The VIP-Booking European Live Entertainment Book Advertising in the VIP Book Will Make You Visible to 10.000 Business Professionals All Over Europe
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WWW.VIP-BOOKING.coM VIP- News›› ›› PREmiUM VOL. 120 DECEMBER 2009 McGowan’s Musings: This December Newsletter is remark- But it seems that cash strapped fans were able for two reasons, number one it’s the just saving their pennies to come up with 120th, indicating that we’ve survived for the average $100 for a ticket to see the quite some time, and number two it’s band perform live on their custom built the last one of an economically fraught claw shaped stage. Since June the band year which many feared would be signifi- played 44 concerts to 3.2m people, for a cant for its business casualties, but in the gross of about $320m. If, as seems likely, main, the industry has survived. Hoorah! they do the same on the similar number (Or whatever jubilant exclamation is the of dates next year, they could more than equivalent in your neck of the woods), I double this, completely outgrossing the hear you all shout, but lets not get too re- 2005/2006 Vertigo tour. laxed, 2010 will not be a year for compla- cency, although it may be that this year’s Allan McGowan Conference and Showcase events had chilly blasts of cold reality may have insti- mixed results in 2009; the first of the year the film made from the footage (good job gated a necessary sense of caution to a Noorderslag/Eurosonic sold out, attract- live industry which was coming close to they decided to film them, eh?) of the re- ing 2,600 people to Groningen in The the type of complacency that aggravated hearsals – a little forward thinking goes a Netherlands. In Cannes in January Midem catastrophe for an unprepared recording long way! AEG also had some good news faced up to a difficult time for the music industry. from Germany, in Berlin, one year after industry in general with a 12% drop in at- opening, the 17,000-capacity O2 World tendance, and as we know Popkomm in So, to paraphrase Mr Dickens, was 2009 revealed that it had welcomed 1.48mil- Berlin was cancelled, (but it’s back in 2010 the worst of times, or the best of times? It lion people to 138 events. certainly had its moments, although, after – see story in this issue). a year of cutting the prices of their prod- The drastic change in the economics of ucts (particularly in the US), Michael Rapi- the music business were highlighted by The ILMC could be said to be a barometer no of Live Nation and Irving Azoff of Tick- a Music Manager’s Forum survey which of the live industry as it concentrates ex- etmaster will just have to try to relax over revealed that 85% of managers are look- clusively on the sector, In March, seem- the holiday as the powers that be delay a ing to live concerts and merchandise ingly in defiance - or maybe because (?) - final decision till, we presume early 2010, to sustain their artists and that 73% ex- of the recession, the number of delegates regarding their plans to come together as pected recorded music to be less than attending ILMC 21 hit the 1,000 mark for one gigantic live music entity. As for the 50% of their artists earnings in 2009. This the first time. In a panel discussing The other majors, AEG managed to overcome was borne out by U2’s mixed fortunes Recession Neil Warnock of The Agency dreadful adversity, following the death (they’ve been making them for years Group, said, “Business in the major mu- of Michael Jackson, covering their losses now), in February they released the per- sic markets like the U.K., France and Ger- and then some, from the lamented star’s haps pessimistically titled album, No Line many continues to thrive, but countries planned London O2 residency, by sharing on the Horizon, which sold fewer copies like Russia, China and parts of south-east in the more than substantial returns from than any of their releases for a decade. Asia, are real recessive territories.” The VIP-Booking European Live Entertainment Book Advertising in the VIP Book will make you visible to 10.000 business professionals all over Europe. You will find no better place to expose your company to the whole European Live Entertainment Industry. ›› RESERVE yoUR AD NOW ON WWW.VIP-BOOKING.coM 1 VIP-BOOKING.COM VIP- News - December 2009 Artist Power was a feature of the year, with the formation of the Featured Art- Live Nation ists Coalition in the UK. At ILMC Brian Message, of ATC Management, which Grows in France co-manages Radiohead, dance act Allan McGowan [email protected] Faithless, and singer Kate Nash, said, “We’re experiencing an artists’ revolu- Live Nation has significantly expanded tion around the world. Artists need to its promoter team in France, the World’s make more decisions about what af- fects them, including in what’s going 6th largest music market. on in secondary ticketing and peer-to- peer file sharing. If someone is making Angelo Goppe, formerly with Nous Pro- a profit [from their work], then we want ductions, will join the Company as Sen- a share of that!”. It will be interesting to ior Vice President Promotions charged see how the artists continue to mobilise with growing Live Nation’s volume of in- and how they apply their joint energies in 2010. ternational and local concerts in France. Armel Campagna and Damien Chom- There were casualties amongst the bard-Boudet, both formerly with Gerard Festivals, Hultsfred for instance went Drouot Productions, and Jonathan Mil- bankrupt again, but will be back in tat, formerly with Deluxe Productions, 2010 (see story in this issue), particu- will join him. larly new events suffered, others coped by cutting ticket prices or introducing staggered payment schemes, but the Alan Ridgeway, Live Nation CEO of Inter- big ones continued to sell out – with national Music, commented, “It is a pleas- Glastonbury having already sold out ure to welcome this exciting young team of for 2010 even before announcing U2 promoters to Live Nation. Since we entered as headliner, and others following fast, plus there are plans for new events. France in 2007 through our partnership More and more it seems that people with Jackie Lombard, we have seen a huge are treating their festival visits like holi- opportunity to bring more international days, and are not prepared to sacrifice and local concerts to music fans in Paris them for budgetary reasons. and the rest of France. This great team of promoters, under the leadership of Isabelle The worrying thing as we mentioned in the last issue is the sustaining of the Gamsohn, Managing Director for France, small and mid sized venues, the stages ensures that we are now well positioned vital for the start-up and development to take full advantage of these opportuni- of the talent that will hopefully play ties.” ›› arenas and festivals in the future. The COLOPHON article by Don Foster MP, and the story Angelo Goppe commented, “I am look- about London’s Halfmoon pub venue VIP-News is published by: ing forward to working alongside Isabelle VIP-Booking in this issue highlight these concerns. 26 York Street However, a gig I went to in a pub in and the international and global touring London W1U 6pZ Brixton, South London, last week has teams at Live Nation to become the lead- left me feeling quite optimistic, four ing concert promoter in France.” Managing Director: new, and mostly very good, bands (one Ronni Didriksen American) played to a packed venue [email protected] Live Nation’s other activities in France and I was introduced to four young currently include partnerships with General Manager: promoters, all full of ideas and all pre- Peter Briggs pared to offer a raft of services to the promoter Jackie Lombard, Main Square [email protected] acts that they are working with in order Festival in Arras with France Leduc and to be successful. None of them were Belgium’s Herman Schueremans and Writer and editorial: going on about the woes of a declining with Vega SA for the management of the Allan McGowan business, they are all too busy dealing [email protected] Nikaia arena in Nice. with what is, not what was, and were so Writer: positive that, if this, as I suspect, is hap- Manfred Tari pening elsewhere, then I think we (or Upcoming events promoted by Live Na- [email protected] they) are going to be fine! tion France include Paul McCartney (10 December), Depeche Mode (17-20 Janu- For advertising enquiries pls. contact So, with that positive and happy pros- ary 2010) and Cirque du Soleil’s Saltim- Peter Briggs [email protected] pect in mind – we’ll be back in January or +44 870 755 0092 banco (21 January – 5 February 2010). after returning from Noorderslag/Eu- Lay-out: rosonic in Groningen. In the meantime Pekaye Graphics, Phuket – Thailand have a great holiday, and a Happy New Full details can be found on: [email protected] Year! www.livenation.fr 2 VIP-BOOKING.COM VIP- News - December 2009 Music in the Air – Climate Summit and Popular Music Manfred Tari [email protected] The current Climate Summit in Copenha- this time. For the climate it’s the final count- gen has received a lot of attention and this down unless the politicians make a move.” not only due to the visit of Barack Obama. Well, as usual Lunden is absolutely right The summit has also featured some issues and politicians may hopefully make moves, referring to the music industry.