Slam Dunk Festival founder Ben Ray has teased further expansion could be on the cards for the brand after it wrapped up its inaugural European tour.

The UK’s biggest independent rock festival debuted in May/June at 2,000-capacity clubs in Belgium (Trix, Antwerp), the Netherlands (Tivola Ronda, Utrecht) and Switzerland (Komplex 457, Zurich).

It also returned to France at Lyon’s 5,000-cap L’Amphithéâtre 3000 and Italy at Milan’s 10,000-cap Carroponte, where the near week-long run concluded on 2 June.

“But it’s been really good seeing the brand expand into Europe and seeing what we’ve seen in the UK happen in different European cities,” Ray tells IQ. “Even the smaller ones still felt like Slam Dunk events in spirit and the fact they featured a good and varied bill.”

The Used, Newfound Glory and Neck Deep were the top-billed acts for the majority of the rollout, with A Day To Remember headlining the larger festivals in France and Italy, as well as the flagship UK edition.

“You wouldn’t see some of those bands on tour together, but they all complemented each other,” says Ray. “The fans in Europe were into all of the bands, even though they were slightly different, and it worked well.”

“It feels like something is brewing in Europe for the brand”

Slam Dunk collaborated with local partners in each market: Live Nation Belgium, Jera Presents (Netherlands), Good News Productions (Switzerland), Opus Live (France) and Hub Music Factory (Italy).

“It feels like something is brewing in Europe for the brand,” says Ray. “All of our European promoter partners felt it was an outstanding success and agree that it will continue to build. The spirit of the event is definitely something that will continue to grow.

“We really think we’ve made a wave across Europe that will continue, possibly by moving to other countries or continuing to grow in the countries they’re already in, whether we move cities or remain where we are. We’re starting to plan for next year now and we should hopefully continue to see the growth of the brand across Europe.”

Ray admits the expansion has been a steep learning curve, but is confident Slam Dunk is on the right track.

“I’ve done a lot of festivals and one-off events over the years, but I’m not too experienced in touring, so it was an eye opening experience,” he says. “There were a few issues; it’s different in Europe to the UK and I’d be wrong to pretend that everything went absolutely perfectly. But we’ve learned a lot in terms of how we improve, operate and market the event.

“Ultimately, it’s about finding the right bands that will work across all the territories. It worked really well this year, because we had a lot of bands that were of similar size and I liked the fact that we rotated the bill in some countries. I’m sure every festival promoter will tell you the same: billing seems to be much more of an issue in the UK than it is anywhere else in the world. But thankfully, in Europe, lots of bands rotated places and everybody was happy to make it work and take the brand into Europe. Now, we’ve just got to work out what we’re doing next year.”

“If a new problem suddenly pops up that no one could foresee then fine, but it’s unacceptable if we have any problems on site that we’ve had in the past”

Slam Dunk’s 30,000-cap UK editions, which took place Hatfield Park on 24 May and Temple Newsam in Leeds on 25 May, also rebounded from a rain-hit 2024, reports Ray.

“Sales were great, we nearly sold out, and the bands and the public went away happy,” he says. “We don’t shy away from the fact that we have had issues in the past: the usual things about car park queues, getting in and out, and various onsite issues caused by selling a lot of tickets. But because we’ve had issues in the past, we have dealt with them all.

“I kept on saying to everybody involved that if there has been a problem in the past, we have to make sure that those problems don’t happen again. If a new problem suddenly pops up that no one could foresee then fine, but it is unacceptable if we have any problems on site that we’ve had in the past. There are processes in place to make sure we do not have a repeat of any previous problems, and it worked perfectly.”

IQ reported last week on how a fresh wave of headline-level acts are driving the European rock and metal circuit to its healthiest point in years, and Ray reflects on the genre’s current standing in the music world.

“Rock music has always been strong and it’s remained a constant, but I appreciate it sometimes isn’t in the mainstream as much,” he says. “It’s a good time; the only thing that’s been a problem is the fact that the cost of touring has gone up so much. US bands want to come over to UK and Europe, but the costs are so high at the moment that they can’t afford to come.

“A number of US rock festivals are also doing well and, even though they’re not on the same weekend or even the same continent, I feel like I’m competing with them a lot more for artists. There is a conflict where these bands have agreed they’ll only play three weekends a year, and those three weekends are unfortunately taken up with US festivals. So the cost of touring has that knock-on effect.”

“We were overcautious on some things because we didn’t want to go into our 20th anniversary year with any kind of negativity”

Slam Dunk’s 2025 UK lineup included A Day To Remember, Electric Callboy, You Me At Six, The Used, Alkaline Trio, Finch, Neck Deep, New Found Glory, Twin Atlantic and Less Than Jake.

“It’s all about communication. We have a great relationship with the fans – a lot better than most festivals – because we have a very high rate of returning customers. Some festivals have a big turnover of customers; they have new people coming every year and have to educate those customers in certain ways. We have a great advantage in that most [attendees] have been before and when we put out information, they tend to listen and trust us.”

Past Slam Dunk bills have included the likes of Paramore, All Time Low, Panic! At The Disco, Enter Shikari, Jimmy Eat World, Don Broco, Sum 41 and NOFX. And the pop-punk, emo, metal, and alternative festival is approaching a significant milestone – the 20th anniversary of the first Slam Dunk UK in 2026.

“We want to make it special, of course,” says Ray. “We’re looking at different options, but it is about celebrating in style and we took that into consideration going into this year. We were overcautious on some things because we didn’t want to go into our 20th anniversary year with any kind of negativity. And luckily, we feel like we are set up to go into it with overwhelming positivity.”

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French digital music giant Believe has opened up on its future live plans after staging the biggest concert ever held at the Stade de France.

The Paris-based company’s Live Affair division promoted Jul’s sold-out gig in Saint-Denis last month, which drew a record 97,816 crowd to the national stadium. The previous benchmark was set by pop-rock band Indochine, who played to 97,036 fans three years ago.

Jul has worked with Believe since 2015, with Live Affair’s relationship with the rapper beginning with his 2022 Orange Velodrome (cap. 70,000) show in his hometown of Marseille.

Live Affair director general Stéphane Wehrlé tells IQ the request to play the Stade de France came from Jul himself around two years ago.

“Considering the rarity of the artist and his huge and relevant audience, we were pretty confident it would sell out, but didn’t expect such a massive demand for the show and for it to sell out so quickly – in just a few minutes,” he says. “There were more than one million fans in the queue trying to get tickets, which has never happened before for a concert in France. The show itself became a cultural moment because of this demand, before he even hit the stage.”

It wasn’t until late in the day, however, that the prospect of breaking the venue’s attendance record became a serious possibility.

“What we set out to do, of course, was to maximise attendance as much as possible,” says Wehrlé. “We also wanted to go further than what we did with the shows in Marseille in 2022, so we went with a central stage, which was a whole new level of production and allowed us to make sure we could make the event as big as possible. We knew that the demand would be crazy – so we had to deliver.

“We only realised that we might be able to break the Stade de France record quite late. It was in the last week before the show, once we were able to sell the final tickets after the production was all set up.
Having this many people brings with it its own unique challenges, like implementing the right security and transportation measures with the authorities, because you’re trying to account for nearly 100,000 people. But everything went great.”

“Jul has only played four gigs in the last three years, but they have all been massive. Every time he performs, it is one of the biggest live events in France”

The rapper is set to perform two hometown stadium shows at the Orange Velodrome tonight and tomorrow (23-24 May). And Wehrlé explains that less is more where the 35-year-old’s touring activity is concerned.

“In general, Jul doesn’t do many live shows,” says Wehrlé. “In fact, he has only played four gigs in the last three years, but they have all been massive and every time he performs, it is one of the biggest live events in France.”

The most-certified domestic act of all time alongside the late Johnny Hallyday, Jul was the most-streamed French artist on Spotify in 2024. But there are currently no plans for him to tour abroad.

“At this stage we don’t have any plans for international shows.” says Wehrlé. “We know Jul has a pretty large audience outside of France, so who knows what he could be thinking in the future.

“When it comes to live shows, Jul might want to maintain the same approach, keeping the performances rare. But of course, we are thinking about formats that could work for his future live career with this approach in mind.”

Stade de France also held sold out concerts by domestic artists Ninho and DJ Snake this month, and welcomed Burna Boy in April. It will host Beyoncé for three nights on 19 & 21-22 June. Wehrlé gives a mixed assessment of the French live sector as a whole.

“Like in many territories, rap and urban artists are leading the market right now, with competition becoming more and more fierce,” he adds.
”Similar to the UK, a lot of festivals have had trouble finding a viable model for a number of reasons. Historical ones are having issues with renewing their audience over time, while newer ones can struggle to get a solid foothold in a competitive market.”

“We intend to accelerate our growth organically in the live market in France and continue to develop synergies with Believe’s different labels”

He continues: “To me, it is a real concern for the whole industry, and we will need to find solutions collectively to avoid a serious crash in the festival business.
Similar to most countries around the world, we’ve seen production costs rise by around 40% over the last four years, which means ticket prices will need to continue to rise for big acts.

“The market is continuing to concentrate on the biggest acts, in arenas and stadiums, with rising tickets prices. At the same time, we are facing real budget issues concerning developing artists playing in clubs and festivals.”

Believe houses five live music entities in total – Live Affair, Zouave, Uni-t, Play Two Live and Structure – that are either run in-house or through subsidiaries. The French-based entities are responsible for around 1,500 shows a year for more than 100 artists. Live Affair was created within Believe in 2019.

“For Live Affair specifically, we run around 300 gigs a year, ranging from small clubs to festivals and of course stadiums as well,” says Wehrlé. “We have a roster of around 15 artists, most of which are Believe artists. We’ve been doing this since 2020, and our mission is to accompany our artists in their live endeavours, cultivating a family spirit and helping to develop them at every stage of their career, with respect, expertise, fairness and transparency.”

Other notable Live Affair presentations have included an arena tour with French rapper SDM and new rap festival Golden Coast, which launched last year in Dijon, in the east of France.

“The second edition will take place in September with a 25,000 capacity per day over three days,” adds Wehrlé. “That’s our next big challenge.
More generally, we intend to accelerate our growth organically in the live market in France and continue to develop synergies with Believe’s different labels, to best serve artists’ development at each stage of their careers.”

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French rapper Jul has smashed the Stade de France’s attendance record after attracting almost 100,000 fans to the Paris stadium.

The 35-year-old pulled in 97,816 fans to the sold-out concert on Saturday (26 April), which was promoted by the live division of French-headquartered music giant Believe.

The previous benchmark was set by pop-rock band Indochine, who played to 97,036 fans in 2022. U2 also drew 96,540 attendees to the Saint-Denis venue in 2010.

Tickets for Jul’s concert were priced from €55, with a reported 25,000 viewers also tuning in to the performance online via a €10 livestream.

Real name Julien Mari, Jul was the most-streamed French artist on Spotify in 2024 and is the most-certified domestic act of all time alongside the late Johnny Hallyday.

Jul opened a pop-up star in Paris to coincide with the Stade de France gig, which is open from 25 April to 4 May. He will also perform two gigs at the Orange Vélodrome (cap. 70,000) in his home city of Marseille on 23-24 May.

 

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The venue, which also has upcoming shows by Ninho, DJ Snake, Beyoncé, Linkin Park, Stray Kids and Blackpink this summer, says the record was made possible due to “the stage design, the available floor space, and the stadium’s layout”.

Jul’s Stade de France bow came a week after Burna Boy became the first African artist to headline the stadium, playing to 80,698 concertgoers on 18 April.

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The creator of the Printemps de Bourges festival, French music pioneer Daniel Colling, has died aged 78.

Co-founding the April festival in 1977 alongside Alain Meilland and Maurice Frot, Colling was a pivotal figure in the development of the French live music scene.

He is also credited with inventing the Zénith concert hall concept, beginning with Le Zénith in Paris in 1984, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. In addition, he co-founded Paris’ MaMA Music & Convention, retiring from the event only last year, and served as a record producer for multiple French language artists such as Jacques Higelin and Bernard Lavilliers.

“It is difficult to measure everything that Daniel was able to imagine and build throughout his life,” reads a tribute from the Printemps de Bourges team. “The Printemps de Bourges Crédit Mutuel of course, the first festival of contemporary music to open the road in April 1977 and already dedicated to emergence, creation and artistic discovery.

“The first Zénith, inaugurated in Paris in 1984, was the first modern performance hall to see the light of day in France. The National Center for Song, Varieties and Jazz (CNV) launched in 2002 under his leadership and which he chaired until 2009 allowed the rise of live performance and preconfigured the National Center for Music (CNM).

“The MaMA, the reference convention for contemporary music, which has been bringing together the entire profession since 2010 in the streets of Pigalle. And of course, throughout his life, the reason for all his energy and actions, the artists.”

“Daniel loved to build what did not exist and leaves us an incredible legacy in the world of music and culture”

It continues: “Daniel loved to build what did not exist and leaves us an incredible legacy in the world of music and culture. We extend our most affectionate thoughts to Daniel’s family and loved ones, and salute the memory of the man who brought spring to life and propelled the world of live entertainment into its modern era.”

A statement by his company Colling & Cie hails the entrepreneur as “a pioneer and visionary in the field of contemporary music and live performance”.

“Daniel Colling leaves an immeasurable legacy,” it adds. “He profoundly marked the live performance landscape with his legendary energy, his audacious creativity and his innovative projects. His departure leaves a huge void.”

Colling was also remembered via Zénith Paris’ social media channels

“Daniel had operated the Zénith Paris – La Villette since it was built in 1984,” notes the venue. “He had also invented and developed the Zénith ‘concept’ in the early 1980s. He had also operated the Zénith in Nantes since its opening, as well as the one in Toulouse since 2017. A tireless craftsman, he was the main promoter of these large capacity performance venues throughout France.

“Also the creator of Printemps de Bourges, producer of Higelin, Guy Bedos, Desproges and dozens of others, Daniel was a cornerstone of the structuring – union, institutional and even political – of a profession still in its infancy at the end of the 70s. A figurehead, a tutelary figure of live performance.”

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Rock en Seine has secured Chappell Roan’s one and only performance in France in 2025.

The US star will headline the opening night of the Paris event, slated for 20–24 August at Domaine National de Saint-Cloud.

She joins a rich lineage of Rock en Seine headliners which includes Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish and Arctic Monkeys.

Also set to perform on the opening day of the festival are London Grammar, Suki Waterhouse and Luvcat – currently the only other acts announced for the 20th edition.

Rock en Seine is promoted by AEG Presents, which acquired the 40,000-capacity festival in 2017 in partnership with media investment group LNEI.

In 2022, Rock en Seine GM Matthieu Ducos and AEG European festivals boss Jim King previewed a new era for the festival, which they said has “the potential to be one of the world’s leading city-based festivals”.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic’s Rock For People is also gearing up for its 30th anniversary edition, adding a fresh slate of acts to the bill.

Sex Pistols ft Frank Carter has been named as the final headliner for the event, joining Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot and Linkin Park.

Rock For People have also announced that the landmark edition will be extended to a fifth full day

Organisers have also announced that the landmark edition will be extended to a fifth full day headlined by Guns N’ Roses, with support from Rival Sons and more.

Four-day festival ticket holders have the opportunity to purchase Sunday’s programme at a discounted price.

An additional 40 acts have also been announced including Biffy Clyro, Kneecap, AWOLNATION, Marc Rebillet, Sigrid, New Jersey, Lorna Shore, Battlesnake, Refused, Eagles Of Death Metal, Circa Waves, The Ghost Inside, Deafheaven, Kim Dracula, RØRY, Imminence, Mallrat, DVNE, Bad Nerves, Imminence, DVNE, Sylosis, Lake Malice, The Haunt and Urn.

Previously announced acts include Fontaines D.C., IDLES, In Flames, Motionless In White, Poppy, Skillet and Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell.

Rock For People founder Michal Thomes says that 90% of the full-festival tickets are sold out already, six months before the event.

“The bar for the festival is once again being raised and we are seeing a huge demand for tickets that we have never seen before,” he adds.

Last year, booker David Nguyễn told IQ how the festival triumphed over the ‘headliner drought’ to produce the record-breaking 2024 edition.

Rock for People 2025 takes place 11–15th June 2025 at Park 360, Hradec Králové, Czechia.

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Slam Dunk Festival promoter Ben Ray has shared his blueprint for the brand’s 2025 “European takeover” in an interview with IQ.

The rock event, which was crowned Festival of the Year at this week’s LIVE Awards, will take place in six markets across one week next May/June, debuting in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, as well as returning to France, Italy and the UK, where the brand launched in 2006.

It is collaborating with partners in each market, apart from the UK, including Live Nation Belgium, Jera Presents (Netherlands), Good News Productions (Switzerland), Opus Live (France) and Hub Music Factory (Italy).

“It’s what we’ve been working towards,” Ray tells IQ. “The first European [spin-offs] were in France and Italy in ’23, but we only did France this year because – and I was very honest about it – we didn’t have the artists to do Italy. And with any of our European editions, if we don’t get the artists, we won’t put on the events.

“This year, we started looking at more markets but were determined to do both France and Italy. I had to know that France and Italy were done before I looked at anything else, because I wanted to deliver with my existing partners first.

“Luckily, in the cases of Netherlands and Switzerland, I’d been talking to those people for a long time and we’d said we’d do something if the opportunity arose.”

“Neck Deep are the only band playing all seven events”

Slam Dunk 2025 will kick off with its flagship, 30,000-cap UK editions at Hatfield Park on 24 May and Temple Newsam in Leeds on 25 May, headlined by A Day To Remember, Electric Callboy and Neck Deep, before making its way across the continent.

“Months ago, I told the artists that were flying over from the US for Slam Dunk UK that we were trying to add some European options for afterwards,” explains Ray. Thankfully, many of those bands have decided to come and join us and go into Europe. A Day To Remember are also headlining in France and Italy, and The Used, Newfound Glory and Neck Deep are the main three bands doing the majority of the shows.

“Switzerland is New Found Glory and Neck Deep, and then Netherlands and Belgium is The Used and Neck Deep, so it’s all rotating. Neck Deep are the only band playing all seven events.”

The inaugural Slam Dunk Belgium (cap. 2,000) is set for 27 May at Trix, Antwerp, with the first Slam Dunk Netherlands to follow 29 May at Tivola Ronda in Utrecht.

Slam Dunk France (cap. 5,000) will take place Lyon’s L’Amphitheatre 3000 on 31 May, with Slam Dunk Switzerland (cap. 2,000) to debut at Zurich’s Komplex 457 on 1 June. Slam Dunk Italy (cap. 10,000) will then bring proceedings to a close at a new venue – Milan’s Carroponte – on 2 June.

“Ultimately, it’s getting the brand out there into Europe and hopefully putting a benchmark down in those territories”

“The [Belgium/Netherlands Switzerland events] are in club venues,” notes Ray. “It’s a touring package rather than a [traditional] festival. But ultimately, it’s getting the brand out there into Europe and hopefully putting a benchmark down in those territories.

“Everything’s an experiment,” he continues. “The idea is to grow in each market and build the brand in each country, and then we hope to do bigger venues in those countries – and I suppose more countries – in the future.”

Past lineups at the pop-punk, emo, metal, and alternative have included the likes of Paramore, All Time Low, Panic! At The Disco, Enter Shikari, Jimmy Eat World, Don Broco, Sum 41 and NOFX. And in closing, Ray is cautiously optimistic the rollout will be a hit.

“We look at ticket data from the UK events and we know we get a lot of customers coming from Europe,” finishes Ray. “There is brand awareness all across Europe – even in territories we’re not in – and on top of targeted campaigns in each country, we’re running a very large overall campaign advertising the events together across Europe, again, trying to grow the brand.

“A big target for us is sponsorship: we believe that the more markets we’re in, the more attractive it looks to potential sponsors, so hopefully that will grow over the years as well.”

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Slam Dunk Festival is expanding to Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland as part of its “European takeover” in 2025.

The one-day pop-punk, emo, metal and ska-themed festival, which launched in the UK in 2006 before adding stops in France and Italy over the past couple of years, will take place in six markets across one week next May/June.

Slam Dunk 2025 will kick off with its 30,000-cap UK editions at Hatfield Park on 24 May and Leeds, Temple Newsam on 25 May, before making its way across the continent.

A link-up with Live Nation Belgium, the first Slam Dunk Belgium is set for 27 May at Trix, Antwerp, with a bill including The Used, Neck Deep and Zebrahead.

Another new addition in partnership with Jera Presents, Slam Dunk Netherlands will debut on 29 May at Tivola Ronda in Utrecht, featuring Neck Deep, The Used, Zebrahead, The Ataris and March.

Across the border, Slam Dunk hits France on 31 May at Lyon’s L’Amphitheatre 3000, topped by A Day To Remember, Landmvrks, The Used, New Found Glory, Neck Deep and Zebrahead.

The Slam Dunk takeover will come to a close in Italy at Milan’s Carroponte on 2 June

The first Slam Dunk Switzerland will then land at Zurich’s Komplex 457 on 1 June, starring acts such as New Found Glory, Neck Deep, Zebrahead and The Ataris.

The takeover will come to a close in Italy at Milan’s Carroponte on 2 June. Bands confirmed so far include A Day To Remember, New Found Glory, The Used, Landmvrks, Neck Deep, The Ataris and Zebrahead.

Slam Dunk’s previously announced UK bill, meanwhile, will be headlined by A Day To Remember, Electric Callboy and Neck Deep topping the bill. Past lineups have included the likes of Paramore, All Time Low, Panic! At The Disco, Enter Shikari, Jimmy Eat World, Don Broco, Sum 41 and NOFX.

Promoter Ben Ray discussed the potential for future expansion of the brand in an interview with IQ earlier this year.

“We are looking at other European markets, but we’re not pushing it,” he said. “We started Slam Dunk in 2006 and it took us a long time to get to where we are in the UK. We’ve changed cities, we’ve changed sites, we’ve change formats and we’ve built slowly. We’ve never tried to take on too much, which is very important.”

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The French hard rock scene is witnessing a resurgence driven by domestic acts, according to promoters in the territory.

Speaking in IQ‘s 2024 Global Promoters Report, Opus Live CEO Anthony Chambon says French hard rock acts are now starting to break through in the market, despite it traditionally being more closely associated with other genres such as hip-hop and electronic music.

Chambon looks after a number of rising acts in the field, such as Landmvrks and Rise of the Northstar, and also handles independent pop-punk, emo, metal and alternative music festival Slam Dunk France.

“Something is definitely happening for French [hard rock] acts in the world,” he says, hinting that such artists could start to replicate the export power of Daft Punk, Air, Phoenix, and Cassius, more typically from the electronic world.

Slam Dunk France, which is promoted in partnership with AEG France, premiered in Lyon in 2023, headed by The Offspring, Simple Plan, Billy Talent, Zebrahead and Oakman. It came back for a second edition this June with headliner Sum 41.

“We tend to think Paris is really the key city to build in. It is indeed, but the more we go on, the more it is important to work in major cities”

The festival’s social media accounts teased its return for 2025 in a post published on its channels today, with an announcement set for 2pm CET tomorrow (11 December).

“France was a one-day indoor event at Halle Tony Garnier, which I would describe as similar to Ally Pally,” Slam Dunk UK promoter Ben Ray told IQ earlier this year. “That was one stage and 16,000-capacity, and we did over 13,000 for our first event.”

Meanwhile, acts coming to France – or international bookers planning their tours – are being urged to think far beyond the capital in order to maximise the market’s potential. France’s biggest indoor arena outside of Paris, the 16,000-cap LDLC Arena in Lyon, opened in late 2023.

“For the international artists, it is usually one show in Paris, maybe two or three shows in the main markets – Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille,” notes Chambon.

“We tend to think Paris is really the key city to build in,” adds Cyril Bahsief, co-CEO at Öctöpus. “It is indeed, but the more we go on, the more it is important to work in major cities. Doing well in terms of ticket sales in Lyon, Lille, Nantes, or Bordeaux makes a difference when booking summer festivals.”

Subscribers can read the full Global Promoters Report on France here.

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Having hosted both the Olympic Games and Paralympics this year, the city of Paris has not seen its usual packed summer of live music activity, but with those sporting tournaments now confined to glorious history, the French capital has emerged with a new arena and a renewed vigour after its televised global showcase.

The music industry enjoys an enviable relationship with government in France, with subsidies available to venues and guaranteed wages for performing musicians, supporting a healthy marketplace and the capital city’s nighttime scene benefitting as a result.

While there is a plethora of small venues and clubs to provide stage time for emerging talent, chief executive of Blue Line Productions, Naïma Bourgaut, who runs two small venues – the 300-capacity FGO-Barbara and the 200-cap Les Trois Baudets – notes that in the 500-1,500 capacity, the city still lacks choices.

At the top end, Paris La Défense Arena director general, Raphaëlle Plasse, notes that the demand for the 45,000-capacity indoor stadium has been so strong that the sports side of the business has become secondary to live events. “We’re up to 70 events in the calendar, and we can host shows year-round because of our roof, so we’ve hosted some of the biggest artists in the world, as well as being one of the main venues for the Paris Olympics,” she says.

And with the Olympic Games also delivering the new Adidas Arena, the top end of the venues business has never been better-served, although the promoters who ply their trade in the city argue that there is still need for additional large-scale buildings.

Across the city at the 20,000-capacity Accor Arena, the calendar is similarly packed. “From our perspective, we proudly meet a unique demand for large-scale venues in Paris, which is also true for the three venues operated by Paris Entertainment Company,” says Nicolas Dupeux, who is now director general for the Accor Arena, Adidas Arena, and Le Bataclan.

“We provide artists with support that follows their growth and evolving demands”

“Adidas Arena meets a capacity need that was previously unavailable in Paris: with a seating capacity ranging from 6,000 to 9,000, and with the 1,600 seats at the Bataclan, the venues of the Paris Entertainment Company offer an unprecedented complementarity in France and even in Europe. We provide artists with support that follows their growth and evolving demands, covering the full spectrum of live venues and meeting all their needs.”

At the top of the stack of the city’s promoters are, unsurprisingly, AEG Presents and Live Nation, while the Parisian nightlife also provides work for a whole host of independent operators, including the likes of Lagardère, Öctöpus, Alias Production, Le Rat Des Villes, Radical Production, Gérard Drouot Productions, Corida Group, Take Me Out, Opus Live, Allo Floride, Vedettes, Astérios Spectacles, Pedro Booking, and Saloni Productions, to name but a few.

Servicing those promoters are ticket companies such as Fnac, FIMALAC, Ticketmaster, and France Billet, in which CTS Eventim recently announced it had increased its shareholding to 65%. And at press time, AXS was establishing its new French HQ in Paris, adding another level of ticketing choice for the venues and promoters working in France.

On the festival front, Paris boasts an eclectic array of gatherings to entertain fans. The choice includes Lollapalooza Paris, We Love Green, Pitchfork, Villette Sonique, Chorus Festival, Slam Dunk, Ideal Trouble, and Closer Music Festival, while in the suburbs, FBLO Festival is a regular in nearby Fontainebleau and Rock en Seine is held in Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, west of the capital.

And with the French authorities making Paris the star of this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, it’s anticipated that tourism numbers in the city will climb even higher in the years ahead, giving the city’s live music business opportunities for further growth as visitors search for holiday entertainment.

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To celebrate the hard work of the numerous independent operators that make the live entertainment industry such a vibrant – and growing – business worldwide, IQ is publishing its inaugural Indie Champions list.

Our shortlist of 20 companies were chosen by the IQ readership and have headquarters across 11 different nations but service live events the world over, thanks to their various satellite offices and the artists and partners they work with.

The Indie Champions will become an annual staple of IQ, so if your company did not make it onto this year’s debut list, fear not, as you have a full ten months to prove your credentials to friends, colleagues, and business partners ahead of next year’s nomination process.

IQ will continue to publish entries across all categories over the coming days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of IQ here. Find part one, which includes Alter Art, Crosstown Concerts and more, here.

evenko (CA)

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. Its key events include hugely successful music festivals OSHEAGA Music and Arts Festival, FUEGO FUEGO, îLESONIQ, and LASSO Montréal, while throughout the year, the company regularly presents shows by Disney on Ice, Cirque du Soleil, and several Broadway shows.

In 2024, evenko’s four festivals attracted more than 270,000 music lovers of all genres – îLESONIQ (55,000), OSHEAGA (147,000), FUEGO FUEGO (35,000), and LASSO Montreal (35,000) – while the company also promoted shows by the likes of Madonna, Burna Boy, Olivia Rodrigo, Andrea Bocelli, Noah Kahan, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, Cyndi Lauper, Justin Timberlake, and Sabrina Carpenter. It will round off the year with performances by Bruce Springsteen, Iron Maiden, Cirque du Soleil, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Russell Peters.

Legendary acts such as Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Justice appeared as part of the lineup for OSHEAGA’s 17th edition

The company’s festival lineups in 2024 included acts like SZA, Chappell Roan, Maluma, Noah Kahan, Sam Hunt, Tiësto, Rauw Alejandro, and Eric Church, while legendary acts such as Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Justice appeared as part of the lineup for OSHEAGA’s 17th edition.

Jelly Roll and Bailey Zimmerman are set to headline the fourth edition of LASSO Montréal country music festival next August, and the company will promote shows by Kylie Minogue, Jerry Seinfeld & Jim Gaffigan, Heart, Kane Brown, and more at Montréal’s Bell Centre in the coming year.

Fource (CZ)

Anthony Jouet founded Fource in 2011, after finding himself working in Prague as a consultant in-house promoter at the city’s O2 Arena. “I felt there was a gap in the market, but I was frustrated to be tied to arena shows, so I told my boss, Jacob Smid, and between us we set up Fource to specialise in artist development,” he explains.

The idea was a success and, in 2017, Fource opened a second office in Warsaw, Poland.

“Our business model is based on artist development. So usually, we begin at club level with the artists that we decide to work with. And then we develop them in the market and work with all the possible venues in town up to arena level. 95% of what we do is promote shows.”

“It was very important that we are accountable for everything that we do”

Jouet’s approach to artist development is taking everything in-house. “We have our own ticketing [team], we do our own production, and we have our own marketing team, rather than doing what other players do here, which is relying on venues to promote their shows. For me, it was very important that we are accountable for everything that we do.”

Now employing eight people in Prague and five in Warsaw, the organic growth of Fource sees the company now promoting around 100 shows a year in Czechia and 80 in Poland.

Gérard Drouot Productions (FR)

Founded by Gérard Drouot in 1986, Gérard Drouot Productions (GDP) has become a pillar of concert production in the French music industry, while its name is recognised, appreciated, and trusted by artists and their fans all over the world. Now run by the late founder’s son, Matthieu, the company remains fiercely independent through its continual desire to renew itself and to approach each tour and event as a unique project, requiring creative marketing and promotional strategies.

As a lover of jazz, Gérard Drouot quickly added rock and pop, and more recently, rap, to the company’s portfolio, while film concerts have also become a speciality.

Despite the death of Gérard in 2022, GDP has a bright future ahead of it

GDP’s reputation revolves around relationships built on trust, offering artists opportunities to go beyond the norm to produce memorable performances, be they in a 400-seat venue or at the massive Stade de France. Despite the death of Gérard in 2022, GDP has a bright future ahead of it, with Matthieu Drouot overseeing 600 shows per year, including a raft of upcoming shows whose eclectic range is emphasised by the likes of Fally Ipupa, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Shaârghot, The World of Hans Zimmer, Cradle of Filth, and Laura Pausini.

Greenhouse Talent (BE)

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 for 1.5m fans. Van De Velde’s promoting career began when he was a teenager, and his pathway to launching Greenhouse saw him working for Belgian independent Make It Happen before that became part of the SFX/Clear Channel/Live Nation stable in 2001, where he worked as a consultant before creating his own operation.

“We promote international and domestic shows, we are a booking agency, and we organise festivals, comedy, and family shows,” says Van De Velde. “We do it all: production, marketing, admin, legal, and ticketing; and our mission is to remain talent-driven and participate in the growth process of our artists, based on a personal approach tailored to the artist’s career demands.”

“We do it all”

Among the company’s cornerstone events are Gent Jazz (57,000 attendees in 2024) and Netherlands events such as Zuiderpark Live (25,000), Spoorpark Live (22,500), and Country to
Country festival (10,000).

Looking ahead, Greenhouse has sold more than 200,000 tickets for a series of 40th anniversary shows for Clouseau at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, and two sold-out shows with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at the same venue. And in the Netherlands, the company will host UB40 at Ziggo Dome, Fally Ipupa at RTM Stage, NCT Dream at Rotterdam Ahoy, Max Richter at Carré, and Kaleo at AFAS Live before the end of this year.

Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion (DE)

The company was officially founded in 1962 by Karsten Jahnke, who finally turned his hobby of promoting concerts into a business. These days, it offers touring services in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as local shows in Hamburg, including, for the past 49 years, Stadtpark Open Air from mid-May to mid-September.

The company is involved in festivals like Reeperbahn, MS Dockville, Spektrum, Habitat, Vogelball, Elbjazz, Überjazz, and Baltic Soul Weekender. Touring clients include The Cure, Beck, Childish Gambino, BLACKPINK, ATEEZ, Branford Marsalis, Cypress Hill, Diana Krall, Gianna Nannini, Gregory Porter, Erasure, Herbie Hancock, Ludovico Einaudi, Nils Landgren, Portishead, Royel Otis, Taylor Swift, Thundercat, Tower of Power, Sasha Velour, Walk off the Earth, Trixie & Katya, Van Morrison, and Wu-Tang Clan.

It offers touring services in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

With a staff of 50 employees, this year, the company promoted two shows with Taylor Swift at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion; tours with Joss Stone, Diana Krall, Sean Paul, Cypress Hill, Birdy, Garbage, Kaleo, Childish Gambino, Gianna Nannini, Gregory Porter, and Tower of Power, amongst many others; around 1,200 shows in the GAS region; and 350-400 shows in Hamburg each year.

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