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McGowan’s Musings: Firstly, I hope that you’re all located where you wish to be – home, office, the country you usually live in, and if you can’t make it back I hope you’re extending your time on a sunny beach somewhere! Iceland has not had a good time of it of late, what with financial meltdown and rising debts; this is not the sort of new export that they need – we said ‘cash, not ash!’ you can hear the creditors cry. But this is a serious situation, and obviously our business is badly affected, with many acts unable to be in the right place at the right time to fulfill touring commitments. Please let us know if you have had problems, as we’d like to get a more definite picture of the true situation. Certainly it has reminded us all in the UK that we live on an island, and seaborne and tunnel travel has its limitations. At the time of writing I’m due to fly to Norway in ten days time (see Bergenfest story in this issue) and I’m very aware that what at first appeared to be a 2 or 3 day inconvenience now seems to have no accurate estimate of a return to normal. If you listen to the talk at events such as the ILMC, promoters are an increasingly put-upon sector of commercial society;

Allan McGowan

ever decreasing profit margins, more and more health and safety obligations and restrictions, lack of support from other sectors of the business – particularly record companies, and increasing financial and rider demands from greedy artists. It’s a hard life and you’d wonder why many continue with such an arduous profession, apart from the glamour of it all! But there is some truth in all of this, so there is some justifiable satisfaction that Prince may now be referred to as the Artist Currently Known As the Bloke that had to pay the Irish Promoter $3 Million. On March 26, a Dublin judge ordered the U.S. pop singer to pay $2.95 million to Irish concert promoters MCD Productions Ltd for canceling a 2008 concert at the last minute. Justice

Peter Kelly ruled that Prince had committed to perform in Dublin’s 82,300-seat Croke Park in June 2008, but withdrew without explanation just days beforehand, after 55,000 tickets were sold. Prince (51) did not testify at the hearing. The artist’s agency, William Morris, was absolved of liability, agent Marc Geiger testified that he rarely spoke to Prince directly and found him one of his toughest clients to understand or nail down – surely not? When told that MCD owner Denis Desmond was on the warpath, Prince apparently said, “Tell the cat to chill. We will work something out.” Good for Denis! However Prince is a remarkable performer, so we hope he makes his only three concerts this summer. On the 4th of July, he is playing at Roskilde (DK), on the 9th in Arras (FR), and on the 10th of July he is closing off his short stay in Europe with a concert at Werchter’s Festival Park This will be my last Musings before the UK General Election on May 6th, so the next issue may be written from a country with a totally new Government. The attitudes and approaches of those in power will be very relevant to the future of the creative industries, of which the music industry, including of course the live industry, is a

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very important sector, from both trade and cultural points of view. The ‘Politics of Live’ panel at ILMC 22 in March focused on the importance of lobbying for the support required to ensure the future health of our industry. The upshot of the discussion was that the live music industry falls behind many other sectors of the creative industries in fighting its own corner, for instance, of all the sectors of the music industry, live is the only one not represented within UK Music (see story in this issue) – a voluntary working party of concerned professionals has set about examining ways to improve this situation – both in the UK and mainland Europe. Without doubt the live industry was shaped and built by individual entrepreneurs, mavericks basically, and the resourcefulness and inventiveness of characters like this should remain at the core of how things are done, but we are now a mature industry and we should learn lessons from the way film, television, theatre and other sectors have gone about establishing their economic and cultural importance. If you have anything to say about our relationships with national and regional government please let us know.

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After all, it’s a good time to get active – travel’s off the agenda for a few days – weeks, months? Still, hopefully every cloud – even when composed of ash has a silver lining! Ladies and Gentlemen – the News!

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

MU, MMF and FAC to Collaborate Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Right, try and make a recognisable word from the above acronyms! Well, if you can’t it’s still worth noting that, The Musician’s Union, Featured Artists Coalition and Music Managers Forum have announced close collaboration on areas of common interest. Both the MU and MMF are affiliated with UK Music, as are the BPI (British Phonographic Industries) and the Music Publishers Association, but there have been, and doubtless will be, occasional disagreements between creators and corporates, so collusion amongst the creatives seems to make sense. This alliance will see support from the FAC and MMF to the Music Supported Here campaign led by the MU. This aims to encourage and enable musicians to engage directly with their fanbase on copyright issues, assuming that artists may be better placed to persuade music fans that the legal process of buying or listening to music online is the right route to take, than a perceived authoritarian industry initiative. Under this same banner is another supported campaign called ‘Artist As Retailer’, aimed at persuading record companies to automatically concede the right to artists to directly sell their own recordings via their own websites and social network profiles, and to be recognised in the same way as retailers, enjoying the retailer cut of the download fee in addition to the royalty they are due under their record contract. This could apparently see a five-fold increase in an artist’s income from a download, The Musicians’ Union’s Assistant General Secretary Horace Trubridge is reported as saying, “Our three organisations basically share the same agendas, in as much as we are about looking after creators and performers. We want to

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deal with the big issues that we think are wrong with the industry. In terms of putting the artists directly in contact with the fans, and cutting out all of the people in between, I don’t have any doubt that Music Supported Here will become a kind of vanguard, in what will become the industry norm in years to come”.

sation has a lot to bring to the coalition. All this lays the groundwork for a powerful collaboration. Coming together in this way has never happened before and has largely been brought on by the narrowing of the gap between artist and fan; a change that brings lots of opportunity for all those who support and represent artists”.

FAC’s Membership & Development Director Matthew Brown added: “The MMF, the FAC and the MU represent the interests of artists right across the board. Each organi-

MMF CEO Jon Webster added: “The MMF is delighted to be working more closely with the FAC and the MU on items of common interest. Managers have always represent-

ed featured artists, and their interests and those of musicians of all types need to be more aligned”.

Jon Webster

UK Music Calls for Cabinet Committee for Creative Industries Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

The music industry contributes enormously to the UK economy and UK Music, the umbrella group, which represents UK, labels, artists and managers is making sure that this UK Government, and whichever party is in power after the May 6 election, are kept aware of the fact. Feargal Sharkey, the former Undertones frontman and now UK Music chief executive states that Britain has the chance overtake America as the world’s biggest music producer over the next decade, but government help is needed to attain this goal. UK Music is calling for the government to form a ‘creative industries cabinet committee’ to bring the various and numerous departments responsible for Britain’s creative industries together with entrepreneurs and executives, to then report directly to the prime minister. In UK Music’s recently issued manifesto, Liberating Creativity, the organisation lobbies for easier access to finance and extension of copyright from 50 to 70 years, amongst other issues. As far as live music is concerned the call is for looser venue licensing so pubs and small clubs can give the next generation of artists a chance to perform. Liberal Democrat MP, Don Foster voiced his and his party’s concerns about the restrictions of the licensing laws on the development

of new talent in the December issue of VIPNews, commenting on the Live Music Bill introduced to parliament by Lib Dem Lord Tim Clement-Jones, who also took part in the ‘Politics of Live’ panel at ILMC 22. Although the Bill received support from some quarters in parliament, its failure to get support from the government meant it was unlikely to ever become law and it seemed doomed when parliament packed up for the election. However, the Liberal Democrats have now included some key points from the Bill in their election manifesto, indicating that they are confirming that this is an issue they will continue to lobby on once the next parliament and government are in place. A Music Week article reports that the Lib Dems manifesto says: “We will reintroduce the rule allowing two performers of unamplified music in any licensed premises without the need for an entertainment licence, allow licensed venues for up to 200 people to host live music without the need for an entertainment licence, and remove the requirement for schools and hospitals to apply for a licence”. The Labour Party manifesto refers briefly to amendments and The Conservative’s not at all.

people still look at music and think it is not a proper grown-up profession and that has got to change because ironically what some people in the world of finance might dismiss as nothing more than a couple of kids making noise in the back of a pub on a Friday night, when they grow up to be big boys and girls, the contribution and the impact that they will have on the rest of society is just – if not more – significant as some bloke with a double first from Cambridge working for a merchant bank in the City of London.”

UK Music argues that the success of venues such as the O2 and Glastonbury – which contributes an estimated £35m to the local economy each year – can only be sustained with a thriving grassroots live music scene. Feargal Sharkey said, “I think Feargal Sharkey

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New Conference & Showcase Event Planned for Paris Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

The organizers of the long established French Festival ‘Printemps Le Bourges’ plan to develop the trade event introduced at the 2009 festival. A new MaMA headquarters was announced at this month’s edition of the festival, this will be in Paris, based in Pigale and Moulin Rouge area, and the first edition of this major addition to the conference showcase event calendar will take place on October 15 & 16, 2010.

Concerts with a French and international line-up will be open to both professionals and punters at La Cigale, La Boule Noire, Les 3 Baudets, Le Divan du Monde, Le Centre Musical Fleury Goutte d’Or – Barbara and La Machine du Moulin Rouge. Acoustic gigs will also be presented in various bars in the 18th arrondissement

Clubbing and private after parties will be hosted at La Machine du Moulin Rouge, and the Elysée Montmartre venue will house the international Pro Village. MaMA will feature face to face and targeted meetings, thematic lunches and an online community exchange between music industries professionals, plus seminars, conferences, talks, workshops, and speed-meetings. Watch this space for more news.

Elysee Montmartre

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DTEP Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Support Programme for Netherlands Pop Music at German festivals during RUHR.2010 in the Metropole Ruhr: The list of artists from the Netherlands prominent in the music business is wide from Herman van Veen to Herman Brood to Within Temptation, from 2 Unlimited to DJ Tiesto. In almost all genres of pop music there are music and acts from the Netherlands claiming international success. Also, since the mid of the 1970s, the Netherlands has focused on cultural policy related aspects regarding the supporting of pop music. Building on these aspects and with a view to the occasion of the European culture capital year RUHR.2010, the support programme Dutch Talent Exchange Program (DTEP), a cutting-edge initiative to support popular music and the music business in the Netherlands and Germany was instigated.

DTEP is an important content of NL-RUHR, the joint platform for more than 150 Dutch cultural events during RUHR.2010. The management of the programme was directed by MusicXport.nl, the joint initiative of BUMA Cultuur, Muziek Centrum Nederland, and EuroSonic Noorderslag. DTEP also supports the festivals in the Metropole Ruhr, offering festival organisers from the district financial support as well as accompanying promotion if they book DTEP Dutch artists, bands and djs for their events. So not only the festivals and Dutch acts benefit from this scheme but also, indirectly, the German and Dutch concert agencies, labels and publishers. The organisers of the programme for the festivals in the Metropole Ruhr are free to choose which acts and djs from the Netherlands they want to book for their event. Throughout the whole summer festival

season promoters of small and big festivals will present Dutch acts from different music styles in North Rhine-Westphalia. For example, Armin van Buuren and 7 more Dutch dj-acts will appear in Dortmund at the Mayday Festival on April 30, Dutch hard rock band The Devil’s Blood will play at the RockHard festival at the Gelsenkirchen Amphitheater, 21 – 23 May, and the Ruhrpott Rodeo in Hünxe has confirmed the Reggae Ska Punk band YaYa The Cat for Whitsunday. More bands for festivals including Bochum Total, Zeltfestival Ruhr, Juicy Beats etc. will soon be announced.

FKP Scorpio operates new Open Air Area for Hamburg & Launches New Concert Series Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

“Hamburger Kultursommer” is the title for a concert series, which will be located at the Trabrennbahn Bahrenfeld, a trotting horse racing track in Hamburg. The concerts will be hosted in a 20.000 sq m area named ‘Luruper Bogen’, which is separated from the racing track. While in recent years shows with Robbie Williams and Peter Fox took place using the entire race track, this is no longer possible as since the complex was modernized it will host nothing other than horse races. The area is closely located to the O2 Arena and is able to accommodate between 5.000 to 15.000 visitors. In a press release Folkert Koopmans, MD of FKP Scorpio commented: “With the new location Hamburg will finally have a new attractive medium sized open air site that can accommodate up to 15.000 visitors and is able to compete with locations such as Wulheide in Berlin or the Tanzbrunnen in Cologne. This leads to better chances that Hamburg will now appear more often in

touring schedules of popular acts and artists. The area furthermore benefits from the fact that punters already know the site due to former concerts held there.” For the development of the site FKP Scorpio teams up with Winrace, a company specialized in horse race betting. FKP Scorpio now have the exclusive rights to promote shows and concerts at the Trabrennbahn Bahrenfeld. In order to improve the facilities on the site for open-air events, a six-digit figure will be invested. The grand opening for the site and the newly launched ‘Hamburger Kultursommer’ will be with a show from Blink 182 on August 24, Unheilig on August 27, Classic Rock Festival with Ten Years After and Jethro Tull as headliners and Xavier Naidoo on August 30. Koopmans furthermore announced: “We would like to offer more than just the concert experience. From the beginning onwards this year we will have

an attractive outdoor gastronomy that offers a wide range of quality food. It is one of our targets that concertgoers should arrive hours before the concert actually takes place. Therefore we will open the doors as early as possible so that they can meet with their friends in the beer garden or sunbathe on the site. In the long term perspective it might be possible to have several open air stages on the site so that during the summer season different acts will perform at the same time, like at events such as the Tollwut-Festival in Munich or the Zeltfestival in Freiburg.” Currently the deal is contracted to last until the summer season 2012.

FKP Scorpio

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c/o Pop Adds Creative Business to Convention Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

One of the most important women in the field of media and entertainment, Cristiana Falcone Sorrell, Senior Advisor to the Executive Chairman at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, is to give a keynote interview on at the C’n’B – Creative Business Convention to take place in Cologne on 24/25 June. The C’n’B is taking place as part of the c/o pop festival for the first time this year and is the first cross-sector platform in Europe for the creative industry as a whole. Sorrell’s talk will open the Convention on Thursday 24 June. On the two following days (international participants from the various sectors of the creative industry will discuss topics such as sustainability, new business models, and how to turn failure into an opportunity. Cristiana Falcone Sorrell has led the World Economic Forum’s Media, Entertainment and Information Community in Geneva and New York since 2004. At the C’n’B, Falcone Sorrell will report on the state of the creative industry worldwide. Her address will focus on both the increasing influence of digitalisation and the necessity of creating new networks to gain access to new partners and target groups in different creative sectors. Cristiana Falcone Sorrell

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Rejection (?) and Success in China – Dylan off - Ólafur Arnalds On Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Since Bjork’s well documented outburst against Chinese policies towards Thailand and the difficulties acts such as Oasis faced, it has been assumed that the Chinese government has adopted a shall we say, ‘unhelpful’, approach to Western artists wishing to appear in the country. Recently it was announced that permission had been refused for Bob Dylan to play two as part of a tour - which also included dates in Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. Chinese officials had so it was said, blocked plans for the singer songwriter to perform in Beijing and Shanghai. However there is some speculation that the tour’s Taiwanbased promoter had actually axed the tour because of financial problems rather than political setbacks. Now China’s Ministry Of Culture has issued a statement saying they never received an

application from the Dylan tour promoters to stage concerts in the country. Some Chinese industry commentators add that it’s not the first time promoters in the region have used alleged government intervention as an excuse for cancelling tours that turn out not to be commercially viable, which, if true, is of course not at all helpful to those in the West trying to develop and improve relationships with authorities, promoters and audiences. On the other hand - Iceland’s Ólafur Arnalds has played a sold out 8-City China tour’. Earlier this month the neo-classical composer and multi-instrumentalist playing to packed houses in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Qingdao, Wuhan, Tianjin and Hangzhou. Apparently, (showing that not all recent exports from Iceland are undesirable!) although it was his first time visiting

China, throngs of adoring fans requesting his autograph after each concert greeted the 23-year-old Mosfellsbær native. The tour was organised by China-based promoter Split Works in association with The Planetary Group, who have brought a wide range of artists to China including Sonic Youth from the USA and Jose Gonzalez from Sweden. The Ólafur Arnalds tour was undertaken as part of Split Works’ annual Jue Festival, the largest arts and music festival in China, which included 72 events in 2010 alone. The tour was a groundbreaking partnership between Split Works, Planetary Group and US-based artist-promoter matchmaking service Sonicbids to arrange an allexpenses paid, 8-city tour for one artist. There were no barriers to entry – anyone from anywhere in the world could apply. Split Works selected Ólafur Arnald from the applicants. “Our years of experience in the China market made it clear to us that Ólafur had the potential to be a massive success here,” said Abby Lavin of Split Works. “His modern take on classical composition make him a wonderful fit for contemporary China.”

»It’s so exciting to be able to bring new music to [China] and to see how much the people here appreciate what we do« - Robert Raths

“It’s so exciting to be able to bring new music to [China] and to see how much the people here appreciate what we do,” said Robert Raths of Erased Tapes records. “Our time in China has been great, and we made friends wherever we went.” “This tour was our most ambitious one yet. After 15 tours of China, we were excited to add in Hong Kong and Taiwan – and could not have been more thrilled with the results”, said Adam Lewis, Co-Founder of The Planetary Group. Olafur Arnalds

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Liverpool Sound City Adds Events Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

This year’s 19th – 22nd May edition of Liverpool Sound City 2010 extends its 2010 agenda beyond music; the festival will also play host to premiere movie screenings, photography exhibitions and a full music conference.

Ian McCulloch of Echo & the Bunnymen fame will play a rare intimate gig in the grand setting of St George’s Concert Room. He will also be joining the legendary Seymour Stein in conversation for a Keynote address at the Liverpool Sound City Music Business Conference at The Hilton Hotel on Wed 19th and Thu 20th May. In 1966 Stein founded Sire Productions which led to the formation of Sire Records the label under which he signed pioneer artists such as The Ramones, Talking Heads,The Pretenders, Madonna, Depeche Mode, The Smiths and Echo & The Bunneymen. Also appearing at this year’s conference are Brandon Young and Tim Riley - ActiVision Games USA, the major player in the gaming industry responsible for the hugely successful title Guitar Hero, Bernard Resnick, one of the business brains behind Lady GaGa, Patrik Larsson - Headlock Management one of Scandinavia’s

top management companies, Mark Jones from record label Wall of Sound, Geoff Meall - The Agency Group who looks after acts including Muse, Doves, Paramore etc. Julian Wall, Director Independent Member Services and International Events for British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) UK, Brent Grulke, creative director, South by South West USA, Alicen Schneider – NBC Universal USA, and others to be announced. New additions to the music line up presented over 35 Liverpool stages include Jim Jones Revue on Wednesday 19 May at the Zanzibar and The Phenomenal Handclap Band at Masque Theatre on 20th May. The Liverpool Sound City line-up also includes Gil Scott-Heron, Paloma Faith, Delphic, The Maccabees, Afrika Bambaataa, The Fall, Speech Debelle, Wild Beasts, Field Music, Los Campesinos, The Blackout, Wave Machines, The Sunshine Underground, Hot Club de Paris, Ian McNabb and Chilly Gonzalez.

Liverpool Sound City

Color Line Arena Becomes O2 World Hamburg Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com

The O2 World Universe gets a fifth satellite. The Anschutz Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation have expanded their partnership with O2 Germany, re-branding the Color Line Arena, O2 World Hamburg in a marketing deal scheduled for 10 years.

in a press release as saying: “This partnership will strengthen the entertainment position of Hamburg significantly. The O2 World in Hamburg will expand its position as a central point for entertainment and sport in Hamburg as well as in the region.

I am delighted about our new partner as together we are able to generate significant added values for our visitors and for promoters.” www.o2world-hamburg.de

The O2 Germany belongs to the Spanish telco-company Telfonica, which just recently bought the local telco-company HanseNet and its nationwide brand Alice. The first show in the new branded arena will be Lady Gaga on May 10. As part of the agreement the arena will offer O2 customers special features such as a so called ‘blue lane’ for an easy access to concerts and events, upgraded ‘blue seats’ and special reservations for sold out shows. Uwe Frommhold, the managing director for O2 World Hamburg was quoted (from left) Uwe Frommhold, René Schuster and Detlef Kornett

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frida EUR do the

We would like to thank everybody for attending the 2010 edition, we do look forward to welcome you at the 2011 one!

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thursday EUROSONIC downtown Groningen thursday the Netherlands

thursday EUROSONIC downtown Groningen the Netherlands

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Registration and artists submission is open from may 1st 2010 onwards on www.euroSonic-noorderslag.nl, Deadline for artist submission is September 1st, 2010

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THE EUROPEAN MUSIC CONFERENCE THE EUROPEAN MUSIC CONFERENCE JANUARY THE EUROPEAN MUSIC CONFERENCE AND SHOWCASE FESTIVAL

AND SHOWCASE FESTIVAL

WWW.EUROSONIC-NOORDERSLAG.NL AND SHOWCASE FESTIVAL

WWW.EUROSONIC-NOORDERSLAG.NL WWW.EUROSONIC-NOORDERSLAG.NL

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NOORDERSLAG De Oosterpoort Groningen

THE EUROPEAN MUSIC CONFERENCE AND SHOWCASE FESTIVAL

2008 2007 15.500 15.050 35 29 2.487 2.200 237 JANUARY 221 23 24 76 69 59 54 29 25 9 8 138 65

friday EUROSONIC downtown Groningen friday the Netherlands

2009 18.000 34 2.650 265 22 123 59 32 9 140

2011

saturday NOORDERSLAG De Oosterpoort saturday Groningen

FACTSHEET 2010 Total number of visits 18.000 Nationalities present 34 Professional participants 2.800 Artists performing 259 Radio stations present 24 WWW.EUROSONIC-NOORDERSLAG.NL international festivals present 237 ETEP participant festivals 59 Number of stages @ EuroSonic 31 Number of stages @ Noorderslag 10 Number of European journalists present 193

saturday NOORDERSLAG De Oosterpoort Groningen

JANUARY

friday EUROSONIC downtown Groningen the Netherlands

saturday NOORDERSLAG De Oosterpoort Groningen

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THE EUROPEAN MUSIC CONFERENCE AND SHOWCASE FESTIVAL

EUROSONIC downtown Groningen the Netherlands

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Live Nation Launches Concert Business in Australia Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Well, it was only a matter of time really; Live Nation has announced the launch of its concert promotion business in Australia, the world’s 7th largest music market. Luke Hede, currently the Vice President of International Booking for Live Nation Asia, based in Hong Kong, has been named Vice President of Promotions – Pacific Rim. In addition, Live Nation has appointed Roger Field, formerly of Michael Coppel Presents, as Vice President of Promotions – Australia and New Zealand. Roger and Luke will work with Live Nation’s Global and International Touring teams to bring Live Nation tours to Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the Pacific Rim, as well as booking local dates across the region. Alan Ridgeway, CEO of Live Nation International, commented, “Over the last decade, Live Nation has been involved with some of the most successful tours throughout Australia and New Zealand, including: U2, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Prince, Nickelback, The Police, and many others. We now feel that the time is right to establish

our own presence and further monetise our global tours in this particularly strong and growing live music market. After working closely with two of Australia’s most highly regarded promoters in Paul Dainty and Michael Coppel respectively, both Luke and Roger have vast experience and knowledge in the local market and we are thrilled to have them leading our Australian launch.”

ing announcements will follow shortly. Live Nation already has an existing presence in Australia and New Zealand through Ticketmaster, which has been operating successfully in these markets for more than 20 years.

Live Nation’s presence in the Pacific Rim already includes offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. Luke Hede will continue to book international concerts for these offices with Mr. Hung Tik, based in Hong Kong, remaining Senior Vice President responsible for booking local artists. Live Nation also has a joint venture in Beijing with Gehua Group, which is run by Mr. Wei Ming, who has recently been appointed General Manager of the joint venture which promotes international and local artist shows booked by Luke, Hung Tik and Wei Ming. Live Nation Australia will be based in Melbourne and it is expected that further staffPaul Dainty

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.

THE VIP-BOOK

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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.

VIP-NEWS

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Germany’s Live Entertainment Awards (LEA) Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

Germanys Live Entertainment Award (LEA) celebrated its 5th anniversary on 15th of April in the new O2 World Hamburg (former Color Line Arena). Following an alliance with the world’s largest event technology supplier PRG (Production Resource Group), LEA recently changed its name to PRG LEA. The German live entertainment industry celebrated itself in a three and a half-hour gala which was attended by show business celebrities and artists, such as for Peter Maffay, The Scorpions, Scooter, Christina Stürmer, Roger Cicero, soul singer Joy Denalane, the musicians of Silbermondas well as other VIPs from culture, sports and media. The jury of PRG LEA, consisting of music journalists, radio programme executives and cultural managers, evaluated more than 500 concerts and shows in 2009. The 15 categories of the Award include; the tour promoter, the concert, the manager, the agent and the location of the year. German Initiative Music, the funding agency set up by the German federal government to promote the music industry in Germany, awarded € 20.000,00 to Berlin’s ‘O 36’ the LEA winner in the ‘music club of the year’ category. The other two nominees received a further €2.500 each. Tour Promoter of the year was - as in the years before, Marek Lieberberg of MLK. The award for the lifetime achievement was granted to Germanys media-giant Hans R. Beierlein, developer of many famous artists such as Udo Jürgens, creator of formats for music TV programmes and founder of Germanys business magazine Musikmarkt.

The German Chancellor Dr. Andrea Merkel honoured this fifth anniversary with a written greeting, read by LEA inventor and

producer Jens Michow, President of the Federal German association for the entertainment industry.

Here are the results and the winners of PRG LEA: Arena-Tournee of the Year Pink (Funhouse Tour) – Peter Rieger Konzertagentur, Köln Show of the Year Apassionata – EquiArte, Berlin Festival of the Year (presented by PRG) Melt! – Melt! GmbH & Co. KG Club-Tournee of the Year (presented by Ströer Deutsche Städte Medien GmbH) Bonaparte – Melt! Booking Concert of the Year „Heimspiel“ 20 Jahre Fantastische Vier auf dem Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart –Musikwirtschaft.de Artistmanagement of the Year Markus Bruns (Brunetti Management Berlin) – Peter Fox Artist Agent of the Year DEAG Classics, Berlin – David Garrett Tour-Promoter of the Year Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, Frankfurt/M. Local-Promoter of the Year Semmel Concerts, Bayreuth/Berlin/Chemnitz Location of the Year Dresdner Elbufer – PAN Veranstaltungslogistik und Kulturgastronomie, Dresden Club of the Year – The „Club-Award“ of Initiative Musik SO36 Berlin – Sub Opus 36 Award of the Jury FKP Scorpio – Festivals ‘Rolling Stone Weekender’ and ‘Plage Noir’ Young Talent Support of the Year (presented by Veltins-Arena) Support-Team of Philipp Poisel: Ralf Schröter (Management), Konzertagentur Peter Rieger, Grönland-Label, Ferryhouse Productions, Musicmonster (Produktion), Musikpromotion Eberhard Pacak. New Style Event of the Year Boese & Friends – Die Atzen Tour 2009 Lifetime Achievement Hans R. Beierlein

Scooter

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WE:LIVE to Curate Live Conference Day at The Great Escape 2010 Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

we:LIVE, the association for independent venue owners and promoters, which was launched last year will present a day at The Great Escape in Brighton (my home town as you may be aware – Ed.). The plan is for this day to bring together indie venue owners and gig promoters we:LIVE aims to “promote and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and expertise through direct resources as well as implementing best business practices and promoting the standing and interests of [indie players] in the music industry at large”. we:LIVE’s chair and founder Dominique Czopor told CMU: “we:LIVE is excited to be curating the Live day at TGE this year. As well as the benefits of sharing knowledge and expertise, working with TGE offers independent promoters and venue owners

the opportunity to put names to faces, and to also discuss new business opportunities with colleagues. As well as being a social event, we:LIVE recognises the need for discussion and debate on the current issues facing our industry today”. we:LIVE will also be presenting training modules from the Award for Music Promoters (Level 2) (see below) and hope that as many promoters and venue owners will take up the opportunity to test their knowledge, and hopefully learn something new about their industry.

Elsewhere in The Great Escape’s conference programme, once again the music business fest will be teaming up with the Brighton Festival - the programmed arts festival that takes place in the seaside city throughout May. Those joint events will include some chatter with and from music writers Nick Kent, John Niven and John Harris, led by The Observer’s Garry Mulholland.

The Live Day on Saturday May 15 will also include two panels dealing with new methods of promoting, - ‘The Next Stage’, and money raising, ‘Where’s the Fun in Funding?’, chaired by a certain VIP-News Editor. Dominique Czopor

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New UK Music Promoter Qualification (AMP) Devised by BIIAB Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

The BIIAB (the awarding body of the British Institute of Innkeeping) Award for Music Promoters (AMP) is said to be the first qualification of its kind to be devised, written and developed specifically for music promoters. The aptly nicknamed ‘AMP’ qualification purports to give anyone wishing to put on a music event an excellent grounding in all the aspects they will need to consider any music genre.

pact of stimulating the entertainments and leisure economy. The BIIAB AMP, has received widespread support from candidates involved in the pilot, including names such as BBC Radio 1 Xtra, Inc Group and Global Radio.

Domnique Czopor, Founder of independent venue and promoter network WE:Live, who has been involved with development of the AMP, said: “This is exactly what the industry needs and I’ve been really impressed with the way the steering committee have taken a rounded approach to the role of a music event organiser. No stone has been left unturned and the course will ensure the music promoters of tomorrow are savvy, well-informed and aware of their legal responsibilities.”

• • • • • • • • • •

The creators of the qualification say that it is aimed at improving the standard, quality and legacy of promoters and events, which in, in turn, will increase customers’ confidence and have a positive im-

The qualification is supported by a workbook, which acts as a “how to” guide for future use by candidates. The course will be delivered throughout the country by a network of approved training centres.

Aspects addressed within the course are: * Importance of early engagement with stakeholders. Project management tools and tech- niques. Financial management Marketing/Promotional Mix. Risk Assessment Environmental impacts/waste management Management of noise. Transport management Licensing Act 2003. Door policy. Evaluation of a promotion.

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To date, just under twenty centres have signed up and been given the thumbs up to deliver it. For more information or to find a training centre, visit: www.biiab.org VIP-News is not aware, although we have asked around, of promoters who have advised on the content of these courses, and is not sure who will be teaching them. Generally promoters in the UK have been sceptical about ‘recognised qualifications’, and worry that local authorities, police etc, may begin to insist, particularly in pubs and clubs which are members of The British Institute of Innkeepers, on promoters holding one of these qualifications as some sort of guarantee of experience and quality, in the same way that they would expect the licensee to hold the sort of qualifications that BIIAB currently oversee, even though the live industry in general has not fully backed the scheme. Still, this is aimed at grass-roots and small venue promoters and attempts to improve the industry should not be dismissed, We remain open minded and will watch developments, we will also be attending the AMP launch at London club Cargo on May 27 and will report back!

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AIF New ‘Twin’ Independent Festivals Initiative – Bergenfest 1st Event Allan McGowan am@vip-booking.com

As long as the northern skies are volcanic ash free on April 30th, I will be flying to Norway for the 18th Bergenfest. The Festival takes place in 10 venues around the City, ranging from small clubs to theatres and concert halls, and this edition features Lou Reed, The Proclaimers, The New York Dolls, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Thomas Dybdahl, Femi Kuti and many others. One of my main reasons for attending is that this will be the first of the newly ‘twinned’ festivals. On the 1st March 2010, The Association of Independent Festivals, a not for profit body set up in 2008 to represent independent music festivals in the UK and Ireland launched a new initiative, AIF Twin Festivals: A Cultural Exchange, which partners the UK’s leading independent festivals with their counterparts abroad. This is the second year that The Association of Independent Festivals has looked to build links with non-UK festivalgoers and follows 2009’s successful partnership with VisitBritain. (See end of article). Based on the twin towns concept, festivals will be paired with likeminded and similarly structured festivals from countries from around the world. Participating festivals will help promote their twin’s festival locally, and be encouraged to take part in artist exchanges and talent discussions to help co-ordinate bookings of international artists and stimulate conversations with local music authorities for investment. As part of the initiative all festivals involved will be obliged to include links on their website to their twin’s site, and include the twinned names on flyers, marketing materials and in their PR campaigns to local media, and help market their international twin through their media channels once (although maybe this may have to wait until their own event has sold out?) In addition to this each festival will ‘exchange’ a minimum of 10 pairs of tickets with their twin to be given away via competitions and promotions.

Festivals that have already been partnered under the scheme include: • • • • • • • •

Bestival, Isle Of Wight & Melt Ferropolis, Germany Big Session Festival Leicester & Tønder Festival, Denmark Field Day London & Øya Festival, Norway Glade Festival Winchester & Symbiosis Gathering, California, USA Summer Sundae Weekender Leicester & Bergenfest, Norway Standon Calling Hertfordshire & Calvi On The Rocks, Corsica, France Nozstock Festival Herefordshire & Italia Wave Love Festival, Livorno, Italy Eden Sessions Cornwall & Airwaves, Reykjavík, Iceland

The idea is certainly novel and the prospects are quite intriguing, VIP-News spoke to agent and festival organiser Rob Challice, the originator of the concept and Frank Nes, who have twinned their events, Summer Sundae Weekender, Leicester & Bergenfest, Norway. VIP-News: How did this idea come about in the first place, and when? Also was the concept immediately welcomed and understood on your first approaches to the festivals? Rob Challice: I can’t remember where I was driving, but the idea came to me when I passed one of those ‘twin-town’ signs and thought it would be great to set up a similar ‘twin-festival’ concept.

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Twin Town relationships are traditionally formed to promote cultural and commercial ties between towns and regions. It felt like the idea could easily be applied to likeminded independent festivals. When I pitched it to Rob Da bank and Ben Turner (fellow AIF board members) they embraced it straight away, the idea really communicates itself immediately. Once the AIF board started discussing the idea it was obvious that there was huge potential developing various initiatives between twinned festivals. We subsequently developed a series of logos that have a visual impact; these incorporate the respective twinned festivals. Frank Nes: My colleagues and I had loosely discussed setting up a new open air festival in Bergen at the time of Summer Sundae-ish, ie in August, and looked at setting up a partnership with a UK or Scandinavian festival. When Rob contacted me re the twin festival idea it was quite funny as I was about to call him to discuss a partnership of some kind with Summer Sundae. So, yes, I was immediately keen, to put it mildly. The concept was indeed welcomed by my colleagues and myself. It is such a great idea. VIP-News: Did certain twinnings seem obvious, or was it a matter of putting together the first events to respond? I see there is one US twinning, how was that decided upon, also are any of the twinnings based on existing twin City arrangements? Challice: Essentially the onus is on the individual AIF festivals to find suitable twins. With the two Leicester based festivals I

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am involved in, Summer Sundae Weekender and Big Session Festival, I wanted to ‘twin’ with two events that are based on a similar ethos. Bergenfest, Norway and Tonder Festival, Denmark are both city based events that are very rooted in their respective areas. Everybody involved in these events (organisers, the audience, the staff, the volunteers etc) have a very strong sense of ownership that helps define the events. I’ve travelled to Bergenfest and Tonder Festival numerous times and found the experience of these events and the respective cities inspirational. I know, for example, that when Oysterband and I first talked to Richard Haswell at Leicester De Montfort Hall about starting Big Session, Tonder Festival was a big reference point for us. Tonder has a very strong identity both with international folk acts and in its region (Jutland, Denmark and North Germany) I knew if Oysterband were going to be directly associated with a festival they would want it to contain a bit of the Tonder magic. With regards to Summer Sundae and Bergenfest, the key reason for me wanting to twin the events is the organiser Frank Nes and his team. They’ve put Bergen on the map as a destination for acts touring internationally. Frank has great taste in music and he’s always coming up with new ideas.

Frank Nes: I have known Rob since the mid 90’s and he also represent acts from Bergen (Kings of Convenience), thus his knowledge of Bergen and Bergenfest is very good. Bergenfest is an indoor, club/ venue-based festival, but we share a lot when it comes to musical taste - programming a broad palette of artists and genres. Otherwise we have a strong focus on quality and love for what we do and I think this applies to both festivals’ basic ideas of how to run an event. VIP-News: This is flagged as a cultural exchange, and these elements are obvious - as far as you know have local and national -authorities become involved in the initiative? Certainly there also seems to be an obvious opening with trade and economics, initially for tourism interests and perhaps in other areas, has his aspect been - or will it be - exploited? Challice: We are encouraging the twin festivals to do ticket swaps and invite media from one country to another. Local press in Bergen and Leicester have already given coverage to the initiative for the festivals I am involved in. It goes without saying that festivals often give their audiences a cultural window to the world outside their region. With Bergenfest and Summer Sundae we are going to ‘swap’ volunteers. We’re also sending a couple of journalists over to Bergen to write about the city. I see these ‘twinned’ links developing over

time; we’re not going to be able to achieve everything in the first year. Nes: We have involved the regional tourist board from day one on this and we look forward to being able to help each other out on developing new ideas. Bergen as a tourist destination is very strong, being the main access point for tourists exploring the fjords and mountains. Also Bergen has a strong cultural history with names like Ole Bull and Edvard Grieg as strong identity bearers and important for tourism. With contemporary acts like Kings of Convenience, sondre Lerche, Datarock, Magnet, Casiokids and Röyksopp either hailing from or being located in Bergen it is a lot to build on in establishing Bergen as a destination for a different kind of target and age group. Not to forget the strong Metal music history in Bergen. A lot of individual travellers visit Bergen to explore the tracks of famed (and infamous) Bergen acts like Immortal, Gorgoroth, Enslaved and Burzum/Varg Vikernes. The metal travellers are actually so great in numbers, a financial paper aptly named them ‘blackpackers’ when analysing travels to Bergen. Additionally one of my collegues, Pytten, is the main producer of many of these acts and his recording studio is located in the same building as our offices, thus we have our fair share of people in black knocking on our door during the year wanting to see his studios... There are a lot of avenues to build on and the regional tourist board is keen to be part of it using the contemporary music scene to increase tourism to Bergen. VIP-News: There is mention of artist exchanges - will this involve events in the twinning locations at times other than the festivals themselves - club dates etc? Could this be an expansion of the Ja Ja Club idea (Nordic acts appear regularly at this club night in London), and the Oya Festival’s London club initiative? Challice: We will announce a Bergen band for Summer Sundae. Some of the best Scandinavian bands originate from Bergen, Kings of Convenience etc. Nes: I think this can be a great way of making artist exchanges and this is something

Frank Nes

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we have a strong focus on. Historically Bergeners have always looked west to the UK for inspiration, much more so than looking eastwards towards Oslo or Sweden (heaven forbid...). Thus, Bergen-based acts have a sound that I think UK punters and buyers easily can relate to. Then there’s the Vikings, of course … a lot of Norwegian blood in UK genes... VIP-News: Will all the mutual promotional activities be agreed on and handled through discussions between the twinned events, or will there be someone, an AIF representative perhaps, operating an overview, and advising? Challice: It’s between the twinned festivals to work out what is best. AIF supply the Twinned Logo and some suggestions on how the respective partnerships can work. The AIF board will assess how it develops in the first year and see if we need to give more hands on advice. Nes: This is something which I take for granted will be explored and it will be vital for the success of the twin festival initiative. VIP-News: It’s still early days of course, but are there already more ideas for the development of the initiative?

»There’s a lot of interesting festivals involved and as far as I can see it, we all share a common interest in GREAT music« - Frank Nes

Nes: It’s early days, indeed. Let’s do this season, sit down and get the broader perspective of things. Then we can move ahead and develop this into a strong and long lasting unit. There’s a lot of interesting festivals involved and as far as I can see it, we all share a common interest in GREAT music. That should always be the basis and I think we are on to something good with this whole set-up. AIF’s initiative is very good. Challice: Yes, there are still AIF members from the UK who have not landed an international twin yet. If potential international festivals want to get further information

they should email Claire O’Neill, AIF organiser: claire@aiforg.com Other participating Festival Promoters also had positive views on the initiative: Stefan Lehmkuhl - Melt, Germany: I’m enthusiastic about the idea of the cultural exchange between European festivals. Especially when it comes to independent and very individual open-air events it’s going to be an exciting and creative process, as I’m convinced we’re all on the same page music wise. Edouard Rostand - Clavi On The Rocks, Corsica: It is an honour for Calvi On the Rocks to partner up with Standon Calling. We share same values and artistic views. We are both small festivals and want to keep it innovative and open-minded. This twinning will start with cross promotion on our networks this year. Nick Ladd - Glade Festival, Winchester: We are really pleased to be twinned with Symbiosis in California.... the premier electronic music experience stateside. It’s what the San Francisco 60’s scene has evolved into, an amazing international gathering created by people with true spirit and it reflects the Glades commitment to cutting edge music, incredible site art, non-commercialisation and shanty vibes.

In 2009 AIF negotiated to become part of a £1.8 million marketing initiative organised by VisitBritain. The European Value Campaign, ran across 18 key European countries, and was aimed at the 25-35 age group. Using the slogan “See More For Less”, VisitBritain focused on the benefits offered by the weak pound and Britain’s relatively compact land area. The campaign included press advertising, direct mail, a web micro site and pr support and as part of the deal AIF members offered overseas visitors a 20% discount on festival tickets purchased through the VisitBritain site. The inclusion of AIF in the scheme was recognition of the value of Britain’s independent festivals as cultural assets, and as an enticement to tourists who may wish to extend their stay and explore the country further. www.aiforg.com

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Business News Manfred Tari mt@vip-booking.com

Swiss Music Promoter Association Reports Record Breaking Year Best business year ever for concert promoters in the Switzerland. The Swiss Music Promoters Association (SMPA) has released its business report for 2009 and reported an increase for all key figure sectors. The organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s associated companies jointly returned a turnover of about 250 million Swiss Francs (174 million Euros). The total number of concerts, events and festivals promoted increased by 4.1 percent from 1002 to 1043 shows. The visitor figures for all shows was 4.564.335 compared to 4.526.925 the

year before, the number of tickets sold rose from 2.630.648 to 2.793.742. The average ticket price increased from 82.40 CHF (57.50 Euro) to 84.20 CHF (58.70 Euro). The biggest gain of the reported key figures was the turnover. The overall revenue including income from sponsoring, catering and ticket sales rose from 230.455.386 (160 million Euro) to 250.327.349 CHF (174 million Euro), a plus of 8.6 percent. The number of promoted artists rose from 2.246 to 2.308. The 24 member companies employ 185 people (176 in 2008) as fulltime staff.

Nevertheless Swiss promoters ventured concerns about having to cope with higher expenses for artists and higher spending for additional staff requirements for safety and environmental rules. The organisation furthermore fears an attempt by the consumer organisation SKS (Stiftung fĂźr Konsumentenschutz) and a high ranked politician to appeal for a law enforcing personalized tickets in order to prevent dynamic pricing for concert tickets. In reference to this the SMPA concludes that the current ticket system does not support such a function and that it will lead to more cost intensive efforts for door control. The complete report is available at the website www.smpa.ch in French and German.

CTS Eventim Pays Out Highest Dividend The German concert market leader has announced that it will pay shareholders a dividend of 0.83 Euro per share. Backed by record-breaking results in the business year 2009, CTS Eventim will distribute 19.9 million Euros amongst its shareholders. The company reported that it had been able to increase results in all business sectors. In 2009 CTS Eventim gained revenue of 466,7 million Euros, an increase of about 15.4 percent compared with 404.4 million Euro in 2008. The EBIT

(Earnings before Interest and Taxes) went up from 50.3 million to 71.3 million Euros, the EBITDA (Earnings before Interest and Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation) from 57.8 million to 80 million Euros. As Net Result CTS Eventim reported 39.9 million compared with 29.2 million Euro in 2008. The outlook for 2010 includes plans to proceed with the growth policy of its onlineticketing and the expansion of the company into foreign markets. The management

furthermore declared that it expects to raise revenue and earnings results in 2010. Since the beginning of the year the share increased from 34.2 to 39.0 Euro. Neither the news that Live Nation has opened a German office or that Live Nation intend to end business relations with CTS Eventim for the ticketing business in the US had a negative impact on the share. CTS Eventim currently has a market capitalisation of 945,6 million Euro and net debts of about 98.4 million Euro.

Deutsche Entertainment Back on the Profit Track DEAG has also been able to increase its business results. The live music stock market pioneer DEAG delivered business results in line with expectations. After the company had to compensate for the departure of Creative Talent and music pool earlier in 2009, DEAG managed to restructure its company portfolio. The revenue rose from 109.5 million in 2008 to 116.7 million Euro, the

EBIT went up from minus 3.1 million to 7.9 million Euro, the EBITDA grew from 3.7 million to 6.4 million Euro and the net result turned from a minus of 11.1 million Euro into plus of 0.5 million Euros.

and Klassik Radio, among others. In particular DEAG expanded its business with classical music concerts and shows featuring artists such as Jessye Norman, Anna Netrebko, Philippe Jaroussky and David Garrett.

DEAG-CEO Peter Schwenkow extended his contract until 2015. Unlike CTS Eventim DEAG intents to expand its business by following a 360 degrees business strategy, setting up joint ventures with Sony Music

Nevertheless since January the DEAG share price went down from 2.20 to 1.85 Euro. The company currently has a market capitalisation of 34.15 million euro and net debts of 11.2 million Euro.

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Live Nation Looking for Money The merger is done, now it appears that Live Nation needs financial backing to re-organise it debts. The world’s biggest concert promoter has announced that it intends to issue a $250million bond in order to re-finance some of its outstanding debts. At the end of 2009 Live Nation and Ticketmaster had combined debts of about $1.552 billion. Live Nation and the purchaser will negotiate the bond conditions individually. Preferred buyers are institutional investors. Currently the share of Live Nation is at $15.15 and the company has a market capitalisation of $1.008 billion. Unfortunately U2 and Madonna can’t be considered as institutional investors, can they? PRESS RELEASE: LOS ANGELES, April 19, 2010 – Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (“Live Nation”) (NYSE: LYV) today announced that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $250 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes (“Notes”). The Notes will be offered in a private placement in the United States to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 and to non-U.S. persons outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. The offering price, interest rate and other terms will be determined by negotiations between Live Nation and the initial purchasers. The Notes will be unsecured. Live Nation intends to use the net proceeds from the offering along with borrowings under a new senior secured credit facility to repay in full the borrowings under its existing credit facility and the credit facilities of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC, convert existing preferred stock of one of its subsidiaries into the right to receive a cash payment and pay related fees and expenses. The completion of the offering of the Notes is conditioned upon our entering into the new credit facility. This press release is being issued pursuant to Rule 135c under the Securities Act and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Any offer of the securities will be made only by means of a private offering memorandum. The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Live Nation’s intention to issue the Notes and its intended use of the resulting proceeds. There is no assurance that Live Nation will successfully complete the proposed offering or use the proceeds as presently intended. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as predictions of future results. Live Nation undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect developments or information obtained after the date of this press release.

artist avails ›› 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

Lady GaGa Territory: Period: Agency: Agent: Phone: E-mail: Homepage:

Europe Spring 2010 onwards William Morris Endeavor Ent. David Levy +44 20 7534 6800 dsl@wmeentertainment.com www.ladygaga.com

Christelle Territory: Period: Agency: Agent: Phone: E-mail: Homepage:

Worldwide 2010 McGann Music Don McGann +1 702 927 0100 posmcgann@aol.com www.christellemusic.com

Fischer-Z Territory: Period: Agency: Agent: Phone: E-mail: Homepage:

Europe 01/07/2010 - 31/12/2010 Artist Agency Bart Quintens +32 1677 7670 bart@artistagency.be www.artistagency.be

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

Europe November 2010 Paperclip Agency Hilde Spille +31 24 323 9322 hilde@paperclip-agency.com www.paperclip-agency.com

Sweet Territory: Period: Agency: Agent: Phone: E-mail: Homepage:

Worldwide Generally available ABS Agency Nigel Kerr +44 208 399 3474 absagency@btconnect.com www.thesweet-now.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

Edge Performance raises more than £32m Biggest offer yet takes total raised to £88m Wednesday 21 April 2010: Entertainment industry investment and advisory group Edge has announced that its specialist entertainment funds the Edge Performance VCT (EPVCT) and the Edge Performance EIS fund together raised £32.1m in their latest fundraising round, nearly three times last year’s total. It makes the 2009/2010 fundraising round Edge’s most successful yet and brings the total raised by Edge since it launched four years ago to £88m. This success further consolidates Edge’s lead as the UK’s biggest manager of specialist investment funds in live music and events, and also catapults EPVCT into second-place in the overall UK VCT fundraising rankings for this year.

”Too many great businesses in the entertainment industry struggle for want of the investment they need to grow,” said Glick. “Edge’s success in raising funds for the sector will allow us to play an increasing role in helping good executives reach their potential.” EPVCT originally set out to offer 10m shares but in February 2010 increased this to 20m and then subsequently to 30m. Edge benefited from the increased popularity of VCT investments this year, said Glick, but it also increased its market share.

The announcement comes just two weeks after music industry lobbying group UK Music, headed by former Undertone Feargal Sharkey, highlighted access to finance as one of the UK music industry’s greatest challenges.

“Key to our success has been the timely, above target, return in June last year of cash to holders of EPVCT’s original 2006 Ordinary share issue,” he said. “When we started out, investors had long believed that the entertainment business was too risky a business to countenance. By leveraging our industry knowledge and targeting our investment on executives with a real track record we believe we have gone a long way towards reshaping that perception.”

The Edge Performance funds now have £32m more to invest in the music, live events and entertainment industry, says Edge Group founder David Glick.

Edge’s reputation has been built on the quality of an executive team which includes not just renowned music industry dealmaker Glick himself, but also impre-

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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sario Harvey Goldsmith, former Sony Music business affairs head Alasdair George, VCT pioneer Gordon Power, Elton John manager Frank Presland, former Emap and HMV Group chairman Sir Robin Miller and superstar DJ Pete Tong. “Access to the best people is a key advantage in a people business like entertainment,“ said Glick. “We believe that our background in the entertainment business not only gives us access to better opportunities, but also enables us to evaluate them better than our competitors. This year’s fundraising success suggests the investment community agrees with us.” Companies in which Edge Performance VCT has invested have promoted more than 200 live concerts in total since December 2006 featuring artists ranging from Kanye West to Backstreet Boys, Eric Clapton and recent Grammy Award winner Jeff Beck.

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readers page ›› Speak out - participate in the debate. The VIP-News Reader’s-page is open for letters and contributions from readers. Consider the VIP-News Reader’s-page, as your “speaker’s corner” towards professionals in the entertainment industry all over Europe. The purpose of the Reader’s-page is to encourage more interaction and to allow our readers to voice their opinions about the many aspects of our industry. Contributions should be emailed to readerspage@vip-booking.com.

Red Entertainment Agency Red Entertainment Agency is proud to announce the Worldwide Exclusive representation of one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the last three decades 10,000 MANIACS

10,000 Maniacs These Are The Days #1 Billboard Alternative, #34 AC Trouble Me #3 Billboard Alternative, #7 AC, #20 Mainstream Because The Night #11 Billboard Hot 100, #7 Alternative, #9 AC

Carlos Keyes Red Entertainment Agency Email: carloskeyes@redentertainment.com Tel: +1-212-563-7575 Fax: +1-212-563-9393

More Than This #25 US Billboard Hot 100 Candy Everybody Wants #5 Billboard Alternative What’s The Matter Here #9 Billboard Alternative Like The Weather #37 Billboard Mainstream

Please contact Carlos Keyes for available dates. See website for roster: Red Entertainment Agency

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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

König-Pilsener-ARENA - SMG Entertainment Deutschland GmbH The König-Pilsener-ARENA is a multi-functional venue, offering a superb setting for a variety of sports events, theatrical presentations, ice-skating and concerts. Flexible configurations provide room for audiences ranging from 800 to 13,000 who enjoy family shows such as Disney on Ice, sports including handball matches, musicals like Grease, and concerts from rock and pop icons and orchestras alike.

drive-time. The arena offers great accessibility with 12 motorway junctions, more than 10,000 free parking spaces, bus and tram terminals immediately outside the venues.

Since its opening in 1996, the Kõnig-Pilsener-ARENA has earned a reputation as one of the most sophisticated venues in Europe, offering excellent operational facilities and an unforgettable experience for all its visitors. The König-Pilsener-ARENA meets the latest standards in engineering, architecture and security. Its central location, at the heart of one of Europe’s largest conurbations, the Ruhr area, means the Arena is easily accessible by road, rail and air for the 15 million people living within an hour’s König-Pilsener-ARENA

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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