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 Editor's note
What with Led Zeppelin topping the US charts for the first time since 1979 with 'How The West Was Won', and gearing up for a tour, and rumours of a Simon and Garfunkel re-union (some fool played 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' at my wedding!) For people of a certain age, such as myself, there is a growing sense of deja-vue. Even acts that I was impressed by as 'new' bands now seem to have joined the 'heritage' acts. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' topped VH1's list of greatest songs of the last 25 years, and great song that it is, it seems to have taken on the same connotations as the Who's 'My Generation', with its '…Hope I die before I get old' line. Vital and stirring when new, but mellowed and transformed by time for it's authors and performers, whilst still hopefully meaning something to new listeners.
We will be taking a summer break in July. I am off to the Django Reinhardt Festival in France, people have told me that I also play guitar like a man with a couple of missing fingers, so I should feel at home! So we wish you all, particularly those promoting or playing at Festivals, a successful and safe month. Remember the sun block - or the umbrellas!
If you have news, be it specific to
your business, or a general item that
you think would be of interest, and
should be further researched, please
submit the details to: news@vip-booking.com
or directly to one of the following
writers: Allan McGowan
or Manfred Tari.
We hope you will enjoy this newsletter
and please keep your feedback and
opinions coming.
All the best
Allan McGowan
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The meaning of Leif
by Leif Skov
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 As
the summer season starts we meet event
calendars offering hundreds of music
events. Are there too many? What do
they offer? Quality or a pile of crap
? Service and care for the audience
and for the art ? Or just care for
profit ?
Are we aware of the most efficient marketing for our live industry: the message of the exciting experience carried by mouth.
The unique event is built up of unique ingredients, and we should not forget to provide low ticket prices, cheap, chilled drinks, long sets by dynamic and fascinating artists, high sanitary standards, friendly and serviceminded staff, optimal security |
and safety standards, efficient public transport services, excellent food, clean sites, a general frame and atmosphere that creates the best social environment, superb entertainment, good surprises, positive identity, etc. etc. Saved money might be lost money. We must treat the audiences well. They are our guests.
Many of us know the open-airs and festivals that care - and the ones that don't. Smiles and satisfaction reflect success. Complaints reflect failure. Promoters shall profit according to their investment in care and service - and shall see their guests become their allies who will come back for more.
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Dublin Welcomes Lisdoonvarna '03
by Allan McGowan
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The first Lisdoonvarna Festival
was held in 1978 and over six years
played host to artists such as Jackson
Browne, Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison,
Planxty and Rory Gallagher. After
Clare County Council turned down
the chance to have the festival
back on home ground after a 20 year
gap Aiken Promotions immediately
sought an alternative venue backed
up by overwhelming public support
for Lisdoonvarna '03. Peter Aiken
commented, "We were extremely disappointed
when our licence was refused, especially
after putting months of work into
the organisation, but the response
of the public has been such that
we were determined that Lisdoonvarna
'03 should happen, even if it meant
moving elsewhere."
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The world-renowned festival will now take place in Dublin's RDS on Saturday, August 30th 2003. Christy Moore and The Frames will headline the Main Stage in the RDS Arena while a second stage will be used for a host of acts to be announced at a later date. Peter Aiken explained, "This will be a day long event as we had planned for Lisdoonvarna '03 with a line-up of mainly Irish acts on two stages. There will also be a village market with a unique festival atmosphere,we are aiming to re-create the original festival atmosphere of Lisdoonvarna in a city setting". Christy Moore commented: "It is unfortunate that Lisdoonvarna '03 is not going ahead in the original venue but I am looking forward to the re-arranged festival"
Despite the licence being refused, tickets for the event have continued to sell and there have been no requests for refunds.
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Decision in the Arnoud Gerritse Case:
by Allan McGowan
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 On
12 June 2003 the European Court of
Justice (ECJ) issued its decision
in the Arnoud Gerritse Case (C-234/01which
has become a landmark test case for
changes in the way that performing
artists are taxed in foreign countries.
Particularly in Germany the scale
and methods of withholding tax has
been an ongoing problem in the making
and finalising of deals for agents,
promoters, managers and artists alike.
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The
outcome of this case will have a very
real and direct effect on the taxation
of foreign artists and sportsmen,
not only in Germany but also in other
EU Countries.The official decision
is not yet available in English, but
will be available soon. Dick Molenaar
of All Arts Belastingadviseurs and
Harald Grams of Grams und Partner
Rechtsanwälte und Steuerberater have
been directly involved in this in
their roles as personal and company
tax advisors and also for the ILMC
tax working party. Dick has asked
that this important message should
be sent through to anyone involved
in the live music industry.  |
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AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT
by Allan McGowan
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 Europe's Main Electronic and Dance Music Conference, the Amsterdam Dance Event, provides a growing platform for dance professionals. As part of the organisers ongoing efforts to provide business professionals with the right ambiance in which to do business this years program will be extended. Also the Live Dance Music Conference (LDMC) |
that was created to focus on the live side of the dance industry will again be organised specifically for managers, promoters, agents and dance festivals.
The conference will be held from 30 Oct - 1 Nov 2003 in the heart of Amsterdam with all main clubs involved, so one way or the other ... you will definitely get to dance.
The next ADE registration deadline
is set on July 15. More info on www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl
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That Lebanon Buzz:
by Allan McGowan
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Nagi BAZ has become a well known face at the ILMC, and has done much to open up a territory that has had its problems and was until quite recently a an oriental mystery to the European business. He told Vip News about his Company.
Vip News: When did you start promoting?
BAZ: Buzz Productions was founded in 1994, now 10 years later, we handle 2 of the 3 Lebanon festivals; Baalbeck, one of the Orient's most beautiful roman ruins sites, at which we have presented; Sting, Lord Of The Dance, Vanessa-Mae, Charles Aznavour, Buena Vista Social Club, Paco de Lucia, Imperial Circus of China and Johnny Hallyday, and Byblos where this summer's edition includes Gotan Project, Blind Boys Of Alabama, John Mayall, Gregorian, Richard Dorfmeister, and others. We have also worked with; Alanis Morissette, Roger Waters, Harlem Globe Trotters, Paul Anka and The Scorpions, etc.
Vip News: What is your business background?
BAZ: I spent 10 years in advertising agencies in France and then became Managing Director of Polydor - Motown - A&M in France from 1990 to 1993.
Vip News: Do you work closely with any other companies?
BAZ: I do not work with any local acts, although my partners in the area are Mirage Promotions in Dubaï. My best friend in the business is Tim Dowdall from Multimedia in Hungary. We have done lots of shows together, such as; Lord Of The Dance, Sting, Chris de Burgh, Scorpions, Vanessa-Mae and the Harlem Globe Trotters
Vip News: Which Cities do you operate
in? |
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Isle of MTV 2003 Line Up Announced
by Manfred Tari - edited
by Allan McGowan
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 MTV
has again assembled a 'Monsters of
Music' type of Event as part of the
concert series Isle Of MTV. The main
event itself will take place on the
Ile Du Gaou offshore from the town
of Six-Fours-les Plages on the Côte
d´Azur near Toulon in Southern France
on August 7.
Headliners for the open-air show are US-Rappers Outcast and the French Hip Hop Stars Saian Supa Crew and 2Manydjs (Soulwax). Both before and after the main event there will be 11 additional concerts as part of an Isle Of MTV 2003-club tour featuring local and international talents throughout Europe.
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Commented
Harriett Brand, SVP, Talent & Music,
MTV Networks Europe: "Our aim is to
bring a diverse mix of artists and
music to our European audience. Outcast
are a huge international name and
we are really excited that they will
be performing live at the event in
advance of the release of their highly
anticipated album Speakerboxx. Saian
Super Crew are a highly credible French
act who are really making waves across
Europe - a natural choice. Live performances
by both of these acts, complemented
by DJ sets including 2Many DJs, Tiga,
Mr C and Jacques Le Cont, with more
live acts and DJs to be announced,
guarantee an amazing event and impactful,
impressive programming." |
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Online Sales Lifeline for Major Record Companies
by Allan McGowan
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Recordstore.co.uk one of the
UK's most successful music 'e-tailers'
has signed Internet contracts
with Sony, Universal and Sanctuary
which demonstrate a clear strategy
to boost sales from fan web sites
particularly as Recordstore is
one of only six e-tailers whose
sales count towards The Official
UK Chart and the only one which
build online shops for artists
and labels. This should be a good
move for the ailing majors, as
this will hopefully turn those
web sites into the shop windows
that they should have been some
years ago. It will accelerate
music sales online and should
be a positive move for the singles
market.
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Andrew Wilkinson, founder and
Chief Executive of Kingstreet
Group plc, tour producers for
Robbie Williams, Phil Collins,
Sting and the Spice Girls, founder
of Music3w and former partner
at Rolling Stones' management,
Rupert Loewenstein Ltd, has joined
Bob Geldof on the board of Recordstore.co.uk.
Wilkinson brings a wealth of experience
to Recordstore.co.uk, gained not
least as founder of award-winning
Music3w, arguably the biggest
music portal of the dotcom era.
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IVisions Set Up Open Air Festival
by Manfred Tari - edited
by Allan McGowan
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 For
the first time the German music magazine
Visions will promote their own out
door event in Dortmund on July 26
& 27. So far the magazine has mainly
promoted club shows under the brand
Visions Parties. Since the arrival
of Matthias Schwarz as booker responsible
for events organized by Visions, the
magazine has increased the number
of shows and expanded into other territories
as well. With Visions-Westend the
magazine has now created a new milestone
in the agenda of the music publication.
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Presented in collaboration with the public youth club FZW, this open air event will include camping in the Revierpark Wischlingen in Dortmund. The line up includes the following acts: Aerogramme, Ash, Blackmail, Caesars, Danko Jones, Donots, Fireside, Keith Caputo, Kettcar, McLusky, Melissa auf der Maur, Miles, Monochords, Mother Tongue, Muff Potter, Samiam, Slut, The Cooper Temple Clause, The Libertines, The Weakerthans, Therapy?, Tomte and You will know us by the Trail of Dead. Tickets cost 40 Euro. |
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Vip News Stock Update
by Manfred Tari - edited
by Allan McGowan
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| Share prices are rising, at least for Clear Channel, CTS Eventim and DEAG and even Meanfiddler. The positive trend is certainly affected by a general movement in the various stock markets, but also reflects the stable results achieved by the individual companies. If these particular companies are able to report reasonable business results for Q2-2003 and Q3-2003 (2nd & 3rd Quarter) then a return of the essential |
Institutional
Investors may provide an interesting
opportunity that will be of interest
to the companies and other share holders
as well. Bearing in mind that CCU.NSE
are an exception in this case due
to their size and number of shareholders, 
but this development is certainly
an interesting option for EVD.FSE
and ERM.FSE. |
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Live Music Shares in One View
by Manfred Tari - edited
by Allan McGowan
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| Clear Channel (Symbol CCU.NSE): Remain over the $ 40 border and shares are now worth 42.90 USD (Vip News 19.05.2003- $ 40.14)
CTS Eventim (EVD.FSE): Rises and rises. From the last reported 3.80 Euro the shares move up to 4.18 Euro. For the last 6 months EVD.FSE has shown a solid growth which underlines the attractive performance of the company.
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DEAG shares (ERM.FSE): Also doing well. From 1.66 Euro last time up to 2.20. Not as strong a growth as EVD.FSE but indicating a positive turn in reference to the important long term 200 days average curve.
Mean Fiddler (MEF.ISE): Shares also seem to be on the move, from 11.50 Pence (GBP) up to 13.25.
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Barley Arts Promotion
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 The
story of Barley Arts Promotion, leader
for the organisation and production
of entertainment and music shows,
revolves around the figure of Claudio
Trotta (b.1957 in Milan)
Following his college years passion for the link between “high” and pop culture, he starts his career with Radio Montestella, then in 1975 he’s at Canale 96, the very first news radio, organising the first live shows of his life. In 1979 he graduates at the Civica Scuola di Arte Drammatica as music operator, spending a training period at the Teatro alla Scala. The same year he founds BARLEY ARTS PROMOTION (first tour: JOHN MARTYN) whose name is a homage Trotta pays to one of his early passions, Anglo-Saxon country and folk. Going through some TV experience (TeleRadioMilano 2), he’s involved by Lucio Salvini (chairman at Ricordi by that time) in his Country e Folk Label project and becomes the Italian promoter for the artists in the roster. Later on, Salvini will entrust him with Artistic and Marketing Direction of the Blues & Rock Project series at Carosello. As one of his latest personal side projects, Trotta edited The Milan Music Dictionary (1995), together with Paolo Zenoni. He’s one of the Founders of the following Associations:
· ASSOMUSICA: Italian Association of Producers and Organisers of Live Music Entertainment (founded 1996): Board Director from the beginning.
· YOUROPE: The European Festival Association (founded 1998): Board Director 1998-2001.
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The company, which has been doing more than 3500 live shows, festivals and special events since 1979, operates on many levels, e.g.:
1) Promotion of international artists in Italy. E.g. STING, PEARL JAM, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, TOM WAITS, SHAGGY, AEROSMITH, THE CURE, LENNY KRAVITZ, AC-DC, PHIL COLLINS, SLIPKNOT, METALLICA, STEVIE WONDER, RAY CHARLES, BARRY WHITE, EARTH, WIND & FIRE, VAN MORRISON, B.B. KING, PAGE & PLANT, KISS, IRON MAIDEN, YES, CHEMICAL BROTHERS, DREAM THEATER, PRODIGY, LOREENA MC KENNITT, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, DEFTONES, PAUL WELLER, LIMP BIZKIT, DEEP PURPLE, DAVID SYLVIAN, HOOVERPHONIC, DAVID BOWIE, SANTANA, FRANK ZAPPA, LORD OF THE DANCE, SHAOLIN MONKS and more.
2) Promotion and production of Italian artists in Italy (NEFFA, SOTTOTONO, LITFIBA...)
3) Production and co-production and Promotion of Festivals: MONSTERS OF ROCK, SONORIA, MILANO BLUES FESTIVAL, IRLANDA IN FESTA, LAGHI LOMBARDI IN FESTIVAL, FLEADH, BALKANIKA, MONZA ROCK FESTIVAL, PISTOIA BLUES FESTIVAL, COCA COLA DANCE FESTIVAL…
4) Organisation, production and promotion of Italian artist’s concerts and tours abroad (e.g. first international shows of Vasco Rossi, Eros Ramazzotti, Sabrina Salerno...)
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CONTRA PROMOTION GMBH
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 CONTRA
PROMOTION was founded by Björn Gralla
1992. Together with compagnon Enrico
Karolczak he continually established
a very successful booking agency and
management company in western europe.
With the discovery of German crossover-sensation
GUANO APES and the finnish Gothic-Rock
heroes HIM CONTRA PROMOTION gained more
and more weight in national and international
booking topics.
Today, many bands know about CONTRA PROMOTION´s power, so that it is no surprise that newcomer-bands as well as established acts such as H-BLOCKX or OOMPH! find a new home in CONTRA PROMOTION.
Meanwhile five people are working on various subjects within this company. Thomas Matiszik is doing exclusive booking for bands like H-BLOCKX, GLOW or CREMATORY, Markus Nau takes care of the local activities and last but not least Marion Wieck co-ordinates all the touring-activities and also takes care for local PR.
Since most of the bands on CONTRA´s roster are going to release new albums in 2002 it is likely to become an extremely successful anniversary year for CONTRA PROMOTION
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ILMC - International
Live Music Conference
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