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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The music world is mourning Mean Fiddler founder and festival pioneer Vince Power, who has died at the age of 76.

Working across festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Phoenix, The Fleadh, Madstock and Spain’s Benicassim, the Irish promoter is credited with helping change the face of the music industry. He passed away on Saturday (9 March).

“It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Vince Power,” reads a statement from his family. “A visionary entrepreneur who enhanced and influenced the music industry significantly, whilst always being a dedicated, loving father and a loyal friend to so many.

“We want to thank everyone who has offered their condolences and request that our privacy be respected at this time of great sadness.”

County Waterford-born Power opened the Mean Fiddler venue in Harlesden, London, in 1982, which formed the springboard for his Mean Fiddler Group empire. Under the umbrella, Power managed London venues including the Jazz Cafe, the Garage, Clapham Grand and Kentish Town Forum.

In 1989, Mean Fiddler took over the operation of the ailing Reading Festival and revived its fortunes, adding a Leeds leg a decade later.

“We had an amazing 20 years together that helped shape the music industry as we know it now”

“Vince’s passing is a massive loss to the music industry and to me personally,” says 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.”

Power sold his Mean Fiddler venue and festival empire to Clear Channel – now Live Nation – in 2005, going on to launch Kent’s Hop Farm Festival, which ran between 2008 and 2012.

The impresario, who was made an honorary CBE in 2006, set up a number of ventures after Mean Fiddler, including Vince Power Music Group (VPMG) and Music Festivals plc, which he floated on London’s Alternative Investment Market in 2011, raising £6.5 million. He took over the running of Dingwalls, a 500-cap venue in Camden in 2020.

Tributes have continued to pour in from across the live music business on social media.

Live Aid promoter Harvey Goldsmith says: “Vince was a larger than life character, always sailing close to the wind. He did a lot for entertainment and should be remembered for that.”

Black Deer Festival co-founder Gill Tee, a friend of Power’s for more than 30 years, recalls her time as festival director at Hop Farm, which was headlined by acts such as Prince, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

“What I’ll always remember is his incredible generosity and support”

“I learned so much in those five years, starting a festival from scratch with a man that had music flowing through his veins,” she says on LinkedIn. “He was such an incredible man who achieved so much, and was truly a visionary.””

Sarah Slater, who leads Ticketmaster UK’s music & festivals division, says the industry has “lost a legend”.

“I had the privilege of working with him on the Benicassim festival in 2012,” she writes. “Reflecting on Vince’s impact on me, I realised that he pushed me to be my best and always believed in my abilities… His unwavering support taught me resilience, perseverance, communication and relationship management skills that have been instrumental in my career.”

AXS director of business development John Talbot says he is “deeply saddened” at news of Power’s passing. VPMG announced AXS as its official ticketing partner for all its London venues, including the former Dingwalls, PowerHaus (cap. 500), The Fiddler (cap. 120), Nells (cap. 350) and Subterania (cap. 600), in late 2021.

“What I’ll always remember is his incredible generosity and support,” says Talbot. “It’s impressive to read his achievements being shared on this sad day.”

“He was so important to Irish culture and community at home and the UK. He’ll be greatly missed”

Artist manager Stephen Budd says: “A huge figure in UK music, major festival promoter, venue owner and more. I know he divided a lot of people, but he was always very good to me, treated my artists with a lot of respect and paid them well.”

Veteran promoter Rob Hallett says on Facebook: “He was pivotal in my life in so many ways both professionally and personally, giving me opportunities that I didn’t even understand at the time.

“He was truly a great man, not a saint – we had many disagreements – but a man of principle and tremendous tenacity. Vince would never give up and changed the face of the live music industry as we knew it before his arrival from Ireland.”

Tributes have also followed from the artist community. Singer Imelda May tweets: “So sad to hear of the passing of the great Vince Power. I adored him. He took a chance on me at the start of my career when I needed it most. He was so important to Irish culture and community at home and the UK. He’ll be greatly missed.”

Chrissie Hynde adds: “No one did more for the London music scene than Vince. We owe him so much. A visionary and a dude. Thank you Vince for giving us the chance to play.”

Power is survived by eight children.

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Welcome to IQ‘s brand-new weekly round-up of news from around the world. Here, in bite-sized chunks, we present a selection of international stories you may have missed from the last seven days…

UNITED KINGDOM:

Vince Power Music Group (VPMG) has announced AXS as its official ticketing partner for all its London venues after inking a new five-year deal. VPMG venues include: the former Dingwalls, PowerHaus (cap. 500), The Fiddler (cap. 120), Nells (cap. 350) and Subterania (cap. 600). AXS is the official ticketing partner for several UK venues including The O2, The SSE Arena, Wembley, Dreamland Margate, British Summertime Hyde Park, All Points East and AEG Presents’ touring business.

NETHERLANDS:

European showcase festival and conference Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) in Groningen has moved entirely online from 19–22 January 2022 in response to the government’s the latest Covid-19 measures. The digital edition will include a conference programme as well as the festival programmes of Noorderslag, Eurosonic and the Music Moves Europe Awards award ceremony.

UNITED STATES: 

Foo Fighters say they have axed a 2022 tour date due to the venue’s “refusal to agree to the band’s Covid safety measures”. The band were due to play Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on 3 August, but are now looking for a replacement venue. A spokesperson for the University of Minnesota, which operates the venue, said its current measures relating to vaccines and mask-wearing were in line with state and federal guidelines, and declined to change its existing protocols for large events.

GERMANY:

CTS Eventim is acquiring regional ticketing providers in the Rhineland region, Kölnticket and Bonnticket. The companies previously belonged to media houses Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien in Cologne and Rheinische Post Mediengruppe in Düsseldorf, and had previously partnered with CTS on ticketing software and platform technology. The deal will give CTS Eventim a significant presence in the region as well as numerous contacts in the local entertainment scene.

UK/US:

The British Music Embassy has announced its live return to South By Southwest (SXSW) with its biggest presence yet. The intimate 250-person UK music showcase will return in 2022 with a capacity of 700 at Cedar Street Courtyard, an open-air SXSW venue, from 14-20 March. It will be the first in-person British Music Embassy since 2019 as the 2020 edition of SXSW was one of the first major festivals to be cancelled due to Covid-19.

GERMANY:

The ASM Global-managed, Arena Oberhausen in Germany is to be renamed after 20 years as the Konig Pilsener Arena. From next year, the 12,650-capacity venue will be known as Rudolf Weber Arena, in the largest naming rights deal in the Oberhausen-based venue’s 25-year history.

BELGIUM:

Five more names have been confirmed for Rock Werchter 2022. The War On Drugs will play the Festivalpark on Thursday 30 June. Lewis Capaldi and Greta Van Fleet join the line-up for Friday 1 July, Yungblud is scheduled for Saturday July 2 and Royal Blood will put in an appearance on Sunday 3 July. Headlined by Pearl Jam, Metallica, Imagine Dragons and Red Hot Chili Pepper, the festival runs from 30 June to 2 July.

UNITED KINGDOM:

Two internet ticket touts sentenced to a combined six-and-a-half years in prison following a landmark court case have failed in their appeals against their conviction for fraudulent trading. Peter Hunter and David Smith, who operated as the company BZZ Limited, were jailed for four years and 30 months, respectively, in February 2020 following an investigation by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, and trail at Leeds Crown Court. The pair committed offences between May 2010 and December 2017, making a net profit of £3.5 million in the last two years of fraud alone, buying and reselling tickets to concerts by artists including Ed Sheeran, McBusted, Taylor Swift and Coldplay. On the appeal Smith and Hunter raised a large number of legal and procedural grounds. They appealed the verdict, alleging the judge wrongly directed the jury on the law and “acted unfairly and prejudicially in his conduct of the trial”, arguing the restrictions attaching to the sale of the tickets were “void and invalid”. However, the Court of Appeal rejects their appeals, upholding the conclusion of the judge at trial that the restrictions imposed by event organisers were valid, adding the judge “acted properly in all relevant respects and that the convictions are safe and lawful”.

IRELAND:

Irish-headquartered Tixserve has partnered with UK ticket agency Gigantic to provide a “secure and interactive digital ticket fulfilment service” for its live entertainment ticketing. The partnership will see Irish-Headquartered Tixserve provide Gigantic with a white label digital ticketing app – delivering via a full API technical integration, a sophisticated and seamless fulfilment service for Gigantic clients and customers.

UNITED KINGDOM:

International booking agency Midnight Mango has announced four new agents – Nigel Morton, Addison Paterson, Sam Bryant and Hanna Bright – after initiating an Agent Freelancer Platform in the early days of the pandemic. After delivering training and guidance to four agents back in the spring, the firm took on a further four new agents in September. The new appointments work with acts such as Gretchen Peters, Bicurious, Dom Martin and The Kakatsitsi Master Drummers, expanding the agency’s roster to more than 150 artists, represented by a 15-strong workforce.

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Mean Fiddler founder Vince Power has taken over the running of Dingwalls, a 500-capacity venue in Camden, London.

The promoter, who sold his Mean Fiddler venue and festival empire to Clear Channel – now Live Nation – in 2005, has taken over operations of the iconic venue from Enhanced Hospitality, the Camden New Journal has confirmed.

First opened in 1973, Dingwalls has hosted acts including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Strokes, Ellie Goulding, Stereophonics, R.E.M. and the Foo Fighters over the years. The Darkness performed at the venue last year as part of the International Festival Forum (IFF).

“There are still some things we have to work out – how we manage the lockdown situation and what it means for live music,” comments Power.

“We may not be able to open until New Year. We are working through plans of what we can do there.

“Our music venues face massive uncertainties – I hope Vince’s expertise will help Dingwalls thrive”

“[Dingwalls] has such a rich history, though in recent years it has been up and down. It needs a lot of attention but I am excited about it.”

With Mean Fiddler, Power managed London venues including the Jazz Cafe, the Garage, the Clapham Grand and the Kentish Town Forum.

“Vince Power has a great history in running successful live venues and festivals in London,” says Camden culture and communications officer Jonathan Simpson.

“Our music venues face massive uncertainties due to the public health pandemic and when they reopen they will need our support more than ever. I hope Vince’s expertise will help Dingwalls thrive.”

Power has set up a number of ventures since Mean Fiddler, including the Vince Power Music Group, which went into liquidation in 2012, and Music Festivals plc, which he floated on London’s Alternative Investment Market in 2011, raising £6.5 million.

Photo: Ewan Munro/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) (cropped)

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The start of a new year and, perhaps more significantly, a new decade is fast approaching – and while many may be thinking ahead to New Year’s Eve plans and well-meaning 2020 resolutions, IQ is casting its mind back to the most pivotal industry moments of the last ten years.

Following on from a few tough years, 2013 was the year the live industry began to sparkle again, thanks to the improvement of several key economies and more favourable weather conditions.

The main issue for the 2013 business, in fact, appeared to be the abundance of tours, which somewhat outnumbered the amount of resources available to handle them.

2013 was also the year when a new generation began to shine, with the likes of Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and One Direction performing well on year-end charts, indicating that the future of live was certainly looking bright.

2013 in numbers

In 2013, the top 20 worldwide tours raked in a combined US$2.4 billion, up 24% on the $2bn generated the year before, according to Pollstar.

Bon Jovi once again made the top spot, surpassing their winning 2010 total by almost $60 million and achieving the highest year-end tour total of the year, grossing $259.5m from 2.7m tickets with the Because We Can tour.

Beyoncé’s The Mrs Carter Show came in second with a total gross of $188.6m, followed by Pink’s The Truth About Love with $170.6m. Justin Bieber came hot on the Pink’s heels at fourth, grossing $169m with his second concert tour Believe. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band earned $145.4m, adding to the $210.2m grossed in 2012.

Newcomers also made their mark in 2013, with One Direction scraping into the top ten global tours for the first time with the Take Me Home tour ($114) and Bruno Mars making his first top twenty appearance with Moonshine Jungle tour.

2013 in brief

January
Seatwave founder and chief exec Joe Cohen exits the UK-based company, claiming that the secondary ticketing business is in great shape.

Kylie Minogue and her manager of 25 years, Terry Blamey, split, as the artist announces her intention to concentrate on her acting career. Minogue is now represented by Jay-Z’s management company Roc Nation, who also look after Rihanna, MIA and The Ting Tings.

February
Universal sells EMI’s Parlophone label group to Warner Music for an estimated £480m ($764m). The deal effectively means that three record companies now dominate the global market – Universal, Sony and Warner.

March
SFX Entertainment receives an undisclosed financial boost from advertising giant WPP, which counts agencies such as JWT; Grey; and Young & Rubicam in its portfolio. The deal gives SFX a powerful ally as it looks to ramp up its EDM empire.

AEG’s deal to take over the management of Wembley Arena is referred to the Competition Commission in the UK after an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading, which is concerned that AEG has too big an influence over live entertainment in the capital.

Wembley Stadium in 2013 © Wikiolo/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) 

April
Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, becomes arguably the most renowned ticket tout in the world, when he resells tickets for his debenture box at the Royal Albert Hall.

New York-based agency Paradigm launches a record label, Big Picnic Records, which boss Marty Diamond intends to use to “support the development of new artists.”

May
Ticketmaster files a lawsuit against a New York man who they allege uses bots to buy as many as 200,000 tickets a day, before the general public can.

Pink smashes her record of 17 shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena by booking an 18th date on her The Truth About Love tour. The Australian leg includes 46 shows and is expected to sell more than 500,000 tickets.

June
The promoter and stage supplier are charged in relation to a fatal stage collapse, which claimed the life of Radiohead drum tech Scott Johnson in Toronto’s Downsview Park last year.

Live Nation and Insomniac Events confirm rumours of a creative partnership, although the latter’s chief, Pasquale Rotella states Insomniac will remain independent.

Insomniac promotes EDM festival franchise Electric Daisy Carnival © Global Stomping/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

July
Vince Power sells a major shareholding in Benicàssim Festival to SJM Concerts and Denis Desmond in a deal designed to assure the future of the popular Spanish event. Power will remain MD of the event which this year featured Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age, Beady Eye, and The Killers.

Vivendi rejects an $8.5bn offer for Universal Music Group from Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank. It’s thought the increasing importance of music services in the mobile market prompted the unsolicited offer.

August
Lady Gaga and Madonna face prosecution in Russia for allegedly performing without proper visas. Both artists are accused of breaking Russia’s new gay propaganda laws, which make it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors.

Agency IMG Worldwide is put up for sale by private equity firm, Forstmann Little & Co, with analysts expecting a price tag of about $2bn.

September
Michael Gudinski’s Frontier Touring agrees a strategic partnership with dance promoter Future Music Festival to present the touring event, which visits five Australian cities and Malaysia next March.

Irving Azoff partners with The Madison Square Garden Company to create Azoff MSG Entertainment. In return for a $125m investment, MSG will own a 50% stake in a company, which will include artist management, TV production, live event branding and digital marketing divisions.

Benicàssim Festival © Jiquesan/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

October
The jury in the $1.5bn case brought by Michael Jackson’s family against AEG finds that although AEG did employ Dr Conrad Murray, the company was not liable for his negligence.

Austin City Limits organisers are forced to cancel the final day of the US music festival when heavy rain and thunderstorms cause flooding.

November
Scooter Braun, manager of Justin Bieber, is pulling together a management conglomerate thanks to backing from Waddell & Reed Financial. The New York Times says Braun is in talks with several potential partners including Drake and his management team, Shania Twain and Troy Carter (ex Lady Gaga manager).

Live Nation confirms it is negotiating terms to acquire the management companies of U2 and Madonna. The deal to buy Paul McGuinness’s Principle Management and Guy Oseary’s Maverick could cost about $30m with Oseary taking over management of both operations.

December
Talent agency William Morris Endeavour acquires IMG Worldwide in a $2.3bn deal backed by private equity group Silver Lake.

SFX Entertainment pays $16.2m for a 75% stake in Dutch- based ticketing operation Paylogic, which counts 2,000 clients across its offices in Groningen, Amsterdam, Berlin and Antwerp.

Claude Nobs, Montreux Jazz founder (1936-2013) © Yvan Hausmann @ MJF/Yvanhausman (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Who we lost

Notable industry deaths in 2013 include Claude Nobs, Montreux Jazz Festival founder and GM, 76; Modern World founder Henning Tögel, 58; Cecil Womack, The Valentinos and Womack & Womack singer, aged 65; Live Nation Denmark CEO Flemming Schmidt, 63; German promoter Fritz Rau, 83; Edwin Shirley, founder of Edwin Shirley Trucking and Edwin Shirley Staging, 65; Danish live music impresario Arne Worsøe, 72; Velvet Underground singer and guitarist and solo artist Lou Reed, 71.

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The start of a new year and, perhaps more significantly, a new decade is fast approaching – and while many may be thinking ahead to New Year’s Eve plans and well-meaning 2020 resolutions, IQ is casting its mind back to the most pivotal industry moments of the last ten years.

Following on from the 2010 synopsis, IQ looks to 2011, a year in which rising unemployment and astronomical national debts continued to take its toll on spending habits. The live industry experienced a slower period, indicating signs of maturity after years of fast growth.

Extreme weather led to festival cancellations and, tragically, the loss of lives at Pukkelpop and Indiana State Fair. Festival attendance, however, stayed strong, with festival bosses commenting that the demand for festivals was definitely still there.

2011 also saw U2 take the crown for the most successful concert tour in history, dethroning the Rolling Stones with their mammoth 360° tour. The Irish rockers were on course to retain the record into the new decade, too, before Ed Sheeran came along.

2011 in numbers

Worldwide, the top 50 tours grossed US$3.07 billion in 2011, up from $2.9bn the previous year.

According to Pollstar, U2 were the most successful band of 2011. A back injury sustained by Bono in 2010 saw many dates on the 360° tour postponed to the following year, with the band selling 2.4 million tickets over the year – at an average price of $97 each.

The stadium tour, which typically drew crowds of almost 92,000 per show, grossed $231.9m in 2011, adding to the $133.6m earned on the 2010 leg.

Other major tours of 2011 included Take That’s reunion tour with Robbie Williams ($224m), the Bon Jovi Live tour ($148.8), Taylor Swift’s Speak Now tour ($104.2m) and Roger Waters’ The Wall Live tour ($103.6m).

2011 in brief

January
AEG opens the 52,000-cap. Türk Telekom Arena in Istanbul, later winning the contract to manage the 12,500-cap. Ülker Arena in the same city.

Serbia’s Exit Festival ends its business relationship with Charmenko agency and begins booking international artists directly.

February
Ticketmaster buys Spanish ticketing company ServiCaixa, allowing it to sell tickets through over 8,000 ATMs owned by financial services company and bank La Caixa.

Live Nation takes full control of Front Line Management, with its founder Irving Azoff becoming chairman of the Live Nation board, taking over from Liberty Media’s John Malone.

March
Nelly Furtado announces she is giving the $1m fess she was paid for performing in front of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi in 2007 to charity. Beyoncé follows suit.

President of Madison Square Garden Jay Marciano moves to London to take up a new role as CEO of AEG Europe.

Irving Azoff took over as Live Nation chairman in 2011 (© Full Stop Management)

April
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) figures show that global music sales fell $1.4bn in 2010, with the UK market dropping 11%, the US dropping 10% and Japan dropping 8.3%.

U2’s 360° tour becomes the highest-grossing tour of all time, beating the Rolling Stones’ Bigger Bang tour record of $554m. 360° is set to gross over $700m by the time it ends.

May
US ticketing company Eventbrite, which integrates social media and mobile, announces a $50m influx of venture-capital finance.

Gil Scott-Heron dies in New York at the age of 62.

June
German festival promoter Folkert Koopmans announces his second Swedish festival in Norrköping, the 50,000-cap. Bråvalla Festival, following the January acquisition of Hultsfred Festival.

Bloomberg reports that AEG plans to refinance the O2 Arena in London with a £150m ($240m) loan and equity injection.

U2’s record-breaking 360° tour (resized) © Kristian Strøbech/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

July
Promoter Vince Power raises £6.5m ($10.4m) by floating his company, Music Festivals, on London’s Alternative Investment Market exchange.

SMG secures a management contract for Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile, its first in South America.

August
AEG launches its new ticketing system, AXS, in several Denver and San Francisco theatres. The system includes a mobile app and social media integration.

Belgium’s Pukkelpop creates a private foundation to support the victims of the storm that claimed five lives at the festival on 19 August.

September
Global entertainment giant Vivendi buys UK number two ticketer See Tickets for a sum thought to be around £80m ($128m).

eBay announces it will launch secondary resale platform StubHub in the UK, the first market it will have operated in outside of the US.

Santiago’s Movistar Arena (© Movistar Arena)

October
German powerhouse FKP Scorpio continues its buying spree by taking a majority stake in Sweden’s Getaway Festival.

2011’s biggest-selling artist, Adele, undergoes throat surgery to repair damaged vocal chords, forcing her to cancel all remaining tour dates and promotional appearance for the year.

November
Bankers Citigroup agree to sell EMI Music to Universal Music Group for $1.9bn, while EMI Music Publishing will become part of Sony ATV in a $2.2bn deal.

Michael Jackson’s physician, Dr Conrad Murray, is found guilty of manslaughter.

December

Live Nation emerges victorious in the saga for the rights to run the new €134m 15,000-capacity arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Seatwave chief Joe Cohen denies speculation the ticket resale company is in financial trouble, despite reports it has amassed losses of €40m since 2007.

Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) © Republic Records (cropped)

Who we lost

In 2011, the music industry lost a number of important figures, including Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, 63; agent Ron Baird, who opened CAA’s Nashville office in 1991, 60; legendary soul and jazz musician Gil Scott Heron, 62; Willie Robertson, co-founder of insurance specialist Robertson Taylor, 67; award-winning singer Amy Winehouse, 27; Academy Music Group founder John Northcote, 62.

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