Vol. 39 - 25 August'03
www.vip-booking.com

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT VIP-BOOKING, PLEASE click here »

Editor's note

It is now a documented fact - via record sales, acknowledged in the BPI returns reported in this newsletter and concert returns - that rock has reclaimed dominance from pop (Praise The Lord!). Acts such as The Darkness (see below) are restoring the power to such an extent that maybe, (much as I'd hate to see them go!) The Stones, Led Zep, Deep Purple etc. can take a rest knowing that somebody is doing the job.

Also Dance is having a hard time, although re-aligning with R&B, Soul and Funk to boost the live appeal already stimulated by Hip Hop will I'm sure re-stimulate the whole genre, as well as force the clubs to re-appraise their approach.

Another very interesting, and gratifying development to one such as myself, being a sucker for a good song, is the interest from a younger audience in new adaptations of Roots, New Country, Americana - whatever you want to call it. (see 'Accidental Promoter' in this News).There are clubs springing up throughout the UK, Scandinavia and Northern Europe, with young agents, promoters, radio DJs and great musicians creating a strong circuit for mixed age audiences into both new and 'heritage' or established artists.

This is all encouraging and optimistic news for a boost in the quality of music generally and for the live sector in particular. I for one feel quite enlivened! (Or am I just trying to relive my youth?) Now, what else is happening? - Read on…

Poll station - Rock Roll will never die! - True or False? Free guided tour - Click here for a free personal guided tour of our subscription service VIP-Booking.com Win a free subscription to VIP-Booking.com - The No. 1 resource for the European Performance Industry - Click here to find out more about the service Recommend a friend to receive VIP-News- Do your friends a favour and sign them up now! Submit your artist avails - We will do our best to publish as many as possible. Exclusive territorial rights only please. Submit your new signings - Tell us about your new signings and we will tell the whole European Entertainment Business Have your say! - If you have a veiwpoint to any of the articles in VIP-News then now is your chance to be heard. VIP-News is distributed to over 10 000 European entertainment industry professionals.

 

As summer vanishes we can look back on hundreds of concerts and festivals. If we think that high sales figures and attendances carry the main content of success - it seems that we are forgetting about quality, service, development - and the future.

Did we speak to the audiences? Were they happy? Did we look at the level of our own services in a critical way? Did we ask others about it?

I'd like to call for a trans-Europe investigation into concert and festival facts and impressions. The aim of this investigation should be to acclaim the many good events and to put pressure on the bad ones. Ticket buyers should know - like in other businesses - about the value they are getting or not getting. They should be asked about their opinions more often - in order to improve quality in every aspect of concerts and festivals, and as a consequence of that, improve business based on respect and development.

 

Over the years Industry folk have become accustomed to Popkomm taking place in Cologne in August, but as is now evident, this will not be the same in 2004. This edition of Popkomm, the last in Cologne, went well - at least for those who were there, and these were less than in previous years.

The organizers of the 15th edition of the trade show were in the main not those who were responsible in previous years.

Uli Grossmaas, the former managing director of Musikkomm was spotted at the fair ground, but has not been in charge since the beginning of 2003. Viva Media Enterprise, a subsidiary of Viva Media AG took over Musikkomm earlier this year and MD Kerstin Karpinski became the new conventions director. The reasons for this were reported in the last VIP News Issue. While the main managers of the organizing crew for 2003 remained in position, the overall Popkomm-Team itself faced several dismissals when Viva took over and the future framework of the Popkomm Team at this stage seems to be very unclear.

 

The official final press release indicated mixed feelings for the event. According to the organizers the resume is positive as indicated in one part of the press release, which states that visitor figures remained stable with 14,572 participants. This compares well with the 14,533 claimed for the previous year. However a few lines later it states that this year 10,247 trade delegates attended the convention while 4,325 visitors showed up for the first ever Popkomm.Public.

It doesn't require a pocket calculator to work out that there must be a huge difference between trade delegates who pay between 50 Euro (company day passes) or 135 Euro (for the early bird registration) and normal consumers who paid 11 Euro at the door to visit Popkomm.Public. It was also obvious that the number of exhibitors declined, but the exhibition itself was a success for several companies attending. More than 60% of the exhibitors for Popkomm 2003 came from abroad.

 

Popkomm 2004 as reported in our last issue will be held in Berlin and will be operated by a joint venture between Viva Media AG and the Messe Berlin. As no official source wanted to comment on details of the deal and the future of Popkomm itself, only vague information had been made available. Different to previous reports, the Berlin Messe already owns the Popkomm brand. As part of a purchase agreement all trade mark rights are supposed to be paid until 2010. More or less confirmed is that the Messe Berlin is granted the right to decide and appoint a new managing director for the music fair, while Viva only retains a seat on the supervisory board of the joint venture.

There is much speculation about new dates and a new concept for Popkomm in Berlin. Popkomm.Public had already been set up in 2003 as a new event for consumers. A quite unique mixture of non-music companies such as Deutsche Bahn (German Railway) and Vodafone, and media companies as Viva TV and Eins Live (Radio) trade visitors may have gathered an impression of what is to come. In reference to this, one rumour says that Popkomm 2004 will be a combination of the youth fair YOU, and Showtech, a sound and lighting systems show. Insiders are claiming that this is an idea created somewhere in Berlin, but unfortunately no comment had been available regarding such a splendid master plan.

 

It looks like whoever may be in charge that in Berlin for Popkomm 2004 there will be more people involved in the organization of Popkomm than ever before. Currently in the first row for the new setting of Popkomm 2004 are Balthasar Schramm, CEO of Sony Music and Tim Renner, CEO of Universal Music. Both are probably the most important self-declared experts, who aim to play a vital role for the music fair in the future. Renner already admitted during the official opening reception at Popkomm 2003 that he is on the look out for people qualified to take on duties for the trade show.

Stephan Balzer, MD of the Berlin based consulting company Red Onion is another name that turns up regularly. He has already applied for a meeting with Viva CEO Dieter Gorny and it is suspected, that he has already written a 50 page all inclusive strategy concept. In terms of the music business Balzer is anything but a household name within the industry itself, but nevertheless is well known among selected rank and file in the German capitol. So far his success as an organizer of conventions is somewhat limited, as his previous ambitions in to establish the multi media congress 'Berlin Beta failed.

 

According to figures published by the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) at the beginning of this week for Second Quarter trade deliveries the UK market achieved an all-time high in album shipments: The reported volume of sales for this period grew by 12% to reach an annual high of 228m units. The figures mark the fifth consecutive year that album sales have topped 200m. However this increasing volume of sales is not translating into profits for the industry:

Factors such as a steep rise in discounting as high street retailers engage in fierce competition (CD albums, with an average retail price of £9.79, have never been cheaper in the UK) further undermined by a disappearing singles market ,resulted in actual profits from albums, the healthiest sector of the recorded music industry, ending up down over the year by 2%. Singles continued to decline with annual sales of 41m units. Overall the market value remained stable with a minimal increase of 0.1%.

 

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Kruiliya Rock Festival in Moscow on Saturday 5 July, the ILMC Safety Focus Group, as shocked as any of us, offers some advice:

Although the industry has discussed possible attacks on concerts following September 11 this incident brings home the reality of the threat.

While festival and concert organisers can do little in the face of a determined attack - and anti-terrorism is not the primary focus of the SFG - the group feels strongly that adherence to standard event security and safety procedures can help to lower the risk of terrorism and reduce casualties in the event of an incident.

 

Foo Fighters played a live acoustic set at the launch of new show, TRL on August 19, appearing live on the music channel from 4.30pm alongside Jack Osbourne, Angelina Jolie and American Idol Kelly Clarkson. Total Request Live - a daily top ten video countdown show - has long been a hit show in the US, where it is regarded as one of the country's most influential music shows. Filmed in a glass-fronted studio in New York's Time Square, TRL regularly sees guest appearances from top name stars such as Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Britney Spears.

Speaking ahead of today's UK launch, Michiel Bekker, managing director of MTV Networks UK & Ireland, said: "TRL is quite simply the biggest show that we have ever launched at MTV UK. By scheduling the show in the afternoon, we are bringing something totally new to that slot and creating a unique platform for stars to reach the post-school or college audience."

 

Charlie Peverett and David Morrison promote under the glorious name - The Gilded Palace of Sin - now one of the leading lights in the rapidly rising interest in Americana and new country music. I asked Charlie for a tour of The Palace:

"I had been thinking of setting up a club night where I could play all my Grant Lee Buffalo records.

There wasn't one in Brighton, or anywhere else for that matter, but that is what I felt the world needed. I didn't care if anyone turned up, it was really the idea of hearing the music loud whilst crying into a pint - my idea of a perfect evening. Around the time this idea was forming, I was introduced to the redoubtable David Morrison in a Hove basement. He, as it turned out, was also a secret country music lover, contemplating an outlet for his under appreciated record collection. As freaks do, we quickly formed an alliance.

 

Kaizers Orchestra: 'EuroSonic kick started activities outside Scandinavia.It is quite something for a band that sing in local Norwegian dialect to be booked for German festivals such as Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, and Haldern, plus the Dutch Lowlands and others, as a result of enthusiastic response from promoters to their performance at Noorderslag. It shows the importance of a strong live presence and being at the right place at the right time', says band manager Eivind Brydoy.

From Holland The Apers scored new Italian and German agents. Through them the band played the Rock Sound Tuborg Festival in Italy and appeared on Italian television. Tours in Italy and Germany for the end of 2003 are planned.

Universal UK and Dutch Promoters and Agents, Mojo, visited the Junior Senior showcase in Groningen, resulting in a Top 3 hit in the UK for the Danish act and a spot at the Pinkpop festival in Holland.

 

Junkie XL (nl), Blaze (us), DJ Umek (slov), Yonderboi (hun), Vive la Fete (b), Darko (nl), Terry Farley & Pete Heller (uk), Stuart Patterson (uk), DJ La-di-da (cz), DJ Roog (nl), Bastian (nl), and Men in Blue (nl), are among the first names confirmed for the Amsterdam Dance Event night program. Sporting the most international line up ever and taking place from 30 October to November 1, the ADE expects 1300 professional participants and over 25.000 visitors to the night program. More than twelve clubs will take part in the ADE this year, which constitutes a significant growth from 2002 (seven clubs then).

Scheduled are showcases from Junior Boys Own, Hed Kandi and Supertracks and special ADE editions of Chemistry, HQ and Electronation.

'Using more clubs means you can go a lot further with different sorts of electronic music', says ADE general manager Richard Zijlma: 'These days, electronic music is such a broad thing. Many companies are eager to showcase an artist at the ADE, meaning there's a lot going on. We are lucky that we can work with the best clubs in Amsterdam. Besides special DJ gigs, we will have more live acts performing this year.'

 

There's probably a little while to go before the world decides whether The Darkness from Suffolk in the far East of England are 'Saviours of Rock', but they've made a bloody good start. Apart from waking me up and jolting me out of my slumped on the sofa cynicism by making a completely over the top one number performance work on the normally flattening medium of television (Jools Holland's Later: BBC 2), they managed to wake up and excite the Glastonbury Festival at a ridiculously early hour of the morning on June 27 this year.

Their debut album 'Permission To Land' released on July 7 on Must Destroy Music/Atlantic Records went to No 2 in the UK charts and having toured solidly for most of the year, including dates in Holland and Germany and some very high profile support dates begin off a headlining trek in Dublin on October, culminating with a show at London's Hammersmith Apollo on October 22. Future plans are to break America and put out a Christmas single (!) Kerrang dubbed them the greatest rock and roll band of the last 20 years. Watch this space!

 

Clear Channel (Symbol CCU.NSE) moved from 39,39 USD (Vip News 06.08.2003) up to 42.92 USD.

CTS Eventim (EVD.FSE) From 5,25 Euro up to 5,40 Euro. This probably doesn't mean a lot, but have a look on the chart for CTS Eventim. The 38 days curve and the 200 days curve underline a solid performance of this share within the last 12 months.

DEAG shares (ERM.FSE) are also gaining. Last time we reported 2,00 Euro and by now it has already climbed to 2,70 Euro.

Mean Fiddler (MEF.ISE) on the AIM (Alternative Investment Market) at London Stock Exchange moves with the positive trend as well. 18,00 Pence for MEF.ISE shares compare to 15,50 Pence in the last issue, even if this share has not been traded in the same quantities as the previous three.

 

The Concert Hall Aarhus: A milestone in Scandinavian architecture Mind-lifting design draped in light & dedicated to the performing arts The Concert Hall Aarhus is an elegant and functional building designed by architects Kjær & Richter and inaugurated on Friday 27 August 1982 by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

The hall, situated in the centre of Aarhus, is famous for it's acoustics, beautiful auditoriums and it's magnificent glass-covered foyer, where sunlight, palms and the old olive trees create a very special ambience.

Designed for regular use & all citizens...

The Concert Hall covers an area of 15,000 square meters, comprising around 300 rooms. The capacity of the large auditorium is 1588 seats, incl. facilities for disabled guests. The mall auditorium holds approx. 324 seats, incl. room for wheel chairs.

Besides approx. 250 annual free events of various kinds in the 2000 square metres glass Foyer (especially during the weekends), approx. 400 events take place in the two auditoria per year.

The Concert Hall Ticket Sales sold 246,627 tickets in 1999. All in all the yearly number of visitors exceeds half a million.

The repertoire represents a wide palette: Ballett, pop, musicals, opera, rock, the complete classical repertoire, theatre – and a long range of art exhibitons, business conventions etc.

 

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

 

This document may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the expressed written consent
of VIP-Booking.com . ©2000-2003 VIP-Booking.com. All rights reserved.