company has said it is “hopeful” the imminent administration change will have a positive impact on its antitrust battle.
Second Sphere venue location revealed
The world’s second Sphere venue is to be built in Abu Dhabi, it was revealed.
Sphere Entertainment and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi confirmed the longstanding rumours, announcing they will work together to bring the next-generation project to life in the UAE capital.
Since opening the $2.3 billion Sphere in Las Vegas, US, in September 2023, Sphere Entertainment has pursued plans to develop a global network of Sphere venues, with the expansion expected to provide “significant growth potential and drive new revenue streams”.
“The vision for Sphere has always included a global network of venues, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that goal,” said Sphere Entertainment executive chair and CEO James Dolan. “Sphere is redefining live entertainment and extending the reach of its transformative impact. We are proud to collaborate with DCT Abu Dhabi to develop Sphere in their city.”
The partners say the venue will be located in a “prime spot” in Abu Dhabi and echo the scale of the 20,000-cap Las Vegas original, which has so far hosted residencies by U2, Phish, Dead & Company and the Eagles’ ongoing run, as well as the Darren Aronofsky-directed immersive production Postcard from Earth.
CAA trio appointed co-heads of global touring
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) announced senior agents Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin as co-heads of global touring.
The trio, all long-time senior members of the firm’s leadership team, will oversee the department’s continued international growth and build upon the work of predecessor Rob Light, who was named CAA MD earlier in the year after a quarter of a century as head of global touring.
“With the most talented team of agents ever at one agency, and serving the most influential artists in the world, we see unlimited opportunities ahead,” said Roskin, Eaton and Banks. “The live business has never been stronger nor had more momentum, and artists have never had more ways to express themselves and grow their careers, making this an absolutely incredible time to help chart CAA’s path for the future.
“We’re fortunate to have shared in the success, stability and uniquely strong culture that the department has enjoyed under Rob’s outstanding leadership. Our vision, and commitment moving forward, is to foster cutting-edge ideas that drive the market and ensure that CAA remains the most exciting and empowering agency for the industry’s best agents and artists to thrive.”
Live legends remembered
SJM Concerts director Chris York, one of the UK’s leading and most respected promoters, died in July aged 55 following a long illness.
Over the course of 30 years, York worked with artists including Oasis, Foo Fighters, Green Day, The Chemical Brothers, Lily Allen, Massive Attack, Robert Plant, Underworld, Lorde, Morrissey, Placebo, Suede and Stereophonics.
In a statement, SJM said it was “deeply saddened” at news of his passing. York joined the Manchester-based company in 1993, forming a “solid and unshakeable partnership and friendship” with founder Simon Moran.
“We have lost a leader, a mentor a force of nature and a friend,” said the firm. “His loss will be felt keenly by all the staff at the company and by many industry professionals and artists around the world. His influence and personality will live forever within SJM Concerts.”
The music world also lost Mean Fiddler founder and festival pioneer Vince Power in March, aged 76. The Irish promoter helped change the face of the music industry, working across festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Phoenix, The Fleadh, Madstock and Spain’s Benicassim,
Power opened the Mean Fiddler venue in Harlesden, London, in 1982, which formed the springboard for his Mean Fiddler Group empire.
“Vince’s passing is a massive loss to the music industry and to me personally,” said Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn. “A visionary with a willingness to take risks to enable his vision but always with a humbleness that belied his importance. We had an amazing 20 years together that helped shape the music industry as we know it now.”
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ILMC unveils largest-ever programme for 2025
The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has unveiled its largest-ever programme for the 37th edition, which will take place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel between 25-28 February 2025.
In the new-look, refreshed programme, session formats range from question times to fan focus groups and panels to keynotes.
New additions to the programme include Question Time, which will see top industry leaders tackle questions submitted by conference delegates, and Meet The Fans – a fan focus group that gives the industry a chance to hear directly from regular gig-goers.
Another new element, Middle East Live supported by OVG, will comprise two dedicated sessions on the rapidly expanding region: a state of the nation review and a venue focus.
As previously announced, Superstruct co-founder James Barton will be the Hotseat interview for ILMC 37, while other conference topics across the three-day event include ethics & activism, marketing, the arena market, festival formats, electronic music, fan data tools, wellness, a series of genre spotlight sessions, and a workshop programme including live music insurance, green riders, visas and programming gender-balanced events.
“We have gone back to first principles this year and completely refreshed the conference agenda”
Session chairs include Emma Banks (CAA), Rauha Kyyrö (FKP Scorpio), Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent International), Marie Lindqvist (ASM Global), Dan Steinberg (Emporium Presents), Tom Zaller (Imagine Exhibitions) and Clementine Bunel (Wasserman Music).
“We have gone back to first principles this year and completely refreshed the conference agenda, ensuring that we continue to deliver on ILMC’s core mission of being the premier place for the international live music business to discuss its most important issues,” says head of ILMC Greg Parmley.
“It’s the biggest ILMC agenda yet, and we’re excited to deliver the new sessions and formats in February.”
Running alongside the core ILMC programme, Touring Entertainment LIVE will offer a full day of big-brand live entertainment, exhibitions and touring family shows on Wednesday 26 February, and the Greener Events and Innovations (GEI) Conference will tackle sustainability in the live sector throughout Tuesday 25 February.
Friday at ILMC runs as Futures Forum, with an additional delegation of young and early-career live music professionals invited to attend sessions on festival booking, emerging markets, tour marketing, alternative revenue streams and more.
Key partners on ILMC 37 include Live Nation, Ticketmaster, CTS Eventim, ASM Global, Tysers Live, BWO Entertainment, AXS, Showsec, DEAG & LMP Group.
Over 2,500 live music professionals will take part in the 2025 ILMC programme, with full details available at 37.ilmc.com.
Further sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Superstruct’s James Barton set for ILMC keynote
James Barton will give his first interview in Superstruct Entertainment’s nine-year history at next year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC).
The Superstruct co-founder and chairman will speak candidly about key moments in his career, the company’s meteoric growth, and his perspective on the global festival business during the Hot Seat interview on Wednesday 26 February 2025.
Superstruct was founded in 2017 by Barton – founder of Creamfields and former Live Nation president of electronic music – and Roderik Schlosser.
The London-based firm now houses as many as 80 festivals, 100 events and 35 businesses, and has grown quickly to become the world’s second-largest festival promoter.
Its network includes Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Øya (NO), Parookaville (DE) and Tinderbox (DK), Kendal Calling (UK), Boardmasters (UK) and more.
In June this year, the festival giant was acquired from Providence Equity by American global investment firm KKR in a €1.3 billion deal. Months later, fellow global investment giant CVC secured a stake in Superstruct.
Superstruct now houses as many as 80 festivals, 100 events and 35 businesses
Barton’s Hot Seat interview will take place at the 37th edition of ILMC, scheduled for 25–28 February 2025 at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.
The unique 60-minute interview is the first session confirmed for ILMC 37, ahead of the provisional agenda being revealed next month.
Recently announced programme elements of the 2025 event include The ‘Bon Voyage’ Opening hosted by Live Nation (25 February), the WME Happy Hour (26 February) and the LGBTIQ+ Morning Mixer (27 February).
Meanwhile, voting is underway for the Arthur Awards 2025, the live music industry’s favourite and most established awards.
The awards and Gala Dinner will return to the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday 27 February 2025.
See the full list of nominees for the Arthur Awards 2025, and cast your votes, here.
Around 2,500 live music executives are expected to attend the 37th International Live Music Conference (ILMC), which also comprises Greener Events and Innovations (GEI), Touring Entertainment LIVE, Futures Forum and Soho Calling.
Key supporters on ILMC 37 include Live Nation, Ticketmaster, ASM Global, Eventim, Tysers Live, BWO Entertainment, AXS, Showsec, DEAG Group and LMP Group.
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Superstruct strikes deal with Riff Producciones
Superstruct Entertainment has signed a partnership and investment agreement with Spanish promoter Riff Producciones, it has been announced.
Co-founded in 1994 by Carlos Espinosa and Chris Ortiz, Riff has brought several major international draws to Spain, including Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Paul Simon, Mark Knopfler, John Fogerty, Iron Maiden and Joe Satriani.
The Andalusia-based firm also books a handful of Spanish artists and organises several festivals including I Like Festival and Eutopía in Cordova, Musicians in Nature in Castilla y León and Blues Cazorla in Jaén.
Superstruct, which has interests in 23 Iberia-based festivals such as Arenal Sound, Benicàssim and Sónar, says it will support the development and growth of Riff with its resources and international experience. Riff’s current team will continue to manage the company.
“We are delighted to add Riff Producciones to our global network,” says Roderik Schlösser, CEO of Superstruct Entertainment.
“This alliance with Superstruct is a recognition of the work and effort of our team over the years”
“Their legacy of excellence and commitment to quality in event production in Spain is unmatched, and together we will be able to continue offering unforgettable experiences to millions of people.”
Espinosa, director of Riff Producciones, adds: “This alliance with Superstruct is a recognition of the work and effort of our team over the years. We share a common vision of raising the standards of live music and we are sure that this union will open new doors to continue creating unique shows in Spain and the rest of the world.”
Last month, private equity firm CVC secured a stake in Superstruct just weeks after KKR’s acquisition of the festival behemoth was given the green light.
Fellow global investment giant KKR, whose interests include music company BMG, acquired Superstruct from Providence for €1.3 billion in June – a deal that was approved by the European Commission last month.
Superstruct owns and operates over 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Benicàssim, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters. It was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence.
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Boardmasters makes changes after 2024 crowd crush
The UK’s Boardmasters has enhanced security measures for next year’s festival after a crowd crush took place at this summer’s event.
Held in Newquay, Cornwall, from 7-11 August, the 2024 event featured acts such as 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.
The “isolated incident” took place on the Superstruct-backed festival’s The Point stage on Friday (9 August) during a performance by DJ Sammy Virji, whose set was cancelled and the stage closed temporarily as a result.
The festival later confirmed that seven festivalgoers had to be taken to hospital and the council launched a formal investigation into what happened.
Boardmasters has confirmed it is boosting security personnel to “crowd and behaviour management positions” by 20% for the 2025 event
The festival’s capacity had been increased from 53,000 to 58,000 this year after its licensing application was partially accepted by the local council.
Now, Boardmasters has confirmed it is boosting security personnel to “crowd and behaviour management positions” by 20% for the 2025 event taking place between 6-10 August.
The festival will have 25 more entry lanes which organisers said would enable deeper searches of visitors’ belongings, 25% more watchtowers manned 24-hours a day, and 50% increase in high-visibility security patrols.
The festival has also brought in numerous other changes based on feedback from attendees, including an increase in the number of Wi-Fi hotspots in both the arena and campsites and a ‘chilled’ campsite with an 11 pm noise curfew. They have added that further updates will be issued in due course.
Next year’s Boardmasters line-up has not yet been confirmed.
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Kendal Calling at 20: The story so far
Kendal Calling co-founders Ben Robinson and Andy Smith have celebrated the festival’s journey so far after unveiling the lineup for its 20th birthday next summer.
Courteeners, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy and Kaiser Chiefs will top the bill at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District from 31 July to 3 August 2025.
Tickets for the 40,000-cap UK event, which has been backed by Superstruct Entertainment since 2019, went on sale in August and have been snapped up at record speed.
“We’ve sold over three quarters of our tickets for next year, so we better make sure it’s the best one yet,” Smith tells IQ.
More than 80 acts have been announced in total, also including The Last Dinner Party, Travis, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Skindred, Maximo Park, The Lottery Winners, Scouting for Girls, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jason Manford, The K’s, Reverend & The Makers, The Pigeon Detectives, Daniel Bedingfield, Pixie Lott, Tim Burgess and Inspiral Carpets.
“I’ve literally not been mentioning who we’ve got next year, because I feel it’s so special that if I say it too many times, it might not happen,” says Robinson.
“We’re probably the only festival in the world who are booking for 2035”
Here, the duo reflect on the history of Kendal Calling, booking Snoop Dogg and why they’ve already started planning the festival’s 30th anniversary…
The origins of the event…
Ben Robinson: “I started putting on a lot of gigs around Cumbria after I came back from university. There wasn’t much of a music scene to be spoken of, but there were a few good bands so I started promoting little shows in pubs and things like that. Through that process, I met Andy Smith, who was doing something similar over the hill. The two of us identified that there were no venues big enough to put some cool shows in, and we thought we would maybe do something outdoors. I think for the first five years, it was just, ‘Can we get through this year?'”
Andy Smith: “We didn’t want to jinx it, so you just think one year ahead at a time and never had any ambitions to grow to the size we are now because even thinking about such a thing would be too dangerous. So you just think, ‘How could we improve last year and make it better?’ The first year was 900-capacity and the entire tent was probably the size of our catering tent these days. We’ve actually got a contract for an artist to play our 30th anniversary in 2035. So while I say we’ve only looked one year ahead, that one’s been in the bag for a while now. We’re probably the only festival in the world who are booking for 2035.”
Breakthrough years…
BR: “2008 was quite a key year for a few reasons. Before that, it was very much a two-day ticket: one more electronic, one more indie. But then in 2008, we could only get Dizzee Rascal on the Friday so we decided to make it a three-day event and 4,000-cap. We were a little bit caught out about how many people then came and camped, so it really became a festival, rather than a couple of day events.”
AS: “BBC Radio 1 did some fantastic advertisement for us, because Dizzee Rascal was #1 in the charts at the time and they spent the entire week talking about Kendal Calling and how mad it was that Dizzee was playing in Ibiza the nights before and after, and there was no way he was going to make the show. So I think we sold an awful lot of tickets to people who didn’t live in Kendal that time, and that’s the first time it kind of broke the boundaries of the town.”
BR: “I would say it’s a regional festival with a national reputation. It’s definitely still got its heart embedded in the North West, but it does feel like it’s local to the majority of people in the north now. We moved up to Lowther Deer Park, 2009, and that’s been the home of the festival ever since. That was the first time we had an outdoor stage, because the main stage had previously been tented.”
“We’ve missed the boat a few times – could’ve booked Ed Sheeran, didn’t…”
Going international…
AS: “I think Blondie [in 2011] were the first international act we’d had. There was a lot of trust shown there from Steve Strange to offer the act to us, and the audience was blown away. That was surreal – I’ve grown up listening to Blondie all my life, so that was a heck of a year for us.”
BR: “On our 10th birthday, we had Snoop Dogg perform, which was huge – a little bit similar to Dizzee Rascal in that nobody really knew if he was going to make it. The night before Snoop Dogg was going to play, he was arrested walking through an Italian airport because he had about €400,000 in duffle bags. That was in all the news reports as we were going to bed, and our mates were going ‘Are you sure if he’s going to make it tomorrow?’ He was feeding in that he was on his way, but it was getting quite close and we had a capacity crowd waiting at the main stage. As he was coming onto the site, his tour bus was viewable by the audience, driving to the back of the stage and there was this incredible cheer. He literally walked straight off the tour bus and onto the stage.”
AS: “Someone was there holding a microphone next to the tour bus when the doors opened and he just grabbed the microphone, strode onto the stage and played an absolutely amazing set. I’ve never seen such professionalism – he knows what he’s doing! We both grew up in small villages, so that informed our programming policy of having something for everybody. You want to get the whole village out having a great time and that means booking Snoop Dogg, but it also means booking the Beach Boys, Elbow and Kaiser Chiefs. That’s where we’re now going with the expansion of the arts offering as well, so it’s not just going to be a wonderful festival for music, it’s going to be a wonderful festival for everything.”
Surprise successes…
AS: “[Former football player turned pundit] Gary Neville was this year, and I don’t think we’ve ever had so much press.”
BR: “He was signing a few shirts as he was DJing. They’d been thrown onto the stage and I thought loads of people must’ve brought an extra shirt with them to be signed. But then I looked all across the front row and nobody had a shirt on – they were stripping the shirts off their backs to throw at this guy. It was quite the moment.”
AS: “We booked The 1975 when nobody had heard of them, and then as it got closer to the event, you’re saying, ‘Good lord, there’s going to be a issue here; we’re going to have to move them to a different stage.’ But they wouldn’t move to a different stage, so we had to put in various provisions to make sure the tent didn’t overcrowd. That was a big hoo-ha, but then there were other ones, like Mumford & Sons. I listened to [their 2009 debut album Sigh No More] and thought, ‘These guys are going to be superstars,’ and then there were about 50 people in the tent. You watch them play the entirety of Sigh No More to 50 people thinking, ‘Okay, I’ve got that wrong.’ And then obviously [months later], whoosh! We’ve missed the boat a few times – could’ve booked Ed Sheeran, didn’t…”
BR: “The most wonderful thing I find about this festival now is that every single year there will be a collection of artists that emerge. A band like the Lottery Winners have just had their moment and just become this phenomenon within the show.”
AS: “They played 11 years in a row – and your birthday party as well.”
“Production costs went up 25-30% across the board. If you’d have told me that was going to happen before Covid, I’d have told you there wouldn’t be any festivals left”
Challenges…
AS: “When you get to a certain size, every year you’re going to be facing issues one way or another. Only a few years ago, 2019 perhaps, there was a storm and we had to pause music on the main stage for the first time ever. Then on the Sunday, a truck driver hit a bridge on the M6 northbound and our audience was stuck in traffic for about six hours. We had an entire orchestra – Hacienda Classical, the headliners of the show – sat in that traffic jam. But apart from that little blip of having to shut the arena for an hour, the show went ahead and everybody had a fantastic time.”
BR: “I think the challenges are broadly similar to other shows. After Covid, production costs went up 25-30% across the board. If you’d have told me that was going to happen before Covid, I’d have told you there wouldn’t be any festivals left. Fortunately, we’ve managed to work well with our production teams to mitigate those costs, and with our audience to let them understand the ticket price has gone up a bit, but the value for money has gone up with it. You’ve got to stand out as a festival: people have less money at this point in time, so we’ve put everything we can into making the show special on every level.”
Proudest moments…
BR: “The atmosphere that we’ve created. There’s a certain Kendal Calling vibe and a magic. When you walk through those fields, people are having a lot of fun; they’re drinking a lot of beer, but there’s never a fight and there’s never aggravation. They are unapologetically animated, loud and lairy, but in the most wonderful way. They’re just there for fun times and banter, and I take a lot of pride in that. There are a lot of shows across the country that have more money to spend on certain things, or be hyped in different ways, but when I go there, I don’t find the same sense of camaraderie and fun that I find at Kendal Calling.”
AS: “That’s what really makes it special – Cumbrians know how to party.”
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Private equity giant acquires Superstruct stake
Private equity firm CVC has secured a stake in Superstruct Entertainment just weeks after KKR’s acquisition of the festival behemoth was given the green light.
Fellow global investment giant KKR, whose interests include music company BMG, acquired Superstruct from Providence for €1.3 billion in June – a deal that was approved by the European Commission last month.
Superstruct owns and operates over 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Benicàssim, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters. It was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence.
Details of CVC’s stake have not been disclosed, but it has made past investments in musical and theatre group Stage Entertainment, as well as Formula One, Women’s Tennis and LaLiga, among others.
Private markets manager CVC, which has a network of 30 office locations throughout EMEA, the Americas and Asia, will support Superstruct as a strategic partner in the next phase of its development, with the promoter to benefit from the “combined global expertise, resources and capital of two leading investors with significant experience across the media and entertainment sector”.
“KKR and CVC will ensure that Superstruct remains at the forefront of the industry, driving innovation and setting the standards for live entertainment”
“KKR and CVC will ensure that Superstruct remains at the forefront of the industry, driving innovation and setting the standards for live entertainment,” reads a press release.
According to the firms, CVC’s investment “positions Superstruct to accelerate its mission of creating best-in-class live experiences, working closely with entrepreneurs, creative visionaries and business-minded professionals”.
CVC was named as a potential bidder for Superstruct as far back as April, prior to the launch of a formal auction process for the firm – the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation.
IQ charted the increasingly close links between the international touring industry and private equity here.
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Global investment firm buys Superstruct for €1.3bn
American global investment firm KKR has acquired festival giant Superstruct Entertainment from Providence in a €1.3 billion deal.
Superstruct was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence. The company owns and operates more than 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, and generates annual revenue of more than €100 million.
Its network includes Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Øya (NO), Parookaville (DE) and Tinderbox (DK), while its UK interests include Y Not, Truck, Nass, Bluedot, Victorious, South West Four, Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Boardmasters and Lost Ventures – many of which were acquired when Global’s portfolio was divvied up in April 2019.
Last year, it bought majority stakes in London-based festivals Mighty Hoopla and Cross the Tracks, as well as Austria’s Snowbombing, and also acquired The Music Republic, promoter of iconic Spanish festivals Arenal Sound and Benicàssim (FIB).
“We are delighted to partner with Roderik Schlösser, James Barton and the team at Superstruct who have established themselves as a leader in delivering unparalleled live music experiences globally,” says Philipp Freise, partner and co-head of European private equity and Franziska Kayser, partner at New York-based KKR, whose existing interests include global music company BMG.
“With a robust foundation as a top-tier live entertainment platform, we see significant growth opportunities ahead for Superstruct”
“With a robust foundation as a top-tier live entertainment platform, we see significant growth opportunities ahead for Superstruct. Drawing on our strong partnership approach and experience in the digital entertainment and ticketing space, such as BMG, ProSiebenSat1, GetYourGuide, and Trainline, as well as KKR’s global resources and extensive network, we will support the company and its entrepreneurial team to bring their compelling portfolio of live event formats to a wider audience and drive further growth.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Financial Times reports it as €1.3bn, citing people familiar with the matter. Providence has an option to invest €250m into Superstruct as part of the transaction.
“The founding vision for Superstruct was to create a natural home for successful entrepreneurs, creative visionaries, and business-minded professionals in live entertainment,” say Schlösser and Barton. “We wanted to create a network of influence setting the standards for live experiences. Through our development, we are a leader in the professionalization of this industry, enabling our dedicated teams to excel in a collaborative and inspiring environment and create and deliver best-in-class events for millions of fans.
“We are proud to have secured the backing of KKR, whose expertise and network will strengthen our ability to scale and innovate in the vibrant experiential economy. We would like to thank Andrew Tisdale, Daniel Zwicky and the team at Providence for their outstanding support. Their belief in Superstruct has been fundamental to our success.”
KKR says it will “support Superstruct in its next phase of development”, noting that it is “one of the key players in a highly fragmented sector that continues to grow, expand and professionalise”. It also pledges to preserve “the creative and cultural DNA of the company”.
“We are confident that with KKR’s support, Superstruct will continue to thrive”
A formal auction process for the live behemoth – the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation – reportedly took place last month. A report by Reuters in April named Blackstone and CVC as potential bidders, with KKR, Advance Publications and EQT listed as interested parties.
Providence was said to be working alongside banks Liontree and HSBC to gauge interest after planning the sale last summer.
“We are incredibly proud of the rapid growth and success Superstruct has achieved since its inception,” adds Andrew Tisdale, senior MD, and Daniel Zwicky, director, at Providence Equity Partners. “With Providence’s backing, Superstruct has become a truly exceptional live entertainment company. In particular, we believe the company’s resilience and emergence from the global pandemic as a stronger business is testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of Roderik Schlösser, James Barton and the impressive management team.
“We are confident that with KKR’s support, Superstruct will continue to thrive.”
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At least 60 Dutch festivals cancelled in 2024
At least 60 Dutch festivals have been cancelled this year, according to national press.
This figure marks a record number of festival cancellations – excluding the Covid pandemic years – writes AD. In addition, only 30 new festivals have been introduced.
In the last week, the UB40-headlined Chillville in Breda was cancelled at the last minute due to “a major shortage of event materials and personnel” and Mañana Mañana in Gelderland, promoted by Superstruct-backed Feestfabriek (Party Factory), announced that it would not return after its 10th edition as “ticket sales are not enough to make the event profitable”.
In addition to rising costs and a shortage of resources, many organisers are grappling with changing municipal and national policies.
Psy-Fi Festival in Oldenzaal suddenly had to pull the plug because the municipality “made a complete change in the zoning plan,” causing the festival to run into serious time constraints.
The BouleVaart festival in Krommenie also had to deal with stricter regulations; in addition to an event permit, an environmental permit and acoustic research were suddenly required. “Everything has made organising more difficult, I don’t think we will ever do it again,” said the organiser.
In addition to rising costs and a shortage of resources, organisers are grappling with changing municipal and national policies
Meanwhile, Amsterdam festival organisers fear that the city’s new permit policy, set to be trialled next year, could lead to bankruptcies.
Set to come into effect in 2026, the new policy aims to give new and smaller events a better chance of getting scarce festival locations in order to “better meet the needs of all Amsterdam residents”.
Events councillor Touria Meliani wants to set up a committee that will determine who gets a place based on substantive criteria. By the end of this year, events would know whether they have a place on next year’s calendar.
Festivals including DGTL, Amsterdam Open Air, De Zon, Loveland and Zeezout have hit back, saying the approach is “too late” and “unworkable” for both new and established festivals.
“You cannot organise a safe and successful festival in six months,” the organisers wrote in a full-page advertisement addressed to the municipality and published in Het Parool last month.
The organisers have launched a petition against the new policy, which has been signed by 18,613 people at the time of writing.
Another major issue on the horizon is the government’s plans to raise the tax rate for the cultural and creative sector from 9% to 21%, which has also prompted a coalition of organisations to launch a joint campaign asking it to reconsider.
“The festival offering is always changing. The audience too. Taste changes, people enter a different phase of their lives”
A statement from the coalition reads: “The proposed increase in the VAT rate will inevitably lead to higher prices, which will put pressure on the accessibility and affordability of sports, media, books, culture and catering for the public. It affects everyone in the Netherlands in daily life and in several areas. It is an additional burden on the valuable free time, club life, curiosity and (mental) health of every Dutch person.”
Despite a raft of major challenges facing the Dutch live music industry, Berend Schans of the Association of Dutch Music Venues and Festivals (VNPF) says there’s no immediate need to panic.
“The festival offering is always changing. The audience too. Taste changes, people enter a different phase of their lives.”
Schans also points to festivals and concerts that sold out very quickly despite the higher prices, such as Lowlands (€325 for a weekend ticket) and AC/DC (€170 for a standing room).
The Dutch festival market isn’t the only one that’s been hit by a high number of festival cancellations. The UK has seen over 40 festivals shut down, while Australia’s festival scene declared a crisis earlier this year.
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Tixel outlines ‘mission’ to reshape resale market
Tixel’s head of UK/EU Matt Kaplan has detailed the firm’s mission to help alter perceptions around the secondary ticketing sector.
The price-capped, self-styled “honest resale marketplace” has expanded its remit to Cross The Tracks, Wide Awake and Project 6 and City Splash, part of Brockwell Live series in London, in addition to its existing partnerships with Superstruct UK festivals including Boardmasters, Kendal Calling, Tramlines Festival, Truck Festival and Y Not Festival.
Founded in Australia in 2018, Tixel launched its UK operation in 2021 and has reported year-on-year growth of 97% in events trading on the platform between ’22 and ’23.
“We are a very passionate, mission-driven company,” Kaplan tells IQ. “This is our fourth season in the UK – and one of those was half a season because of Covid – and the type of partners we’ve already got on board really says something about who we are and what we’re trying to achieve.”
While some of the negative connotations around the secondary market remain, amid the stream of high-profile investigations and controversies – most recently the claim that ticket touts hatched secret plans to sabotage Labour’s bid to cap ticket resale if the party wins the next UK general election – Kaplan is at pains to distance Tixel from some of its more “notorious” competitors.
“We have tools that help festivals reach some of the more price-sensitive buyers, potentially without having to devalue their brand and publicly discount”
“It’s our job to educate the industry and our partners on why we’re different and how we can support them with their campaign and protect their fans,” he says. “When you potentially have speculative listings and bots buying up a whole lot of tickets and selling them for inflated prices on unregulated markets, that has some tailwind of connotations across the industry. Clearly, there is an impact of some of that more nefarious activity, but we utilise it to shine a light on why we’re different.”
Tixel is able to eliminate fraud and double-scanning by reissuing new tickets for events when they are on-sold. It also gives organisers complete control and visibility of their resale market, while helping unlock new revenue and fan data.
“The ability to utilise our tools, regardless of the sell through rate of a festival, has been a really strong sales tool for us,” adds Kaplan. “Essentially, we allow festivals to tinker with their pricing on our marketplace. They often just tweak the price by maybe £5 or £10, and that might tip buying decisions. So we have tools that help festivals reach some of the more price-sensitive buyers, potentially without having to devalue their brand and publicly discount.
“It’s obviously super-tough to hit the bullseye on pricing because they price their festivals before the actual gates are going to open, so they don’t necessarily have all the insights. Us giving them the ability to to use some of our tools to help sell through more primary stock is effective. And then giving every festival the ability to have a secondary ticket trade that is safe and secure is also really important, and that’s something that we do really well.”
Superstruct UK enlisted Tixel as its exclusive resale platform for a number of its domestic events last year. The partnership includes direct technology integrations to facilitate functions like real-time, accurate ticket validation on all tickets listed (eliminating fakes and/or speculative listings) and the ability for a buyer to list and sell a ticket before ticket barcodes have been distributed. Kaplan sees the deal as a key moment for Tixel.
“We think what we’re doing is very important to the industry, and the more people that know about us, the better”
“It helped in our conversations with a whole load of other promoters and we’ve seen lots of doors open as a result,” he notes. “We know that our tech is very good, we’ve got best in class, but we want to be able to share that with other promoters and having a name like Superstruct on our books makes that initial outreach a bit easier, because people recognise us. There’s brand recognition in the market, so then we’re able to actually show our wares.
“We think what we’re doing is very important to the industry, and the more people that know about us, the better.”
The 2023 season saw Tixel move over 15,000 tickets across eight events and four ticketing platforms, and this year is shaping up to blow that out of the water.
“We’ve got events every single week between now and the end of September in the UK, and then Australia is going strong,” says Kaplan. “We’ve got a bunch of new independent partners as well, like We Out Here festival, Bloodstock and Camp Wildfire.
“We’ve also grown various portfolios: Silverstone Woodlands has a number of other events that we now work with and the U-Live festival portfolio has also expanded with us – they’ve got six or seven festivals we now work with. The idea is to keep building, keep growing and keep supporting our organisers.”
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