VIP-News Vol. 128 - September 2010 by VIP-Booking.com

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McGowan’s Musings: Some of the VIP crew have recently returned from long and wide corridors of Tempelhof. The almost monumental passenger areas of this legendary Berlin airport are now the new home of Popkomm, and facilitate the business of international music business people rather than the devious journeying of the international spies and men and women of mystery of yesteryear – although, come to think of it I have met a few characters at various music conferences who might quality for the latter descriptions! In fact if I’m honest I do get the “What exactly do you do?” query myself every now and again – still as I’m not even sure myself what I want to be when I grow up how can I expect anybody else to know? Anyway, I didn’t make it to Popkomm myself, as I was double booked into a cabin with a sauna by a lake in Finland – don’t ask! Bit you’ll be glad to know that you will find reports on the return of Popkomm in this issue. I will however be heading to Hamburg to take part in various panels during Reeperbahn Campus in the next few days, followed by a trip to ‘You Are In Control’ in Reykjavik at the start of October, then to

seemed to be quietly getting on with it have just been sued by Michael Jackson’s mother, who is seeking unspecified damages alleging the firm failed to provide life-saving equipment and oversee a doctor who was hired to look out for the pop star’s well-being as he prepared for what were intended to be his comeback concerts in London. Allan McGowan

Paris for the MaMA event in mid October – again details are in this issue and we’ll report back from all of these events in the October issue. Some of the panels in these upcoming conferences will no doubt address live music topics, festivals, touring, ticket prices and the like, and it’ll be interesting to see, considering certain developments whether the sector continues to be referred to in the upbeat tones which we have become used to. Following a summer of cutting ticket prices Live Nation’s 4th quarter returns are expected to make even more distressing reading, particularly for shareholders, than the ‘disappointing’ 3rd quarter figures. AEG, who

Even HMV who seemed to have sorted out the shortfall problems in their core music retail business by moving into live with the purchase of the Mama Group are having their problems (see report in this issue). To add to it all, UK Collection Society PRS are proposing to raise Performance Royalty Rates, at the moment UK promoters pay 3% on concert returns, in other territories this is a lot higher, with Italian promoters for instance paying 10%, so there are fears that this could rate could escalate dramatically, responses to an industry open consultation document are due in the next month. In the light of all this Music Tank, a business development network for the UK music industry, owned and operated by

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the University of Westminster which sets up regular panel events engaging with industry, innovation and change across the music business, are presenting a session in London, at PRS headquarters, called ‘Saving the Golden Goose’ investigating the present situation for live. (see story in this issue) This will I feel be the first of many such scrutinies over the next few months. However, lets not go out on a complete downer, as far as we can see at VIP, there are areas of the live business that still seem to be ticking over quite nicely, most of the problems seem to be at the top end, where cash strapped punters feel that they are not getting value for money, but the grassroots live business has generally continued to offer good value for money. So, all of you in that sector keep up the good work! Right, while I get back to seeing if I can get away with being an international man of mystery, here is the News!

AEG Live Refute Jackson Lawsuit Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

AEG Live has responded to Katherine Jackson’s filing of a lawsuit filed which accuses the live music major of liability for the death of her son Michael. Mrs Jackson’s lawsuit claims that the promoters had a contractual duty of care of her son in regard to the ‘This Is It’ London residency. She maintains that they failed to to oversee Michael Jackson’s well being when they hired Dr Conrad Murray, the medic accused of causing the late king of pop’s death. The lawsuit concludes that AEG put a “desire for massive profits” before Michael Jackson’s well being. In a short statement yesterday, AEG’s lawyers called Mrs Jackson’s lawsuit “inaccurate, unsubstantiated and meritless”. They stressed that Murray had a professional relationship with Jackson before he began work on their ‘This Is It’ show, and that he was hired as the singer’s personal physician at the star’s request. The statement says: “The lawsuit is inaccurate, unsubstantiated and meritless. Dr Murray was Mr Jackson’s longtime personal physician. AEG did not choose him, hire him or supervise him”. Having pledged to fight the Jackson family’s lawsuit, AEG added: “In honour of our professional relationship with Mr Jackson and his estate, we will make no further public statements”.

Colophon ›› VIP-News is published by: VIP-Booking 26 York Street London W1U 6pZ Managing Director: Ronni Didriksen rd@vip-booking.com General Manager: Peter Briggs pb@vip-booking.com Writer and editorial: Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com Writer: Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com For advertising enquiries pls. contact Peter Briggs pb@vip-booking.com or +44 870 755 0092 Lay-out: Pekaye Graphics, Phuket – Thailand info@pekayegraphics.com

AEG Live

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Berlin Music Week, Popkomm and Berlin Festival Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com

companies and countries who had their stands located in to the middle part of the building gained more footfall than those located towards the end of the left and right of the terminal gang way.

According to the promoters the kick off for the newly formed Berlin Music Week was successful, though for many foreigners and even Germans the set up of Berlin Music Week, combining Popkomm, A2N (All Together Now) and Berlin Festival under one roof still seems complex. After last year’s cancellation Popkomm took place on September 8 to 10 in the former airport Tempelhof. The organizers reported satisfactory visitor and exhibitor figures. According to the promoter of the convention, Popkomm was visited by 7.500 trade visitors and 10.000 normal visitors on the open to public day re-instated after many years. Spokespersons for the stands of Austria and Switzerland said that they were pleased with their results, also the Swedish and Finnish stand organizers seemed to be satisfied with their presence at Popkomm, while the feedback from the Dutch stand was negative. The current edition of Popkomm proceeded with the absence of stands for France and the UK, previously long established regular stand participants at Popkomm. The lay out of the massive Tempelhof airport necessitated lengthy walks; also the the stands location was one very long tunnel in the part of the building where the airport gate ways were located. As a result

On the airfield and in the airport hangars the Berlin Festival also took place. On September 10 festival ticket holders could also access Popkomm. But also on the public day, not many people found their way to the stands on the left and right extremes of the terminal gang way. Also the signposting caused some problems, at least for Popkomm and A2N, as some visitors simply couldn’t find stands or conference rooms. The second edition of the Berlin Festival promoted by Melt Booking in visitor terms was a success, reporting around 20.000 visitors. This is the first festival event to succeed in Berlin; previous attempts by other festival promoters have never managed to install a proper festival in the German capitol. Due to architecture and lay out of Tempelhof the set up for this festival was quite unique. One main stage directly located under the roof topped airfield in the middle of the building and two side stages in the hangers within the gigantic building made this festival very special. The event was very well produced and instituted various measures to ensure high safety standards. Since the fatal disaster at the Loveparade in Duisburg, much has changed in Germany. Limited capacities in the two hangars on the opening day of Berlin Festival on the night of Friday September 10, an incident at the entrance of Hangar 4 led to drastic changes to the festival program. Melt Booking had set up separate gates 20 metres before the hangars in order to con-

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trol the flow of people into the hangar. In a press release regarding the incident the promoters wrote: “Since a lot of people were denied entrance at hangar 4, a very few festival goers vented their displeasure via aggressive behaviour towards the security and the police resulting in uncontrolled activity in front of the pass gate at a late hour. This consequently led to the police’s recommendation to discontinue the event even though the hangar itself was not overcrowded at any time, and the authorities’ regulations and requirements regarding the hangar’s capacity were satisfied.” After the incident Melt Booking rescheduled many concerts and even cancelled some of them, just to make sure of avoiding a repeat situation. But what comes out of this shows how seriously safety measures are being taken in Germany since Loveparade One visitor wrote a readers letter to Pop100 after a report on the incident at Berlin Festival, saying that he was in the group of people that wanted to enter Hangar4 and at no time did he have the impression that he was in any danger. He described the situation as normal for festivals when people are queuing up. After the incident Melt Booking undertook enormous efforts, printed over night leaflets about the changes in the line up and set up trouble shooter counters where punters could receive their money back when they wanted so. However, as a result, on the second day the Berlin Festival continued smoothly and only a minority claimed their money back due to the significant changes in the line up of the event.

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The music business community

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Reeperbahn Campus Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Hopefully you will be reading this just before this increasingly important event, Sept 23-25, if so try and come along, if you’re reading it whilst in Hamburg please come along to the panels mentioned below, three, perhaps four, will be hosted by your’s truly so come and say hello.

mour Stein, who discovered international stars like Madonna, the Ramones, Talking Heads, The Cure or The Pretenders, will then open up the in-depth discussion with his keynote “Memories of Germany… and others” on Thursday, 23.09.2010, 3.00 p.m., at the Schmidt Theater.

& Rock Buma Cultuur) will introduce the EuroSonic Nooderslag Festival to the audience. Moderator Olaf Furniss (UK, Born to be Wide) will then take a short (outside) look at the music scene and music industry in Germany. Thursday, 23rd of September, 7.00 p.m., Grünspan.

If you are looking for “New International Music” in Germany, 180 bands and solo artists from 20 nations will appear in clubs and venues, most of which are walking distance from each other, during the Reeperbahn Festival. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Reeperbahn Festival the First Mayor of Hamburg, Christoph Ahlhaus, will welcome the guests. Following this the State Minister Bernd Neumann (Photo), Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, will hold a speech on the importance of funding for Popular Music in for Germany. Sey-

Reeperbahn Campus aspires to be a new fixture for all professionals of the creative industries in northern Europe and will present some 70 events .

Also on Thursday 23rd, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm, I will have the pleasure of moderating three panels. Starting off with:

Music City Hamburg: In 1997 the traditional industry meeting point “Music City Hamburg” was established. This is where the local, national and international music industry meets up to discuss current topics. This year’s topic: “National and international networking”. During the informal get-together Peter Smidt (NL, Creative Director EuroSonic and Manager Pop

‘Do They Ever Listen to Music?!’ will look at how the music industry features, or doesn’t, alongside other cultural industries in the workings of diverse national and regional political and administrative bodies throughout Europe. Panelists: Peter Smidt, NL (Eurosonic Festival) Phil Patterson, UK (UK Trade & Investment), Egbert Rühl, DE (Hamburg Kreativgesellschaft) and Aline Renet, FR (Prodiss - Veranstalterverband)

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Festival season 2010/11; 4:00 pm-5:00 pm, the name is pretty self explanatory and I will be joined by international festival promoters, Stefan Lemkuhl, DE (Melt!) Christof Huber, CH (Sankt Gallen Open Air), Rikke Oxner, DK (Roskilde Festival), Rob Challice, UK (Association of Independent Festivals), and Eric van Eerdenburg, NL (Lowlands). We will consider the trends of the festival season 2010, look at how the business did, and, most important, what are the results for the upcoming season. The Sound of Politics, 5:15 pm-6:15 pm, is the second stage of an experiment – a Transpanel format consisting of a series of single performances that allows expanding an idea and a process of understanding over 3 different events: C’n’B – Creative Business Convention, Cologne – Reeperbahn Campus, Hamburg – You are in Control, Rejkjavik. This uses ‘fishbowl’ format involving panellists but bringing on-stage, into the ‘fishbowl’ audience members who wish to contribute to the ongoing discussion. The first step: at C’n’B - June: addressed The Sound of…Creativity - Production, Distribution, Communication of Music and Creative Content. In Hamburg the Second step moves on to: The Sound of…Politics - Social Responsibility and Political Influence of Music. Panelists include Benny Adrion, DE (Founder of Viva Con Agua), Zhou Yunpeng, CN (Chinese folk singer), Kolbrun Halldorsdottir, IS (artist, journalist, Minister for the Environment (2009), Minister for Nordic Cooperation (since 2009), President of the Federation of Icelandic Artists (since 2010), and Jacob Bilabel (Green Music Initiative. The Third and final step will take place at You are in control (see separate story below – Ed.) – September, Reykjavic, and will conclude with - The Sound of…Change Music and Creatives as Game Changers. Reeperbahn Campus in cooperation with Network Europe will invite all Reeperbahn Campus delegates to meet agents, bookers, promoters and talent buyers from all over Europe on Saturday 25.09., 12 - 4 pm, at Restaurant Medusa.

Reeperbahn Festival

Network Europe is the only international association for agents, bookers, promoters and talent buyers, and is represented at Reeperbahn Campus by several members. This Speed Meeting session (or, if you wish, Match Making, or One-on-Ones) of course also offers the opportunity to Speed Meet with all other Reeperbahn Campus delegates who participate.

Network Europe members that attend Reeperbahn Campus are: Alessandro Ceccarelli (Estragon Lab, Italy), Attilio Perissinotti (Virus Concerti, Italy), Chris Burr (S.O.F.A. Agency, Switzerland), Christian Bilda (x-why-z, Germany), Christoph Storbeck (Striker Entertainment, Italy), Hilde Spille (Paperclip Agency, The Netherlands), Mattias Albinsson (Headstomp Productions, Sweden), Nuno Saraiva (ArtHouse, Portugal), Rob Berends (Paperclip Agency, The Netherlands), Sabine Waltz (IBD Booking, Germany), Sasha Vadillo (x-why-z, Germany), Thomas Ryjord (Polar Artist, Norway) and Tom van Dingenen (Quiet Concerts, Belgium). .

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German Music Conventions Join up for Reeperbahn Event: There has been a definite rise in the number of German music business conferences in the last two years, and with the return of Popkomm this year, much discussion has revolved around the competition amongst the events. But cooperation appears to be the way of the (foreseeable) future, as three of the annual events have decided to cooperate via a new joint venture called ‘Drei Dimensionen’ (Three Dimensions). Reeperbahn, Berlin Music Week and Cologne’s c/o pop will be hosting an event next Saturday as part of Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival. The idea is to individually promote each location’s vital music scenes and trade associations, whilst further developing German music culture and jointly presenting it on an international scale. Reps from the Three Dimensions will be revealing more about their collaboration at the Campus Lounge at the Reeperbahn Festival on Saturday at 6pm. More about the Reeperbahn Festival is online at: www.reeperbahnfestival.com

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Manchester Apollo Becomes O2 Apollo Manchester Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Live Nation have announced that one of the UK’s premiere concert venues, the Manchester Apollo will officially be changing its name to O2 Apollo Manchester with immediate effect.

The O2 Apollo Manchester will add to the existing O2 Academy portfolio, which has been in operation for just over 2 years. The O2 Apollo Manchester is owned and operated by Live Nation and becomes the 15th venue in the Live Nation / Academy Music Group partnership. The Grade II listed venue will undergo a full interior re-decoration in keeping with its Art Deco style. O2 customers will get the same benefits, which include access to tickets 48 hours before general release on O2 Priority. O2 Apollo Manchester has been a mainstay of the British touring circuit for decades, attracting Best Venue nominations and presenting shows from every major rock, pop and comedy act on the touring circuit. With both fully seated and part-standing formats, the venue increases its footfall and presentations year on year. Paul Latham, COO International, Live Nation commented, “It gives me great pleasure to announce this partnership with O2 and it facilitates our investment in one of the greatest music venues in the UK. Concert fans deserve the best and this partnership delivers that and so much more”

The O2 Apollo Manchester

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Festival Awards Voting Opens

Saving the Golden Goose: An Investigation of the present State of Live

Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Voting is now open for the UK Festival Awards which will take place alongside the UK Festival Conference at the O2 Dome on 18 Nov. The long lists for each category will go live today at: www.festivalawards.com Everyone who votes will be entered into a draw to win tickets to the 2011 editions of every festival, which wins a prize at this year’s awards. Recently appointed Festival Awards MD James Drury said: “It’s been a fantastic season, which has further demonstrated the British love of Festivals. The UK Festival Awards is the chance for the public to tell the industry, which were their favourite events. Last year 500,000 votes were cast and we’re expecting even more people will get involved this time”.

On September 23 at PRS headquarters in London a Music Tank panel will investigate the present situation for live, addressing the possibility, or more likely the probability, that the music industry’s dependence on live returns to make up shortfalls in other areas is finally taking its toll. Although on the surface all seems well at present with the UK boasting the most successful live market in the world, with six of the world’s top ten earning venues, and combined tickets sales of £2.9million for the first half of 2010, this session is based on the premise that if looked at more closely things aren’t all they seem. The panel outline notes that ‘With more and more people looking to get in on the action and with artists’ growing dependence on touring revenue, booking fees have risen, ticket prices have followed and just as night follows day, the past twelve months has seen a surge in the number of tours, concerts and festivals under perform or even be cancelled.’ The session will ask what can be done to give the public a better experience. The panel will include artist managers, booking agents and promoters. VIP will report on the outcomes of this discussion in the next issue. Full details on: www.musictank.co.uk

PRS Tariff Increase Proposals: Live Nation chief operating officer Paul Latham is unable to attend the gathering at Copyright House but Music Week reports that he has written to the organisers to contribute his opinions on one of the main topics he wishes to see discussed, namely PRS For Music’s proposals to increase the tariff live music has to pay to songwriters and composers. He writes, “The bounty hunters that are PRS are looking for a bigger slice of a pie that they already get more of, given theirs is a flat 3% of the box office income. Thus in all the time ticket prices have been rocketing those who genuinely deserve to be rewarded for their endeavours have benefited while at the same time other participants in the equation have seen their margins compromised.” He adds, “If it really was an attempt to deliver more to songwriters I would question why nearly 12p in every £1 collected goes to the overhead of PRS….in such austere times that would be the first place to look I would think.” PRS are waiting to receive industry responses to a consultation document available on www. prsformusic.com/customerconsultation before presenting their proposals to the industry.

Paul Latham COO Live Nation

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Creative Industries Conference in Iceland Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Two years of O2 World Berlin Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

On September 10th the O2 World Berlin celebrated its 2nd birthday, having attracted over 2.75 million people to 266 events in its first two years. Detlef Kornett, , and Mike Keller, O2 World Berlin share their positive look back.

Reykjavik, Iceland

You are in Control, an international conference exploring digital business developments in the music, media, arts and gaming industries, will take place for the fourth consecutive year in Reykjavik, Iceland. The conference is hosted by Iceland’s creative industries and aims to empower attendees with knowledge on how to maneuver in the fast changing digital distribution world. You Are In Control brings together prominent players from all the creative industries in a cooperative fashion to answer some of digital debate’s most burning questions: How to expand the pie so everyone receives their fair share? What unites design, music, films, visual arts and gaming? How do business models already overlap and what does the future hold? Speakers confirmed for 2010 include Yancey Strickler, cofounder of Kickstarter, Benji Rogers, creator of PledgeMusic.com and Christopher Peterka, founder of the consultancy firm Gannaca.

CEO Anschutz Entertainment Group Detlef Kornett said, “We are quite happy with the numbers for these first two years. Our goal has always been to attract three million visitors and host 300 events over the first three years – we will reach those numbers at a much earlier stage. One of the reasons for the success is surely the O2 World’s wide-ranging appeal since a great number of our visitors come from Berlin’s surrounding areas. We are especially happy to see that the demand for our premium-products such as event suites and premium-seats continues to grow. The turnover in premium sales has doubled compared to year one which proves that our premium products that were not self-explanatory eventually established themselves in the marketplace and were embraced by satisfied customers.”

»It is our objective to be even more flexible and responsive to market requirements« - Mike Keller

O2 World Berlin

about meeting the customer’s demand. My greatest debt of appreciation goes to all of our O2 World partners, especially to our founding partner and suite-holder O2, the promoters, service providers and public authorities, as well as to the whole Anschutz Entertainment Group team for the constructive and successful collaboration in the first two years.” In 2010 the Anschutz Entertainment Groups founded the Anschutz Entertainment Group hilft e.V. to support several non-profit organizations in Berlin. The charity currently promotes projects of Grenzkultur/Shake!, the doctor’s and dental surgery for homeless people at Stralauer Platz of the MUT GmbH, the Arche in Friedrichshain, as well as the initiative fit-4future and other selected projects in close proximity to the O2 World. Money will only be donated to found specific activities or acquisitions, not projects in general.

General Manager Mike Keller comments, “Over our first two years of operation we have learned a lot and, by now have identified the potentials for adaption and innovations. It is our objective to be even more flexible and responsive to market requirements. That is why we have developed a ‘half-house-configuration’, which accommodates between 5.000 and 8.000 people. With this, the O2 World will create more interest not only for small concerts but also for company-events, fairs and TV productions. In addition to that, we have managed to increase the standing room capacity of the ground level by up to 1.300. Standing room is particularly popular at rock and pop concerts as well as at dance events and we are highly delighted Mike Keller General Manager O2 World

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Even during periods without events in the Arena, the area surrounding the O2 World attracted numerous visitors. Over 60.000 people attended the sand-sculpturesexhibition Sandsation and the Beach-Volleyball European Championships had over 20.000 spectators on the spot. The “Ausbildungsplatztag - 2010” (apprenticeship training position day) which was held in cooperation with the Job Centre, welcomed 5.000 adolescents on the arena plaza in front of the O2 World, who were looking for apprenticeship training position. The O2 World-team supported the Job Centre in the execution and organization of the plans and provided the area free of charge. This year, for the first time, the O2 World Ticketing department took over the ticketing services for three external events;

the track and field event ISTAF at Olympiastadium, Sandsation and the BeachVolleyball European Championships. O2 World Ticketing was responsible for the complete organization and implementation of the ticket sales including the setup of the events in the O2 World-ticketing system, the sales process of the in-house call centre, the maintenance of events on site, running the box offices and marketing- and promotion- activities. For the ISTAF 45.000 tickets were sold by the O2 World’s selective distribution. The collaboration with the ISTAF will continue in 2011. The expansion of this business field is planned. So far the O2 World has played host to: Metallica, Herbert Grönemeyer, Tina Turner, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Alicia Keys, Udo Jürgens, Leonard Cohen,

Beyoncé, Neil Young, Coldplay, NOKIA Night of The Proms, Britney Spears, Die Toten Hosen, KISS, Michale Bublé, Wetten, dass..?, ECHO 2009, MTV Europe Music Awards, Nena, boxing matches of Vitali Klitschko against Samuel Peter and of Arthur Abraham against Jermaine Taylor, Basketball Final Four, Rihanna, Saltimbanco, Peter Gabriel, The Black Eyed Peas, Green Day, Depeche Mode, Fleetwood Mac, Muse, a-ha, Mario Barth. Up-coming event-highlights include: “We Are One” with Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren and Underworld, Sting, Santana, Supertramp, Linkin Park, Marius MüllerWesternhagen, David Garreth, Peter Maffay, Simply Red, Mario Barth, NOKIA Night of The Proms, Michael Flatley – Lord of the Dance, Die Fantastischen Vier, Joe Cocker, André Rieu, Roger Waters – The Wall, Kylie Minogue and much more.

Pledge Music Work with Gang of Four Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

In past issues we have mentioned the activities of Pledge Music who work with artists in the raising of fan funding. Pledge helps artists and bands design a specifically tailored fundraising campaign to raise money for their next release and encourages the artists to participate with their fans by creating exclusive content and experiences. The list can be anything from DJing at your house party, to attending a rehearsal, or even a movie and dinner with the band. At present 1473 acts are using the Pledge facility. Most recently long established band, Gang of Four released Content, their first set of new songs in 16 years, funded entirely over the internet, via Pledge having gathered 417 pledges of money. “What I’ve been thrilled by over the years is that our music still seems to make sense to our audiences, however old they are,” Andy King said in a statement, “and these days they’re mostly under 30.”. They also sold signed T-shirts, hand-written lyric sheets, and box sets including phials of band-members’ blood. Fans also bought cassette Walkmans with bootlegs of Gang of Four’s first gig, costing

£175. The band have been issuing updates throughout the creation of the record, as well as downloadable ephemera like old gig posters and reviews. Pledge founder Benji Rogers told VIPNews, “ Things at PledgeMusic have really been moving from strength to strength. We’ve been excited and humbled by both the amazing calibre of artists and also their seemingly endless creativity in the way that they communicate with their fans.

Since launch our success rate amongst artists has hit 77%, which we are constantly trying to improve upon and the platform is scaling wonderfully to cater to the number of bands that are now coming to us. We are now working with both signed and unsigned artists and have some key appointments in both the US, UK and now Australia & are now running campaigns landed in five currencies. We couldn’t be happier though we could all use a bit more sleep.”

Benjii Rogers - Pledge Music

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The Summit Introduces Live Awards Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

This year’s edition of The Summit, the event organised by live business magazine LIVE UK, takes place on 6-7 October at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London’s West End, and is followed by the inaugural Live Music Business Awards (LMBAs), which will present accolades across 25 categories, ranging from Best Venue Teamwork and Agent of the Year to Unsung Hero and Best Record Company Partner

Summit registration costs £315 + VAT, with a special rate of £275 + VAT available until 10 September. See www.livemusicuk.com and www.livemusicawards.com

HMV’s CEO Simon Fox, who led the take-over of venues and festivals owner MAMA Group earlier this year by the High Street music retailer, will be the principle keynote speaker at LIVE UK The Summit. (See story below) Other major speakers at the event will include John Giddings of Solo, agent for artistes such as Madonna, U2 and the Rolling Stones; Neil Warnock, worldwide CEO of The Agency Group; Sonisphere festival co-founder Stuart Galbraith of Kilimanjaro Live; CAA agent Emma Banks, Primary Talent International agent Dave Chumbley and See Group CEO Rob Wilmshurst. John Giddings will keynote The Summit in London

Reports Indicate Big Losses at HMV Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

According to a report in UK Newspaper The Daily Mail, HMV has lost a tenth of its value after warning that its push into live music events had failed to live up to its billing. Although CEO Simon Fox is scheduled to give a keynote speech at The Summit event in London (see above story in this issue), which was expected to be ‘bullish’, recent events have not been positive for the books and music retailer. HMV’s first foray into the festival market with the High Voltage festival featuring ZZ Top and Foreigner in London’s Victoria Park in July was not a success, Fox was reported as saying, “‘Our expectations for a brand new, year-one festival were just too high.”

major venues with the HMV tag, Fox said his aim for the company is to “have a venue in every major city”, and provide a comprehensive service for music fans. In the press release for The Summit (see above) in reference to his keynote speech, the following quote from Fox is used, “Not only will what HMV achieves in the live sector have a huge impact, if successful, but it will also change the shape of music marketing and distribution for the wider music industry.” However the initial results of business in the concerts and festival world have not

provided the boost needed to offset the loss of 89-year old HMV’s music business to the internet. Sales at its music store chain fell a massive 14.9 per cent between May and September, even worse than City analysts had expected. However, to be fair to Simon Fox, it is still early days, he made a bold move and it’s difficult to imagine what other sector, other than live, in the overall music business he could have targeted to recover HMV’s fortunes. Let’s see what happens in the longer run.

Last year’s £46million purchase of Hammersmith Apollo venue owner Mama Group was seen as a bold and initially effective move to revive HMV’s fortunes by moving into the more buoyant live music scene. Having already branded several hmv

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Werner Ponesch Passed Away Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com

Werner Ponesch

The managing director of the Posthof in Linz died on September 3. Since 1985 Werner Ponesch had been one the driving forces behind the Posthof venue in Linz in Austria. He leaves a wife and three children. Ponesch was a very passionate music manager who also launched the independent record distribution company Ixthuluh. The Posthof whicht celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2008 is currently considering setting up a farewell tribute concert for Ponesch.

25 Years of AVO Sessions in Basel Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com

It’s quite a unique set up, the framework for the AVO Session’s in Basel, Switzerland; the list of acts of top artists playing in an exclusive environment in the Festhalle of the Basel Fair, the number of broadcasts of live music recordings taken from the AVO Sessions and the fact that the AVO Sessions even have their own fan club of local heavyweights that support the sessions financially. A look at the current list of artists playing the 25th anniversary edition of the AVO Sessions reveal that this concert series is taken very seriously. The opening concert on October 22 features Jamiroquai and Roy Ayers, followed by Robert Plant and the Band of Joy on October 23, Sheryl Crow on October 25, Ray Davies and Razorlight on October 26. Further concerts until November 14 include artists such as Mary J. Blige, Joe Jackson, Anastacia and Jessye Norman.

VIP-News: Who had the idea for the AVO SESSION Basel and how did it all get started? Matthias Müller (President): I founded the festival in 1986 together with two colleagues. Today I am happy to run the Avo Session Basle in its 25th jubilee edition together with Beatrice Stirnimann, as the other founders are not working in our company anymore. We started as a fiveday-festival in five different locations and it was quite informal if you compare it to today’s 30 TV-recorded concert highlights. VIP-News: Looking back, what has changed in terms of the early years and recent editions for the Avo Sessions.

The line up of previous editions featured such prominent names as Chuck Berry, Pink, Natalie Cole, Tom Jones, Diane Krall and upcoming artists such as Emiliana Torrini, Amy Mc Donald or Stefanie Heinzmann.

Beatrice Stirnimann (CEO): In the first years we only covered jazz, blues and gospel. After a while we integrated world music, singer-songwriting and in the past years our main focus turned towards pop, rock and soul. But we will never forget our roots, which are based on jazz, blues and gospel. This year we are happy to present Jamie Cullum and Dianne Reeves playing the same night what means a lot of fun for us.

VIP-News spoke to Beatrice Stirnimann and Matthias Müller of the AVO Session’s about their history and the development as a media format.

VIP-News: You have many top artists playing your events. Due to the limited size of the Festsaal Basel, how do you finance these concerts?

Avo Session

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Matthias Mueller: The reason why huge acts like Mary J. Blige, Pink or Robert Plant accept to play our small 1,530-seats venue is our image. We managed to prove to artist managers and agents that we are a very reliable partner. The artist receives a very nice fee (calculated per seat it might be one of Europe’s highest), and additionally the artist can get interesting added value like huge promotional impact due to our TV broadcasting clients in 40 countries on all 5 continents. This is especially interesting for Acts with new products like Jamiroquai in this year, who will launch his new CD at our event in a pre-listening show. VIP-News: Please tell us about the network of supporters. Who are these people and what are there motives? Beatrice Stirnimann: We have a group of commercial sponsors who can buy a limited number of tickets. They pay an upfront fee to be part of the festival. Further, we have a very prestigious members club. We have a lot of applications for participation but keep the club limited to 40 people. They support us in order we are in the position to afford our most expensive artists. Said support by Basel residents is unique and I doubt that such a members’ club consisting of festival fans could be founded in another city. VIP-News: How is the supporters network involved in the development of the AVO SESSIONS? Matthias Mueller: The festival format, program and concept is our idea and creation. We are quite experienced in balancing artist’s needs and requests and realize whether an artist fits our format or not. Therefore, a direct contact between artist and sponsor is not necessary. VIP-News: Does the supporters network also have an impact on the booking policy? Beatrice Stirnimann: Not directly, but if they have an input, we are happy to have a drink with them. VIP-News: How many people are working full time and how is the company structured?

Beatrice Stirnimann and Matthias Muller with Grace Jones

Matthias Mueller: For all operational work it’s Beatrice who is in charge with a team of 9 full time managers. So I have the privilege to focus on the program and special projects or to help wherever we have a problem. VIP-News: Does it become more difficult to convince artists to accept the production settings? Beatrice Stirnimann: No, we used to have more problems in the earlier days when our format was not yet known. Today, all big agencies and many different artist managers have experienced our high standards of production and they usually are very happy here. VIP-News: Which stage riders and productions caused you to raise your eyebrows? Matthias Mueller: James Brown wanted to use a helicopter to come to town from the airport. As I explained to his manager that it would take the same time from the airfield to the helicopter as it takes to get to the venue via car, he accepted our stretch limo… But basically, if an act accepts to play our format, he does this for a special reason and we always found ways of compromise so far. Our production director is Christoph Stahel, who is also in charge at the Montreux Jazz Festival, so this is a very experienced and relaxed guy. VIP-News: The AVO Sessions are widely exploited media wise in terms of broadcast arrangements. You even managed to establish your own media format. Can you please explain the settings for this part of the AVO Sessions; how does it work and how long did it take to develop this format?

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Beatrice Stirnimann: This is a long story and without all the legends that have already played our festival, we would never have reached this level. A lot of our success is based on a system of classical WIN-WIN situations. If the artist gets what he wants, he is prepared to grant rights to the festival in order that the festival can finance the high production costs of such high level TV recordings. We do not earn money from the broadcasts; we just want cost recovery for us and for the artist. We want to control what happens so that the artist can trust us. VIP-News: Has the demand for live concert recordings by TV stations risen in the recent past and how many media partners do you work together with? Matthias Mueller: No, the number of slots for live music has decreased so you need to offer the TV channels more for less money. That’s what they get: More quality, more variety of genres and a very reliable service. On the other hand we can create a huge impact for acts with new products what makes our festival sexy. VIP-News: How much do you have to deal with affiliated partners of artists such as record companies, publishers & managers when it comes to broadcasting agreements? Beatrice Stirnimann: Every artist has a different procedure and system of work. You have to understand a lot of different companies and personalities. You need to be able to travel and convince people. Based on 25 years of successful work we have achieved what it needs for this.

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VIP-News: In which way have these kind of arrangements evolved in the last of couple of years, in particular since you have to consider more and various media formats for clearance? Matthias Mueller: You can’t move in giant steps. Managers need to understand what’s in it for their clients and then they push the agents to book their artist at our festival. But one more time: If you don’t deliver the top-level quality at first, you won’t achieve managers’ attention. VIP-News: When you are intent on booking a certain artist, who do you approach first, the particular concert agent or the manager of the artist or even his record company? Matthias Mueller: Of course it’s the agent who is our contact person. In special cases – for example with new products – we have direct contact with band managers

and record companies. But it’s not our goal to go around the agent, that would confuse the process.

artists? Where does the audience comes from and what is your point of view on secondary ticketing platforms?

VIP-News: Quite early on you developed hospitality packages for corporate clients. What do these packages include and do these arrangements still sell well these days?

Beatrice Stirnimann: Fans have to be especially well informed and have to secure their tickets fast. We sell out some shows within minutes or hours. Our sold capacity is regularly between 97 and 100% of the whole ticket capacity and this has been our tradition for years.

Beatrice Stirnimann: You have to put more into a package than in the earlier days. But basically it’s the same: The price earning ratio has to be fair compared to other music festivals or similar events. The companies like our event, as they know exactly what they get. We again sold all hospitality packages in 2010. VIP-News: AVO Sessions became a brand for concerts of top artists in a more or less exclusive environment due to the limited capacity of the Festsaal Basel. What does this means for the ultimate fans of certain

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VIP-News: Were there any shows that ever caused you sleepless nights? Matthias Mueller: The worst case was when we presented B.B.King on Nov 1, 1986. Due to a chemical accident near Basel all flights and trains were cancelled for several hours. We did not know until the afternoon if the authorities would approve the show going ahead. But B.B.King came, played and won! This was exactly 25 years ago by the way...

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German Promoters Association IDKV to be Known as BDV Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Prior to the occasion of its forthcoming AGM, the German Promoters Association, known till now as IDKV, have taken the opportunity to remind the foreign media and others that it is constantly updating the English section of the website www.idkv. de in order to make information about its activities and researches readily available. The forthcoming AGM will see a change in the present branding acronym from idkv - to bdv. This changes the old initials to the actual name Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft, which has actually been in use since 2003. The new domain will be www.bdv-online.com. The mailaddress will change to info@bdv-online. com although the old communication details will still be usable. For further details visit the website or call Doris at +49 40 4605767 VIP-News spoke to Association President Jens Michow. VIP-News: How did the IDKV start? Jens Michow: First of all please allow me to correct you regarding our brand: our association is about to enter into the next 25 years with the new abbreviation: ‘bdv’.

This finally takes into account the fact that correctly this stands for ‘Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft’. The old abbreviation ‘idkv’ results from the 80’s, when the association was founded to represent agents. When in the beginning of the 90’s more and more promoters joined the association, we changed its name to ‘Federal Association for the Promotion Business’, however without changing the abbreviation too. So it’s now high time to bring the abbreviation into accordance with the name. VIP-News: Ok, so the ‘bdv’ started as an association of agents? Jens Michow: That’s correct. It was started in 1985 as a bastion against the German Federal Employment Office. At that time, the work of agents and managers was considered to be an illegal employment service. Punishment and banning from the profession of many colleagues was the consequence. Lots of companies gave up. When they started proceedings against my agency Michow Concerts, I initiated the idkv as an alliance against this practice. In response, we started proceedings against the Employment Office and in 1989 we finally secured a ruling by the Federal Social

Court stating that the work of agents and managers was not all a breach of law. By winning this extraordinary victory, the idkv had virtually achieved its aim, but as by that time more and more promoters had joined the association, we decided, to let the idkv become the professional trade association and representation of all German promoters, agents and managers. I know, that a common association of these three branches would be totally unimaginable in the UK or the US. However, it worked fantastically over here, as the main issues of all three branches are very similar.

»The German Parliament hears us whenever industry-related laws such as ‘withholding tax’, ‘artist social security’ or VAT- issues are to be changed« - Jens Michow

VIP-News: What is the AIM for bdv? Jens Michow: The general aim, or let me better say target, is to exert constant influence on an appropriate legal framework for our industry. We feel responsible for all our members’ professional issues. We have developed an influential network to connect with political Berlin and we are lobbying on all relevant legal issues affecting the branch. The German Parliament hears us whenever industry-related laws such as ‘withholding tax’, ‘artist social security’ or VAT- issues are to be changed. bdv’s yearly branch meetings and international conferences, especially on tax matters, are legendary. VIP-News: How many members do bdv have and what types of members? Jens Michow: Today the bdv represents more then 330 companies within the industry. The greatest numbers of them are promoters, followed by agents and managers. The level of members ranks from small one man companies to the big stock listed companies of the industry, be it the pro-

Board of IDKV with Jens Michow in front

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moters of the CTS Eventim Group, DEAG or the musical company Stage Entertainment AG, besides one to three single promoters. bdv now counts nearly every promoter in the pop and rock field as its members. VIP-News: What is the most important issues that IDKV has dealt with since it’s beginning in 1985? We are proud that we were able to provide professional education of the young generation through the establishment of an official apprenticeship. More then 8.000 (!) young people were approved as “Event Managers” since 2001. We had decisive influence in the German tax legislation, mainly the withholding taxation in the beginning of this century and the later transfer of the ruling of the European Court into German Law as well as the artist social security fund legislation, which we constantly try to keep as practicable as possible. We started in the 80’s to develop standard form contracts for promoters, agents and managers, which are used today by almost all companies. Since 1995 we have been releasing constant statistical data on the German concert and event market provid-

ing the only statistic information available to the branch. Just now we are working on the foundation of a bdv-collecting society in the interest of more efficient recognition of the ancillary copyright of the promoter. This will be unique in Europe. Our members are paying the monthly artist social fund contribution via an association ruled organisation. This is a unique relief on administration. And finally we succeeded in establishing, with LEA - The German Live Entertain¬ment Award, a highly renowned media event, which inimitably gathers every participant of the branch for one night in one location. By this, LEA has become ‘the’ yearly German meeting point for the whole industry and a most helpful voice for all issues of our business. VIP-News: What is the biggest challenge for bdv in the years to come? Jens Michow: Every year brings new challenges. If you had asked me five years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamt of what we have to deal with today. One of my personal aims is that the withholding taxation system gets totally abolished as in the Nether-

lands for example. I can’t see any reason, why at least European artists and production companies shouldn’t be taxed in their country of residence as is common procedure for all other companies. I am personally most involved as a lecturer in business education - be it in business schools or universities like the Pop-Academy Mannheim or the high school in Munique. Also the 2 ½ year apprenticeship of the event manager must become a more highly recognised qualification in the school system responsible for the theoretical part as well as by the companies responsible for the practical part of the education. The time of learning by doing has long expired. The industry needs real professionals, mainly with serious mercantile knowledge. Last but not least: although an association can’t do much about it: the industry has to make strong efforts in order to maintain control over artist fees and in consequence ticket prices. In Germany for two years in a row we have been faced with a substantial downturn in the turnover of the concert and event market. So far, it might not have led to severe consequences for many promoters, as sometimes less may even mean more, however: the writing is on the wall!

Having the right tools for the job is often the key to success. Through our ongoing communication with key Live Entertainment Industry Professionals, we have developed a range of services to meet the demands of agents, promoters, talent buyers, venue bookers etc. It’s no coincidence that we are now considered to be the No. 1 information provider for this thriving industry.

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VIP-Booking.com VIP-Booking.com is now the most widely used online information service for the European Live Entertainment Industry with subscribers in over 25 countries. Using the latest technology and state of the art tools, the service provides indepth information streamlining the day-to-day operations of industry professionals, saving both time and money.

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The VIP-Book The ultimate print directory for the European Entertainment Industry, packed with contacts and easy to use. An essential reference book for every oﬃce providing basic contact information and a solid overview.

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VIP-News Written by our highly merited journalists, Allan McGowan and Manfred Tari, with over 50 years of experience between them in the Entertainment Industry, VIP-News brings the latest news and views directly to your computer keeping you up to date at all times.

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Johannes Wessels quits at Live Nation Germany

artist avails ››

Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com

The March 2010 appointed managing director for Live Nation Germany has unexpectedly left the company. Wessels who brought in his team from his previous company Music Pool Europe to launch the company wasn’t available for a comment on the move. Currently only shows of five artists, Steve Winwood, Richard Marx, Ben Horward and Exit Calm are announced at LiveNation.de

tion Germany lead to speculation amongst industry insiders as to Live Nation’s future plans for the German concert market. Previously tours and concerts by Live Nation acts such as Sting and Shakira have been promoted by MLK and sold via CTS Eventim. Wessels former company Music Pool lately belonged to DEAG but is now in liquidation.

In the imprint of the website Alan Ridgeway and Niall Dunphy are named as managing directors of Live Nation Germany. Since 2007 Ridgeway is the CEO of the International Music Division of Live Nation. The latest developments at Live NaJohannes Wessels

Deadmau5 Territory: Period: Agency: Agent: E-mail: Homepage:

UK / Europe UK Winter 2010 Europe Spring - Summer 2011 WME - William Morris Endeavor Ent. Steve Hogan shogan@wmeentertainment.com www.deadmau5.com

Within Temptation Territory: Worldwide Period: March 2011 and onwards Agency: X-Ray Touring Agent: Paul Bolton Phone: + 44 (0) 20 7749 3500 E-mail: paul@xraytouring.com Homepage: www.xraytouring.com Adler’s Appetite Territory: Europe Period: 1/2/2011 - 1/3/2011 Agency: ARM Entertainment Agent: Dana Strutz Phone: +1 651 483 8754 E-mail: ds@armentertainment.com Homepage: www.adlersappetiteonline.com Groove Armada Territory: Europe / Worldwide Period: Europe Winter 2010 Worldwide 2011 Agency: WME - William Morris Endeavor Ent. Agent: Steve Hogan E-mail: shogan@wmeentertainment.com Homepage: www.groovearmada.com Admiral T Territory: Period: Agency: Agent: Phone: E-mail: Homepage:

Worldwide 2010 - 2011 CARAMBA Spectacles Clotaire +33 1 4218 1718 caramba@clotaire.fr www.caramba.fr

Sass Jordan Territory: Period: Agency: Agent: Phone: E-mail: Homepage:

Europe February / March Paperclip Agency Hilde Spille +31 24 323 9322 hilde@paperclip-agency.com www.paperclip-agency.com

More Artist avails on: www.vip-booking.com Post your Artist avails on: www.vip-booking.com 18 VIP-BOOKING.COM

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notice board ›› Another new service in the improved and redesigned VIP-News is the Notice-board, which is available for all readers. Reader’s messages will be posted on the Notice-board as a free service, passing on announcements, job postings, buying and selling notices, inquiries or alike. Announcements should be emailed to noticeboard@vip-booking.com

Popkomm 2010 upbeat after relaunch

Popkomm was successfully relaunched in 2010 and reclaimed its place as the leading platform for the music and entertainment industry. This was the first time Popkomm took place as part of the Berlin Music Week. Dr. Ralf Kleinhenz, Managing Director of Popkomm GmbH: “This week the city impressively demonstrated its potential as a creative venue. As the nucleus of the Berlin Music Week Popkomm positioned itself as an event that not only provides a forum for artistic creativity and new business models, but also for supply and demand. The positive mood on the stands was proof that the new concept and the new location were very well received.“ 60 per cent of the 470 exhibitors were from abroad, making Popkomm the leading international meeting place of the music and entertainment industry in Germany.

ic Thrift, Therese Aune and Yes Cadets played on stage at the Berlin Festival on the grounds of the former airport in Berlin Tempelhof.

Popkomm Showcase Festival – a major attraction for the public At the Popkomm Showcase Festival on 8 and 9 September, 60 artists and bands representing an eclectic range of music performed in front of audiences at 14 venues on the grounds of legendary Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, as well as in the pulsating neighbouring district of Kreuzberg. Over a period of two days Popkomm provided talented musicians from around the world with an ideal platform to showcase their acts in front of industry experts and music fans. In the past, Popkomm has launched the international music career of a number of artists. Some of the bands who performed at the Popkomm Showcase Festival have already made it onto the big festival stage this year too. In addition to performing at Popkomm, Cast of Cheers, De Staat, Jesse, Rich Aucoin, Spleen United, The Megaphon-

Sudhir Shreedharan, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, India: “I think Popkomm 2010 redefined the way in which Indian music labels export music content and talent internationally. We had a number of positive meetings and look forward to attending Popkomm 2011 with a much larger delegation.”

Peter James, Popbüro Region Stuttgart and VUT board member: “Happily the effort was worth it – Popkomm and the Berlin Music Week are the right pairing for Berlin to calmly face up to the challenges of the future. Keep up the good work!“ Scott Cohen, founder, The Orchard, USA: “I love the new postapocalyptic setting for the conference at the abandoned Tempelhof Airport. It is a living analogy of our industry. As the old ways crumble down a new business rises in its place. Popkomm is back. Better than ever.”

Rofhiwa Manyaga, Producer Manager, IMEXSA, Independent Music Exporters South Africa: “Popkomm 2010 was very helpful for us because we were able to meet people from different cultures, with whom we will exchange music in the future, among them Germany, Denmark, China, Austria and India.” www.popkomm.com

VIP-Booking ApS cannot be held responsible for loss or damages incurred as a result of transactions with individuals or companies through the notice board. We recommend all to make the necessary enquiries before entering into any agreements. VIP-Booking ApS may not, for reason of space, be able to post all announcements received. Announcements should be emailed to noticeboard@vip-booking.com, including name and email address. Please shorten your message to the extent possible, to make room for as many notices as possible.

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Member presentation ›› In In this this section section we we offer offer members members of of VIP-Booking.com VIP-Booking.com some some space space to to present present their their company company to to VIP-News VIP-News readers. readers. If you would also like to present your company please contact Peter Briggs at pb@vip-booking.com If you would also like to present your company please contact Peter Briggs at pb@vip-booking.com

European Talent Broker AB European Talent Broker is an independent company within the Swedish music industry. Our main activities are to exclusively represent record-artists as tour agents, tour producers and/or as management. The company represents 10 artists today. (enclosure: roster) History/ The company Siljemark Production was founded by Lars Telbrant and Jonas Siljemark in 1992 and grew to one of the bigger agency’s in Europé within it’s niche during the 1990s, with clients such as Ace of Base, Dr Alban, E-type, Haddaway, Culture Beat, Rednex, Lutricia McNeal and many more. During the autumn of 1997 Siljemark Production merged with Sweden based United Stage and formed one of the largest agency’s in Scandinavia called United Stage Artists 2001. Lars Telbrant sells his stocks in United Stage and founds the new agency and management company European Talent Broker AB Geographic/ The Company is situated in Rosersberg just outside of Stockholm, Sweden, its focus is on the World wide market Activity/ European Talent Broker is a service company for its client. The agency part of the company’s responsibilities include… * Booking tours and concerts * Economising the project * Renting of technical equipment / hiring of personnel * Arranging travel, transport and accommodation * Project direction and co-ordination * Sponsorships * Consultation in general management with the project * Consultation in marketing and copyright legislation * Consultation with record companies. Current Roster/ ALCAZAR / Top 3 in Germany, Top 2 in Italy, Top 13 in UK etc during 2001 with the song “Dancing in the discoteque” ARMY OF LOVERS / New album out “Le Grand docu-Soup” BOBBY FARRELL / Former member of Boney M with more than 150 million sold units and hits like “Daddy

Cool”, “Sunny, Ma Baker”, “Rivers of Babylon”, “ Rasputin” and many more. Bobby is currently working in the studio on his new album together with parts of the “Army of Lovers/Alcazar/Vacuum” production team. This is something to look up for. BOSSON / Top ten in 10 country’s in Europé with the song “One in a million” DEE / The sidekick of E-type has gone solo, now with two released singel’s in the luggage. The new upcoming singel is the titel team from the American movie “Blade” DR ALBAN / World wide mega star with over 11 million albums sold. Hits: “Its my life” “Sing halleluja”, “Hello Africa”, “No coke” and many more. LUTRICIA MCNEAL / 1,2 million of the debut album “My side of town” and 1,5 million of the first singel “ Aint it just a way” sold throughout the world. New album released during 2002 partly produced by Brian Rawling (Tina Turner, Cheer, Enrique Iglesias etc.) REDNEX / Number 1 in the German chart for 10 weeks with the song “spirit of the hawk” autumn 2000. Other hits “Cotton eye joe”, “Old pop in an oak”, Wish you where here”. New singel of the upcoming album is released during march 2002 RICHI M / Released his debut album 1998 and the second album “Songs of tomorrow” the year after. Both of them top 20 in the Swedish chart and was also nominated to the Swedish Grammy Award in the category of “Modern dance”. Richi M makes us dance. A few people are born to make people dance and he is one of them. The first singel of the new album will be released soon. VACUUM / Biggest territory’s, Scandinavia and Russia. Biggest hit: “II breathe” Specialization / Dance & pop oriented festivals Rantarock festival in Vaasa Finland Beat machine festival / Beiruth, Dubai Gorgy park dance festival / Moscow / 150 000 in the audience/

About Our Company VIP-Booking’s core product is the Internet’s oldest and largest database for the European Live Entertainment Industry www.vip-booking.com developed as a tool for industry professionals. Since it’s launch in the year 2000, we have consistently offered our subscribers the very best in database services and now boast subscribers in over 30 countries.

Today VIP-Booking offers a range of tools for the industry – including VIP-News, VIP-Booking, VIP-Book and VIP-Contract. Please visit vip-booking.com for further information. Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

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