Indie Champions 2024:
Runway Artists

Having been made redundant by ATC Live early on in the pandemic, Matt Hanner persuaded a handful of his clients to take a punt on him going solo.

By IQ | 16 June 2025

Having been made redundant by ATC Live early on in the pandemic, Matt Hanner persuaded a handful of his clients to take a punt on him going solo.

“It probably helped that the prospects of touring any time soon were rapidly disappearing over the horizon, so perhaps they didn’t think it mattered all that much who their agent was,” Hanner tells IQ. “I think I earned £500 in my first year of trading and had to pick up some lecturing work to tide me over, but Steve [Backman] and I began talking, and in April ’21, we made it official. That to me is when Runway really began.”

Runway is a booking agency that has also dabbled in running a showcase and a conference. “We want…

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INDIE CHAMPIONS 2024:

Destroy All Lines

Destroy All Lines was formed 20 years ago, but up until 2016 was primarily a nightclub promoter that actively toured around ten artists a year.

Move Concerts

Move Concerts was formed ten years ago in what was essentially a rebranding and restructuring of promoter Phil Rodriguez’s various enterprises, Water Brother Productions, Evenpro Group, and XYZ.

Untitled Group

Identifying a gap in the market, music entrepreneurs Michael Christidis, Christian Serrao, Filippo Palermo, and Nicholas Greco self-funded the first Beyond The Valley festival in 2014.

Mercury Concerts

After the Mercury relaunch in 2014, the first tour saw Guns N’ Roses playing 14 dates across South America. Other acts promoted by the company include KISS, Aerosmith, Rush, Ozzy Osbourne and Bon Jovi.

LS Events

Launched in 2004 by Jim King and later joined by Dave Grindle, Loud Sound made its name in the UK festival industry.

Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion

The company was officially founded in 1962 by Karsten Jahnke, who finally turned his hobby of promoting concerts into a business.

One Fiinix Live

The coronavirus pandemic was the driver behind Jon Ollier creating agency One Fiinix Live. The company launched in November 2020, and for the first few months, its sole employees were Ollier and Emma Davis.

Marauder

Rev. Moose and his partners formed Marauder in 2015 “to work with people in music who fell between the cracks of the existing American industry.”

Toutpartout

Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, Toutpartout began life in the bedroom of Steve Thomassen when he was in his final year of a visual arts degree at university, with his mother acting as his secretary.

evenko

One of Canada’s largest independent promoters, evenko produces nearly 1,600 music, family, and sports events throughout Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, and the eastern United States on an annual basis.

Alter Art

Alter Art is the largest independent promoter of festivals and concerts in Poland, with a history that dates back over 25 years when it was launched by Mikołaj Ziółkowski.

Greenhouse Talent

Founded by Pascal Van De Velde in 2005, Greenhouse Talent has become the largest indie concert promoter in Benelux, with 50 employees across Belgium and The Netherlands organising around 1,500 events annually.

Fource

Anthony Jouet founded Fource in 2011, after finding himself working in Prague as a consultant in-house promoter at the city’s O2 Arena.

Gérard Drouot Productions

Founded by Gérard Drouot in 1986, Gérard Drouot Productions (GDP) has become a pillar of concert production in the French music industry.

Bird On The Wire

Bird On The Wire was conceived by Clémence Godard and Tim Palmer in 2009, who met at a concert at the now closed Bardens Boudoir in London.

Cap-Cap Produccions

Xavi Manresa established Cap-Cap Produccions in 1988, driven by his passion for bringing punk, hardcore, and alternative music to the forefront of the Iberian peninsula’s live music scene.

Crosstown Concerts

With 19 full-time staff across Bristol, London, Cardiff, and Oxford, and dozens of freelancers, Crosstown has organised around 600 shows this year.

Primary Talent International

Celebrating its 34th year in the agency business, Primary Talent International boasts an eclectic roster of over 450 clients spanning all genres.

MCT Agentur

MCT was formed in 1984 by Die Toten Hosen manager Jochen Hülder, Rough Trade Booking Germany chief Dietrich Eggert, and tour manager Scumeck Sabottka.

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