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German concert promoter and ticketing company CTS Eventim agreed to buy French media company Vivendi‘s festival and international ticketing businesses, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday (April 2).
CTS Eventim and Vivendi have signed a put option agreement for the deal, which includes leading U.K. ticket merchant See Tickets along with Vivendi festivals Junction 2 in the U.K. and Garorock in France. The financial details of the deal, including price, were not disclosed.
CTS Eventim is the world’s second-largest provider of ticketing and live entertainment services, and acquiring the businesses could help it maintain an edge over rival Live Nation in its home market of Europe.
“The acquisition supports our internationalization strategy and will also benefit artists and their managers, as we will be able to offer even more seamless services on a global scale,” said CTS Eventim chief executive Klaus-Peter Schulenberg in a statement.
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Vivendi’s festival and ticketing businesses, housed under the subsidiary Vivendi Village, generated 137 million euros ($151.2 million) in 2023. See Tickets sold around 44 million tickets last year, generating 105 million euros ($115.8 million). It is the second-largest ticketing company in the United Kingdom and also operates in the United States and seven European nations.
The festival activities that CTS Eventim is set to acquire generated 32 million euros ($35.3 million) last year. Vivendi will retain its stake in the performance hall L’Olympia in Paris, See Tickets France and the Brive Festival.
“We at Vivendi are convinced that CTS Eventim will be the right company to bring our ticketing and festival activities to new heights, supporting See Tickets to remain a state-of-the-art company … while fostering the growth of the festivals and preserving their unique identities and audience,” said Hala Bavière, CEO of Vivendi Village, in a statement.
CTS Eventim is coming off a banner year. The Munich-based company’s revenue topped 2 billion euros for the first time ever in 2023, rising 22% to 2.36 billion euros ($2.53 billion at the average exchange rate in 2023). Normalized earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was also up 32% to 501.4 million euros ($542.7 million).
The companies said they expect to finalize the deal within a few months, pending approval from each of their employee works councils.
CTS Eventim’s stock briefly hit a new 52-week high of 83.85 euros ($90.28) following the news on Tuesday before closing at 82.70 euros ($89.04), up 0.3%.
When brothers Oscar and Jesús Flores launched the first-ever of Pa’l Norte in 2012 in Monterrey, Nuevo León — under Apodaca Group, their father Oscar Flores Elizondo‘s entertainment and promotion company — they figured it would be a one-time thing.
“We thought it would happen once, and then we’d just move on with our other projects,” Oscar says. He, along with Jesús and their sister Blanca, comprise the leadership of Apodaca alongside their dad, who founded the company in 1978 as Representaciones Artísticas Apodaca. At the time, the brothers were young executives and, as much as they liked their dad’s business, they wanted to put their own stamp on it. “My brother and I had never produced a festival when we decided to launch Pa’l Norte; fun fact, we had never even attended a festival in our lives,” Oscar says with a chuckle.
But even if it was a one-hit wonder, they wanted to give it a shot in hopes of diversifying the company’s roster of live music events. Apodaca was, and still is, a leader in the regional Mexican scene producing several shows and concerts for that genre in Monterrey, where the company is based. So, the brothers — taking the years of experience they already had working under their father — decided the company’s first festival would be a rock-only lineup. The first edition, Pa’l Norte Rock Festival, a one-day event, featured artists like Calle 13, Carla Morrison, Kinky and Zoé.
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Even with hiccups along the way, including being understaffed and a hailstorm the day before which they thought would cancel the event, they pulled through. And, unlike today, the event didn’t have a lot of support from sponsors, even with the Apodaca name attached to the festival. It was also at a time when the city, located in a state that borders Texas, was recovering from a brutal wave of murders linked to organized crime. Which is not to say Monterrey is a crime-less city today — but although organized crime is still a major concern in the city, it has not affected the festival in its 12 years. Its security plan includes city and state police officers (Fuerza Civil) inside and outside the festival, plus private security.
When Pa’l Norte first launched, Monterrey — an important commercial entry port between the Northeastern region of Mexico and the United States — was also on its way to becoming a modern economic region exploding with tech innovation. “It was like the perfect musical symphony,” says Francisco Orozco, professor at the school of business at the prestigious Tecnológico de Monterrey. “There was a political change in the city that opened doors for these types of events to happen and people gained the confidence and courage to leave their homes again. We proved we weren’t just bullets.”
Three years into the festival, Oscar and his brother dropped the rock-only label because “we wanted to grow and bring more commercial artists,” says Oscar (the festival also adopted the slogan “Siempre Poderoso y Ascendente,” or, “Always Powerful and Ascendant”). They also scored a partnership with concert promoter OCESA, which Live Nation acquired in 2021 for $416 million, doubling down on their efforts to expand their reach. “OCESA has been a great ally that has supported us a lot,” Oscar says. “We are partners in many festivals, but this partnership was key for Pa’l Norte because together with them, we were able to grow in many areas such as sponsorships, international artists.”
The now re-branded Tecate Pa’l Norte — after landing a major sponsorship deal with the beer giant — has gone through massive changes, which has led to its global appeal. “Apodaca has been very meticulous with their alliances, from the beer industry to teaming up with the ministry of tourism to have hotels and transportation available when the festival takes place, [and] also partnering with airline Viva Aerobus for sponsorship,” Orozco says. “It’s a business model that works. They know the importance of allies and that’s why the festival has grown the way it has.”
Today, it’s the “most important musical event in Northern Mexico,” according to Nuevo León’s Ministry of Tourism. “Every year we are talking about more than 75% hotel occupancy derived from Pa’l Norte, but this year will be much more special because it coincides with Easter,” the government agency told Billboard in a statement. “Throughout these 12 years, it has positioned itself not only to impact the creative industries in Nuevo León, but also as one of our most important economic and tourism engines. This year we estimate a revenue of close to 750 million pesos (approximately $46 million U.S.).”
Pa’l Norte’s three-day event now has nine stages that gathers 100,000 people per day at the emblematic Parque Fundidora (before, the capacity was 37,000 when it started at Parque Diego Rivera). Its lineup has evolved from genre-specific to super-eclectic with past headliners including Billie Eilish, Foo Fighters, Caifanes, Maná, Tame Impala, The Killers, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and 50 Cent. This year’s edition was headlined by Peso Pluma, Blink-182, Imagine Dragons, Maná and Fuerza Regida.
“At the end of the day, promoters are looking to have the most popular acts on their lineup,” says Alan David Robles-Soto, director of the music production program at Tecnólogico de Monterrey. He’s also a guitarist who’s performed alongside Mexican bands like Jumbo and División Minúscula. “It’s the same case with Coachella: it used to be a rock festival and then it wasn’t. It’s in the promoter’s best interest, they want to push sales and the ones who are going to sell are bands like Blink-182.”
Pa’l Norte is perhaps Mexico’s biggest, and most diverse, music festival, though other major events like Vive Latino and EDC Mexico (both produced by OCESA in Mexico City) also move significant tickets: The former had a total of 160,000 attendees this year, while EDC Mexico had 200,000 people in attendance for its 2023 edition. Meanwhile, the Machaca festival, also in Monterrey, gathered 65,000 last year, according to local reports, and the Baja Beach Fest in Baja California (which went from six days to three) draws in a daily capacity of 35,000.
“The importance that Mexico has in Latin America in terms of income in the sub-sector of live music is noteworthy,” Orozco says. “Artists are not only performing in Mexico City or Monterrey but also in other states where we did not imagine artists would go. They understood that people are willing to spend a lot of money for these experiences. Geographically and logistically, the country, which borders the U.S., is in a very important spot for them as well.”
Producing more than 600 shows a year, including 15 festivals across the country, Apodaca now has several divisions under its umbrella, including booking, distribution and management. With Pa’l Norte, the goal is only to become more global and, in the future, Oscar hopes to add a streaming option to expand its reach and potentially turn it into a two-weekend event, à la Coachella. For now, he’s pleased with the festival’s growth over the past 12 years and the impact it’s had on the Mexican state.
“As citizens of Nuevo León, we are very proud that Pa’l Norte is a source of work for restaurants, hotels, taxi drivers during that week,” says Oscar. “At the festival, we have more than 10,500 people working per day; generating that number of jobs fills us with pride. We want to keep impacting. The slogan says it all [always powerful and ascending].”
New funding is coming to the Canadian music industry.
Pascale St-Onge, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced at the Juno Awards on March 24 that the government will increase the Canada Music Fund by $32 million over the next two fiscal years.
The Canada Music Fund supports both FACTOR and Musicaction. Those granting bodies provide artists, labels and other organizations with funding for a wide range of activities, including recording, touring, marketing and music video production.
The announcement — though welcomed by Canadian music associations like the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) — falls short of the $50 million that the Liberal government committed to in 2021, and the $60 million increase called for by the industry groups.
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FACTOR has historically received significant funds from Canada’s private radio broadcasters, but as those contributions decline, CIMA and CLMA have been sounding the alarm about the organization’s ability to meet the needs of Canadian artists. FACTOR’s funding challenges come at a time when many artists and organizations are struggling to stay afloat amidst a cost of living crisis.
“CIMA applauds the government’s increased investment in the Canada Music Fund,” said CIMA president Andrew Cash. “This is a recognition of music’s significant contribution to our cultural fabric and national economy.”
L’ADISQ, Quebec’s Association of the Record, Show and Video Industry, highlights that Musicaction — which primarily supports French-speaking projects — has already made cuts in recent months, and this increase will prevent a further reduction in capacity. The association calls the announcement a step in the right direction, but emphasizes the difficult economic context facing music organizations with fewer resources.
The Canadian Live Music Association echoes l’ADISQ’s sentiment, calling the increase “a good start,” and reiterating the tough circumstances industry members are facing. The Canada Music Fund increase was one of three recommendations CLMA put forward for the upcoming federal budget, which the organization hoped would take “urgent action” to protect the live music sector.
With the full budget still to come, more support measures could be in store for Canada’s music sector. -Rosie Long Decter
Canada Ranked 8th Largest Global Music Market In New IFPI Report
Canada’s recorded music revenues are strong, according to a new report from IFPI.
The IFPI’s 2024 State of the Industry report takes a deep dive into the state of recorded music around the world, and ranks Canada eighth in terms of global music markets in 2023, maintaining the country’s spot in the top ten. Canada’s music market grew by 12.19% last year, reaching US$659.6 million in revenues. That growth outpaced both the U.S. market, which grew by 7.2%, and global growth of 10.2% — the second highest recorded global growth rate, according to the report.
Some individual Canadian artists did well on a global scale, too: the report ranks Drake and The Weeknd at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, in its Global Artist 2023 chart, which considers artist, track and album performance. Taylor Swift took the top spot there, followed by South Korean groups SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids.
A statement from IFPI, which represents the global recording industry, and Music Canada, an association representing major Canadian labels, attributes much of Canada’s revenue growth to streaming revenues, which jumped by 8.6% here, and subscription streaming in particular, which increased by 10.1%. The associations emphasize the challenges posed by streaming manipulation, highlighting IFPI’s recent legal complaint against nine Canadian-based sites that sold fraudulent streams. The sites are now offline.
Beyond Canadian borders, IFPI’s State of the Industry highlights how national markets are intertwined worldwide, using the growing popularity of Punjabi music in Canada and the launch of 91 North Records — a collaboration between Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India — as an example. “We set up 91 North Records,” Warner’s Simon Robson says, in “reaction to something that is happening organically and a proactive turbocharge to make sure it doesn’t just continue but flourishes and finds a wider audience.” Robson points out that several of the most popular Indian songs in 2022 came from artists based in Canada. – RLD
Karan Aujla Makes History at 2024 Junos
The 2024 Juno Awards looked to the future of Canadian music, while also honouring its history.
A quartet of acts who’ve had major breakthroughs this year won the major awards given out on the CBC-televised broadcast on Sunday night (March 24) live from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Punjabi-Canadian global star Karan Aujla won the TikTok Fan Choice award, the only fan-chosen award of the ceremony. “Sometimes I can’t believe I’m that same kid who lost my parents when I was in India, made my way to Canada, and now I’m here!” said the B.C.-based artist, one of Billboard Canada’s inaugural cover stars. “If you are dreaming, make sure you dream big.”
Dressed in a spiffy white outfit with a four backup dancers in red, Aujla performed early on, playing pop hits “Admirin’ You” and “Softly.” Both came from his album Making Memories, which made history as the highest-charting Punjabi debut ever on the Canadian Albums chart. Ikky, who made the album with Aujla, acted as hype man on an elevated platform.
In the Billboard Punjabi Wave cover story, AP Dhillon talked about his performance at the 2023 Junos ceremony and how he lobbied to ensure majorly popular Punjabi music would have a prolonged platform at the awards. Evidently, they’ve kept their word.
This year’s Junos also had the most Indigenous nominees in award history. Anita Landback, Tanas Sylliboy and Sarah Prosper set the stage with a land acknowledgment that intersected with a performance by Juno winner Jeremy Dutcher in Wolastoqey, who then joined in a duet with Elisapie on an Inuktitut version of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” Along with Aujla and others, it meant performances featured at least six different languages, including English and French.
Several other breakout artists had big wins at this year’s awards. Tate McRae, The Beaches, Charlotte Cardin and TALK all had major years on the charts and were rewarded with awards. The Junos have struggled with star power in recent years — Drake has boycotted the last half decade, while chart-topper Tate McRae was not in attendance to accept her two awards this year — but they have made some strides when it comes to representation of what makes Canadian music unique. -Richard Trapunski
Last Week In Canada: Streaming Fraud Sites Shut Down
Despite reports that Tomorrowland will be launching a Thai edition of the festival in 2026, organizers say this event is not yet a reality.
Last week, the English language Thai news site The Nation published a story quoting Thai government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke, who said the festival was coming to Thailand and could be hosted there for 10 consecutive years.
But in a statement provided Friday (March 29) to Billboard, festival representative Debby Wilmsen says that while “Tomorrowland has a real interest in Thailand and is seriously exploring the possibility of a festival in Thailand … at this stage, there is no confirmation yet on an actual festival taking place.”
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But that’s not to say this event won’t happen, with the statement noting that currently, “Tomorrowland is investigating the feasibility of the project, and has signed an exclusive MOU agreement with a Thai private sector partner to conduct this study together.”
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This memorandum of understanding is a legal agreement indicating an intended common action, with the feasibility study intending to make clear whether or not Tomorrowland Thailand can occur. The statement concludes, “Tomorrowland is very honored that the authorities are eager to welcome us.”
If launched, the event would mark the fourth edition of Tomorrowland to happen outside of its home in Belgium, with the company hosting TomorrowWorld in Georgia from 2013 to 2015, Tomorrowland Brazil in 2015-2016 and again in 2023, and Tomorrowland Winter in the French Alps annually since 2019.
Meanwhile, the mothership edition will happen in Boom, Belgium, July 19-21 and 26-28, with a genre-spanning lineup of dance artists including Swedish House Mafia, Tale of Us, Alesso, Amelie Lens, Bonobo, Dom Dolla, The Blessed Madonna, Rezz and Deadmau5 performing as REZZMAU5, David Guetta, Solomun b2b Four Tet, Eliza Rose and hundreds of others.
Tomorrowland co-founder Michiel Beers will also deliver a keynote speech at IMS Ibiza 2024, happening next month on the conference’s namesake island.
LONDON — Utopia Music is planning to rebrand as Proper Group AG, named after its core physical music distribution business, to reflect changes to the Swiss-based firm’s “strategic direction,” the company said Thursday (March 28).
The proposed name change, which needs to be approved by shareholders, comes almost two months after co-founder and former head Mattias Hjelmstedt exited Utopia Music following a shake-up of its executive ranks.
“As Utopia has evolved under new leadership, we recognize the need to align our brand with our new strategy and as a result, new market positioning,” said Michael Stebler, who was appointed CEO in January, in a statement sent to Billboard.
“Our previous brand identity doesn’t accurately reflect who we are today and where we aim to go in the future,” said the chief executive – a former managing director of Investment Advisors Zug AG, which operated on behalf of Utopia’s majority shareholder group. Like Utopia Music, Investment Advisors Zug AG is headquartered in the scenic Swiss town of Zug, located close to Zurich.
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Utopia Music acquired Proper Music Group, the United Kingdom’s biggest independent physical music distributor, which provides distribution services for nearly 6,000 indie labels and service companies, for an undisclosed sum in January 2022.
Eight months later, the company bought up the assets of U.K.-based Cinram Novum — which provides warehouse, fulfillment and distribution services to music labels and home entertainment companies, including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and [PIAS] — and renamed it Utopia Distribution Services (UDS).
Both acquisitions took place during a period of intense hyper-growth between 2020 and 2022 when Utopia rapidly acquired 15 companies spanning music tech, finance, publishing, marketing and distribution.
A well-documented downsizing followed, encompassing multiple rounds of job cuts, company divestments and ongoing legal actions, eventually leading to the appointment of a new CEO and executive team at the start of the year.
Changing the company’s name to Proper Group “represents a fresh start,” said Stebler, “and reflects the changes to our strategic direction, where distribution sits at the core of the commercial value chain.”
Under the new arrangement, Billboard understands that Utopia/Proper Group will be divided into four main departments: Proper Distribution, Proper Payments, Proper Processing and Proper Music Data.
Together, the company says, they will provide clients with a “comprehensive suite of tech services” — including cross-platform analytics and royalty tracking, processing and payments — all built around the firm’s music distribution business, which has long generated the bulk of its revenue.
“By leveraging the Proper brand,” the company will “benefit from the positive and strong brand equity Proper has in the music industry,” said Stebler.
The company’s executive team remains unchanged with Stebler supported by deputy CEOs Alain Couttolenc and Drew Hill, a long-serving veteran of the U.K. physical music industry, who doubles as Utopia/Proper Group’s chief of distribution.
Hill’s responsibilities include overseeing the U.K.’s biggest distribution warehouse for physical music and home entertainment — a 25,000-square meter facility in the town of Bicester with handling capacity of up to 250,000 units per day — which Utopia opened last year as part of a £100 million ($125 million) long-term deal with international logistics company DP World.
More recently, Utopia successfully secured around half of a Series C funding round (understood to total more than 15 million euros) with a second tranche of C-round funding underway. The funds will be used to drive commercial growth, enhance product development and strengthen the company’s balance sheet, Stebler told Billboard in January.
Shareholders will get to vote on the proposed name change when Utopia holds its Annual General Meeting at the start of May.
IMS Ibiza has announced the lineup for its 15th annual conference next month. The 2024 event happens April 24-26 and takes place at a new location, the Mondrian Ibiza and Hyde Ibiza hotels. The program features more than 60 discussions and 125 speakers over three days.
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Program highlights include a keynote speech from Tomorrowland co-founder Michiel Beers, Defected Records founder Simon Dunmore and new CEO Wez Saunders in conversation with IMS co-founder Pete Tong and Aloki Batra, the new CEO of Pacha Group. Additionally, the conference will include its annual presentation of the IMS Business Report, which includes a breakdown of the dance industry’s performance over the last 12 months.
Artist appearances include a conversation with Fatboy Slim on the 30 year anniversary of his Southern Fried Records label, Amapiano star Sarz, Brazilian phenom Mochakk, rising producer Chloe Caillet and many more. Meanwhile, an event titled “Celebrating the Godfather of House: 10 Years of the Frankie Knuckles Foundation” will honor the pioneering producer’s life and achievements.
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There will also be live recordings of Resident Advisor‘s RA Exchange podcast featuring Smokin’Jo, DJ Pierre and Juan Atkins. A live recording of Jaguar’s Utopia Talks, hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter and IMS co-host Jaguar, will feature TSHA, DJ Paulette and Smokin’ Jo discussing the experiences of Black women in dance music. There will also be a new space hosted by U.K. party collective HE.SHE.THEY. and many more.
See the complete 2024 program on IMS’s website.
The theme of this year’s conference is “rebuilding our community,” with a featured conversation called “How To Bring Back Peace, Love, Unity & Respect” looking at how the dance scene can restore its values amid a fractured community, particularly with respect to recent global events.
“These are strained and complicated times in electronic music – not a landscape this industry has had to navigate before,” IMS co-founder Ben Turner said in a statement. “Now in our 15th edition, the key theme of trying to understand how to Rebuild Our Community is designed to be constructive, positive and impactful. Special thanks to the team of IMS advisors and experts for their input to this year’s program. We hope those in attendance will find something insightful and inspirational to take home with them along with new connections, new music and positive thoughts and actions for the future.”
With the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest less than seven weeks away, production in host country Sweden has kicked into high gear. Taking on the role of showrunner, Per Blankens has produced 10 seasons of Idol in Sweden; seasons 13 and 14 of American Idol; and the annual Melodifestivalen in Sweden, the competition the country uses to select its Eurovision entry.
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Billboard spoke to Blankens via Zoom to get an early preview of this year’s pan-European song competition.
You grew up in Sweden, a country that has a long-lasting love for Eurovision. What is your earliest memory of the contest?
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I was only two years old when ABBA won (in 1974 with “Waterloo”), but I was 12 when Herrey’s won (in 1984 with “Diggi-Loo, Diggi-Ley”), so I have a definite memory of that year. I have great memories of Eurovision because back in the day the whole family would gather in front of the TV and it would be the special event and amazing show that it still is today. Once in a year, it showed up and you saw all these different countries and different people and different outfits and different songs. So I watched it from a very young age.
I was going to save this question for last, but since you mentioned them – this is the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision and everyone is expecting the four members to participate in some way in the 2024 contest. What can you tell me about that possibility?
We’ve had discussions with ABBA and about ABBA, but do we think that they will sing “Waterloo” together on the stage live? Not sure about that, but for sure there’s going to be an ABBA component in the shows from Sweden this year.
I tell people I’ll be surprised if they perform. I won’t be surprised if they’re there.
I feel the same as you. I’ll be surprised if they perform. We’ll see if they’re going to be there. They turn down a lot of stuff and my personal reflection is they do that because they want to have people’s memories be the way they were in their heyday. The group only lasted for eight years and during those eight years, they came out with a tremendous amount of songs. If you look at the song list, it’s 25 or 30 hits. It’s amazing how productive they were and that’s what they want people to remember. So I understand why they are cautious, but we’re hoping to do something together.
When you were asked to produce this year’s Eurovision, what were your thoughts about taking the job?
When Sweden won in 2015, they asked me then, but I was living in the U.S. and I couldn’t figure out a way to make it work, because you really need to be in the production office and be very hands-on. So I had to decline and have regretted that ever since because it’s the world championship in television-making with all the resources and all the fun and all the nationalities and all the viewers. That’s something that if you had the chance, you would want to be engaged in. When Loreen won last year, I was hoping that they would ask me again and they did. After we won in early May 2023, SVT (Sweden’s national broadcaster) sent out a feeler to me and then a month later it was decided. I told my bosses at Idol, “I still have another six months, but after that, I’m going to do Eurovision.” I’ve done Idol for so many years, so there weren’t any hard feelings. They congratulated me and said they understood this was something I wanted to do.
People always ask me, “What does a producer do?” I tell them it’s different on every show. As a producer, what are your responsibilities for Eurovision 2024?
I am the showrunner. My title is show producer. We do have an executive producer. Ebba Adielsson is in charge of the whole thing and that would mean the event and security and sponsors and staff, you name it. And then there is our contest producer, Christer Björkman, and he is in charge of all the delegations and all the artists and the songs and realizing what they want to do on stage and help them create what they want to present. As the TV producer, I put all of this into the framework of a show. So my responsibility would be running orders, posts, graphics, music and the actual broadcast. I approve the stage design and all of the interval acts and the segments and the postcards. Everything that’s not the competition. The production is huge. It’s one of the biggest (in the world). I’m in charge of the actual show and the rules of the competition and the spokespersons that are going to show up and deliver the points. I get to do the fun stuff. Everybody else is very stressed out. Figuring out how much stuff you can put in that arena without it imploding, that’s not my responsibility.
And all of this comes under the aegis of the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public broadcasters from all over Europe and beyond. How do you interact with the EBU?
A country wins and then as congratulations, you get to produce the show next year. Some countries are excited. Some countries are terrified because it is a big event. SVT has done it before. It will be the seventh time, which is a record apart from Ireland, and we did it in recent years as well, so there are some colleagues and coworkers who were part of it last time, which is always great. The EBU gives you the paperwork and off you go. Then there are a lot of meetings which I’m not a part of, but the other grown-ups make decisions about budgets and so forth. And then when it reaches me, I come up with the angle for this year. If we want to make any changes to the format (we take them to the) reference group, which is a Eurovision board made up of former executive producers from previous years, and the EBU’s Martin Osterdahl, who happens to be Swedish.
You go in front of that board and you present what you want to do and maybe you get some homework and then you go back to the board in the next meeting and things get approved or rejected. Right now we have a lot of contact with the EBU on a daily basis about everything from how long the graphics should be on screen to how big the songs need to be, things that that EBU keeps track of. It’s a very complicated technical production in terms of a worldwide broadcast. Each country puts an overlay of their own graphics because we have tele-voting, and there’s not the same phone number in each country. Each country has a commentator and most of them are there (at the venue). Some are commentating from home. They also have a spokesperson who’s going to show up and there are uplinks that need to be booked for that. So we interact with EBU in many ways but now that we’re so close to the production all the big stuff is decided and now we’re getting the practicalities in place.
With less than two months to go before the live broadcast of the two semi-finals on May 7 and 9 and the grand final on May 11, where are you right now in the process?
All 37 delegations visited Malmö a couple of weeks ago to meet with Christer and his team and introduce their artists, who were not present. They had the opportunity to introduce their creative thoughts about their performances. Either they want to do it exactly the way it looked back home in their own (national final) or they want to do something else. Our production is providing the lights and the stage and if there’s something to be built or if you need live elephants, we need to provide that. We’re writing scripts. We’re dry rehearsing all the intro acts. We’re also trying to get all the paperwork in place because it’s such a nightmare to clear all the music worldwide. That takes time.
I think we’re in a good place. We haven’t moved to Malmö yet. That’s going to happen on April 16. The whole production office moves down there and we won’t get on the actual stage until very late in rehearsal, at the end of April. It will be the beginning of May before all 37 countries come down and occupy the stage.
You mentioned making changes in the broadcast. Can you tell me what they are?
One change that was brought up early on was to make the broadcast shorter. Last year’s U.K. show ran four hours, 14 minutes. It’s hard because there are so many songs and we need time for the voting and it’s also the time for us to entertain the world so you don’t want take out too much.
We did get through another change: starting the voting when the show begins. That’s something I introduced on American Idol. That means you don’t have to wait until for all 26 songs to be performed before you can start voting. Because of the length of the show, it gets very late into the night in some parts of the world before you can start interacting and chances are that you dozed off or went to bed. But if you can start when the competition starts, then you’re interacting. I think that’s also how the kids want it these days. One way of doing that is to make sure we’ve already seen all the performances before and that means that the five big countries that are already qualified for the final, and the host nation, get to also be on stage in the semi-finals. Instead of putting them as interval acts or as a block at the end, I wanted to intertwine it within the rest of the performances. I’m sure it will go smoothly in the broadcast to explain to the viewers that 15 of these performances need your votes to go to the finale. Three of them don’t need your votes because they’re already qualified. We have the hosts and we also have the commentators, and we also have graphics to explain the difference when you see it. So those are the biggest changes so far in the show.
Will having the big five and the host country perform their full songs in the semi-finals make those shows longer?
A tiny bit longer. It all depends how many countries are participating, so it has varied over the years. Last year we ran about two hours. This time, we’re going to end up at two hours and 10 minutes.
You mentioned shortening the grand final. Do you have a target time for that live broadcast?
The allotted time is four hours. Every year, it’s been longer and longer and longer. The question is, what can we do to keep it under four hours. We’ll see when everything is in place and we’ve timed everything.
There are 26 performances. It all depends on how much stuff the artists want to bring on stage and take it out and bring it in again. Where can you find the seconds you need? Even though the voting starts when the first performance begins, it will still be open after the last performance. We won’t close it, so people can either decide if they want to vote when they see something they like or do they want to watch the whole thing and then decide, like it’s been in the past. So starting the voting early doesn’t mean that the show is going to be shorter. Just having the spokespersons from the different countries takes about an hour to go through all their votes. That can obviously be done more efficiently, but why? It’s part of the show. It’s good entertainment and it’s part of what I remember I thought was funny when I watched the show as a young person. I was watching all these people showing up from different parts of the world. So you don’t want to take out too much, but obviously what you can do to make it more efficient, that would be great.
For decades, Eurovision was a worldwide phenomenon, with live broadcasts to non-participating countries like China and Uruguay. But somehow the U.S. was left out of the equation. Do you think the U.S. is more aware of Eurovision today? And did Will Ferrell’s movie for Netflix help?
Regarding Americans watching Eurovision, it has transitioned in recent years. Ever since Måneskin and Duncan Laurence and Loreen won, that has turned Eurovision into a totally new thing. Artists are still coming to entertain, but it’s transitioned into something that really has an impact on popular culture and you can become a star by winning Eurovision, which was not always the case. But then again think of ABBA celebrating 50 years now since they started with Eurovision and we get to produce it in Sweden on the 50th anniversary. It’s amazing.
My understanding is that Americans have known about Eurovision always but haven’t been that interested. Now because there was a show called American Song Contest, they understand the format and can participate, plus many Europeans are living in the U.S. The Will Ferrell movie for sure helped. That was an amazing movie. And apparently, he is a super nice fellow because he hung around in Portugal when they hosted Eurovision (in 2018). People who met him said he was the sweetest man and very funny, very kind to remember people’s names.
I thought last year’s show, produced by the BBC in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine, was one of the best shows ever. Has that influenced you in any way?
As a television producer, you always want to top the previous year but it’s going to be hard because the BBC broadcast was so spectacular. Very flawless, beautiful, the hosts were great and the fact they did it together with Ukraine was beautiful. I have watched the three shows (two semi-finals and a grand final) many times and took notes and if we’re lucky, we’ll live up to that standard. I met (last year’s) producer in Malmö and I thanked him for a beautiful show. And they had the coronation of King Charles that same week, so it was a busy time for BBC.
Some countries don’t want to do Eurovision two times in a row because of the expense. When Sweden claims victory for the eighth time, it will set the all-time record for the most wins in the 68 years of the contest. Any thoughts about having Eurovision come back to Sweden in 2025?
If that happens, it’s going to be amazing. I know that (Sweden’s national final) Melodifestivalen was not holding back. It has happened before that countries won twice in a row or even three times in a row. So it could happen and if it does, we’ll be up and running and we’ll make another spectacular edition.
Having heard all the songs and seeing the videos, any thoughts about the overall quality for the 2024 competition?
You should ask Christer because I’m neutral in the competition. I think that it sounds great and it all stands out and there’s a good mix of groups and boys and girls. It’s going to be a spectacular year. I think as a viewer it will be an amazing show. I won’t single out anyone, but there are some artists who are standing out in a good way, and also in a fun way.
Finally, you are in a unique position as someone who has produced Idol in Sweden and the U.S. as well as Eurovision to answer this question: why have so many Idols from all over Europe, especially Sweden, represented their countries at Eurovision? In Sweden, I’m thinking especially of Måns Zelmerlöw, who won with “Heroes” in 2015, Loreen who won with “Euphoria” in 2012 and “Tattoo” in 2023; plus entrants Anna Bergendahl in 2010 and Robin Stjernberg in 2013. And many Idols from Sweden, like Danny Saucedo and Lisa Ajax, have competed in Melodifestivalen.
I think Idols go far in Melodifestivalen is because the audience knows them and are in the habit of voting for them. But they also need to stand out and be super great and a lot of them are, like Måns and Loreen. A TV technical thing can also be that they are already used to learning choreo, cameras, instructions, staging and output very quickly. They know that once you get up on that stage you have one shot. An Idol season prepares them, as they have to do that on a weekly basis and that could be the extra mile needed in a competition with 25 other artists. But obviously they need a great song as well.
Madonna’s historic concert at Rio’s Copacabana Beach on May 4 will be produced by her long-time promoter Arthur Fogel and legendary Brazilian producer and promoter Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, Live Nation officials have confirmed to Billboard. Fogel is one of the most accomplished concert and tour producers in the world and serves as the chairman of […]
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, most of the country’s musical acts have taken sides, either supporting or condemning the war – but not Picnic.
The aging Russian rock band notably refrained from making any statements about the invasion of Ukraine. Many of their fellow musicians faced touring bans or exile for voicing their opposition, while others performed on the frontlines in solidarity with the Kremlin or in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Now, 46 years after its formation, Picnic has grabbed more global attention than ever for tragic reasons: Its planned concert at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow became the site of a mass shooting last Friday (March 22), with at least 137 lives lost in the terrorist attack. ISIS-K, an offshoot of the terrorist group ISIS, claimed responsibility for the March 22 attack.
Since then, some Russian media outlets have claimed that the band supported Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, suggesting this was one of the reasons that terrorist gunmen targeted the show.
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The band did not comment on these reports. In fact, the band’s current frontman, Edmund Shklyarsky, who joined in 1981 as a guitarist and soon became Picnic’s main songwriter, has remained steadfastly apolitical since the terrorist attack. In his only public comments in the wake of the tragedy, he released a video address expressing “condolences to everyone who, involuntarily and naturally, found themselves involved in this terrible tragedy, utterly senseless. It is clear that there are no words that can resurrect or console people. But, of course, we offer our condolences to all relatives.”
Picnic will brave the stage again on Wednesday (March 27) at St. Petersburg’s Oktyabrsky concert hall. The concert will be dedicated to the victims of the Crocus City Hall attack, with the band announcing on social media that proceeds will be donated to the families of those who lost their lives or were injured in the attack.
The band’s manager, Yuri Chernyshevsky, wouldn’t comment on Picnic’s views on the war with Ukraine, and told Billboard that “you would need to ask the terrorists why they targeted Picnic’s show or why they targeted Crocus City Hall. I hope law enforcement will determine that.”
In the early 1980s, Picnic became part of the Leningrad Rock Club, an organization, allegedly controlled by the KGB, that facilitated underground and semi-underground rock bands to perform at a time when rock music in the Soviet Union faced scrutiny, if not outright bans. Later, Picnic’s songs drew criticism from Communist authorities for lyrics referencing illegal drug use.
In the latter half of the 1980s, Picnic, like other bands, benefited from the perestroika and glasnost reforms in the Soviet Union, which allowed formerly underground rock bands to officially tour and record. However, unlike some prominent bands of the period, Picnic largely avoided social and political issues, focusing more on esoteric and mystical themes in their lyrics.
Currently, the band includes the 68-year-old Shklyarsky, his son Stas on keyboards, bassist Marat Korchemny and drummer Leonid Kirnos. The band’s fan base is diverse, ranging from older listeners who have followed Picnic since the 1980s to younger fans introduced to the band through social media.
At the time of the March 22 attack, musicians from Picnic and a 65-piece orchestra set to accompany the rock band were in their respective dressing rooms and were promptly evacuated. However, Ekaterina Kushner, a member of Picnic’s administrative staff manning the merchandise table, died in the attack.
Another concert by Picnic and the symphonic orchestra was scheduled at the same venue on March 23. Almost all tickets for both performances at the 6,200-seat Crocus City Hall had been sold.
BMG reported record high revenues of 905 million euros ($998 million) in 2023 as catalog acquisitions and growth in its publishing division from hit songs and albums by Bebe Rexha, the Rolling Stones and Lewis Capaldi contributed to 5.7% in organic revenue growth.
Operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) adjusted — BMG’s preferred metric for profit — was flat at 194 million euros ($214 million, based on the foreign exchange rate as of Dec. 31, 2023) compared to last year’s 195 million euros ($208 million, based on the year-end foreign exchange rate), as the German-owned music company incorporates a slew of changes introduced by new chief executive Thomas Coesfeld. Coesfeld said his strategy is improving revenue and operating EBITDA going forward, two metrics the company said have risen by roughly a third from 2021 to 2023.
“Many of these changes are having an immediate impact,” Coesfeld said in a letter to staff viewed by Billboard. “In the first two months of 2024 we have already seen a strong double-digit increase in revenue and an increase in EBITDA versus prior year.”
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Since Coesfeld took the helm in mid-2023, BMG announced a plan to take over digital sales of its artists’ music, a new physical distribution deal with UMG and increased investments in technology for a new client-facing mobile app, improved data analytics and speedier processing of royalties.
Catalog acquisitions have been a key component of Coesfeld’s contributions since he became BMG’s chief financial officer in 2021. Backed by the deep pockets of its parent company, the European media conglomerate Bertelsmann, BMG continued its steady pace of buying in 2023 with 30 catalog acquisitions, including those by The Hollies, Jet, Dope Lemon, Martin Solveig and Paul Simon’s music interests in Simon & Garfunkel’s recordings.
Major hits for the publishing division in 2023 included “I’m Good (Blue),” co-written by Bebe Rexha, and “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2,” by BMG songwriter Mura Masa and performed by Pink Pantheress and Ice Spice, and the release of Hackney Diamonds by the Rolling Stones and Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent by Capaldi.
Country music was a big driver for BMG’s label business in 2023 thanks to Jason Aldean‘s “Try That In A Small Town,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart during the first week of August, and three country chart-topping hits from Jelly Roll, including “Save Me,” recorded with Lainey Wilson, another of BMG’s country stars.
Here are some of BMG’s 2023 highlights:
Operating EBITDA adjusted remained stable at 194 million euros ($214 million) from the previous year of 195 million euros ($208 million).
From 2021 to 2023, revenue has risen by more than 36% and operating EBITDA adjusted has risen by more than 34%.
EBITDA margin was 21.4 percent compared to the previous year of 22.5%.
BMG made 30 catalog acquisitions in 2023.