Indie Champions 2025

For the second year, we salute the accomplished indies rocking the sector...

FEATURED LIST By IQ | 17 November 2025

The launch of our Indie Champions edition last year was embraced by the business as a great way to celebrate the hard work of the numerous independent operators that help make live entertainment such a compelling proposition for the millions of fans who buy tickets.

And with submissions for this year’s list markedly up on 2024, that celebration of the ingenuity and creativity is only growing and has led to IQ’s independent issue becoming an annual cornerstone of our autumn activities.

Our shortlist of 20 companies was chosen by you, the IQ readership. And although they are located in 13 nations, in terms of impact, they are truly global in the work they collectively do.

As usual, we’d like to extend a big thank you to…

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THE LIST

S2BN Entertainment

Michael Cohl founded S2BN Entertainment, an independent company dedicated to producing & promoting world-class live experiences across multiple sectors.

LETSGO

Brothers Iñaki and Gorka Fernández founded LETSGO in 2009, with an ambition to fuse the performing arts and captivate audiences worldwide.

Aiken Promotions

Aiken Promotions is a multi-generational family company, founded over 60 years ago by the late James Aiken in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Voulez-vous Danser

Paris-based Voulez-vous Danser (VVD) has grown from a small independent initiative into a full-scale international booking and live production agency.

Solo

Now functioning as an all-around artist agency service, Solo was formed in 1985 by John Giddings

Cobra Agency

Specialising in the rock and metal genres, Cobra Agency was founded in 2017 by business partners Günther Beer and Dominik Meyer.

Barley Arts

Barley Arts was founded in 1979 when Italian record label Dischi Ricordi decided to launch a catalogue of country and folk music by organising tours and concerts.

Northern Music

Launched in 1987 as a response to a London-dominated music industry, Northern Music offers a swathe of services to clients, employing 12 staff and using freelancers for specific projects.

Paléo Arts & Spectacles

Non-profit cultural association Paléo Arts & Spectacles was formed in 1974 to bring popular folk music to the local youth.

Opus

Opus was founded in 1994 in order to develop Jazz Open Stuttgart festival, and was positively transformed by serial entrepreneur Jürgen Schlensog in 2008.

Serious

With over 30 years’ experience in producing events from grassroots to large scale concerts, festivals and tours, Serious aim to make meaningful music experiences and opportunities for everyone.

DHP Family

Working at both national and regional level, DHP Family promote artists including James Blunt, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Fender.

Bonus Track

Bonus Track was formed 40 years ago in the wake of the inaugural Rock in Rio Festival, where company founder Luiz Oscar Niemeyer had the role of general coordinator

Silverdust

Formed after a rocky start for Summer Breeze Open Air, Silverdust GmbH was formed as the company behind the rock and metal-focussed festival.

All Things Go

Having evolved from a single-day event, All Things Go now welcomes more than 120,000 fans annually to multi-day events in Washington, New York, and Toronto.

IAG

IAG was formed in June 2023 following the merger of legacy full-service agency APA and music touring agency AGI.

Double Vee Concerts

Jacco van Lanen and Willem Venema founded the three-people-strong promotion company Double Vee Concerts at the end of 2009.

Eat to the Beat

Eat to the Beat (ETTB) has come a long way since the late Tony Laurenson launched operations more than 40 years ago.

People Entertainment Group

Founded in 2001, People Entertainment Group now operates its own network of companies, allowing it to self-present its tours.

Good Taste Production

Formed in 2012, Good Taste specialises in creating original festival concepts and large-scale live experiences across Poland.

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