The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) returned to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel last week for its 37th edition, with conversations set to shape how the industry operates over the next year.

The sell-out event, attended by over 1,600 professionals, sparked discussions on topics like headliner booking strategies, festival innovations, emerging markets, venue versatility, balancing wellness on the road, and much more.

While the conversations were wide-ranging, here are five of IQ‘s top takeaways from the week…

How can the business support the grassroots level?
From the kickoff of ILMC, the gap between the ends of the industry was a hot topic.

“We’re seeing the massive disparity between the top end of the business and the lower end of the business needing much more support,” said CAA’s Maria May during The Open Forum. “I feel like there’s a real need for innovation.”

During his opening message, UK culture minister Chris Bryant shared that championing the grassroots scene remained a priority for the national government and stressed its importance to the wider music ecosystem.

“You only get the Paul McCartneys and the Elton Johns, if you also have the people right at the start of their career coming on in every single generation,” he said. “There’s nothing more special than seeing somebody in a tiny venue who then goes on to be an enormous success. We want to make sure that we’ve got that mixture of massive venues and small venues where you can have the intimacy of the experience.”

“We’ve seen an appetite for ticket sales as strong as it’s ever been”

The demand for music is apparent across the board, said DF Concerts’ Geoff Ellis.

“We’ve seen an appetite for ticket sales as strong as it’s ever been [at King Tut’s] and lots of sold-out shows, even in January with just local bands,” he noted. “So that appetite is there for grassroots artists, but also for the big artists as well.”

Panellists on Grassroots Touring: Early-stage strategies opened the conversation on how we keep artists on the road across different markets and, while all acknowledging challenges, spoke about some grounds for optimism.

Fans’ festival desires are evolving: can organisers keep up?
During Festival Focus: Survive & Thrive, panellists dug into how to overcome the myriad issues that are impacting festivals: rising artist fees, steep production costs, severe weather impacts, intense market competition, and a potential headliner drought.

Curating strong branding was a core message from the session, with AEG Present’s Jim King – who promotes festivals such as All Points East, BST Hyde Park and Lido – arguing that there is space for single- and multi-day festivals, so long as there’s a distinguishable identity.

“They’re two different things and they’re both relevant but they should be marketed differently,” he said. “You’re trying to create a different environment, and I think it’s important to achieve that.”

Slam Dunk’s Ben Ray echoed this, citing that their pop-punk/emo brand keeps attendees coming back: “Being a specialist festival, people that are really into that music attend year after year. They will go to Slam Dunk a lot older than they would do a camping festival.”

“We have made a conscious decision to contemporise our lineups”

Camping sites have had to modernise to keep audiences in the fields, with Rock am Ring’s Jana Posth confirming that “expectations for camping are a lot higher now, it has to be more than a tent and some grass.”

A key challenge to the market cited by panellists was the “festivalisation” of concerts, which have built up infrastructure and entertainment to bulk out the traditional show experience.

Rock am Ring’s Jana Posth used Adele’s blockbuster residency in Munich as an example: “It wasn’t just a concert – you could spend the whole day there like you would with a festival. People obviously really like this in-between of festival and concert.”

Despite many A-list acts turning toward headlining shows, young stars are helping fill the gap of festival bill-toppers.

“It’s been tough but we managed to secure a really strong lineup of young artists this year [including Chappell Roan and Charli XCX] and I’m really happy to see them reaching this level already,” said Sziget’s Virag Csiszar.

King added to this: “We’ve got our youngest-ever BST lineup this year and I struggle to think of a time that there were so many young headliners – Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan. We have made a conscious decision to contemporise our lineups.”

“Infrastructure continues to be a challenge”

New, versatile venues will transform the global touring circuit
The development of new venues across markets like Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America was a notable dialogue during ILMC.

BookMyShow’s Ashish Hemrajani spoke about how India’s market could balloon in the next five years and highlighted how a new arena in Mumbai could help alleviate the country’s indoor infrastructure shortcomings.

“Infrastructure continues to be a challenge, and we’re trying to solve that as you build more routing around Middle East and Southeast Asia, because the timing works. It’s the same time of the year, from October to March, April, when you can tour in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. I think anchoring around those markets is a good segue to actually building volume into that market.”

Live Nation is investing in several projects worldwide, working with Oak View Group on an arena in Lagos, Nigeria and with DF Entertainment on operating the historic Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina with DF Entertainment.

Tom Lynch of Live Nation EMEA spoke about The Dome project in Johannesburg, South Africa, citing how the city’s sizable population was a draw. The entertainment firm’s first permanent venue in Africa, The Dome will offer various configurations to best serve its performers and audiences.

“Johannesburg’s somewhere we see a huge future”

“It’s a huge market with a massive population,” said Lynch. “It’s an emerging market, not without its challenges to build new venues, to open venues, etc, but we’re seeing international artists starting to play there… Johannesburg’s somewhere we see a huge future.”

In the Middle East, changing trends in consumer behaviour are prompting new solutions for organisers to stay tapped into demand.

“Because of a shift in working culture compared to a decade ago, there are less people leaving in the summer as you’re expected to work all year, so we’re focusing on building more indoor venues and showcasing more Arabic content during the summer so that families will have something to do even during a normally quiet off-season,” said Paul Pacifico, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission.

For venues of all sizes, versatility is now of utmost importance.

“We can configure [the] venue for the amount of people that we expect,” said Ignacio Taier of Argentina-based Grupo Quality. “Therefore we can make sure the fan experience is at its best, and the artist also is performing to a full venue, even if that venue is not really full. We can host general admission ticket shows like parties or [club events to] fully seated shows.”

How will health and wellness disrupt industry standards?
To drink or not to drink? The question has plagued many live music attendees, with discussions about how to supplement slipping bar revenues at venues becoming a focus over the week.

In the Open Forum, CAA’s Maria May raised that young adults across the board are reducing their drinking, and asked whether venues in the UK – where binge drinking has reduced greatly – need to change their business models.

“You’ve just got to adapt constantly because the market doesn’t stand still”

“Clearly everybody needs to innovate and adapt. We’re always needing to do that as business,” offered DF’s Ellis. “You’ve just got to adapt constantly because the market doesn’t stand still.

“Electronic music isn’t dead, but nightclubs have to adapt their model because, as we said, people aren’t coming in and drinking. Not everybody wants to be out until 3am anymore,” he added.

Late nights are a core component of touring acts and crews, who are constantly on the road to make it to their next destination. In Wellness vs The Industry, panellists spoke about the mental and physical toll that touring takes on those working on and off the stage.

The question for the future is: how will the industry change alongside a growing work/life balance alongside a decrease in alcohol consumption for fans and workers alike?

Coldplay may have the answer. In a session dedicated to their record-breaking Music of the Spheres world tour, production manager Chris Kansy said the band and team prioritise the wellbeing of their crew.

“The level of respect that they give to everybody on their team, and the amount of care and emotional work that they do in regard to making sure everything is fine, I just couldn’t be more happy to work for Coldplay. I respect them greatly, and I respect management greatly, and their vision for the band, so having this kind of job is incredibly rewarding.”

“The power of the network starts to bring everybody up”

Superstruct reveals its secret to success
To close out Wednesday’s programme, Superstruct Entertainment co-founder and chairman James Barton shared how the firm scaled to become the world’s second-largest festival promoter in just six years, emphasising the value of partnership and collaborative networks.

“The core philosophy of the business is that it’s about the festivals. It’s about the owners of the festivals. It’s not about us. That’s why we haven’t done an interview. We do our best never to talk about ownership, we talk about partnership. It’s about the brands, and it’s about the people behind the brands.”

“When you get enough scale, and enough good people in the room, you can share information, data and good practices. So then the power of the network starts to bring everybody up.”

Despite their sizable portfolio of festivals — the company owns and operates over 80 across Europe and Australia — Barton’s message stresses collaboration over control as a means of success.

The London-based festival firm helps facilitate operations for events including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Arenal Sound, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters.

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For the first time in Superstruct’s nine-year history, co-founder and chairman James Barton has spoken at length about his company’s meteoric growth.

The Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music co-founded Superstruct in 2017 alongside Roderik Schlösser, who at the time was with Providence Equity, but subsequently joined Superstruct as CEO.

In yesterday’s Hotseat interview at the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), Barton explained how the London-based firm became the world’s second-largest festival promoter in just six years.

“We knew what we wanted to try and do in terms of the level of investments we wanted to make,” he said.

“We knew what we wanted to try and do in terms of the level of investments we wanted to make”

“But we knew that we needed to move in such a way to try and generate enough scale before people really woke up to the fact that an organisation out there that had a really strong vision and a mission to create another live entertainment company based out of Europe.”

In the company’s first year, it invested in a swathe of festivals across Europe including Sziget (HU), elrow (ES), Wacken Open Air (DE) and Parookaville (DE) – inevitably attracting attention from the rest of the industry.

“There was a bit of scepticism at the beginning,” he admitted. “It wasn’t until a few years later that I think people realised that there was really a real strategy behind this, and there was going to be a theme around what festivals, what organisations, what people we would try and bring on board.”

Today, Superstruct owns and operates over 80 music festivals across Europe and Australia, including Wacken Open Air, Parookaville, Tinderbox, Sónar, Øya, Arenal Sound, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters. Even throughout Covid, the London-based firm maintained a bullish M&A strategy – something Barton thanked Providence Equity for.

“We do our best never to talk about ownership, we talk about partnership”

“Did we think we could build a business of size and scale? Yes, we did” he continued. “But we also realised that to be the home for these festival entrepreneurs, we need to create the right environment, the right way of working, the right governance model, the right financial model.

“The core philosophy of the business is that it’s about the festivals. It’s about the owners of the festivals. It’s not about us. That’s why we haven’t done an interview. We do our best never to talk about ownership, we talk about partnership. It’s about the brands, and it’s about the people behind the brands.”

Indeed, Barton says that Superstruct’s strategy for supporting its network of festivals is to “manage from behind”.

“When it comes to things like creativity – music, policy etc – we stay behind the line,” he said. “But then as we started to build a bit more scale, the festival owners were coming to us and saying: ‘What are we doing about ticketing? What are we doing about partnerships?’ Then we would say: ‘This is what we can do to help, this is what we can do as a group.’ When you get enough scale, and enough good people in the room, you can share information, data and good practices. So then the power of the network starts to bring everybody up.”

“We are in a new era of our business with KKR and CVC”

Looking back on Superstruct’s story so far, Barton says he’s proud of the “successful and profitable” business he has built alongside Schlösser and credits Providence Equity for the firm’s fruitful beginnings.

“Providence was an unbelievable partner,” he said. “They backed us from the beginning and through Covid and they worked hard and continued to invest in us as a business but also into businesses coming into the group. But investors have a shelf life.”

Last year, private equity firm CVC secured a stake in Superstruct in October – just weeks after KKR’s acquisition of the festival behemoth was given the green light. Fellow global investment giant KKR had acquired Superstruct from Providence for a reported €1.3 billion in June.

“Now we are in a new era of our business with KKR and CVC,” declared Barton. “We’re still only in seven or eight markets so who knows, maybe we’ll expand. But we’d rather go deeper than wider, and have more businesses in the markets we’re already in to get the synergies going. We’re not going ‘South America is really hot, let’s get on a plane and figure out how to get in there’. We’re looking at where we can do a good job and whether there are good partners we can work with.”

Hinting that the company might look to expand its business beyond the festival sector, Barton added: “We didn’t call ourselves Superstruct Festivals or Superstruct Live. We called ourselves Superstruct Entertainment.”

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James Barton will give his first interview in Superstruct Entertainment’s nine-year history at next year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

The Superstruct co-founder and chairman will speak candidly about key moments in his career, the company’s meteoric growth, and his perspective on the global festival business during the Hot Seat interview on Wednesday 26 February 2025.

Superstruct was founded in 2017 by Barton – founder of Creamfields and former Live Nation president of electronic music – and Roderik Schlosser.

The London-based firm now houses as many as 80 festivals, 100 events and 35 businesses, and has grown quickly to become the world’s second-largest festival promoter.

Its network includes Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Øya (NO), Parookaville (DE) and Tinderbox (DK), Kendal Calling (UK), Boardmasters (UK) and more.

In June this year, the festival giant was acquired from Providence Equity by American global investment firm KKR in a €1.3 billion deal. Months later, fellow global investment giant CVC secured a stake in Superstruct.

Superstruct now houses as many as 80 festivals, 100 events and 35 businesses

Barton’s Hot Seat interview will take place at the 37th edition of ILMC, scheduled for 25–28 February 2025 at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.

The unique 60-minute interview is the first session confirmed for ILMC 37, ahead of the provisional agenda being revealed next month.

Recently announced programme elements of the 2025 event include The ‘Bon Voyage’ Opening hosted by Live Nation (25 February), the WME Happy Hour (26 February) and the LGBTIQ+ Morning Mixer (27 February).

Meanwhile, voting is underway for the Arthur Awards 2025, the live music industry’s favourite and most established awards.

The awards and Gala Dinner will return to the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday 27 February 2025.

See the full list of nominees for the Arthur Awards 2025, and cast your votes, here.

Around 2,500 live music executives are expected to attend the 37th International Live Music Conference (ILMC), which also comprises Greener Events and Innovations (GEI), Touring Entertainment LIVE, Futures Forum and Soho Calling.

Key supporters on ILMC 37 include Live Nation, Ticketmaster, ASM Global, Eventim, Tysers Live, BWO Entertainment, AXS, Showsec, DEAG Group and LMP Group.

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American global investment firm KKR has acquired festival giant Superstruct Entertainment from Providence in a €1.3 billion deal.

Superstruct was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence. The company owns and operates more than 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia, and generates annual revenue of more than €100 million.

Its network includes Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Øya (NO), Parookaville (DE) and Tinderbox (DK), while its UK interests include Y Not, Truck, Nass, Bluedot, Victorious, South West Four, Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Boardmasters and Lost Ventures – many of which were acquired when Global’s portfolio was divvied up in April 2019.

Last year, it bought majority stakes in London-based festivals Mighty Hoopla and Cross the Tracks, as well as Austria’s Snowbombing, and also acquired The Music Republic, promoter of iconic Spanish festivals Arenal Sound and Benicàssim (FIB).

“We are delighted to partner with Roderik Schlösser, James Barton and the team at Superstruct who have established themselves as a leader in delivering unparalleled live music experiences globally,” says Philipp Freise, partner and co-head of European private equity and Franziska Kayser, partner at New York-based KKR, whose existing interests include global music company BMG.

“With a robust foundation as a top-tier live entertainment platform, we see significant growth opportunities ahead for Superstruct”

“With a robust foundation as a top-tier live entertainment platform, we see significant growth opportunities ahead for Superstruct. Drawing on our strong partnership approach and experience in the digital entertainment and ticketing space, such as BMG, ProSiebenSat1, GetYourGuide, and Trainline, as well as KKR’s global resources and extensive network, we will support the company and its entrepreneurial team to bring their compelling portfolio of live event formats to a wider audience and drive further growth.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Financial Times reports it as €1.3bn, citing people familiar with the matter. Providence has an option to invest €250m into Superstruct as part of the transaction.

“The founding vision for Superstruct was to create a natural home for successful entrepreneurs, creative visionaries, and business-minded professionals in live entertainment,” say Schlösser and Barton. “We wanted to create a network of influence setting the standards for live experiences. Through our development, we are a leader in the professionalization of this industry, enabling our dedicated teams to excel in a collaborative and inspiring environment and create and deliver best-in-class events for millions of fans.

“We are proud to have secured the backing of KKR, whose expertise and network will strengthen our ability to scale and innovate in the vibrant experiential economy. We would like to thank Andrew Tisdale, Daniel Zwicky and the team at Providence for their outstanding support. Their belief in Superstruct has been fundamental to our success.”

KKR says it will “support Superstruct in its next phase of development”, noting that it is “one of the key players in a highly fragmented sector that continues to grow, expand and professionalise”. It also pledges to preserve “the creative and cultural DNA of the company”.

“We are confident that with KKR’s support, Superstruct will continue to thrive”

A formal auction process for the live behemoth – the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation – reportedly took place last month. A report by Reuters in April named Blackstone and CVC as potential bidders, with KKR, Advance Publications and EQT listed as interested parties.

Providence was said to be working alongside banks Liontree and HSBC to gauge interest after planning the sale last summer.

“We are incredibly proud of the rapid growth and success Superstruct has achieved since its inception,” adds Andrew Tisdale, senior MD, and Daniel Zwicky, director, at Providence Equity Partners. “With Providence’s backing, Superstruct has become a truly exceptional live entertainment company. In particular, we believe the company’s resilience and emergence from the global pandemic as a stronger business is testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of Roderik Schlösser, James Barton and the impressive management team.

“We are confident that with KKR’s support, Superstruct will continue to thrive.”

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A formal auction process for live behemoth Superstruct is set to be launched next month, according to a new report.

Insiders tell Reuters the Providence Equity Partners-backed firm could be valued at up to £1.5 billion (€1.75bn) in a sale. A source previously told Reuters that the company, which is the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation, generates annual revenue of more than €100 million.

Providence is said to be working alongside banks Liontree and HSBC to gauge interest after planning the sale last summer.

The report lists Blackstone and CVC as potential bidders, with Advance Publications, KKR and EQT also named as interested parties

The report lists Blackstone and CVC as potential bidders, with Advance Publications, KKR and EQT also named as interested parties. Providence, CVC, Blackstone, EQT, Advance, KKR and HSBC declined to comment on the rumours, while Superstruct and Liontree did not respond.

Superstruct was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser while at Providence.

Its UK interests include Y Not, Truck, Nass, Bluedot, Victorious, South West Four, Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Boardmasters and Lost Ventures – many of which were acquired when Global’s portfolio was divvied up in April 2019.

Elsewhere in Europe, its network includes operators and festivals such as Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Øya (NO) and Tinderbox (DK).

Last year, it bought majority stakes in London-based festivals Mighty Hoopla and Cross the Tracks, as well as Austria’s Snowbombing, and also acquired The Music Republic, promoter of iconic Spanish festivals Arenal Sound and Benicàssim (FIB).

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Superstruct has bought majority stakes in London-based festivals Mighty Hoopla and Cross the Tracks, as well as Austria’s Snowbombing.

IQ understands the controlling stakes were bought from various companies owned by Gareth Cooper (founder and former CEO of Broadwick Live). Financial details have not been disclosed.

The deal marks the second time the two companies have done business together, after divvying up Global’s festival portfolio in April 2019. Snowbombing and Mighty Hoopla were among the festivals that remained under Broadwick’s control.

Established in 1999, Snowbombing is the biggest and longest-standing of the three events. The luxury ski holiday, touted as Europe’s biggest snow and music festival, now brings 100+ international acts to perform around the slopes of Mayrhofen, in the Austrian state of Tyrol.

Fatboy Slim, Madness, Pendulum, Example, Magnetic Man, Sub Focus, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status, Skream & Benga, Mark Ronson and Dizzee Rascal are among the acts that have performed at the festival.

The inaugural edition of Snowbombing took place in Risoul, France. It then moved to Villars, Switzerland, in 2002-2003 and Les Arcs, France, in 2004 before settling in Mayrhofen in 2005.

Superstruct’s acquisition of the festival is a result of the company taking a stake in Snowbombing parent SBH Events – a company controlled by Cooper.

Mighty Hoopla is described as “a pop festival embracing the best of pop, alternative and queer culture” and has featured acts including Sugababes, Steps, Jessie Ware, Cheryl, Chaka Khan and TLC, Kelly Rowland and Kelis.

Mighty Hoopla is described as “a pop festival embracing the best of pop, alternative and queer culture”

Launched in 2017, the festival’s inaugural edition took place in east London’s Victoria Park on the Sunday after the two-day Field Day festival, also produced by Broadwick Live.

In 2018, Mighty Hoopla and Field Day moved to south London’s Brockwell Park (cap. 30,000) after AEG Presents/Goldenvoice was awarded a five-year contract for the exclusive use of Victoria Park for events. AEG Presents’ All Points East was launched that same year.

In 2019, Field Day festival moved again, trading fields for warehouses located at Meridian Water in north London. Mighty Hoopla remained at Brockwell Park and Broadwick Live launched new festival Cross The Tracks on the Sunday of the same weekend.

Hoopla expanded to a two-day festival in 2022, taking place on a Friday and Saturday while Cross the Tracks followed on Sunday. The 2023 edition of the queer pop festival took place last weekend (2–3 June) with acts including Years & Years, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Natasha Beddingfield, Kelis, Artful Dodger and Beverly Knight.

Cross the Tracks, launched in 2019, is dubbed “a family-friendly festival, celebrating the world of soul, funk and jazz with a mix of international artists and local homegrown talent”.

The Brockwell Park festival has welcomed acts including Chaka Khan, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Khruangabin, Gilles Peterson, Joy Crookes, Anderson. Paak, Macy Gray, The Cinematic Orchestra and Sister Sledge. This year’s sold-out edition of Cross the Tracks moved to the bank holiday Sunday in May.

Superstruct Entertainment has now amassed nearly 90 festivals in Europe and Australia, which makes it the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation.

The company was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser whilst at Providence Equity Partners.

Cross the Tracks is dubbed “a family-friendly festival, celebrating the world of soul, funk and jazz”

The company has a presence in at least eight markets including the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Australia.

In the UK, it has interests in Y Not, Truck, Nass, Blue Dot, Victorious, South West Four, Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Boardmasters and Lost Ventures – many of which were acquired when Global’s portfolio was divvied up in April 2019.

Elsewhere in Europe, the company’s network includes leading operators and festivals such as Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Defqon1 (NL), Parookaville (DE), Zwarte Cross (NL), Arenal Sound (ES), Øya (NO), O Son do Camiño (ES) and Tinderbox (DK).

IQ also understands that Superstruct has an interest in 10–12 festivals in Australia, some of which operate under the same brand.

Alongside festivals, the live entertainment behemoth also owns festival travel and accommodation companies such as Festival Travel and Liffin, both of which are based in the Netherlands.

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The global Covid-19 pandemic may have brought a halt to music festivals worldwide, but for one firm in the space, it only accelerated an already energetic acquisition schedule. And for such a monumental shift in market share across the festival business, it’s a roll-up that has taken place with barely a press release issued, or comment given.

According to research conducted by IQ, Superstruct Entertainment has now amassed over 85 festivals in Europe and Australia, which makes it the second-largest festival promoter in the world after Live Nation.

Superstruct Entertainment was founded in 2017 by Creamfields founder and former Live Nation president of electronic music James Barton and Roderik Schlosser whilst at Providence Equity Partners.

At the time, Barton said: “The relationship with Providence is – it’s an easy pitch. To bring a level of professionalism and organisation to what we’re trying to do, to try and be not just the most creative festival platform out there but the best run.”

Superstruct has a presence in at least eight markets including the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Australia.

Superstruct has a presence in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Australia

In the UK, it has interests in Y Not, Truck, Nass, Blue Dot, Victorious, South West Four, Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Boardmasters and Lost Ventures – many of which were acquired when Global’s portfolio was divvied up in April 2019.

Elsewhere in Europe, the company’s network includes leading operators and festivals such as Elrow (ES), Sziget (HU), Wacken Open Air (DE), Mysteryland (NL), Hideout (HR), Sonar (ES), Flow (FI), Defqon1 (NL), Parookaville (DE), Zwarte Cross (NL), Arenal Sound (ES), Øya (NO), O Son do Camiño (ES) and Tinderbox (DK).

Its most recent acquisition, and the first of 2023, was The Music Republic, the Valencia-based organiser behind iconic Spanish festivals Arenal Sound and Benicàssim (FIB).

IQ also understands that Superstruct has an interest in 10–12 festivals in Australia, some of which operate under the same brand.

Alongside festivals, the live entertainment behemoth also owns festival travel and accommodation companies such as Festival Travel and Liffin, both of which are based in the Netherlands.

“[Superstruct] has a commitment to building a strong portfolio of live entertainment brands”

While neither Schlosser nor Barton has rarely spoken publicly about Superstruct’s ambitions, the latter of the two referenced a “commitment to building a strong portfolio of live entertainment brands… and supporting the different festivals in their growth in their respective markets” upon the acquisition of Global’s festival arm in 2019.

And in 2021 they said the ID&T acquisition reflected Superstruct’s “deep conviction in the value of experience-focused live music festivals and our excitement about the significant joint growth opportunities that lie ahead as live events return”.

Superstruct Entertainment is headquartered in Kensington, west London, and employs more than 30 people. The company is directed by Schlosser as CEO and Barton as chairman.

Providence Equity is a global asset management firm with $32 billion aggregate in private equity capital commitments. Since the firm’s inception in 1989, Providence has invested in more than 170 companies spanning media, communications, entertainment, software, and services industries across North America and Europe.

Providence is headquartered in Providence (Rhode Island, US) and also has offices in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Delhi.

Superstruct Entertainment declined to comment on this article.

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Live entertainment powerhouse Superstruct Entertainment has acquired a majority stake in the UK festival Bluedot.

Touted as “four days of music, science and cosmic culture,” Bluedot has been held annually in July since 2016 at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, England.

The 25,000-capacity event has previously played hosts to artists such as Kraftwerk, Chemical Brothers, Hot Chip, Prof Brian Cox, Helen Sharman, Richard Dawkins, Jean-Michel Jarre, New Order and Future Islands.

The 25,000-capacity event has previously played hosts to artists such as Kraftwerk, Chemical Brothers and Hot Chip

The festival was founded by Ben Robinson, director of music festival agency From the Fields.

Robinson also co-founded Kendal Calling which was acquired by Superstruct from Global when the latter company divvied up its festival portfolio in 2019.

Providence Equity-backed Superstruct counts Sziget, Elrow, Parookaville, Wacken Open Air, Boardmasters, Sonar, Tuska and Zwarte Cross among its extensive portfolio of European festivals.

IQ has contacted Superstruct for a comment.

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Dutch promoter ID&T has signed a partnership agreement with leading live organisation Superstruct Entertainment.

According to today’s announcement, the deal has helped steer ID&T into “a safe haven” after a tough year and a half that saw the company take out a number of loans, slash its workforce, and cancel its festivals.

“By creating this financially sound situation, we have secured the employment of our 100+ employees and are able to move forward with our suppliers who are also struggling at this time,” says Ritty van Straalen, CEO of the ID&T Group.

Financial terms of the partnership have not been disclosed but it has been revealed that the founders and senior management of the ID&T Group have become shareholders in Superstruct.

Providence Equity-backed Superstruct produces a number of major festivals across Europe including Sziget, Elrow, Parookaville, Wacken Open Air, Boardmasters, Sonar and the Dutch festival Zwarte Cross – the company’s first acquisition since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

ID&T’s portfolio includes Mysteryland, Defqon.1, Awakenings, and Milkshake – all of which have been cancelled two years in a row due to restrictions.

It is also the parent company of organisations such as Q-dance, ID&T Events, B2S, Monumental (Awakenings), Art of Dance, Platinum Agency, and Headliner Entertainment.

“ID&T is a significant milestone for Superstruct and reflects our deep conviction in the value of experience-focused festivals”

James Barton, chairman of Superstruct Entertainment: “We are very excited to join forces with ID&T, a business that I have long admired. Our partnership with ID&T is a very significant milestone for Superstruct and reflects our deep conviction in the value of experience-focused live music festivals and our excitement about the significant joint growth opportunities that lie ahead as live events return.”

The companies say the deal will provide great opportunities in sharing knowledge and creating synergies between the companies to further improve the fan experience at their festivals.

Ritty van Straalen, CEO of the ID&T Group adds: “ID&T will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022. This partnership is an important strategic step in the development of our company, which we already embarked upon in 2019, pre-covid, and was ultimately delayed by 1.5 years.

“The past 19 months have been very tough for us and the entire event industry, but we are excited to see that Superstruct has been able to look through the current environment, recognising the combined potential of these two world-class companies.

“The international live events industry is increasingly consolidating and Superstruct has developed itself into a high quality, market-leading powerhouse in our industry. We are happy to be part of such an experienced group and strongly believe we can reinforce each other in many ways.”

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The start of a new year and, perhaps more significantly, a new decade is fast approaching – and while many may be thinking ahead to New Year’s Eve plans and well-meaning 2020 resolutions, IQ is casting its mind back to the most pivotal industry moments of the last ten years.

The memories of a turbulent 2016 were left far behind in 2017, as the concert business enjoyed a record-breaking twelve months, as the year’s gross revenue and number of tickets sold saw 2013 finally knocked off the top spot.

The success of the live business in 2017, however, was somewhat overshadowed by a number of devastating terror attacks, with the Manchester Arena bombing, the shootings at Route 91 Harvest and BPM Festival, the Reina nightclub shooting and other incidents targeting music fans.

In response to the tragedies, the live industry united and made a positive impact, in the form of the One Love Manchester and We are Manchester charity concerts and candlelit vigils and fundraising for victims of the Route 91 Harvest attack.

Elsewhere, the booking agency world continued to consolidate through 2017, with a number of acquisitions, mergers and partnerships while Live Nation welcomed several more promoters, festivals, ticketing agencies and venues to its fast-growing family.

2017 in numbers

The live music business reached new heights in 2017, with the top 100 tours worldwide generating a record US$5.65 billion, up almost 16% from the previous year.

The number of tickets sold throughout the year also saw a notable increase from the year before, climbing 10.4% to 66.8 million, at an average price of almost $4 more per ticket than in 2016, at $84.60.

Eleven tours surpassed the $100m mark in 2017, with U2 topping the year-end charts having generated $316m on their Joshua Tree tour. Guns N’ Roses narrowly missed out on $300m, grossing $292.5m on the Not in this Lifetime tour.

Coldplay came in next, as the band’s A Head Full of Dreams tour made $238m. Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic tour was also successful, grossing just over $200m, whereas Metallica’s WorldWired tour generated $152.8m.

Depeche Mode, Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, the Rolling Stones, Garth Brooks and Celine Dion were the other acts whose 2017 tour earnings exceeded $100m.

2017 in brief

January
A lone gunman attacks New Year’s revellers at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, resulting in the death of 39 people and injuries to a further 70. Two weeks later, four are killed and 12 injured during a shooting at the BPM Festival in the coastal resort of Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

AM Only and The Windish Agency rebrand as Paradigm Talent Agency, signalling the next phase of their joint ventures, launched in 2012 and 2015, respectively.

Global asset management firm Providence Equity Partners acquires a 70% stake in Sziget Festival and reveals plans to launch eight to ten branded festivals, with James Barton, former president of electronic music for Live Nation, leading the international expansion.

AEG Live finalises negotiations to acquire New York-based promoter/venue operator The Bowery Presents.

February
Ticketbis, the multinational resale operation acquired by eBay in May 2016, is rebranded as StubHub, bringing to an end the Ticketbis name across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Live Nation enters the Middle East’s biggest touring market with the acquisition of a majority stake in Bluestone Entertainment, one of Israel’s leading promoters.

March
Iron Maiden’s decision to use paperless tickets on the UK leg of The Book of Souls arena tour helps reduce the number of tickets appearing on secondary sites by more than 95%, according to promoter Live Nation.

Live Nation acquires a controlling stake in the UK’s Isle of Wight Festival.

The Australian leg of Adele’s Live 2017 tour makes concert history after playing to more than 600,000 people over eight stadium dates.

Sziget Festival 2017 © László Mudra/Rockstar Photographers

April
In the biggest primary deal so far for the world’s largest secondary ticketing site, StubHub is named the official ticket seller for Rock in Rio 2017.

Creative Artists Agency increases its investment in the Chinese market via a new alliance with private equity firm CMC Capital Partners.

May
Luxury Ja Rule-backed boutique event, Fyre Festival, descends into chaos on its first day, with visitors to the Bahamas site comparing conditions to a refugee camp.

22 people, including children, lose their lives after a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena, for which Islamic State terror claims responsibility. The attack targets people leaving the 21,000-cap. venue at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

June
Pandora Media announces the sale of Ticketfly to Eventbrite. Despite purchasing the company for $450m less than two years ago, it sells for a package worth $200m.

AEG invests in Immortals, one of the world’s leading esports teams, with professional players in the North American League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Super Smash Bros, Overwatch and Vainglory leagues. The team will now play their Los Angeles tournaments and matches at AEG’s LA Live entertainment district.

The organisers of ILMC announce the launch of the Event Safety and Security Summit (E3S), a one-day meeting focusing on security at live events.

The reality of Fyre Festival © Here_Comes_the_Kingz/Reddit

July
Helsinki-based Fullsteam Agency acquires Rähinä Live, whose roster includes some of Finland’s biggest hip-hop and pop artists.

Oak View Group, which counts Irving Azoff and Tim Leiweke among its founders, completes its acquisition of Pollstar, adding the US-based concert business magazine to its portfolio of trade titles.

August
Madison Square Garden Company makes a significant move into the esports sector by acquiring a controlling stake in Counter Logic Gaming.

Paradigm Talent Agency acquires Chicago- and California-based agency Monterey International, including its 14 agents and 200 acts.

Live Nation launches in Brazil with former Time for Fun (T4F) chief entertainment officer Alexandre Faria Fernandes at the helm.

September
Three quarters of staff at Function(x), the online business founded by former SFX Entertainment CEO Robert Sillerman, are effectively laid off, with the company telling investors it lacks the funds to pay them.

A sovereign wealth fund controlled by the government of Saudi Arabia, says it is forming a new SR10 billion ($2.7bn) investment vehicle in a bid to kick-start the kingdom’s entertainment sector.

Music returns to Manchester Arena as a capacity crowd turn out for We are Manchester, a benefit concert that raises funds for a memorial to the victims of the 22nd of May bombing.

The We are Manchester charity concert drew a full-capacity crowd at the 21,000-cap. arena © Showsec

October
A gunman kills 58 people and injures a further 546 at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas. Local resident Stephen Paddock targeted the concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel.

WME-IMG rebrands as Endeavor, with company assets that include martial- arts promoter, UFC; ad agency, Droga5; Professional Bull Riders; the Miss Universe Organization; Frieze Art Fair; management companies, Dixon Talent and The Wall Group; and joint ventures such as Euroleague Basketball and esports championship ELEAGUE.

November
Ticketmaster confirms its long-rumoured expansion into Italy. The launch of Ticketmaster Italia, headquartered in Milan, follows the end of the exclusive long-term online partnership in Italy between Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, and CTS Eventim-owned TicketOne.

After 11 years in East London’s Victoria Park – now exclusive to AEG – Eat Your Own Ears’ Field Day Festival will head to Brockwell Park in South London. Live Nation’s Lovebox and Citadel are also rumoured to be moving to Brockwell Park.

Secondary ticketing websites will, from January 2018, be subject to stringent restrictions on their use of Google AdWords, as the search-engine giant cracks down on ticket resellers’ controversial use of its online advertising platform.

December
Leading self-service ticketer Eventbrite announces a series of new partnerships, rolling out integrations with events guide The List, festival package provider Festicket, word-of-mouth ticket sales platform Verve, and brand ambassador software Ticketrunner.

Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment since 2010, will remain in his role until at least 2022 after signing a new five-year contract worth up to $9m per annum. Also re-upping are leading execs Kathy Willard, Michael Rowles and Joe Berchtold.

Primary Talent’s Dave Chumbley (1960-2017) picks up his Platinum Endurance Arthur Award at ILMC 25 © ILMC

Who we lost

Peter Rieger, founder of German promoter Peter Rieger Konzertagentur (PRK); Joseph Rascoff, business manager to the Stones, David Bowie, U2, Sting and more; ILMC’s long-time producer Alia Dann Swift; ShowSec International Ltd founder Mick Upton; Dave Chumbley, Primary Talent International director; Mary Cleary, former booker and tour manager; American singer-songwriter Tom Petty; pioneering concert promoter Shmuel Zemach, founder of Zemach Promotions; Australian country music promoter, agent and artist, Rob Potts; Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington; Reading festival founder Harold Pendelton; Washington, DC, promoter Jack Boyle; Live Nation Belgium booker Marianne Dekimpe; rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry.

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