A new touring hip-hop festival spearheaded by TEG MJR is coming to Australia and New Zealand this year.

Light It Up will hit arenas in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Auckland in early September.

American rapper Wiz Khalifa tops the lineup for the event, delivering his first headline shows in Australia since 2015.

Rae Sremmurd, Lola Brooke, Hooligan Hefs, Youngn Lipz and DJ BeastMode are also set to join the six-city tour.

The festival is co-produced with Switch Events, the team behind Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube’s recent sold-out Australian tours

The TEG MJR festival is produced in collaboration with Switch Events, the team behind Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube’s recent sold-out Australian tours.

In other Australian festival news, Falls Festival announced earlier this month that it would not be returning for the 2023/24 season.

This will mark the first time in 28 years – outside of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021 – that the travelling festival will not usher in the new year.

See dates for Light It Up below.
September 02 – Qudos Bank Arena – Sydney, Australia
September 03 – Entertainment Centre – Brisbane, Australia
September 05 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre – Adelaide, Australia
September 06 – RAC Arena – Perth, Australia
September 08 – Rod Laver Arena – Melbourne, Australia
September 10 – Spark Arena – Auckland, New Zealand

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Australasian live entertainment powerhouse TEG has announced the formation of TEG Europe, consolidating the company’s UK-based operations into a single entity.

Based out of London and Bristol, TEG Europe comprises five different divisions: TEG Live Europe, TEG Venues, Propaganda, Ticketek and Ovation.

TEG Live Europe includes the former TEG MJR touring business, which has worked with artists including Snoop Dogg, Sia, Hans Zimmer, 50 Cent, Tom Jones, and Culture Club.

TEG Venues includes 10 owned, operated, co-promoted, and programmed venues throughout the UK, including Tramshed (cap. 1,000) in Cardiff, XOYO (800) in London and The Mill (1,000) in Birmingham.

Propaganda, the UK’s leading indie rock & roll nightclub brand, includes fifteen weekly events across the country, as well as promoted events in the US, Australia, Brazil and Ibiza.

Ticketek, which has 40+ years’ experience ticketing major international events and partnering with some of the world’s best venues, was introduced into the UK in 2020 and already works with some of the country’s premier venues.

“Today’s news represents a crucial milestone in the expansion of TEG and positions us for further growth across Europe”

And Ovation, TEG’s data science and analytics business, provides sports organisations, venues, promoters, content creators, media and tech partners with analytics, data science, research, personalisation, and advanced digital marketing.

TEG already has a significant presence in the UK and Europe, having acquired Bristol-based promoter and venue operator MJR Group in 2019. According to TEG, the company already promotes more than 2,000 shows annually in the country and on the continent.

TEG CEO Geoff Jones says: “Today’s news represents a crucial milestone in the expansion of TEG’s successful integrated live entertainment model into the vibrant UK market and positions us for further growth across Europe.

“By combining these businesses into a single customer-focused operation, we are well positioned to work with new and existing industry partners in the UK and Europe to help grow their businesses while continuing our own growth in the region.”

Concert promotion, ticketing and technology firm TEG operates out of seven countries worldwide with offices in Australia, New Zealand, south-east Asia and the UK.

The group includes TEG Live, TEG Sport, TEG Experiences, TEG Dainty, SXSW Sydney, TEG MJR, TEG Van Egmond, Laneway Festival, TEG Rockefeller, Handsome Tours, Qudos Bank Arena, Ticketek, Softix, TicketCharge, TicketWorld, Ticketek Singapore and Ovation.

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TEG MJR is to promote the UK’s first-ever K-pop festival, taking place in London this summer.

HallyuPopFest, previously held in Singapore in 2018 and 2019, is scheduled for 9 and 10 July at OVO Arena Wembley (cap. 12,500).

Mamamoo singer Hwasa, girl group Everglow, and boybands Astro and Oneus are among the artists due to perform on the first day of the festival.

While boybands SF9 and Cravity are lined up for day two of the event. More artists are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Aside from the three-hour headline concerts taking place each evening, HallyuPopFest will also include a red carpet event and a HallyuTown marketplace, where ticketholders will be able to experience Korean food and culture.

“We wanted to create a festival experience where K-pop fans from all over could come together and celebrate”

“It will be the UK’s first K-pop festival, as well as HallyuPopFest’s first global landing. It’s an amazing lineup, consisting of a diverse variety of Korean music genres, from pop to rap to adult contemporary to indie artists,” says global promoter TEG MJR chief executive Richard Buck. “There will be something for everyone.”

Selena Ho, chief executive of the Singapore-headquartered HAH Entertainment, which oversees HallyuPopFest operations, adds: “HallyuPopFest came about because we wanted to create a festival experience where K-pop fans from all over, from various fandoms, could come together and celebrate their fervent idol support, boundless energy and love for music and dance that are the cornerstones of K-pop.”

The inaugural HallyuPopFest was held in 2018 in Singapore and returned to the island-state the following year for its second instalment.

Artists that have previously performed at HallyuPopFest include Wanna One, Apink, AOA, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, NCT 127, NU’EST, (G)I-DLE, Monsta X and more.

Today’s news comes after the announcement of Europe’s biggest K-pop festival launching in Germany. The 44,000-capacity Kpop.Flex festival is to take place at Deutsche Bank Park Stadium in Frankfurt between 14–15 May.

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TEG has announced the appointment of Rachael Carroll to the newly created role of MD for TEG Sport & Experiences.

In the new role, Carroll will be tasked with driving the growth of TEG Sport’s pipeline of major events and will lead TEG’s portfolio of family entertainment, experiential and exhibition businesses, including Brickman Exhibitions, Life Like Touring, TES Live and TEG Rockefeller.

The MD of TEG Live, Tim McGregor, will work alongside Carroll in an “extended handover” as his focus shifts to TEG Live’s expanding concert touring and festivals portfolio.

Recent additions to TEG’s portfolio include MJR Presents, Handsome Tours and Laneway Festival, as well as several new strategic partnerships across Asia Pacific.

“We are excited to welcome Rachael to TEG as MD of TEG Sport and Experiences,” says TEG CEO Geoff Jones. “Rachael is an accomplished executive with a strong track record of delivering world-class events and our vast array of sport, family entertainment, experiential and exhibition ventures will be in excellent hands under her leadership.”

“Rachael is an accomplished executive with a strong track record of delivering world-class events”

Carroll added: “It’s a hugely exciting challenge to be joining the world-class and dynamic leadership team at TEG. I look forward to playing my part in the company’s fast-growing and diverse international entertainment business.”

Carroll has previously held executive positions with government agencies driving major event and tourism strategies and leading major events including the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and the New Zealand 2011 Rugby World Cup.

She comes to TEG from event management and sports promotion company Duco Events, where she was joint owner and COO.

Australia-headquartered TEG operates out of seven country offices and includes TEG Live, TEG Dainty, TEG MJR, TEG Van Egmond, Laneway Festival, Handsome Tours, Qudos Bank Arena, Ticketek, TEG Analytics, TEG Insights and TEG Digital.

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Leading promoters in the UK live industry say they’re experiencing mixed fortunes following the full reopening in England on 19 July.

As the sector launches into recovery mode, executives are reporting high levels of pent-up demand for many shows.

Denis Desmond, chairman of Live Nation UK and Ireland, says: “Artists, promoters, production and marketing teams are champing at the bit and ready to meet the demands.

“Thankfully our festivals happened, and we were very pleased with sales which proves that the demand for live music is still going strong. Now we’re moving into touring season and we have a busy schedule lined up for the rest of the year and into 2022.”

As the live sector prepares for what looks to be its busiest year ever from 1 January, promoters say the UK’s next challenge will be keeping up with demand given that much of the supply chain has yet to recover.

“We’ve got 18 months of touring coming up across the UK and all of the suppliers are going to be hugely stretched,” says Richard Buck, CEO of TEG MJR, the UK subsidiary of Sydney-based live entertainment and ticketing firm TEG.

“Artists, promoters, production and marketing teams are champing at the bit and ready to meet the demands”

Desmond agrees, adding: “Going forward there are still challenges including issues with the supply chain and many talented specialists have been forced to leave the sector, plus there remain complexities for touring in Europe post-Brexit.”

And as an autumn period of touring kicks off, the ongoing spectre of Covid-19 is a continued source of uncertainty for promoters who say the rate of no-shows at concerts is far higher than usual.

Buck reports “anywhere up to 50% no-shows, especially on postponed shows. It’s a little less if the show is taking place closer to the time when it was announced but at sell-out shows, there has been significant no-attendance”.

Buck believes the no-shows are down to an “amalgamation of low confidence, forgotten tickets and isolating” and predicts three to six months for the levels of attendance to go back to what they were pre-pandemic.

UK-based promoter and venue operator DHP Family is also experiencing high rates of no-shows and says it’s increasingly hard to predict attendance post-Freedom Day.

“[Attendance] varies by artist and how many times the show has been rescheduled etc,” says DHP’s director of live, Anton Lockwood.

“[There has been] anywhere up to 50% no-shows, especially on postponed shows”

“We’ve seen 20–30% on bigger shows. Typically smaller shows are less predictable; it can be 100% attendance or, if it’s the kind of show where the artist has been relying on their friends and family to turn up, it can be up to 75%. It’s all over the place.”

While refund requests are reportedly very low, most events are currently offering a refund to ticket holders who can’t attend due to a Covid-related illness on a discretionary basis.

“If it’s a rescheduled show, you’re entitled to a refund, the end,” says DHP’s Lockwood. “But there’s a debate about if you’ve got Covid, whether you’re entitled to a refund or we should just give a refund out of kindness.”

Fortunately, DHP has also not seen huge numbers of refund requests so far: “It’s not caused a problem but it is a worry because if you settle the show with the artist and then some of the refunds come in, you’ve got a problem.”

Buck says TEG MJR is being “lenient” when it comes to refunds but they are dealing with it on a case-by-case basis.

“We’re being a lot more liberal with refunds because we want people to buy in confidence when the market opens which is a slight double-edged sword,” he explains.

“2022 and 2023 sales have been disproportionately strong… probably 20-25% up on forecast”

“Previously, if you had a sold-out show it was sold out. Now, it’s a lot more difficult to settle on the other side because you’ve got refunds post-event,” Buck concludes.

But while Covid continues to cause operational complexities, Buck says the increase in spend-per-head at concerts is “dramatically up” versus pre-Covid and ticket sales for new shows have soared.

“2022 and 2023 sales have been disproportionately strong,” he says, “Probably 20-25% up on forecast.”

And with the threat of last-minute venue closures due to staff being ‘pinged’ (told to self-isolate by the NHS app) or contracting the disease, alongside similar worries with touring parties, many say recovery feels like a gradual process.

“We don’t know whether the shows are going to happen or not, whether the artist is going to be able to travel or they end up catching Covid,” says Lockwood.

“People assume it is all back to normal but everything is just much harder. It’s great to be back, don’t get me wrong, but the uncertainties have ramped up.”

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TEG MJR has acquired two of London’s best-loved live music venues, XOYO and the Camden Assembly, both of which will reopen on 21 June, lockdown lifting permitting.

The 400-capacity Camden Assembly (formerly the Barfly) in Camden usually hosts more than 400 events a year and has been played by the likes of Muse, Coldplay, Adele and the 1975. XOYO (800-cap.) in Shoreditch is known for its club nights and DJ shows at the weekend and live music programme on weekdays.

TEG MJR, the UK subsidiary of Sydney-based live entertainment and ticketing firm TEG, says it will host concerts, brand experiences and community events in both venues, “working closely with local and national promoters to curate a full and diverse calendar of artists and genres”.

Dan Ickowitz-Seidler, COO of TEG MJR, says: “We are excited to be a part of London’s diverse night-time culture and to soon be delivering great events and hospitality at two of London’s leading venues.

“We will honour their legacies while bringing new and unbeatable live music experiences”

“The location of both venues is incredible and we are committed to respecting their past and investing in their future, with plans to offer fantastic, contemporary experiences.”

Plans for XOYO include an overhaul of the production infrastructure, with the venue set to relaunch with a three-day residency by dubstep pioneer Skream. Camden Assembly will continue to trade daily with a mix of live shows, club nights and electronic music events upstairs, the company adds.

Geoff Jones, CEO of TEG, comments: “These are two of London’s most-loved venues. We will honour their legacies while bringing new and unbeatable live music and event experiences to patrons. This move gives us a presence in the vibrant London music scene.”

Other TEG MJR venues include Digbeth Arena in Birmingham, Tramshed in Cardiff and the Warehouse in Leeds.

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British concert promoter Joff Hall has joined Kilimanjaro Live, becoming the London-based live music firm’s latest hire after four years with TEG MJR.

At TEG MJR (formerly the MJR Group), Hall promoted tours for artists including Culture Club, Dream Theater, Blue Oyster Cult, Joan Collins, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, Static X, Madeleine Peyroux and Daniel O’Donnell, as well as programming hundreds of shows in MJR’s venues.

Prior to joining MJR, Hall worked for VMS Live, where he programmed in house for then-clients Manchester Academy, Liverpool Olympia and Norwich UEA, working with the likes of Gary Numan, the Flaming Lips, Garbage, the Fratellis and Soul II Soul. He also programmed a significant amount of the company’s outdoor projects, with the Human League, Will Young, Texas, Kaiser Chiefs, Primal Scream and more.

“We jumped at the chance to bring Joff onto our team”

Kilimanjaro Live CEO Stuart Galbraith says: “It’s been a very difficult time for the live music industry but we at Kili are strongly focused on a positive future. We jumped at the chance to bring Joff onto our team, as the breadth of his experience and his good standing reputationally will further bolster our incredible promoting team.”

“I am excited to be joining Kilimanjaro and working with Stuart, Zac [Fox], San [Phillips] and the rest of the team. This is a company that has such a wealth of experience and knowledge within it, and of course a great reputation within the industry,” adds Hall. “I am honoured to have this opportunity to join them.”

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TEG MJR, the UK-based promotion division of Asia-Pacific live powerhouse TEG, has secured an exclusive five-year deal with hip-hop heavyweight, Snoop Dogg.

Under the multi-million-dollar deal, TEG MJR will promote all of Snoop Dogg’s tours globally outside of North America, beginning with dates for Snoop’s 2022 world tour.

The European leg of the tour kicks off on 20 February 2022 and includes rescheduled sold-out shows at London’s 02 Arena (cap. 21,000), Dublin’s 3 Arena (cap. 13,000) and Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome Arena (cap. 17,000).

TEG MJR CEO Richard Buck penned the agreement with Snoop’s international agents Julian O’Brien and MPI’s Minneapolis-based partner Nabil Ghebre, who have been working closely together with Bobby D (Aaka Robert Dreislen), who is at the helm of Snoop Dogg’s operations in Los Angeles.

Geoff Jones, CEO of TEG, says: “Snoop Dogg is a hip hop pioneer and one of its greatest live performers. He has won an astonishing number of awards and nominations and we are thrilled to be able to bring the man and his music live to fans the world over for the next five years.”

“We are really excited in helping him bring both his new music and back catalogue to life with this touring partnership”

Richard Buck, CEO of TEG MJR, says: “Snoop is one of the most respected and prolific hip hop artists on the planet. We are really excited in helping him bring both his new music and back catalogue to life with this touring partnership.”

Bobby D, Snoop Dogg’s manager and co-owner of Uncle Snoop’s Army, says: “We are excited about this five-year international partnership with TEG and to continuously come overseas to connect with our fans around the world.”

Uncle Snoop’s Army is a multi-million-dollar LA-based music and entertainment company representing hip-hop artists.

The first dates on Snoop Dogg’s world tour (including rescheduled dates for the UK, Ireland and Amsterdam) are:

20 Feb 2022 – Telenor Arena, Oslo, NO
21 Feb 2022 – Bella Center Kongreshal, Copenhagen, DK
23 Feb 2022 – Koepi Arena , Oberhausen, DE
24 Feb 2022 – Sportpaleis Arena , Antwerp, NL
25 Feb 2022 – Max Schmeling Halle , Berlin, DE
27 Feb 2022 – Accor Arena, Paris, FR
28 Feb 2022 – Ziggo Dome Arena, Amsterdam NL
02 Mar 2022 – SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow UK
03 Mar 2022 – Resorts World Arena, Birmingham UK
05 Mar 2022 – AO Arena, Manchester UK
07 Mar 2022 – First Direct Arena, Leeds UK
08 Mar 2022 – 02 Arena, London UK
09 Mar 2022 – 3 Arena, Dublin IE
11 Mar 2022 – INEC Arena, Kerry IE
12 Mar 2022 – SSE Arena, Belfast UK

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Mike Jones, co-founder of UK promoter TEG MJR, has launched a new touring business, Europa Concerts, after leaving MJR earlier this month.

Jones co-founded the then-MJR Group, which was acquired by Australia’s TEG last year, alongside Richard Buck in 2012, growing the company internationally throughout the decade and promoting shows in mainland Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and south-east Asia.

Based in south-west England, Europa sees Jones working alongside a “handful of ex-colleagues and friends”, he tells IQ, as well as all the artists he has worked with in the long term. The company announced its first UK shows – with Hawkwind, Midge Ure, the Dualers and the House & Garage Orchestra – earlier this week, with more announcements planned for the run-up to Christmas.

“Longer term, I’ll resume promoting in mainland Europe, Australia and New Zealand and the Middle East”

“Longer term, I’ll resume promoting in mainland Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East, etc.,” he continues, “as I have partners in place for most regions, but I think that’s 18 months away from really moving.”

While the UK shows announced so far “run circa 1,200-capacity per show”, Jones says Europa Concerts is booking shows at 100% capacity for 2022–23, from clubs through to theatres and arenas. “I think next year is going to be very messy, and I’m actively encouraging my artists and promoters to look a bit further down the line,” he adds.

Jones, an IQ New Boss in 2018, says his exit from TEG MJR was “all on very good terms”, and came down to “different views on strategies” with the new management. “There was no falling out,” he explains. “I just didn’t feel like I had the ability to move quick enough, and adapt to changes in the market, [so] I had to make a change.”

Looking ahead, Jones says he’s actively looking for new projects in live music, comedy, podcasts, and family and children’s events in particular. He can be reached at mike[at]europaconcerts.com.

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UK-based promoter TEG MJR has announced the launch of Irish division, TEG MJR Éire, in partnership with booking agency MPI Artists.

Directed by MPI Artists’ Julian O’Brien and Martin Nolan, the new company will deliver fans in the Republic of Ireland an “expansive programme of live entertainment”, according to the pair.

In normal times, TEG MJR – established with the acquisition last year of Bristol-based MJR Group by Australia’s TEG – promotes more than 2,000 events a year, including concerts by artists including Sia (pictured), 50 Cent, Rita Ora and Hans Zimmer and touring exhibitions such as Marvel’s Avengers Station and the Brickman Lego expo. It also operates a number of venues across the UK.

Richard Buck, CEO of TEG MJR, comments: “This new promotions company makes sense from so many angles, and the winners will be Irish music fans and artists.

“This new promotions company makes sense from so many angles”

“My team of concert promoters works with a diverse and dynamic roster of artists across multiple territories and we look forward to bringing a plethora of great events across Éire in the years ahead.”

The launch of TEG MJR Éire follows that of another new Irish promoter, Singular Artists, by DEAG/Kilimanjaro in September.

“We are excited about working with TEG MJR and the domestic and international opportunities that we hope to offer Irish artists through the TEG MJR global platform,” says Nolan, commenting on TEG MJR Éire’s launch.

“We are looking forward to creating something special with TEG MJR in Ireland,” says O’Brien. “We have a lot of exciting announcements to make over the next couple of weeks – stay tuned.”

Dublin-based MPI Artists represents acts including Snoop Dogg, Shane MacGowan, Nelly, D12 and Maxi Jazz. The agency is one of the beneficiaries of the Republic of Ireland’s new Live Performance Support Scheme, receiving €140,000 to organise live events in the months ahead.

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