Secondary Ticketing

Q1 2008industry newsindustry news Q1 20088ELMFBreaking BordersLess Is Morefor ParkenMusic industryEco-Conference Announced9With border and immigration problemsincreasingly throwing spanners intotouring works, the European LiveMusic Forum (ELMF) has launched aninvestigation into visa and work permitprocedures in order to influencepolicy makers and administrators,and potentially establish aninternational working group.“The increased challenges facing tourand concert organisers, artists, agents,management and others when bringinginternational artists into Europe is apriority matter,” says the ELMF’s HansHjorth. “Complex visa processing, cynicismat consulates and slow proceduresHans Hjorthgenerate huge financial losses and greatfrustrations for the music sector andultimately hamper cultural exchange.”At the end of last year, the ELMF sentout a questionnaire, asking for specificcase studies and examples of where visaissues had hindered musicians working.The next step is to analyse the results andidentify “what problems exist and whatmeasures need to be taken to resolvethem, and what the priorities are.”“Once we’ve publicised the results,we’ll be sending it to relevant partiesincluding the EU,” Hjorth says. “We’ll besharing it with organisations in the US suchas the American Arts Alliance, and we hopeto establish relationships with others suchas the Musicians Union in the UK, and toform a coalition.”The European Union has signed theUNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversitywhich specifically calls for ‘adaptingmeasures in developed countries with aview to facilitating access to their territoryfor cultural activities from developingcountries’. “So the concept is already inplace,” Hjorth says. “This is about trying tomake it concrete.”Demolition begins on Parken’s D-standProving the old adage that ‘less ismore’, Denmark’s Parken stadium isspending DKK500million (€67m) ondemolishing its last remaining originalstand and building a modernreplacement which will reduce theoverall capacity from 42,000 to 38,000.The ‘SuperBest’ stand is being fundedby stadium owners Parken Sport &Entertainment and will incorporate premiumseating, improved facilities for footballmatches and concerts and 8,700m 2 ofoffice space for small companies.“The grandstand will hold around4,000 spectators and 2,900 of these willbe in the new telescope stand, which is oneof the world’s largest of its type,” saysParken spokesperson Charles Maskelyne.“It will also include VIP sky boxes.”The original D-stand – the Coca Colastand – was built in 1956 but was notreplaced when the Copenhagen stadium wasbuilt in 1992. The project is scheduled forcompletion in July 2009, but events at thestadium will not be affected.“The slidingroof is still working and a huge wall will bebuilt to conceal the building site andprotect it from the wind so we can continueto use the rest of the venue,” says PaddyGythfeldt at Zig Zag Productions, based atthe stadium.“The new stand won’t affect the capacityfor concerts either,” he says. “The end stagecapacity is typically 48,500.”The first extensive body of researchto examine the environmental impactof the UK’s music industry will berevealed at a conference at the RoyalGeographical Society in London on18 April.Run by music industry greening groupJulie’s Bicycle, the conference will call ondelegates from the music and wider creativeindustries to reduce their carbon footprint,with the research forming a key part of itsfuture strategy.As well as an increase in capacity,Øya Festival will grow far beyondthe boundaries of its Oslo site thisyear with international marketingand an expansion of the clubnights that run in tandem aroundthe Norwegian capital.Held at the Medieval Park (cap.15,000) Øya is the only Norwegian festivalto have sold out in advance for the last sixThe paper, researched and compiled bythe Environmental Change Institute at theUniversity of Oxford, is examining the industrysupply chain to identify where there is capacityto reduce its footprint, and how. It includesestimates of how much CO2 is created perconcert ticket and CD.Julie’s Bicycle, launched in July 2007,will publish its research before making initialrecommendations to the industry, but it isalready trialling a ‘SWITCH OFF’ strategy foryears, and in 2008, organisers are buildingon its success by marketing the festival inDenmark, Germany, the UK and US.“We will also do our own ‘Øya nights’at events like CMJ and SXSW and we will domarketing around these as well,” says headbooker Claes Olsen. And in addition toputting an extra 1,000 tickets on sale forthe 5-9 August festival, organisers areactively growing the club nights, which takemusic and theatrical stage lighting. Backedby PLASA, the National Theatre in Londonand Live Nation, the pilot scheme concernsdead time between performances: the hoursbetween 2.00pm and 6.00pm when lightsare on but the performance has not begun.Alison Tickle of Julie's Bicycle says,"We're also working with Transport for Londonto research audience travel to events, in orderto deliver a programme of environmentalaudits for music companies, as well asplace in 100-1,500-capacity venues aroundthe city.“On the first day, we have 30 clubswith about 110 acts, all with free entrancefor the festival pass holders,” Olsen says.“We also have a programme every nightfrom when the park closes at 11pm, until3am. We’re increasing this with morevenues and international nights.”In April, Øya will release a secondAlison Tickleestablishing an industry working group tobuild consensus and agree joint action plans,and providing training for sole traders, artistsand community-based companies."Øya GrowsBeyond Groundsversion of its Environmental Handbook forFestivals and Outdoor Events. Much of thefirst edition (published in 2004) wasincorporated into Yourope’s own Green ‘n’Clean Handbook, with the festivalassociation’s Christof Huber describing Øyaas “a pioneer when it comes to bothimplementing and thinking inventivelyconcerning environmental measures.”

Q1 2008legal news business newsQ1 2008Musicin SharesShares in live echo market instability…Manfred Tariwww.pop1000.com1312LegalNewsIt’s all about those rights, according to IQ’slegal beagle Ben Challis…FOUR TOPS UNMASK IMPOSTERAbdul 'Duke' Fakir, a founder member of theFour Tops, has won a legal action in theHigh Court in London against ViscountOliver Miller who has been touring the UKunder the name Viscount Oliver's LegendaryFour Tops.Miller had no connection with the FourTops, either in a recording or performingcapacity, although he had argued that hisband was a ‘tribute band’. Fakir and fourother claimants began action against Millerafter being made aware of the ViscountOliver’s Legendary Four Tops tour by a UKfan. Fakir then discovered that Miller hadtrademarked ‘Viscount Oliver's AmericanDream The Legendary Four Tops’ in the UKand that Miller had been touring the UK forsome time using photographs of theoriginal Four Tops, seemingly to convincepunters that they were the genuine article.In press handouts, Miller had claimed hehad recorded with the band and inferredthat he was one of the Four Tops. When theViscount refused to stop touring under theFour Tops banner, or to surrender histrademark, Fakir unsurprisingly sued,advised by ILMC regular Alexis Grower ofMagrath & Co.Although Miller issued a defence, thiswas struck out by the court after "persistentand serious breaches of court orders" onthe defendant's part. The court found inFours TopsFakir's favour, issuing an injunction to stopMiller from performing under the Four Topsname, damages and a declaration invalidatingthe defendant's trademark of ‘ViscountOliver’s American Dream The LegendaryFour Tops.’Ben ChallisThe order prevents Miller using any nameconnected with the Four Tops or containingthe phrase ‘the Four Tops’ and from usingphotographs of the band’s original line up(s).Interestingly, the order includes arequirement for dissemination of the orderto the venues at which Miller’s actappeared. This had to be by way of anadvert in The Stage booked by Fakir directlybut paid for by Miller at a cost of over£2,000 [€2,700]. An inquiry into damageswas ordered and the defendant also had topay over £18,000 [€24,000] in legal costs.Alexis Grower commented that althougha growing number of US states now hadlegislation in place to protect both bandsand customers against imposter bands (theso called 'Truth in Music' laws) this was notfederal law and that “as more and more ofthese 50s and 60s bands reach an agewhen they are no longer with us or unableto perform, then this sort of activity willoccur." He added: "Doing so is far morethan just being a tribute band, it is actuallytaking over somebody else's reputation,profile and brand. This may be somethingwe should consider lobbying to be broughtinto English law as a protection.”The financial community is in a state of irritationat the moment. While the price of gold is rising,shares – and in particular, shares in financialinstitutions – are suffering. Reasons for thisinclude the home loan crisis in the US, Frenchrogue trader, Jérôme Kerviel, and high oil prices.And it’s no surprise that this has in turn affectedthe performance of live music companies on thestock market.On 1 February, analysts at Morgan Stanleyraised the CTS Eventim (stock symbol EVD)share price target from €31 to €36, followingthe ticketing system deal between CTS andLive Nation (LYV), that was announced inlate December.Morgan Stanley continued to rate CTS sharesas “overweight” (good value) but on 31 January,CTS Eventim reported that two of MorganStanley’s investment departments (in New Yorkand Wilmington, Delaware) had reduced theirCTS shares to less than 3% of CTS’s issuedshare capital (both departments now hold2.93%). The current share price is €26.23.DEAG (EDG) shares aren’t doing so welleither, with the current share price standingat only €1.44. At the end of 2007, theyannounced that they would be analysed bySES Research.The Edge Performance VCT (EDG) sharehas also dipped, from 90p [€1.21] to 80p[€1.07] at the Alternative Investment Market(a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange).Ingenious Media has two dedicated livemusic investment funds (Ingenious Live VCT1 and 2) listed on the London Stock Exchange.Both have fallen from £1 [€1.34] to 90p [€1.21].Meanwhile, the share price of the funds’initiator, Ingenious Media Active Capital Ltd,went up from 79p [€1.06] to 80p [€1.07].On Wall Street, Live Nation has beenhaving a tough time, with shares droppingfrom $19.50 [€13.29] to $10.66 [€7.36] inthe last three months.On 23 January, the share fell below $10[€6.8], hitting an all time low of $9.6 [€6.5]having begun – after the Clear Channel spinoff – on 23 December, 2006 at $10.50 [€7.2].A year ago on 3 February, the share reachedan all-time high of $25.05 [€17.07]. Live Nationrecently announced the appointment of MichaelCohl as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.MAMA Group released a business reporton 21 January covering the period up until31 July 2007. The report didn’t contain anybig news or surprises but the share didincrease from 4.85p [€0.65] to 5.5p [€0.74]following its publication.Live Nationshare priceCOPYRIGHT REFORM TOPSLEGISLATIVE AGENDAAs the digital revolution marches on,legislators in Sweden, the UK and otherEuropean nations have all been looking atcopyright reforms. Copying compact discsonto computers or iPods could becomelegal for the first time in the UK undergovernment proposals, in a move that partsof the music industry have warned could“open the floodgates” to further filesharing.Lord Triesman, minister for intellectualproperty, has said he will begin aconsultation process that will end in March.The consultation will look at the viability oflegalising such recordings as long as theyare for personal use. The Association ofIndependent Music has warned that theexception could be the start of a deluge of“uncontrolled and unstoppable” privatecopying and sharing. Geoff Taylor, chiefexecutive of the British PhonographicIndustry said that he was broadly in favourof the changes because it would clarify thelaw for consumers. However, Taylor said thegovernment should ensure that the movewould not “do harm to” the record industry.In Sweden, liberal members ofparliament have responded fiercely to arecent report which recommended that ISPsshould be forced to regulate all of theirclients’ communications, in an attempt toclamp down on illegal filesharing ofcopyright material – a move that wouldmirror similar action in other Europeanjurisdictions, such as France.A paper authored by six members of theModerate Party attempts to ally the sharingof information over the internet withfundamental rights of privacy included inthe European Convention on Human Rights,as well as characterising the issue as one of‘freedom of information.’In particular, the authors see it as crucialthat members of the Swedish parliament, andSwedish politicians in general, do not affiliatethemselves with so called ‘special interest’groups such as the copyright industries.At the same time as these storiesappeared, the European Commission (EC)published its paper, Communication onCreative Content Online in the Single Market,which aims to encourage the contentindustry, telecoms companies and ISPs towork closely together to make more contentavailable online. In particular, the reportsays that copyright owners need to thinkabout Europe-wide solutions to onlinecontent rather than licensing on a territoryby-territorybasis.The EC has also said that piracy remainsa central concern and that it intends toinstigate co-operation procedures (‘codes ofconduct’) between access/service providers,rights holders and consumers.Ben Challiswww.musiclawupdates.com

Q1 2008comment18The Tipping Points and Other QuestionsTerry McBride, CEO and founder of Canada’s Nettwerk Music Group, wonders what music isworth, and who owns it…There is a lot of debate these daysabout the ‘value of music’ in thedigital space. The iTunes modelseems to be the most widelyaccepted metric associated to thevalue of a song (79p or 99¢). Nowif one was to extrapolate thisvalue across the whole spectrum ofthe digital music space, then thereal economic value is in factaround 8p or 10¢ a song. After all,the legal market for consumeddigital media is approximately10% of the whole, the other 90%is apparently free.The music business is sofocused on the 10% of themarket, its almost like the other90% is a dark force to befought by an army of lawyers,when in fact it’s a marketwaiting to be monetised. I thinkthere is a tipping point, that isto say that when the legal costof music hits a certain pricepoint, which I think is around10-20p or 15-25¢ then we willstart to capture the majority ofthe digital music spectrum,maybe as much as 75-90%.If you do the maths with50% of the marketplace at thislower price point we are attoday’s economic level; anythingabove that is a gain. This samethought process could beapplied to subscription modelswith the same results. Simplylook at the continued successof eMusic and the dramaticresults that Rhapsody hadawhile back when they testeda short-term sizable pricereduction. One must also turnoff the locking mechanisms ofDRM, but that’s anoldconversation, or will be by theend of 2008. I also believe thelower cost with no DRM lockswill drive full album sales andgreater consumer consumptionoverall.There will be many who takeexception to this point of view,especially those who see thevalue of a song as being higheror have a need to control, notonly that perceived value, butalso how it’s consumed. Somerecord companies, publishers,managers and artists will all cryfoul. To this I propose a simplequestion: who actually owns themusic? Legally, in most casesthe labels and publishers willclaim they do, of course artistswill claim that morally they do.From their perspectives they arecorrect, but in reality I say noneof the above!WIDER OWNERSHIPFrom my perception it’s themusic fan that owns the music.Music fans discount the conceptof copyright; it is meaninglessto themandit’s not because they paid forthe music and feel they own it.They simply don’t perceive howanybody can own their emotiveconnection to the music; they,after all, are the reason whythose songs and artists becamepopular. Even a hit single thathas sold millions of copies hasa unique emotive connection toeach individual music fan; call ita ‘bookmark’ in their lives.I believe that record labels,publishers and especially artistscan accept this shift inperception by looking at theirown passionate connection tothe music they love and all thememories they associate totheir own emotive musicalcollection. This is in fact anemotional tipping point, nodifferent than that of theconsumer. Is there an artist ormusic executive alive who hasnot broken the copyright law?From my perception you cannotchange the behavioural habitsof millions of consumersthrough litigation or legislation.What you can do is monetisethis social behaviour as Yahoo,AOL, MySpace, Facebook,YouTube and many othershave done successfully.INTO THE BREACHIn 2003, Nettwerkdecided to leave thesandbox of control andmarket share; wedeleted our fear of theunknown, simply trustedour intuitions and steppedonto the beach. The greatthing about the beach isthat the tide washes itclean daily and youstart with yourimagination fresh everyday. Thepower of imagination is profound.If you can imagine it, then youknow what it looks like and youwork your way backwards.Nettwerk was started in 1984with a simple intention: weimagined releasing music weloved. Here in 2008, wecontinue to follow that intentionby investing in music; artistcareers and causes; and morethan anything, the music fans.There is a lot of talk about360-degree models but debateaside, where is all the talkabout customer service, datamining, paths of leastresistance, consumers as retailoutlets? Hell, what about musiccritics as digital retail stores?!Simply put, the debate shouldbe about the music fan andwhat we can do to super-servetheir emotional need for music.Terry McBride

Q1 2008comment20Thinking PositiveRecord labels might be moving aggressively, but the live industry has far bigger teeth,argues Juha Kyyrö...To be perfectly honest, I’m sickand tired of discussing the 360-degree model and the future ofthe music business. I mean, don’tyou agree that these days, readingyet another article about a new360-degree set-up or speculationon the future revenue streams isabout as exciting as an agenttelling you about his new emoband he wants you to book on yourfestival? So why am I wasting mytime writing about it?Well, first of all, because I wasasked to, and secondly becauseI actually do believe in it, just asI believe that the new emo bandjust might sell out my venue –either because we don’t offer thekids anything better to relate toor because it’s just out of ourhands. Actually, I’d be much moreinterested in talking about why somuch in this business is so fuckedup and why we keep acceptingthe old-fashioned, arrogant andinefficient ways of working inthe live industry, and at the sametime pointing fingers at therecord companies for not keepingup with the consumers´ needs.Why are we so intimidated bythe record labels jumping into thelive business? If we were going outof business, we would do exactlythe same. Indeed, we would beeven more aggressive in takingover someone else’s plot, at leastbased on how we work. If you’veforgotten, most of the people inthis business still make theiroverheads by cheating. Quitenaturally, many of thepromoters and agents are nowexpanding to management,publishing, merchandising andeven to the record industry, aswell as ticketing, backline rental,security etc – basically, becausewe’d now like to get some ofthat money back for theservices we have previouslybeen paying out for.Juha Kyyrö‘FLEXIBILITY INRESOURCES’In a 360-degree model, the key tosuccess is flexibility in resources.The challenge is how to makesure all the degrees have thesame goal but are still inproductive competition witheach other. How is that supposedto work? There’s already toomuch competition between twopromoters in one company, anda record label product managerhas a hard time prioritisingwhich artist to spend most ofhis time on, as there is no wayhe can spend enough time onall of them. And just try askingthe artist (who all of this issupposed to be about).The best thing about a 360-degree model is that tosucceed, at least in principle,everything would have to bebased on the best interests ofthe artist. Some wise peoplehave already started callingtheir businesses ‘artist servicescompanies’ – at least they’verealized what this all comesdown to. As long as our successis dependent on the artist’ssuccess, our business has ahealthy basis.The problem is that there aretoo many artists out there, andthe ones who really stand outcan’t satisfy the demand, so weend up in a vortex where all thepromoters chase an act that isnot available from an agent whois not even forwarding theoffers to the manager, who ispushing the agent to get hisnew band a bunch of festivalshows from the promoter, whomakes an offer for the crappynew band because he thinksthat it’s going to help get theartist he really wants. And noone really remembers exactlywhy they started working withthe artist in the first place. Theagent has probably never seenthe band live and the promoterhas probably never even heardthe music. What a great basisfor fruitful cooperation!THINK POSITIVE!Enough with the cynicism –let’s think positive. The factthat we are expanding ourbusiness is hopefullygoing to solve many ofour problems: we’ll learnto look at the artist’s careerfrom differentperspectives; we’ll onlychoose to work withartists who we reallythink have potential;we’ll focus on everyartist individually; we’llget rid of some ofthe arrogance whenrealizing that everylittle piece actuallymatters; and mostimportantly, we’llbe able to offerour artists,businesspartners andclients morevalue for theircommitment.In aperfectworld, allofthis will happen, but in the realworld...well, let’s not go there. Iguess the point is that thecurrent situation screams for afresh way of thinking, formingnew networks, grouping withother companies and coming upwith a revolutionary idea thatwill save us all. And we in thelive music industry are probablybetter prepared for the changethan anyone else.Juha Kyyrö is MD of the Fullsteam Groupof Companies in Finland, and will alsoco-chair the ‘New Boss’ panel at ILMC 20.

Q1 2008feature featureQ1 200822It’s just a few weeks until all the coolcats and easy riders from around theworld converge on the Royal GardenHotel for ILMC 20. Here, we announcesome heavy sessions and heady extras…23Cooler than a rerun of Hair and with enoughgood vibrations to rival the Dalai Lama,ILMC 20 is shaping up to be the happeningof the year. It all takes place at the RoyalGarden Hotel in London from 7-9 March,and if you’re not part of the scene,you’re liable to be seriously bummed out.Tickets are selling out fast, but if you haven’talready registered, don’t freak out – just fill inthe form in this issue of IQ, or check outwww.ilmc.com where there’s all the info youneed, some pretty colours to trip out on, andmuch more besides. ILMC 20 will sell out, sowhile it ain’t cool to be early, if you want to hangwith the in-crowd, you’ll need to register soon.Good VibrationsSo you’ve got your ticket, the kaftan ispressed and beads are polished. What now?Well there are enough events to exhaust eventhe craziest hipster, and while the full listingis online, here are a few events and sessionsto bear in mind:Firstly, all the speed freaks and racerswill have a chance to let loose at StreathamKart Raceway for ILMC’s double-decadecelebratory ‘Super Grand Prix Go Karting’ onFriday 7 March. If you were born to be evena little bit wild, sign up via the registrationform (places cost £55), and let Berryhurst’sMagic Bus whisk you across London withcomplimentary pizza and beer on the return.This special anniversary edition will include a'Le Mans start', a scheme to match drivers ofsimilar skills and a very special ‘Champion ofChampions’ race to decide the ultimate ILMCspeed freak.If mind games are more your style, there’sstill plenty to get turned on to. Friday nightalso features the second ‘World Texas Hold‘em Poker Tourney’ as we take a Vegas-styletrip within the haven of the Royal Garden. Itcosts £20 to enter, and all proceeds go tocharity. Delegates can win some particularlygroovy bar tabs, and places are on a first-come,first-served basis. Email marketing@ilmc.comto sign up.The next night sees a new competition for allthose wannabe musicians and karaoke crooners. Aspart of the infamous Saturday night Delegates'Jam, we’re launching ‘The Ex-Factor’; a (probablytotally lacking in) talent competition that startsat 1.30am on Saturday night. Delegates can formbands with any other ILMC cats and competefor the sure-to-be-coveted top prize. Get intothe groove by emailing your band name anda list of members to marketing@ilmc.com.The New FacesWe’d like to welcome DNA Networks, who aresponsoring our Sunday night dinner: ‘AnEvening of Transcendental Mastication’, andalso See Tickets and Vibe Promotions who’vejust been announced as sponsors of ‘The ILMC20th Anniversary Gala Dinner and ArthurAwards.’ In order to make room for moreindustry heads, we’ve moved The Gala Dinnerto The Ballroom, Jumeirah Carlton Tower. Withfive star food, wine and company, it’ll be anight to remember, crowned by the live musicindustry’s Oscar equivalents, The Arthur Awards.Even though everyone’s equal, there aresome of our delegates who are just a littlemore equal, you know? You should havefound voting forms inside this issue of IQ,and as long as you’re an ILMC member, you’reeligible to vote once. Voting closes onTuesday 4 March, so don’t ignore the proudfight our sisters made all those yearsago…vote!Turn up, Tune inand Speak OutApart from all the love-ins, be-ins and downrightpartying, there are some serious discussionsto be had, right? Well this year we’ve polleda panel of experts from across the industry –not to mention the weeks spent huddledinside the ILMC teepee – to deliver a trulyheavyweight series of sessions. The followingdetails may be subject to last minute additionsand updates, but for now, wrap your beardsaround this…

Q1 2008feature26are all trying to get into live, and they’re allused to being in charge. The future shape ofthe live music industry will be governed bythe way the different sectors combine, cooperateand learn to truly understand eachother. This session features two of ‘our’ newbosses (both already involved with 360-degree companies) getting a feel for what‘their’ new bosses want.16.30 – 18.00:Showbiz: ‘That’s “Edutainment”’Chair: Koen Melis (Immersion, NL)of the US concert industry, will be joined byMarcel Avram, whose European promotingCV reads like a who’s who of internationalmusic. Also joining them will be the UK’sHarvey Goldsmith, famed for his work on LiveAid, Live 8 and countless other large scaleproductions. This year’s Breakfast Meeting issure to be one of our most popular yet asthese three statesmen of live music discusstheir experiences over the last 20 years.12.30 – 14.00: The Booking Ring:‘Punching below the belt?’Chair: Nick Hobbs (Charmenko, TR)With terrorism, illegal immigration and thesubsequently increased security checks andborder restrictions, delays and cancellationsare affecting agents, promoters and venues.What can we do? Can we be betterprepared? We call on a panel of experts,including a former US State Departmentofficial, for guidance.15.30 – 17.00:The Sunday Supplement:‘The conference call...about the future’Chair: Allan McGowan (IQ)Is it possible to argue that the wider touringindustry could learn a thing or two fromentertainment shows? Once shunned bymainstream promoters, the world of familyand entertainment shows is now exploringnew business models, reaching new heightsand – if the product is right – attracting morecustomers than ever. Cirque du Soleil istouring arenas, Walking with Dinosaurs hasbrought 'edutainment' and innovative, smartpartnerships to the table, and withpromoter/venue-friendly deals, all of the keystakeholders are getting paid. Chairman KoenMelis asks whether this sector is now a leadinglight for future business models and ideas.Sunday 9 March10.30 – 12.00: The Breakfast MeetingChair: Ed BicknellLast year, this annual sparring match discussedwhat goes wrong with a show when an artistdefaults due to force majeure, bad planningor irresponsibility. This year it's the turn ofthe promoter to default, due, perhaps, toforce majeure, bad planning or irresponsibility,or some murky grey area of lost sponsors orlocal politics. The promoter's idea oflegitimate force majeure might not be theartist's; and what about the penalties when apromoter gets it wrong? Does the artist atfault walk away scot-free while the promoterat fault loses their shirt? And with somepromoters beginning to write their ownriders into contracts, just how binding is thislegal document, and does anybody readthem anymore anyway?12.30 – 14.00: Immigration:‘Getting around the road blocks’Chair: Tina Waters (The Tour Company, UK)This year’s Sunday Supplement will not onlybe summarising the ILMC weekend itself, butwill discuss the future of the industry andwhere we’re headed. As part of a threeconferencethink tank that includesNoorderslag in the Netherlands and SXSW inthe US, and alongside his panel of industrypundits, Allan McGowan will be continuing afuture-facing theme to not only examinewhere we’ve come from, but where we’ll be inanother 20 years time. This regular ILMCsession also gives delegates a chance toclarify any points made over the weekend, toidentify or expand on subjects as necessary,or just get something off their chest!17.00 – 17.30: The AutopsyChair: Martin Hopewell (ILMC)While some of the ILMC hipsters sleep offthe night before, there’ll be a large crowd ofdelegates at this year’s Breakfast Meeting fora special anniversary treat. Manager, agencyboss and raconteur Ed Bicknell will beinterviewing a trio of extremely influentialpromoters from across the world of live.Legendary New York promoter RonDelsener, widely regarded as the grandfatherThe very essence of the ILMC is internationaltouring. In most cases we assume that accessto foreign markets will be granted but are weall still on the guest list? Increasingly, thisaccess is problematic, and recent visarefusals in the US have hindered the careerplans of both high profile and new talents.Provided that he’s kept his groove and notlost his cool over the madcap weekend,Martin ‘The Head’ Hopewell relives the highsand lows from the Royal Garden commune,and invites feedback on the conference ingeneral. Rounding off the 20th anniversary,it’s the last chance for delegates to spreadsome love or share some thoughts as theILMC draws to a close for another year.

Q1 2008featurefeatureQ1 200829BanksACCOUNTSAfter being named 2007’s Woman of the Year, EmmaBanks chatted to Greg Parmley about wasted talent,hard work and old-fashioned values.Photo: James Looker Photography2007 was an annus magnus for bookingagent Emma Banks: a year that beganwith a new company, continued with astring of successful tours and ended withher crowned as the UK music industry’sWoman of the Year.She might not have been the only Banksto have received such a title (Americansupermodel Tyra Banks received a similaraccolade from OK! Magazine), but accordingto a string of colleagues and friends, she wascertainly the most deserving.“She should have won way before now,”says promoter Donald MacLeod; “She’s muchmore than Woman of the Year,” says managerMichael ‘Curly’ Jobson; “The fair agentwith the heart in the right place,” addsFlemming Schmidt.The 29 November ceremony at London’sIntercontinental Hotel was organised byNordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the BRITTrust, and attended by 600 music industryluminaries. In winning the award, Banks joinsa list of past recipients that includes SharonOsbourne, songwriter Cathy Dennis, the BBC’sLesley Douglas and artist manager Gail Colson.“It was lovely,” Banks says. “It was abrilliant day, and I proved to everyone thatmy hair can look OK if someone does it!”2007 began with Banks (and colleagueMike Greek) establishing the London office ofCreative Artists Agency (CAA) – a role forwhich she was headhunted in 2006 – and itcontinued with her named Second LeastOffensive Agent at the ILMC’s Arthur Awardsin March (her third win). But such

Q1 2008feature30EXTRA ACCOUNTSKaren Millard– Woman of the Year AwardsEmma had been a candidate for the past twoyears as she is a previous winner of an award andan agent to be reckoned with, carving a name forherself in a tough line of work. Her win willhopefully inspire other women to follow her trail,and believe that success is possible in such amale dominated industry.Peter Mensch – Q PrimeThe Red Hot Chili Peppers are the biggest bandI’ve ever managed in Europe, and Emma Banks ismostly responsible, maybe with some record sales.I’d always had this dream of playing HydePark because of Brian Jones and the Stones andthe whole shtick, and Emma said that we couldpull it off with Stuart Galbraith.The band doesn’t normally play more thantwo days in a row and they were playingManchester on the Friday, so we booked HydePark for the Saturday. A week before the showwent on sale, Emma asked me to check about thepossibility of a second show. I didn’t believe wecould sell 170,000 tickets, but checked withAnthony Kiedis anyway.The tickets went on sale at 9am in the UKand by the time I woke up in New York, Emmahad phoned to say that we’d sold out two datesand were moving onto a third! No one will everdo Hyde Park again to that level and with that manyshows. It was Emma’s finest moment in my eyes.I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be inbusiness with Emma Banks.John Watson– John Watson ManagementWhen Silverchair first broke in 1995, they wereonly 15-years-old so a parent had to travel aschaperone on their tours. Emma has, of course,always been willing to work around the clock forher clients. However, she took that to a new levelon the night she went dancing until sunrise at atacky Berlin nightclub called ‘Disco Chip’ with theSilverchair mums while the rock 'n' roll band andcrew slept soundly back at their hotel.Asif Ahmed – ShhhmanagementNever before have I worked with someone whomakes my shitty job so enjoyable. We worktogether on two artists. Whenever we speak, shemakes me giddy as a teenager on poppers. Imean, I don't want to DO her or anything. I maybejust want to watch reruns of Golden Girls withmud masks on...with her present. At her house –which of course I've never been to – becauseshe's always at the office. I think she needs sometime off. I worry sometimes. She needs help!continued on page 37recognition among her peers is more theresult of 17 years of hard work thandiscrimination based on her sex.“It never occurred to me that I was awoman in the industry,” she says. “I comefrom a fairly male dominated background, soit’s never been something I considered. I’venever actively thought, ‘there aren’t anywomen doing this, can I?’”In fairness though, if the agency businesswas ever investigated by a feminist,wheelchair-bound ethnic minority auditor,there’d be blood on the tracks beforebedtime – it's a sector populated almostexclusively by white males.“Why do you think I’m in it? I’m activelycampaigning against women entering it sothere’s more men for me!” she jokes, but while,as a woman, she’s conspicuous in havingreached the top of her game, Banks sees nolimitations based on gender.“WHEN NINE INCHNAILS WANT ME TO SIT ONTHEIR TOUR BUS AND WATCHHARDCORE PORNOGRAPHY,AS LONG AS IT’S NOTONE WITH ME IN IT,“I’LL WATCH IT!“It’s not difficult for a girl to do this job,and I think you get a different kind of agent,potentially,” she says. “Women can be a bitmore nurturing and they come at it from adifferent angle, although you can’t beprudish…if you are, you need to be bookingdifferent acts to the ones I’ve got.“When Nine Inch Nails want me to sit ontheir tour bus and watch hardcorepornography, as long as it’s not one with mein it, I’ll watch it! But you need to establishboundaries and barriers, which comes withage as much as anything, and experience.”GIRL ABOUT TOWNThe ability to nurture is just onecharacteristic from her early years that setBanks on her current career path. Growing upin Cambridge with two younger brothers (“Iam a bit older sisterly”) Banks waspreoccupied for much of her teenage yearswith her pony, Popeye.“I’d obsessively bandage the poorGraduating universitybastard’s legs,” she says. “I wasn’t thatinterested in riding it, I just wanted to lookafter it and tell it what to do.”Her time was spent with schoolwork(“I was never rebellious”) and organising anannual gymkhana to raise money for charity,inspired by her father, a successfulbusinessman. “I know I’m out there trying toprove something to him,” she says. So with abossy older sister mentality, a successfulfather to impress and an innateorganisational ability, even as a teenagerBanks possessed the motivation, inspirationand inclination to do well.But while many of the older generation ofagents were consumed by music at an earlyage, Banks’ only indulgence was to tape theTop 40 charts on a Sunday afternoon. By thetime she began a Food Science degree atReading University in 1986, she’d been totwo gigs: Dire Straits Live in ‘85at Birmingham NEC Arena, and aTV-broadcast Adam and the Ants’ show,filmed in London.With her horse Popeye

Q1 2008featurefeatureQ1 200832“I certainly wasn’t out going to seeBauhaus or the Sex Pistols,” she says,“although I certainly went through theschoolgirl crush thing. I had Adam Ant, JohnTaylor, and Stuart Adamson from Big Countryon my school folder. When I later went on ahiking holiday with Simon Le Bon, I couldn’ttell him that John Taylor was on the folderand not him.”...at ILMC 14UK universities in the late 80s weresuffering from poor levels of investment andfunding, and the entertainment departmentsof the student unions were no exception.“They were screwed up as there was noincentive to make money,” Banks says. “I gotinvolved in the Rag organisation [fund raisingby students in the UK] which had to makemoney as it was all for charity.“I got to know a guy called Neil Richardswho ran it, but there were maybe five or sixof us,” she says. “By my second year it wasme and Neil running it – putting the showson, costing them out, being tight abouteverything and deciding that agents werewankers and the scum of the earth.”Her three years at university were far fromthe pot-smoking, philosophising doss ofpopular myth. Still harbouring dreams ofbecoming an actress after graduating, Banksspent office hours in the laboratory,lunchtimes selling tickets or in the Rag office,and evenings making the sandwiches for theriders and promoting the gigs.We did everything,” she says. “I swept thefloor when everyone left.”As she began to fall deeper into liveBANDS ARE GETTINGME AT A BETTER TIME NOW AS““I’VE BOUGHT A MAPmusic’s rabbit hole, Banks and Richardsbegan managing local support act Jo JoNamoza: they pressed a single, printed T-shirts and booked gigs. They also arrangedshows for Atlantic artist Katell Keineg, whoBanks later represented when she got “aproper job.”“I loved being part of the spectacle –helping to create it,” she says. “It’s not thatdifferent to running the horse shows; I’dprobably be a good wedding planner. It’sabout being logical and thorough andlooking after everybody and making surethey have a good time.”AGENCY BREAKBy the time she graduated in 1989, heraspirations to attend drama school hadCrowded Housebeen replaced by the decision to enter the music industry, although thelast thing Banks wanted was to be an agent. “I couldn’t think ofanything worse,” she says.“I wrote lots of letters and most people didn’t respond. I had aninterview with a few people – I saw [Sony’s] Muff Winwood, [FoodRecord’s] Andy Ross, and [Chrysalis Publishing’s] Stuart Slater who metmy parents at a dinner party, but nobody was giving me a job. Muffsaid I was overqualified. It got quite depressing and my dad, the workethic king of the world, was getting frustrated.”In an extreme bout of selflessness, Banks’ mother had ahysterectomy earlier than necessary, in order that her daughter couldspend an extra three months at home as her carer, but time wasrunning out, both for her dreams and her degree. (“A food sciencedegree becomes irrelevant quite quickly because people are inventingnew baked beans.”)“xx”Marilyn Manson

Q1 2008feature38continued from page 37Donald MacLeod – CPLThree years ago I was approached by Channel 4asking me if I would like to be a judge for abattle of the bands competition to be held at TheGarage in London. They informed me that EmmaBanks thought that I would be perfect as a judge,given that I am known by many in the industry formy outspoken and rambunctious views. They alsowent on to say that I would be paid for myservices, that my flight, accommodation andliberal amounts of Jack Daniels would all becovered and that I would be on the telly. It was ano brainer and I duly turned up for the show.The four performances were in some casesabysmal and in others ridiculous but it was only atthe end that we were informed that it was not acontest as such but a recording for the show FakingIt and that one of the acts featured was not infact a real band, but put together for the show.Only then did Emma come out and tell me thatshe had set the whole thing up and had beenpissing herself laughing whilst watching us allfrom the control room. It was a great night, I had aball and I’ll always be indebted to Emma for givingme the chance, unknowingly, to make my TV debut.And it also goes to prove that regardless ofall the hard work and sacrifices she has made tobe recognised as Woman of the Year, she also hasa wicked sense of humour into the bargain. Thismakes her great in my books.Well done Emma.Matt Willis– CEC ManagementEmma is a one-off in this industry, of course itgoes without saying that she rocks like a bastard,but she also brings a rare grace to the agent'srole, so it's no surprise that CAA in London are avery elegant bunch. I'm proud to know her,Woman of the Year indeed.your immediate relatives and then you go tothe ILMC or people get in touch with you andyou grow your database.”Her current roster spans a wide variety ofstyles from hard-edged acts such as MarilynManson, System of a Down, And You Will KnowUs By The Trail of Dead and Nine Inch Nails,to less aggressive names which range fromRed Hot Chili Peppers and Kraftwerk to ThePretenders, Norah Jones and Crowded House.“It takes a long time to learn [thebusiness],” she says. “Being a good agentisn’t just putting gigs in a row or getting themost money, and you need at least five yearsexperience, but you’re always learning. Ialways thought I could do everything and Ithat I was much better than I was. I look backat some of the tours I did now and wonderhow they ever got off my desk – they werebloody awful.“Bands are getting me at a better timenow as I’ve bought a map since then.”BANKS’ TRANSFERBanks’ original CV, which Ian Flooks read andso many record labels passed over, is theonly one she’s ever had to write, and untilOctober 2006, she remained at the variousincarnations of Flooks’ original firm.American agency ICM (International CreativeManagement) bought Wasted Talent in 1994,merging it with John Jackson’s Fair Warningagency to become the snappily titled FairWarning Wasted Talent, and when Flooksquit the agency business in 1998, it wasrenamed Helter Skelter, with Banks becomingmanaging director around 2002.But in October 2006, as the financialtrouble faced by parent company Sanctuarybegan to affect Helter Skelter, both Banks...with Chad from Red Hot Chili Peppersand Greek – their contracts having expired –accepted an offer to set up CAA’s newLondon office. After a 16-year tenure withthe same company – albeit with variousowners and monikers – it was perhapsunsurprising that their departure set a fairfew tongues wagging.“At the time it happened, the wholeSanctuary thing was very peculiar and therewere certain issues,” she says. “Sometimesyou want to feel appreciated for the thingsyou do and the good you do. Anyone thatwas there, had they had the opportunity togo, would have gone.”But Banks is also adamant that CAA’sinternational interests in film, sports andtelevision were the real clincher. “I’m a busyUK agent, and I want to look after my clientsproperly and give them the attention theydeserve so I can’t just take off a monthScumeck Sabottka– MCT KonzertagenturI’ve been working with Emma since she began atWasted Talent. Emma quickly became one of the‘new breed’ – a number of younger UK agentswho were hungry for new talent and did businessin ways that weren’t too popular within the olderagent community: with fairness, an ability to listenand learn, and with correctness and creativity!As a promoter, I know that Emma never turnsa blind eye to our situation, even though her mainfocus is to represent the interest of her artists.She doesn’t push deals for commission and hasnever taken her role for granted, such as when webook festivals and are under pressure to close thebill. Working with Emma is a pure pleasure.continued on page 40Red Hot Chili Peppers

Q1 2008feature40continued from page 38Herman Schueremans– Live NationYou can bank on Emma Banks!Emmy is Miss Creative; no nonsense and straightforward. She appreciates that you make the rightoffer, which reflects the value of the artist in themarket, and she gets the best from a creativepromoter when business becomes challengingand extremely motivating.Emma is an agent who has access to keyfestivals, to crack new acts and to let them entervia the front door into the market. If she asks meto find a spot for a new act on our Rock WerchterFestival or on Pukkelpop, I will always help herout and with pleasure.She’s been my International Woman of theYear for ages, since she started under Ian Flooksat Wasted Talent. It inspired me in those earlydays to employ great women such as Yo VanSaet and Marianne Dekimpe as some of ourkey bookers. It worked wonderfully well.Congratulations, and thank you Emma.Paul Latham – Live NationEmma has always been one of the hardestworking agents in a fiercely competitive market.Her attention to detail and belief in her clientsknows no bounds. Such is her legendary staminathat anyone trying to promote her acts has to tryto keep up with her which used to involve tryingto track her down between gigs/continents. Atone time we had to post sentries in and aroundGarlic and Shots in Soho as she was known topop in on the odd occasion for a quick libationand if we had a particular act on her roster itwas as good a place as any to make our pitch.Any and all commendations to Emma arerichly deserved.Chris Hardin – Kurfirst BlackwellI can't say enough about how wonderful EmmaBanks is. She is such a talented person. Inaddition to being an amazing agent, she has agreat sense of humour and is an inspiring personthat I very much look up to. It's a true honour towork with her.to investigate marketing or filmopportunities,” she says. “Hooking up with acompany that already had aspects of that,and a great infrastructure and really goodpeople seemed like a smart move.”FACES & NAMESEmma with her WOTY awardBanks and Greek have always workedtogether; he joined Wasted Talent a monthbefore she arrived. “I’ve spent more of my lifewith him than anyone else in the world,” shesays. “I think the secret to our success is thatwe’ve never seen each other naked!“When we started, we were quite differentbecause Mike didn’t want to do stuff for otherpeople – after he’d done a bit of being thedogsbody, he didn’t want to do it anymore,”she explains. “He had a very different attitudeto me but we’ve both ended up in the sameplace. He’d definitely be in my list of 28agents if I had an act I wanted to sign!”And it’s not just Greek that Banks sharesa close camaraderie with. Being part of alarge US multinational is largely irrelevant ina sector still run on a handshake, and therelationships with her artists and managersare still key.“It’s always fantastic taking on an actthat’s done the groundwork already, butthere’s something very special with workingwith someone from the beginning, havingthat relationship and sticking with them,”she says. “In this day and age, you’re theonly person that remains the same. Theremight be the same manager, but there won’tbe the same person at the record orpublishing company."A case in point is Aussie rockersSilverchair, who Banks began working withwhile the band members were just 14. “It’sfabulous as you really have been therethrough thick and thin,” she says.And then there’s the late Jeff Buckley, whoBanks offered to work with on the strength ofan early demo tape. “I was sharing a house[in late 1992] and I got a phone call from myflatmate to say ‘there’s the sexiest soundingbloke on our answer machine that I’ve everheard, and he wants to meet up with you. Ifyou don’t go, I’m going.’“We met at The Dome on Kings Road [inChelsea] and talked for four hours. He hadn’teaten anything so I bought him duck,” shesays. “He got on really well with my mum andshe used to go to a lot of the shows. He waslovely; a very special guy.”OLD-FASHIONED VALUESWhile Buckley’s genius warmed to her entirefamily, regardless of whether Banks’ acts aretouring stadiums worldwide, or scramblingfor the bottom rung with their sights in thestars, she’s renowned for being honest withall parties.Toby Leighton-Pope – Live NationI work with Emma on Crowded House, Jason Mrazand Missy Higgins. She gave me my first act topromote: Pete Yorn at the Water Rats. She's agood friend and the best agent out there. She paysas much attention to a tiny club show as she doesa sold out arena tour. Her attention to detail oneverything from costings to press and radio adsand PR releases is second to none.continued on page 43“I FIND IT SLIGHTLYINSULTING THATPEOPLE THINK BEINGAN AGENT IS EASYAND A LICENCE TO“PRINT MONEYNorah Jones

featureQ1 2008continued from page 40Folkert Koopmans – FKP ScorpioIn a business that’s still filled with erraticbehaviour and oversized egos, Emma has alwaysstood out as a no-nonsense, honest, frank andreliable professional. Having started out whenlong-term development of an artist’s career wasstill key, she always puts strategic interest abovethe immediate payday. Her continued success is atestament to the superiority of that vision. All ofus at FKP Scorpio are truly thrilled to see Emmahonoured in this way, and look forward to manymore years of working with her.Geoff Ellis – DF ConcertsIt has been a pleasure working with Emma fromher days at Wasted Talent and we embarked uponour careers at a similar time. She has alwaysgone from strength to strength in both herabilities as an agent and her very impressiveroster. All the time, however, it has always beena pleasure to deal with Emma – although she canbe tough when she needs to be – probably,because she is very clued up with regards to allmarkets and genres.Charlene Spiteri – TexasThe thing with Emma is that she’s always happy tolisten and then give you the reality check! She getsthe dream and it’s always a breath of fresh air.Declan Forde – Pod ConcertsAs a promoter, Emma’s a pleasure to work withand someone who obviously retains a greatpassion for what she does, with none of the egothat often comes with the position. She is alwaysopen to new ideas and is quickly able torecognise events or venues that would be goodfor her acts – not all agents are so open-minded.She also has great integrity and manners – evenwhen you don't get a show you have beenchasing, she has the courtesy to contact youto let you know why.Charlene Spiteri“It doesn’t matter to her whether her actsare big or small – she handles them all thesame way. She’s the queen between kings,”says Mojo Concert’s Robert van Ommen.Another Dutch colleague goes further:“She has a very close relationship with herartists but doesn’t forget the people shedeals with in the field,” says promoter WillemVenema. “I wish there were more people thatstraight forward.”“I want to be someone that’s seen as fairand reasonable,” she says. “I think it’s veryimportant that we’re fair to the promotersbecause without them we don’t have abusiness, whether the promoter is Live Nationor Nokia or Universal Records. Everyone hasto be able to make money to survive.”And despite the continuingmetamorphosis of the music business andthe growing and myopic pressure on livemusic as its saviour, she’s built a career ondistinctly old-fashioned values.“[Mike and I] are both a bit old school –we’re tolerant and patient, and neither of usare screamers,” she says. “We have a societynow that expects to be paid a lot of moneyvery quickly. It comes down to the culture ofnew; everything’s immediate and it’s instantcredit. The music industry’s no different.“For the vast majority, the amount ofmoney that agents, promoters and artistsmake touring is a living wage if you’re lucky.Only a tiny percentage are raking it in. Thereality has got a bit lost and I find it slightlyinsulting that people think being an agent iseasy and a licence to print money.”Her main concern, however, amid theturmoil of the music industry’s remodelling,is that its pundits may forget the wealth ofexperience accrued in every specialist field:“We have to be very careful that we don’tdismiss everyone else’s job as unimportantor not valid or requiring any level ofexpertise – it would be very short-sighted.”But, whether or not the agencies of thefuture are major label-owned, corporateticketing powerhouses with in-house PAcompanies and lighting techs, Banks’somewhat overzealous work ethic (“I need toget that sorted out…it’s pretty screwed up,”she admits) and dedication to her artists willdoubtless see her through any changes. Andit has nothing to do with her gender.“Whether you’re a man or a woman, if youwork very hard and you have some luck, youcan make it,” she says.GREG PARMLEY43Roberto de Luca – Live Nation ItalyShe’s great; one of the best agents in the world –she knows the business, the artists and thepromoters. She knows who to work with, and I’venever had the smallest problem with her.Her birthday is in February, three days beforemine and five or six years ago the Chili Pepperswere playing two shows in Rome. We rented partof a club out for a party, and had a lot of fun. Soit’s not just a business relationship, it’s afriendship as well.Chris Yorke – SJM ConcertsEmma has done a fantastic job of buildinga really amazing roster. We’re 100% in admirationof the work she’s done, the way she’s set upCAA and conducted herself, and how she’s madeit one of the most important agencies in the UK.Long may she reign.Emma and Mike Greek (Photo: James Looker Photography)

Q1 2008featurefeatureQ1 20084445The Promoter’sNew ClothesUnder pressure from labels and with dealstighter than ever, is the traditional role ofthe promoter under threat? GordonMasson investigates…Just like any large-scale industry, when a particular sector starts toenjoy sustained growth and increasing revenues, the eagle-eyedmoneymen try to take advantage of the upswing.Several years of healthy financial results have made the live musicindustry a particular favourite for investors to plough their money into,but as the margins begin to tighten and with the prospect of a globalrecession on the horizon, the real risk takers at the centre of thebusiness – the promoters – could be in for a rollercoaster ride.The threat of agents establishing in-house ticketing could leavepromoters unable to sell tickets to their own shows, and recordcompanies scrambling to get in on the action are just another potentialdilemma circling the once impenetrable castle of the promoter’s role.Each of the world’s major music companies – Universal, Sony BMG,Warner and EMI – are dipping into the live sector in a desperate bid toprop up their dwindling CD sales. Nearly all new recording deals thatare being offered to artists are stipulating that a share of the liverevenues goes back to the label, and while such measures areunderstandable, they could fundamentally change the way in which themusic business operates.

Q1 2008featurefeatureQ1 200846“The way thebusiness is evolvingwill makepromoters stronger“– John GiddingsBut such developments could presentmore opportunities than problems, and SoloAgency supremo John Giddings is positiveabout the polarization of the industry. “Theway the business is evolving will makepromoters stronger,” he says.“In the future, I can see that artists will besigning deals where all their rights will behandled by one entity. Therefore, there could betwo types of company: a record company thatalso handles touring; or a touring companythat also deals with the recording side of anact’s career.”And Giddings is in no doubt about whichoperation would be more beneficial for an act.“The record companies are really struggling.CD sales are plummeting and artists nowknow that they can make a lot more moneyfrom touring than they can from sellingrecords. So it’s the touring companies that arein the prime position.”“I couldn’t agree more,” concurs NeilPeter SchwenkowWarnock, owner of The Agency Group, one ofthe truly global independent bookingagencies.“The record companies are muscling inbecause they are panicked about their role inthe music business. As a result they’re lookingat which income streams are profitable andare stretching out to buy up the rights thatgive them access into those profitable lines.”Rob Hallett, senior vice president of AEGLive, is equally bullish. “It’s not the promoterswho should be questioning themselves,”Hallett says, “it’s every other area in themusic industry that should be asking whattheir role is! The live business is reallybuoyant and that's why everyone is trying toget a piece of it.“Promoters are not in any danger fromthat. They're the most entrepreneurial peoplein the business. Unlike others, who try to ownthe artist's rights in perpetuity, we only rent“75% of the livemusic business is not“selling out– Peter Schwenkowtheir catalogue for three hours a night andthen we move on.”Changing LanesAs much as the live industry is wary (andperhaps rightly so) of their heavyweightmajor-label cousins, it’s not just the recordbusiness that is experimenting with the 360-degree model.“The power is in the promoters' handsnow,” Giddings says. “Live Nation have signedMadonna and the last time I checked, she wasone of the biggest stars in the world.”Live Nation’s October 2007announcement of its $120million [€81m],360-degree Madonna deal surprised much ofthe industry, and was the latest example ofthe blurring boundaries between the live andrecorded sectors.As the world’s largest promoter continuesto reposition itself as an all-encompassingmusic company (with ticketing, venues,merchandising, web services and fan sites)such change highlights how the role of thepromoter and the concert experience is nowcentral to the musical mix.Warnock observes: “It’s inevitable that[Live Nation] will look to sign other artists,especially with someone as intelligent as BobEzrin running their label.”Similarly, German promoter DeutscheEntertainment AG (DEAG) has recently hiredAndré Selleneit – the former MD of BMGBerlin – to head its record label, DEAG Music.“The record companies have woken up threeor four years too late,” states DEAG chairmanPeter Schwenkow. “Five years ago, theycontrolled the main revenue stream for artistsNeil Warnockand back then they could easily have persuadedtheir acts to assign other rights to them.“But now most artists can expect to earnabout 75% of their annual income from livework, so it’s promoters who have become theimportant people in artists’ lives.”Indeed, when it comes to classical artists –with whom DEAG have a particularly strongrelationship – Schwenkow highlights exactly thekind of influence a promoter has on their career.“For just one night’s performance I’mpaying Alan Netrebko more than he can earnfrom his record company in a whole year,which illustrates the problem that the recordcompanies have,” he says.“The promoter business is too complicatedfor record companies to build expertise inquickly, so they are being forced into buyingpromoters,” Schwenkow continues. “Thedifficulty is that promoters need to have anentrepreneurial touch and that maybe doesn’tfit in with corporate record companies.”One dissenting voice is AEG Live’s Hallett.“I'm not at all convinced about promoterssetting up record companies,” he says, “itreminds me of that line by The Who: Meet thenew boss, same as the old boss. We won't getfooled again.”But Hallett concedes that the industry ischanging rapidly and that experiments arenecessary. “It's a whole new model for theentire music industry – we've all got to thinkoutside the box,” he says. “For instance, TheSunday Mail deal giving away the Princealbum was an AEG idea. It worked brilliantlyfor him, but it wouldn't work for everyone.”Conflicting EthosAEG has benefited hugely from opening TheO 2 in London and the state-of-the-art venueis already breaking global arena attendancerecords. AEG’s core business is its venues, andboth AEG Live and the AEG-fundedindependent promoter outfits (such as theUK’s Marshall Arts and Stuart Galbraith’s newcompany Kilimanjaro) serve to secure contentfor its arenas.It’s a strategy at odds with its maincompetitor and market leader Live Nation,whose international map of promoters workas part of a large multinational structure, andthe conflicting business ethos is liable to seethe promoter landscape continue to changeradically in the next few years.But both companies are proving that withsize does indeed come power, while alsobenefiting from economies of scale. LastJohn Giddingsmonth, eight French promoters bandedtogether to form L’Arrière Boutique (see page4) in order to reap the same benefits, and inthe last few years, the rise of the mid-levelcorporates has been further proof that tosucceed, the offices which house today’spromoters must frequently stand taller thantheir competitor’s.But is there an inherent friction betweenthe entrepreneurial spirit of the historicalpromoter and the corporate environmentthey’re increasingly working within? Andhaving to answer to investors orshareholders, and a part of the framework ofa much larger company, will tomorrow’spromoter need to know more about officepolitics than posters?Jon McIldowie works for Channelfly, thepromoting division of MAMA Group (whichnow incorporates a chain of venues;management companies; magazines andmarketing specialists; and an artist servicesdivision) and he believes that the promoter’sentrepreneurial bent is being used in differentways, especially to expand the framework ofservices around an event.“We are already seeing artists demandingadditional services from their promoterpartners,” McIldowie says. “Rather than justputting on a gig and making sure that thetickets sell, a promoter now takes charge oforganising local sponsorship deals, as well asestablishing agreements with local mediapartners for when an act comes to town.”And the natural progression of this“It's a whole newmodel for the“entire industry– Rob HallettMarc Marot47

Q1 2008featurefeatureQ1 200848“I'm fine with takinginvestors' money, no matterwhere it comes from“– Peter Schwenkowrelationship could lead to even moreinvolvement by promoter partners. “I'mthinking of things such as data capture of[the artist’s] audiences and a provision ofservices and additional entertainment at theshow,” McIldowie says, “such as setting upnetworks where content can be delivered topeople's mobile phones, or where they canoffer a unique memento of each show toticket holders.“The promoter will be integral todelivering those services and will therefore bemore important than ever to touring acts.”Like McIldowie, Juha Kyyrö at Fullsteam inFinland is among the young breed ofprofessionals who believe that promotersnow have a pivotal say in whether a band canconquer a market. At the age of 25, Kyyröwas ranked the eighth most influential musicindustry executive in Finland, with Fullsteamincorporating a series of venues, a recordlabel and booking agency.“Promoters have always had an importantrole in building careers, but it has not alwaysbeen recognised. That's changing,” he says. “Afestival promoter, for instance, can have ahuge influence on boosting the profile of anact in a particular territory just by bookingJon McIldowiethem for their festival. I think people stillunderestimate the impact of that.”And it’s not just the promoters’ power ofexposure that is repositioning them as acentral force in artists’ careers. Now morethan ever, their involvement stretches farbeyond the choice of venue.“Promoters are having to work harder atmarketing than ever before,” Kyyrö says.“We're also bringing in the sponsors to makethe shows work. A lot of acts now expect thatof their promoters and with no label supportfor touring, it’s going to becomestandard…pretty much everywhere.”Future HealthSo it’s all looking good, right? Having addedstrings to their bows and possessing moreclout than ever to break an act, thepromoter’s place in the food chain is secure.But forecasting what may lie ahead, AEGLive’s Hallett believes that he and his peersmust act to safeguard the future of the entirechain itself.“My fear is whether there will be any actsleft to promote,” Hallett says. “Things aregreat at the moment, with the likes of The O 2[Arena in London] selling out night after night,but the majority of those acts are well overthe age of 40. Just which acts are going to beselling out the arenas in ten years time?”Noting that the record companies are nolonger developing the talent which providesthe content for the world’s clubs, arenas andstadia, Hallett is aiming to fill in for the A&Rdepartments that have been decimated overJuha Kyyröthe past few years.“There just isn't any content beingdeveloped, so that's something I plan to domore actively in 2008, simply because itneeds to be done,” he says.“I quite like my job and I'm still young“The promoter will be…more important thanever to touring acts“– Jon McIldowieenough to want to do it for another 15 or 20years, but I won't be able to if there are noacts to promote. If the record companiesaren't investing in new talent, then it's up tous in the live industry to do it.”Easy MoneyThat approach will no doubt be welcomed byemerging acts and their representatives, whoare starting to tap into new sources offinance for projects, including tour support.Music Managers Forum council memberMarc Marot, who ran Island Recordsthroughout the 1990s, and who now headsup management company Terra FirmaArtists, is one of many managers turning toventure capitalists.“Ingenious has around £20m [€26.6m]available, Icebreaker has £10-15m [€13.3-19.9m], Edge [Performance] has £22m[€29m] and Jazz Summers [of Big LifeManagement] is trying to raise £10m, so theamount of money on offer to savvyentrepreneurs is incredible,” says Marot, whoforesees promoters treading a similar path.“Between me and my business partner,John Arnison, we’re releasing nine venturecapital-backed albums this year. We’re notgoing anywhere near the labels with their360-degree deals – why would we?“The great thing about dealing withventure capitalist trusts is that you can usethe money for whatever you want – recordingcosts, TV advertising, tour support – and unlikethe label deals, it is non-recuperable. Also,rather than signing away 75% of your profitsto the record company, the VCT takes only50% and the rights revert to the artist, whichwould never happen with a record company.”David Glick is the principal behind theEdge Performance VCTs, which is in theprocess of raising another £25m [€33m] toinvest in the entertainment sector, and hereveals that the requests for funding concertsand tours are coming in thick and fast.David Glick“We’re getting approached by lots ofpeople who are looking for money to fund liveevents. A lot of traditional live musicpromoters already have their own sources ofmoney, so the people that are coming to usare often from other walks of life,” he says.“Within the music business at the moment,a lot of skilled and creative individuals aresuddenly finding themselves out of work.There are a lot of talented executives who arelosing their jobs, but my view is that justbecause you’ve been trained at a recordcompany doesn’t mean that’s all you can do.Indeed, people can bring different andcompelling ideas to the table when they’veworked elsewhere in the business, so it’s anintriguing time.”With the venture capitalists making suchvast sums available for investment in livemusic projects, promoters are reassessinghow they fund touring.“If investors think they should put theirmoney into live music, I'm not going tocomplain; I'm fine with taking investors'money no matter where it comes from,”Schwenkow says.Paper TrailBut, while it may be easier than ever to findthe money to stage a show, one mooteddevelopment is threatening the core role ofthe promoters themselves. Led by PrimaryTalent in the UK, some booking agencies aretoying with setting up in-house ticketingservices for their artists. It’s a move designedto capture the booking fee rebates that ticketcompanies give to promoters, but it’s a planwith few admirers.“If agents want to do ticketing, then they'vegot to be prepared to put up the money forthe shows,” says Hallett. “Quite frankly, it's allbullshit. I can't see why agencies would wantto take ticketing in-house.”The concept is generating widespreadthreats of revolt, with promoters counteringthat if the agency deals weren’t so tough,there would be no need to source additionalincome in the first place. The timing anddistribution of a show’s tickets is a centralcomponent of a promoter’s role, andremoving such a choice would mark afundamental shift.And despite the continuing buoyancy ofthe live sector, Hallett warns that promotersare going to have to dig deep now to ensurethat sufficient tickets will be sold at all. “Thenext two or three years are looking veryRob Hallettpositive, but after that it's very uncertain,”Hallett says. “So it's better for all of us if wespend some time growing our own foodbecause there will be more acts to promote ifwe take an active hand in developing them.”DEAG’s Schwenkow concludes: “Uspromoters are still in the days of the goldrush, but this will end. We should not just belooking at those few tours whose tickets sellout in minutes, as 75% of the live musicbusiness is not selling out.“In the long run, the business will cometogether because third parties are taking thebusiness away – I'm thinking of Apple andiTunes, for example. There are new enemieson the horizon.”With little to fear from the major label’sinvolvement, and more revenue sources andresponsibilities, today’s promoter isincreasingly fulfilling a far wider remit thanever. It just remains to be seen whether theyare able to safeguard the future of thebusiness – the artist’s career – whilesufficiently entrenching their position toremain such a guiding force in the future.Gordon MassonAdditional reporting by Greg Parmley49

Q1 2008featurefeatureQ1 200850CrestOn theof aWave51With continued growth in 2007, a burst of corporate activity atthe end of the year and a vibrant beginning to 2008, the arenabusiness is positively buzzing. Lex Hunter takes a prime seat towatch the show unfold.As far as the big boys go, it’s AEG who have beencapturing the headlines. Over the past few weeksand months the US giant has opened the NokiaTheatre in Los Angeles, acquired the Color LineArena in Hamburg and signed a joint venue dealwith Odgen in Australia, finding the time inbetween to open The O 2in London, with O 2Worldin Berlin following later this year.AEG’s burst of activity would signify thatthe arenas business, reflecting the fortunes ofthe live music business in general, seems tobe in a rude state of health. And IQ’sindependent survey bears that out, showingthat member venues of the European ArenasAssociation (EAA) are trading at 5.3% up onlast year’s figures (see sidebar).“The market is quite healthy everywhere,”concurs John Sutherland, senior vice presidentof SMG Europe. “There’s an increase in newbuildings across Europe and old buildingshave been upgraded with the advent of newstylearenas.”One factor which has been driving arenas isthe increasing phenomenon of TV shows –including reality shows – transferring ontolive stages.Bringing TV On Stage“The transfer of entertainment from TVreality shows into arena venues has beeninteresting,” says Geoff Huckstep, MD ofNottingham Arena, which has seen itsseventh year of consecutive growth. There’sDancing on Ice, Strictly Come Dancing andThe X Factor. It brings people into the venueswho wouldn’t normally come.”Linda Lindvist, marketing manager ofStockholm’s Globe Arena agrees that it’s agrowing trend which is benefiting the business.“That’s definitely a trend that we can see,”Lindvist says. “The final of Pop Idol, whichwas held here, was massive. And our biggestshow this year will be the Swedish final ofthe Eurovision Song Contest.”Credit CrunchThe one cloud on the horizon for what isotherwise a sunny scenario is talk of apotential downturn in the global economy,precipitated by the credit crunch of America’ssub-prime housing market.

52Q1 2008“The leisure and entertainment industry isalways the first to be hit, so we need to keepan eye on it,” says Huckstep, who is alsochair of the UK’s National Arenas Association.“Having said that, I think arenas are in abetter position than smaller venues, becausepeople will always find the money to seetheir favourite big act. The effect may be feltmore in 2009 when mortgage increases, andso on, may bite.”Others are more bullish about the future.“There may be a correction,” says John Knight,general manager of the Manchester EveningNews Arena, the biggest indoor entertainmentarena in the UK. “But the live experience isnow so ingrained in the public psyche that Ithink concert entertainment will be one ofthe last things that people give up.”Future-proofOne way of protecting arenas in the face ofa threat of slowdown, is to incorporate theminto a bigger entity, such as a conventioncentre and exhibition space.Liverpool Echo Arena recently opened itsdoors in time for the city’s year as EuropeanCapital of Culture. The arena is part of theArena and Convention Centre complex, whichHuckstep describes as “the model for the future.”The arena’s general manager Tim Banfieldsays it’s a question of spreading your assets:“Live music has seen a boom time, but it willslow down at some point, so you can’t haveall your eggs in one basket.”The convention centre has been sponsoredby British Telecom, which brings its ownadvantages. “What comes with that istechnology,” says Banfield. “It’s completely Wi-Fi, all our telephone systems are VOIP [voiceover internet protocol] and we can Bluetoothin the arena. Everything is state-of-the-art.We’re really lucky that we are benefiting frombeing built in 2007.”Tim BanfieldThe EAA in Figures*Jos van der Vegt is president of the EAA,as well as MD at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena,which is part of a complex that incorporatesexhibitions, events, conferences and meetings.He says: “We’ve learned that for bigevents it’s very good for an organisation tohave more space than just a stand-alonearena – for VIP areas, backstage areas, pressconferences etc, and new venues will be acombination of those things.”Promoter CrossoverWith the big companies like AEG and LiveNation flexing their muscles globally, there maybe doubts over whether arena owners andpromoters make the best bedfellows. But thereis no doubt as to the global power andexperience that big operators can bring on board.Uwe Frommhold is general manager atHamburg’s Color Line Arena, which attractedaround half a million people to its musicevents alone last year. The arena was boughtby AEG in October 2007, and Frommholdsees the move as extremely beneficial.“Being a successful lone rider is nice, butit’s getting harder and harder to do it on yourown,” he says. “You have to be able to developand it’s good to discuss the business withpeople who have a lot of experience andknow the best ways to move things forward.”There are still a plethora of independentarenas out there, able to offer both dates andfacilities to any promoter regardless ofassociation, but the multinationals areincreasingly starting to buy their own anduse promoter-outposts to deliver content.Tickets Please –All ChangefeatureTotal seats sold across member venues in 2007:18,594,533Total seats sold across member venues in 2006:17,728,871Percentage change:4.7%Average annual visitor numbers in 2007:845,246Average annual visitor numbers in 2006:805,858What is the most important factoraffecting your business?19%6% 6% Facilities31% CapacityLocationReputation/HistoryPrice/Cost of Hire38%What is the second most importantfactor affecting your business?12%23%23%12%*survey conducted exclusively by IQ among 22 European Arenas Association member venues operating inboth 2006 and 2007. See IQ News section for more details.30%Neither is this trend of covering every revenuebase limited to the multinationals, and in theworld of the independent arenas, ticketing isan area coming under increased attention. TheNational Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham,England is one such believer, having recentlyset up its own agency, The Ticket Factory.“We’re trying to adopt the service ethos of avenue box office and apply that to a UK agency,”

Q1 2008featurefeature54The EAA in Words“What do you feel is the biggest issue in thearena business right now?”Daniel Bei – Forest National, BEThe general feeling is that artist fees andticket prices are too high and that it givesthe industry a bad image. At the moment, aslong as the promoters and public are willingto pay for it and shows keep selling out,there is (unfortunately) no reason to makeit cheaper. I think that the market will autoregulateitself when it reaches a point whereshows won't sell out anymore because ofticket prices that are too high.Philippe Ventadour – Bercy, FRTicketing and all the developments (e-tickets,secondary market, barcodes etc).Stanislava Doubravová – Sazka Arena, CZMost artists tour at the same time whichmakes it difficult to come up with an attractiveprogramme throughout the year. We’re alsocompeting with open-air festivals which areattracting artists during the summer.Mike Closier – SECC, UKSecondary ticketing.Anders Backman – Hartwall Areena, FIThe level of rents.Aivar Sirelpuu – Saku Arena, EEHow to deal with the arena costs whichgrow daily, while also fulfilling all the healthand safety, and environmental requirements.Îygimantas Grigas – Siemens Arena, LTAs we are a big venue which uses a lot ofenergy and resources, we have started towork on new projects to become moreenvironmentally friendly, such as looking atpossibilities to save energy and usealternative energy sources.Gil Carneiro de Almeida –Pavilhão Atlântico, PTWe feel that the increasing number of availableshows is somehow saturating the marketand therefore contributing to the decreaseof ticketing sales per show.Uwe Frommhold – Color Line Arena, DEHigh ticket prices.says MD Phil Mead. “We’re selling for externalevents now, and the value in that is that whenwe’re selling tickets, we don’t just do it froman agency point of view, we have the empathyof venue operators and marketers as well.”Tim Banfield at Liverpool Echo Arena hastaken a similar view: “All the ticketing is donein house,” he says. “That way you can providea better service. Our booking fees will be cheaperthan the [other ticketing] agents. Our view isthat to be successful we have to look afterour customers better, and part of that is tobring the box office in house.”New GM at Berlin’s O 2 World, Mike Keller– previously event director at Color Line inHamburg – says: “We haven’t finally determinedour requirements, but whether in Hamburg orBerlin we want to take a more active role inthe ticket sales process.”Similarly, Jos van der Vegt adds: “It’s importantfor venues to get more of a grasp on theticket selling system and do it on their own.”The O 2 in London, meanwhile, has its ownarrangement. “We have a deal withTicketmaster for 50% of the tickets,” saysMD of AEG Live Jessica Koravos. “Thepromoter places the other 50% according towhatever deal he or she happens to have in place.”Mike KellerOther developments in ticketing are driven by technology, andWembley Arena, which welcomed almost 980,000 visitors last year,uses Ticketmaster’s scanning system.“Out in the foyer, Ticketmaster's Access Manager enables us toscan every ticket into the venue and deal with last minute issues suchas unexpected sightline problems with a minimum of fuss,” saysgeneral manager Peter Tudor.In Australia meanwhile, Ogden is using Ticketek's print-at-homeservice, which is “becoming increasingly popular” according to DonElford, business development manager at Acer Arena in Sydney.Van der Vegt concludes: “I think there will be a lot of changes dueto technology. Seats booked via a special code on your mobile phone.It’s not inconceivable that tickets will disappear in five years time.”Market ExpansionJos van der VegtAs well as benefiting from technology, Ogden is in rapid expansion,having struck a deal with AEG at the end of last year. With growth inthe sector and its traditional markets doing well, the deal exemplifiesthe current trend of expansion into areas previously underserved by arenas.Ogden IFC chairman and CEO Harvey Lister says: “All the futurologistssay that there will be fifty cities with a population of over 15 millionin the next 40 years – and 40 of those will be in China, India and Asia.”Meanwhile, Live Nation has entered into an agreement to managea new multi-purpose outdoor venue, the 10,000-capacity Pop TVArena (Zhong Tian Di) in Hong Kong.Karen Kwan, senior sales manager at the 13,500-capacity AsiaWorld-Arena in Hong Kong, is not surprised by the moves.“The business landscape is changing from the functional spaceproviderof the good old days to a business opportunities provider,”she states. “The robust economy and growing affluence of societyhere have created unprecedented prospects for the arena sector.Large corporations are looking for new avenues for brand-buildingand advertising.”As well as the Far East, changes are afoot in Europe. “I must saythis market is growing rapidly right now and things are going theright way,” says Edgars Buncis, director of Latvia’s 14,000-capacityArena Riga. “There are lots more shows and more and more spectators.”Don ElfordEdgars Buncis

feature Q1 2008Saku Arena in Tallinn, meanwhile, pulledin more than 240,000 visitors in 2007 – animpressive number given that the Estonianpopulation is only 1.4 million. And generalmanager Aivar Sirelpuu recognises that themarket is still in evolution.“Yes, business in terms of live shows andfamily entertainment is growing,” he says. “Butcosts are getting higher, as well as ticket pricesand, in the end, that could mean less shows.”The relative success of arenas in EasternEurope has a knock-on effect on neighbouringregions. As an example, more tours are nowbeing routed through Finland, thanks to theBaltic States and Russia opening up.“Bands are playing in Russia now andFinland has become the stop in between,” saysRisto Juvonen of the Live Nation-ownedWelldone Agency. “That’s going to be the trendin the future. There’s so much money in StPetersburg and Moscow now.”And, following in the footsteps of theBaltic expansion, Central Europe is thelatest region to experience a boom in talentattractingarenas.“We are now firmly on the touringnetwork,” says Carl Martin, general managerof Hungary’s 15,000-capacity BudapestArena who is also involved in the building oftwo new arenas in Croatia, in Zagreb(12,000-15,000) and Split (10,000-12,000).They are being built initially to host theInternational Handball Championships butwith live music very much in mind. “It’s agovernment initiative in partnership withprivate enterprise,” Martin says.Jessica KoravosAs well as his role at the Budapest Arena,Martin is director of European services at theEuropean Academy for Venue Management,the European arm of the IAAM. As such, he isinvolved in the IAAM’s European Academy,aimed at training the next generation ofarena managers.Sponsorships RuleSponsorship is still a major element in the arenabusiness with naming rights being central tomany arenas’ existence.“The O 2 could not have been built withoutthe programme of naming and foundingpartners that AEG has put in place,” JessicaKoravos says. “As our naming rights partner,[telecoms provider] O 2 is more than just asponsor, they are a ticketing and contentpartner as well. And their involvement hascertainly been a contributor to our success.”Grant Medcalf is sales and marketingmanager at Cape Town’s Coca-Cola Dome, whichwelcomed over half a million visitors in 2007.“Running a venue of this size is expensiveas we’re privately owned and don’t get anysubsidies from the government for electricity,water, rates and taxes,” Medcalf says.57

Q1 2008feature58The EAAin Words“So it helps having a sponsor on board froma financial point of view. Also being involvedwith the number one brand in the world hasbrought in many new events.”Peter Tudor“How do you seethe arenamarket progressingin the future?”Gil Carneiro de Almeida – PavilhãoAtlântico, PTContent will be the main challenge,especially for innovative family shows andentertainment. New formats, new ideas –as far as shows are concerned – will be ofdecisive importance.Daniel Bei - Forest National, BEBesides the ‘classic’ rock/pop concerts,other types of productions will have to beattracted or even co-organised by arenas.In the future, an arena will need to see itselfas a location that brings a large variety ofentertainment and leisure for its customers.Stanislava Doubravová – Sazka Arena, CZWe expect that the management of arenas willbe willing to take bigger commercial risks inorder to secure more diverse programmesand increase the number of spectators.Francesca Battistoni – PalaLottomatica, ITWe are now focusing on what is around anevent, especially services for the public andfacilities for clients, as we feel that thenumber of events will not change that much.Peter Tudor – Wembley Arena, UKThe arena business will become moreversatile, with different kinds of entertainmentalongside music.Mike Closier – SECC, UKGrowth above inflation.Anders Backman – Hartwall Areena, FIMore arena size shows on the road.Uwe Frommhold – Color Line Arena, DEI think we’ll see more venues over 10,000-capacity; more events with less spectators.Îygimantas Grigas – Siemens Arena, LTWe predict more good and interestingevents and more spectators. The averageattendance of shows will increase, but thisprocess will be directly connected to thequality of events and shows.The Customer’sAlways RightIn keeping with the observable trend of thelast few years, customer service is still at thetop of the list of arena managers’ priorities.Jordi Bernet, at Barcelona’s Palau SantJordi, explains: ”We have many different shopsin the arena which give spectators the chanceto have a whole entertainment day – comprisinghospitality, live music, restaurants and preandafter-show parties.”In Italy, the ForumNet Group runs theDatchforum in Milan (1 million visitors in 2007)and the PalaLottomatica in Rome. Eventmanager at PalaLottomatica, FrancescaBattistoni, takes a similar approach to Bernet."We are now focussing on what's aroundthe event," she says. “That means especiallyservices for the public and facilities forclients, as we feel that the number ofevents will not change that much.”The O 2 Leads The WayThe prime example perhaps of customersatisfaction and providing the “wholeentertainment” experience, as Bernet puts it,is The O 2 in London, with its 28 food anddrink outlet points, a multiplex cinema andan exhibition centre.In the first six months of opening, The O 2exceeded the ticketed attendance of any otherarena in the world for 2007 (over the sametime period) – including Madison SquareGarden in New York.“The success of The O 2 Arena has certainlyexceeded even our wildest expectations,”Koravos says. “The UK market was clearlycrying out for a state-of-the-art artist- andfan-friendly arena.”And the effect that The O 2 in London hashad on the whole sector can’t be underestimated.“We’re going through a feasibility study torefurbish the NEC arena,” Phil Mead says. “There’sgoing to be a lot of focus on creating the totalexperience and making the NEC a destinationvenue. You should enjoy the experience fromwhen you arrive to when you depart. The O 2has helped make that case.”The O 2 has undoubtedly raised the bar, butit’s not all plain sailing for arenas in the UK andthe mooted arena that SMG was set to run inBristol has been shelved due to lack of funding.“The financials didn’t add up, which is ashame as it’s a strong marketplace,” saysJohn Sutherland at SMG Europe.However, SMG – much like AEG – is expandingglobally and is exploring commercial potentialin Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.“Central Europe is starting to enhance oldbuildings and create new ones,” Sutherlandsays. “And they are either looking forinternational partners to operate them or tooperate them directly. The other area is theMiddle East – Dubai and Abu Dhabi arelooking at how they can bring entertainmentto an area which has been starved of it.”Dubai Sports City, scheduled for completionin 2010, will incorporate an 8,000-10,000arena for live entertainment.“The sector will be very healthy in the nextfive to ten years,” predicts Sutherland.So, with attendance figures up andtechnology driving business, arenas are ridingon the crest of a wave. Confidence in the sectoris apparent and borne out by the determinedand ambitious expansion by the majorplayers into underdeveloped territories, andnew touring routes are continuously beingopened up.But, as with any other business, activity hasto be future-proofed, macro-economic factorsneed to be taken into account and, mostimportantly, customers have to be kept happy.As a result, arena managers and ownersare constantly reviewing and updating theirpractices – to continue to ride that wave ofpublic taste and to make sure it doesn’t crash.Phil MeadLEX HUNTER

Q1 2008FeatureFeature Q1 200860The ILMC may have been first conceived as a one offmeeting, but 20 years on, the grandfather of live musicevents has come of age. Greg Parmley reports.61At ILMC 2 (l. to r.) Herman Schueremans, Leon Ramakers,Martin Hopewell, Harvey Goldsmith and Carl Leighton-PopeThere was a time, before the internet,email and even fax, when the worldseemed a much bigger place. The livemusic industry was struggling throughpuberty, and as with all hormonalteenagers, communication was limited.Promoter entrepreneurs were fashioningtheir respective markets in their own style, andsafely encamped in the US and UK, bookingagents held the keys to the concert kingdom.By controlling both the acts themselves andthe information between borders, theywielded considerable power, while theconference map – a now complicated join-thedotspuzzle – lay blank.“Midem was there, but no one went, as itwas nothing to do with live,” says the ILMC’sMartin Hopewell. “There was just the NewMusic Seminar [NMS] in America, which was abig deal at the time.”With the amount of annual events thesedays it is perhaps just a matter of time beforesomeone launches a conference for musicconferences, but 20 years ago, the date sheetof annual gatherings was wide open to ideas.And one such idea occurred at NMS in 1987,as Hopewell stood on a New York streetcorner, talking to promoters Rune Lem andHerman Schueremans.“After about five minutes, I realised that theywere both talking to me but not to each other,”Hopewell says. “They didn’t know each other.We discussed how it would be good to have ameeting so everybody could actually meet.”There were issues of the day too. Americanagents were beginning to book bands directlyinto Europe, ignoring the pre-existing status quobetween North America and the rest of theworld, and tour producers had begun packagingwhole tours and bypassing the agent.“Ian Flooks [at Wasted Talent] got theagents together to tell promoters that theycouldn’t go along with it,” Hopewell says. “Itonly took one promoter to break ranks in eachcountry, so we picked on Holland, Scandinaviaand Switzerland where single companiescontrolled the market – we figured that youcouldn’t do a European tour without thosecountries, so poor Andy [Bechir], Thomas[Johansson] and Leon [Ramakers] ended uphaving the screws put on them by all of us!”

Q1 2008Feature62ILMC 7At ILMC 14 (l. to r.) Neo Sala, Claudio Trotta, Barry Dickins, Stuart Galbraith and Jose ArroyoHopewell wanted to introduce foreignpromoters and collectivise what was a ragtaggroup of individuals into something whichwould later be termed an ‘industry’. Later thatyear, enrolling the help of his assistant andwhile still concentrating on his roster of actsat Chrysalis, he posted out invitations to theinaugural conference.“We didn’t have a name for the thing,” hesays. “The invitations simply said, ‘we shouldhave an international live music conference’,and because there was nothing to refer to, itturned into the ILMC. I nicked the logo fromMíele kitchen appliances.”Like much of the ILMC’s history, the firstevent – held at London’s Mayfair Hotel – wascoloured by circumstance, happy accident andthe ability to turn disaster into direction. “Theoriginal plan was to do Friday and Saturdaybut we found out that Friday was stupidlyexpensive and we could get the weekendmuch cheaper, so we did that,” Hopewell says.The registration database consisted of acardboard sheet with hand written names,nametags were an afterthought, a banner waskindly donated, and Hopewell scribbled downsome notes for chairman the night before. (Aroutine that would last several years.)“We had no idea how to do it, productionwise,and neither did our technical people,” hesays. “I was working with Mick Kluczinski atthe time, who decided that if we hungmicrophones all over the ceiling, then anyonethat spoke anywhere should be able to beheard. When they were all turned on, it waslike standing under high tension cables andyour hair stood on end. We had to rethink it.”Hopewell initially invited 30 people:“Everyone was up for it as soon as they heardwho else was likely to come,” he says. “Thenother people heard about it, and they all wantedto be there too. On the day, 175 people showedup so it escalated out of all proportion.”Come the morning of the first ILMC, aqueue of promoters snaked around BerkeleySquare, all waiting patiently to get in, andnone knowing the other.“Everyone was taken with the way that allthe important people came in the first year,”says Rune Lem. “It became an important eventfrom the word ‘go’ which got it going –everyone wanted to be a part of that.”“The very first conference was a smallsensation,” says promoter Karsten Jahnke.“You met a lot of people that you normallyneeded half a year to visit. In the beginningthere were some very exciting discussions.”Speak to any of the delegates thatAt ILMC 15 (l. to r.) Carl Leighton-Pope, Dennis Armstead & Neil Warnock

FeatureFeature Q1 2008attended ILMC 1, and they’ll all recount the excitement that was felt atthe first event. And having succeeded in bringing the Europeanpromoters together, Hopewell thought his job was done.“I sat down to thank everyone for coming and Rune Lem asked whatwe were going to do at the next one,” he says. “It hadn’t even occurredto me.”The size of the ILMC has always been directly related to the lifeblood ofthe event: the conference sessions. And the meetings originally tookplace in one main room, with all topics covered by all delegates.“It worked beautifully as long as everyone was in the room,” Hopewellsays. “But in year three, I could hear voices coming from the bar on theother side of the partition. Forty or so people were in there having adrink – I was outraged!”“Marek Lieberberg got up out of his chair, threw open the doors andshouted into the bar: ‘Everybody into the conference room, HerrHopewell demands that you come in!’ and they all trouped in likenaughty schoolboys.”Triple A’s Pete Wilson recounts how the ambivalence of somedelegates led to the conference increasing in size: “Martin used to moanat everyone that they were out of the rooms every year, so I suggestedputting more people in. He was always reluctant to increase it at rapidjumps, so he’d let a few more join the fold each year.”“For the next eight or nine years we kept the capacity down to around250 because I didn’t believe you could have a meaningful conversationwith any larger number of people,” Hopewell says. “But that was allunder the assumption that they were all going to be in the conferenceroom. The current high capacity, in a way, is a measure of the failure ofthe conference sessions to enthuse the majority of the people.”But the serious debate and swapping of ideas and information was avital function of a growing entity, which attracted delegates from farflung countries for even the first outing.“There were two Japanese guys there who didn’t speak a word ofEnglish, who taped all of the sessions and took them home to betranslated,” Hopewell says. “There was another guy who’d hitchhikedfrom East Berlin, over the wall and across Europe to be there.”“Claudio was frog marched off into a policevan and driven away, pursued down the streetby 20 drunk ILMC delegates,” Hopewell says.“Everyone was screaming and shouting,and Harvey [Goldsmith] was ready with alawyer at 7am the next morning if I wasn’t out,but they let me out anyway,” Trotta says. “Theevent was a bit legendary and I spent a fewhours in a room with another guy. It wasremembered for ages – it increased mypersonal legend!”A couple of years later, Claudio wassurprised with a This Is Your Life presentationwhen the whole event was re-enacted, alongwith Lombard dressed as a policewoman. “Itwas because of that incident that we decidedto do a Sunday night dinner,” Hopewell says.Part of the ILMC’s success, and a key reasonwhy it’s thought of so fondly by supporters, isits distinctly different ethos to the wealth ofother conferences that have followed. It’sprobably as far removed from the corporate,slickly run approach of some other events asit’s possible to get.“We build a certain element of thehomespun into even the most sophisticatedILMC,” Hopewell says. “It won’t change itscharacter – it’s always been fun and done forthe enjoyment of doing it. The day that itbecomes a dry event will be the day that I loseinterest. I still don’t think it’s a properconference, it’s more like a gathering pointwith an element of the annual ritual, likeChristmas.”The numerous anecdotes from over theyears speak for themselves, such as sharksbeing swiftly removed from set pieces so asnot to offend DEAG executives, exploding dryice packs engulfing chairmen mid sentence,serving beef in the midst of the Mad CowDisease crisis, being stormed by armed policeafter blowing up Arthur Awards at the heightof terrorist bombings in London, or organisersgetting lost and leading an army of delegatesfor a lengthy midnight stroll around Soho.And neither are the delegates innocent ofsuch behaviour, whether it’s the impromptudrunken singalongs around the hotel bar’spiano (which led to the Delegates Jam),throwing the contents of hotel rooms out ofwindows, climbing the central palm tree in aThe ILMC World Cup at Wembley Stadium65Despite the serious debate of the conference sessions, the social aspectof the ILMC is one that has carried it through two decades. Successiveyears incorporated evening events, and while the Gala Dinner (begun atILMC 10) grew organically out of a meal in the hotel on Saturday night,the origins of the Sunday night dinner are somewhat different.“There was nothing on the Sunday night and a lot of people would behanging around until Monday or had meetings that next week,” Hopewellsays. “Around ILMC 4, some bright spark had rounded up 30 notabledelegates for an Indian meal. The first we knew was when the revolvingdoors of the Portman flew around and some very drunk delegatespoured in, led by The Goon [Mike McGinley] the tour accountant with abread basket on his head and a rose behind his ear.“It was the time of the Gulf War, and they’d decided that Claudio[Trotta of Barley Arts] looked a bit like Saddam Hussein, and they chairedhim around the room chanting ‘Saddamski’.”When some Kuwaiti citizens in the bar took offence, the hotel securitycalled the police and a scuffle ensued. According to legend, as the policejumped on Claudio, [Live Nation’s] Jackie Lombard joined in the fray,accidentally pulling open the uniform of a female officer.

Feature Q1 2008hotel atrium at 4am, or just wandering aboutplain naked.“It’s been a series of half-arsed stunts andwell intentioned plans that have beencatastrophes to some extent or another andturned to comedic effect,” Hopewell says.”67Conference producer Alia Dann and Martin Hopewell at ILMC 13Fritz Rau is honoured with a This Is YourLife presentation at ILMC 13A “series of half-arsed stunts” it may be, butthe ILMC today is far removed from its DIYorigins. ILMC 19 was given yet anotherincrease in capacity to allow a record 880delegates in, and this year demand is evenhigher. The event now takes the majority ofthe year to plan and employs several full-timestaff and up to 70 over the conferenceweekend itself.And while some elements of the firstconference remain (such as the semicircularseating at conference sessions to create aforum involving all delegates), others havegradually found a natural home on the agenda,such as Carl Leighton-Pope’s Talking Shop,which continually draws the biggest crowd ofthe weekend, and Ed Bicknell’s Sundaymorning Breakfast Meeting.And by retaining its invite-only policy, ILMCmay not be the best known of all musicindustry conferences, but it’s widely regardedas the most important, and one attended bythe upper tier of industry figureheads.“I’ve been in the business for 35 years andI’ve never been to Midem,” says HermanSchueremans. “In order to be efficient, I needto go to ILMC every year, like the Christians goto Rome, and the Muslims go to Mecca.”“It’s part of your life all year, it’s not justsomething that happens for a few days,” saysAustralian promoter Michael Chugg. “It’sbecome part of the industry worldwide.”“If you’re in the live music business, youhave to go to the ILMC,” adds Bernard Batzenat Azimuth.If there is a criticism of the ILMC, it’s thatthe words spoken during the conferencesessions sometimes don’t materialise intoaction. “If we decide something we shouldstick to it,” says Jackie Lombard. “If they justtalk about it, then they leave the room and it’sover, what’s the point?”But while Lombard is not alone in herthinking, Hopewell points out: “It’s not anassociation in its own right, it’s a discussionand social platform. I came to see it as aprocess of osmosis so that ideas werediscussed that feed back into the industry, andeventually become common practice throughconsensus. If enough people agree with what’sbeing set and adopt those ideas, it becomesthe norm.”ILMC 13 proved too much for someThe Three Terrors at the Italian Sunday Night Dinner:Claudio Trotta, Franco Mamome & David ZardOne of Pollstar's ILMC supplements Tim Parsons and Stuart Galbraith win at ILMC 12

Q1 2008Feature68What the ILMC has done, however, isprovide a forum and meeting place for similarminds to gel. The ILMC Safety Focus Groupwas born after nine Pearl Jam fans died duringa crowd crush at Roskilde Festival in 2000,and this year sees a new production-focusedday take place on 6 March.“A lot of associations came out ofthe ILMC,” Hopewell says, citing examplessuch as the Production Services Association,and the short-lived European ConcertPromoters Association.“It didn’t last very long, but out of thatcame the corporatisation of the business bySFX, which involved a lot of the same peoplefor the same reasons. I’m not saying it wasdown to the ILMC, but the address book thoseguys had was quite thin, and if it wasn’t forthe conference, would it have happened?“The ILMC has been a background noise toeverything that’s been going on for the last 20years. It’s hard to estimate how much influenceit’s really had, but the biggest thing we’vedone is to bring people together who wouldhave otherwise not have known each other.”Ed Bicknell interviews Brian Becker at ILMC 14With the next generation entering the liveindustry, the ILMC has seen a raft of new facesover the last five to six years. Hopewell admitshe has “no idea” where the conference will bein just five years, let alone 20, but some of theolder delegation is keen to ensure that thefuture heads of industry don’t misunderstandits purpose.“People shouldn’t think that the second orthird year that they come, they know orunderstand everything,” Trotta says. “The ILMCis about taking part, listening, learning andteaching. If you just go there to buy and sell,it’s wrong.”But the face of the conference, like theindustry it has championed for two decades, isgradually changing. “Clearly we’re looking at adifferent world from the one where it allstarted off,” Hopewell says. “It was an old-boysclub; there were so many people that were in,and everybody else was out.”And if ever there was proof that theconference is treading in time to the industry’schanging beat, it’s perhaps this example fromits founder:“I got into a lift the other year withsomeone who said, ‘I know you, don’t I?’ Ireplied with a proud smile and somewhat fakehumility, ‘Well, it’s quite possible’. They said,‘You’re Carl Leighton-Pope aren’t you?’ I thinkthat was the moment I saw my knighthoodflying out of the window.”GREG PARMLEYAdditional photos supplied courtesy of PollstarHerman Schueremans, Leon Ramakers, Thomas Johansson & Neil Warnock at ILMC 8Her Majesty attends the Gala Dinner at ILMC 10

Green Room Q1 2008The Green RoomSue Moseley71Audience Is The Main OffenderIn The Eco SeatIQ caught up with Sue Moseley of RobertsonTaylor to find out more about the insuranceprovider’s new discount scheme for green events.Q. So what’s this new initiativeall about?A. It’s about getting behind our industryand being the first broker to recognise andreward the hard work that has been goingon behind the scenes for the last 12 months.Discounts have been negotiated for UKfestivals for combined liability (up to£5million [€6.7m] public liability and £10m[€13.5m] employer’s liability and onequipment insurance up to £10m) andwe are also working on other aspectsincluding the European Festivals and someform of cancellation insurance with adiscount built in.The NME has published a report into carbonfootprints in the touring industry using expertadvice from CarbonFootprint.com’s John Buckley.The magazine examined five differentareas of the touring industry and concludedthat ‘stadium tours’ such as the massivejaunt in 2007 by The Police were the worstoffenders, followed by ‘round the worldtours’ with 'transit van tours' and 'the soloshowman' coming in behind this.The greenest tours – referred to by NMEas the 'green giggers' – were those wheresome thought had gone into touring, suchas Radiohead’s recent outing, where busesreplaced planes for travel and equipmentwas shipped in advance by sea. However,the biggest offenders were the fansthemselves, specifically audience memberstravelling to stadium shows.“The combined footprint of thousandsof fans getting to events, especiallygreenfield festivals, can be enormous,”says Claire O’Neill of AGreenerFestival.com.“This obviously gives city centre venues andevents a distinct advantage, but festivalscan do an awful lot to reduce the audienceimpact – promoting public transport suchas trains and shuttle buses, organisingcoaches, promoting lift share and chargingfor car parking.”Clare O'NeillQ. Does this mean that greener festivalsare less risky?A. In short, no. However, we and our insurersview these festivals as a positive moral riskand have given support on this basis.Q. Who’s making sure that the festivalsare meeting the criteria?A. The festivals tell us what they are doingat the outset when they complete theproposal form. And, if they want to, afestival can also apply for the 2008 GreenerFestival Award from AGreenerFestival.com.The mark is awarded after festivals completea 62-point questionnaire, sign up to their26-point plan for greening and receive avisit from a member of theAGreenerFestival.com team to their festivalsite in the UK.Industry Welcomes EU TargetsThe recent European Union announcement toslash greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by2020, and to push for a 30% reduction by the USand other industrialised nations over the sameperiod, has been welcomed by environmentalcampaigners within the music industry.“Thirteen years gives us the time todevelop realistic and achievable plans andimplement them across the industry – it’seminently achievable for the music industry,and for the live sector,” says Alison Tickle ofUK-based not-for-profit group Julie’s Bicycle.“There are some very simple solutionsthat we can implement right now: raiseprivate vehicle occupancy to events, up froman average of two people to three; convertour venues and arenas to LED lighting;increase the use of renewables; and useefficient heating and cooling systems.”GREEN I N I CLEAN I S Tipping PointQ. When do you expect the schemeto be available to European festivalsas well?A. We have an insurer who is interested inoffering terms for European festivals andoffering greener discounts. However,European based festivals need to be givenspecial attention as each country hasdifferent laws as to what must be providedin that country.The Sustainability Manager: Making afestival or event environmentally friendlyshould start with the sustainability manager.Somebody from your staff has to bedesignated this role, or employed for theposition, and they should be involved in allmanagement decisions around the event.Sustainability decisions take equalconsideration of the financial, logistic andenvironmental aspects of an event, andwhile such a role may involve additionalwork and expense, it should prove costefficient by reducing energy consumptionor transportation costs. And with a cleanimage, your festival will become increasinglyattractive for potential sponsors.

The launch of Robertson Taylor’s new green insurance scheme is celebrated at Midem by (l. to r.)Willy Robertson (Robertson Taylor), Ben Challis (AGreenerFestival) Jeremy Lascelles (Chrysalis Music),David Bishop (Robertson Taylor) and Jon Webster (MMF).Wembley Arena’s management is refusing to say which act felt the need to remind its crew where theywere, but it must have been a long, tiring tour.Carl Leighton-Pope holds court during a live music panel at Noorderslag in Groningen, The Netherlandson 11 January. (l. to r.) Leighton-Pope, Jon McIldowie, Allan McGowan and Maarten Steinkamp.The first Midem Green World Awards were presented on 29 January in Cannes. Receiving their awards are (l. to r.):Daniel Rossellat of Paléo Festival Nyon; Henrik Rasmussen of Roskilde Festival; and Kevin Wall of Live Earth.The NEC Group's 2007 Promoters’ Awards at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, London saw SJM Concerts namedConcert Promoter of the Year. Pictured are Steve Walton (NEC Group) and Chris York (SJM Concerts).The NEC Group’s 2007 Promoters’ Awards saw Live Nation take top prize, the Promoter of the Year. (l.to r.) Steve Homer (Live Nation), Phil Mead (NEC), and Phil Bowdery (Live Nation).Manchester Evening News Arena’s John Knight presents Take That with an award to commemorate the bandhaving sold the most tickets (378,115), and played the most shows (27) at the venue since it opened.The 0 2’s David Campbell, Caroline McNamara and Katie Musham welcome The Spice Girls at the first of their 17 sellout shows at the new London arena, which finished in late January.In Focusfeature photosIn Focus Wantto send in photos for inclusion? Please email info@iq-mag.netQ1 200873

Supp Q1 2008 2 2007running feedback headYour Shout!74With the ILMC’s 20th birthday coming up, we asked…“What were you doing 20 years ago,and/or what do you think you’llbe doing in 20 years time?"Ossy Hoppe – Wizard Promotions20 years ago, I was the best-looking promoterin Germany! 20 years from now I’ll be a malemodel in the south of France!Jack Utsick – Promoter20 years ago, I was flying 747s internationallywith TWA, promoting as little as I could, livinga good, happy life and chasing babes allover the world. 20 years from now, if I’m stillalive, I’ll hopefully still be chasing babes, andmaking more movies.Paul Hutton – Metropolis MusicIn 20 years time, I’ll be driving around lookingfor ever dwindling petrol supplies!Richard Ogden – Richard Ogden Management20 years ago today, I would have been arguingwith Paul McCartney about something,having left Polydor in May 1987 to becomehis manager.We had released his double greatest hitsAll the Best album and were promoting it inEurope, which was something he hadn’t donefor many years. We were doing live TV inFrance and there was an ‘official paparazzo’hanging around the studio. Paul took me toone side and gave me a lecture aboutmaking sure we had ‘control’ over allphotographs taken of him, whatever thesituation. Of course, I said I would take careof it, immediately, Sir!A couple of hours later we emerged fromthe front door of the TV station to be confrontedby about 200 paparazzi, all blasting away.Oh no, I thought. Now I’m in the shit! Howthe hell do I ‘control’ this? But Mr. Macca wasdoing nothing less than basking in the glow ofthe flashguns, thumbs aloft, eyebrows raised,happy as a lark. I guess he knew perfectly wellthat there’s no controlling fame once you’vegot it!Mike Potter – AEG Worldwide20 years ago, I wasthe box officemanager at Wembleyduring a time whenthe system wasdragged into thecomputerisedworld. Theprinting systemsuddenlyground to a halt at seat 256. On questioningour expert, I was told that the system wasbased on a chip and the number 256 andthat was as far as it would print. It was aninteresting design when the stadium wentup to 440. We had two options: redesignthe computer system or re-number thestadium. Answers on a postcard please butI bet no one had seat 257 at Wembley from1987 until it was demolished!Tim Roberts – The Event Safety Shop20 year ago, I was working out which way isup. In 20 years I will be working on whichway is out.Claes Olsen – Øyafestival20 years ago I was 15, and just taking thehint that I would never play football forLiverpool, so I should get into the music sceneinstead. In 2028 I’ll be running the worldfamous Øyafestival in Norway, and will havejust said ‘no’ to an Oasis reunion to headline.Dan McDonnell – Verve20 years ago, I was seven, fighting with mybrothers and probablygetting my arsekicked on ourfamily goat farmin Co. Wicklow,Ireland. 20 yearsfrom now I’ll be attendingILMC 40! I’ll be sittingback, all going well,sipping Mojitos andlistening to the sound of allthose events I’ve createdthroughout the years.(Oh yeah, and the noise of those bloody goats!)David Garcia – Moderne Welt20 years ago, I was trying to keep my 13-yearold,puberty-stricken self out of trouble. It didn'twork! 20 years from now, I'd like to see my 13-year-old, puberty-stricken kid stay out of troublein a safe, healthy and peaceful environment.Paul Kramer – Hit Sheet20 years ago, I was contemplating what todo when I grew up. In 20 years time it'll bepretty much the sameMark Harding – Showsec20 years ago, I was trying to rid the world ofinjustice, poverty and Manchester United whilstsignificantly contributing to the share priceof Allied Breweries. At least the drinkingpart was a success.John Langford –Big Concerts20 years ago, motorbikeswere dangerous and sexwas safe!Matt Wright – Rock-It Cargo20 years ago, I was a firstyear at senior schoolgetting bullied and kickedabout as part of the‘initiation process’. In 20 years time, I wantto have retired and be sat on a beachsomewhere (assuming the oceans haven'tswallowed them all up), or worst casescenario, sitting on the new beach resortcalled Costa Del Everest, which comessupplied with oxygen masks and snow suits.Matthias Müller – AVO Session, BaselI had the honour to present Miles Davis atmy festival in 1988; who was, and is, a Godfor a music enthusiast like me. In 2038, Ihope that the real God has let me continueto book the hottest pop and jazz of thepast 20 years!Robbie Wilson – R&R Logistics20 years ago, I was tour managing theAmerican heavy metal group W.A.S.P. andliving in Los Angeles, which is why I gaveup and went back to production servicesand event management.In 20 years time, I hope I’m still readingIQ [me too Robbie – Ed] and swapping warstories with Alan McGowan and Ed Bicknell.Rob Hallett – AEGCradle/grave.If you would like to send feedback, commentsor suggestions to future Your Shout topics,please email info@iq-mag.net