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MARCH 2017
ILMC 29 - Kickoff Event For A New Era Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com
For most attendees the recent edition of
applied the term “live music industry.”
at the end of the last century until ILMC
ILMC perhaps proceeded much as usual.
But ten or fifteen years ago this business
2017 and this year’s edition delivered the
Networking, going to panels, a bit of
was miles away from being considered
evidence for this development.
dealing and wheeling with the delegates
as even part of an industry. The financial
and most likely a lack of sleep. But from
dimensions of it compared to those of the
This news is still probably not based on self-
a personal view the biggest eye opener
insurance or automobile industries were
awareness for the majority in this business,
resulted from a conversation with an ILMC
just small scale business, perhaps good
it does not come across as a sensation, it is
first time visitor.
profit rates but revenue-wise located
just an observation you may discover when
somewhere between the retail business of
listening to delegates and panels at ILMC.
The young man, a journalist, when asked
stamp-collectors or hedge trimmers.
what he thought of the event answered that
The keywords and phrases therefore do
he wasn’t aware of any new developments
Twenty years ago the record industry was
not sound exciting enough for an ILMC
or exciting news. For him the conference
still the leading gross contributor within
newbie to perhaps notice them, but lining
just proceeded ‘as usual’, while panels
the value chain of the music business.
them up completes the picture. Global
and conversations with delegates did not
Record companies were the first listed
deals & bots, new business units for legal
deliver any surprising or new insights.
on stock exchanges way back in the
issues, marketing, sponsoring or social
sixties and seventies. As a reminder, SFX
media activities within company structures
for
Entertainment, the forerunner of Live
of multinational conglomerates, displays
somebody who takes a neutral view when
Nation in the US and DEAG in Germany
the same sophistication as the major
scrutinising the ILMC absolutely correct.
undertook their debut on the stock markets
record companies applied to their business
The state of the live music business as it
in 1997 and 1998.
decades ago.
However, this year the ILMC celebrated
Just bare in mind, ILMC for the second time
its 29th edition and between the lines as
put on a panel discussing the subject of
But when taking the history of this
appeared to be a kick-off event where the
“direct licensing.” A new issue? Certainly
conference and the evolution of this
live music business finally emerged from
not, but a new development and challenge
business into consideration the picture
a former family business into a proper
that the live music industry has recently
is changing rapidly. For many years ILMC
industry. Yes, this conversion took just
been confronted with. And in particular
has been the one and only convention that
twenty years from its early beginnings
this panel like last year revealed that the
An
interesting
observation
and
reveals itself at the event probably appears at first view as just ‘normal.’
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