SEPTEMBER | COVER FEATURE
“Our primary
objective over the
next 2-3 years is to
grow a business that
looks beyond the
traditional venues
and spaces that
have been used
for live music and
entertainment”
— Bradley Thompson
expect very high standards at music
venues and events in recent years and
this places some healthy pressure on
promoters. Having a slightly larger
business that enables us to have
individuals or business units within the
larger business ensures that we have
people responsible and accountable,
and safe and professional standards
that need to be delivered consistently
internally and with our suppliers are
maintained.
“Our focus – whether it is a festival
or a venue – is and always has been
on a truly great and memorable
experience that isn’t just about the
music. It’s the full picture: production,
sound, friendly staff, plenty of bars and
toilets, interesting selection of food
and drinks, places to sit down and chill
out, and plenty of nooks and crannies
to explore and really lose yourself in.
“From a supplier point of view, yes,
we have greater purchasing power
across a portfolio and where possible
we work with the same suppliers which
benefits everyone, particularly from
a relationship point of view as well as
knowing and understand each other’s
systems and process which come off
the back of working with a business or
individuals over a long period of time.”
Another concern is the market share
larger companies hold allows them to
win bidding wars where conglomerates
are outbidding independents. Morgan
says: “If you to take many of the
conglomerate shows in silo on the large
green space sites, their profit and loss
would not make any financial sense
even at sell out, thus independents
cannot possibly compete. They are
simply land banking green space to
oust any form of competition and this
isn’t securing the future of festivals in
the UK, it’s simply trying to ensure that
nobody can step on their toes.”
Meanwhile, infrastructure costs
are growing, and green space rental
is increasing as councils are under
pressure to plug their funding gap.
“Independents have a huge drive to
make their shows work, not just for
themselves, but for the wider industry
community, they will endeavour to
add value to the local economy as
demonstrated in The Political Economy
of Informal Events 2030. This, in an
already challenging environment,
is often underestimated as are the
jobs created whether it be technical
production, and causal labour from bar
work to accreditation.”
One reaction to an increasingly
homogenised market is to set yourself
apart. Thompson says: “Our primary
objective over the next 2-3 years is to
grow a business that looks beyond
the traditional venues and spaces
that have been used for live music and
entertainment and work across the UK
to build individual venue businesses in
more interesting spaces that not only
focus on ticketed culture but corporate
and brand experiences. In doing this
we need to be open and work with
everyone, from promoters to artists
and collaborate with other venues.”
It’s an issue that will run and run,
but with the quality of independent
festivals in the UK, there’s still much to
play for. And, just as MySpace gave way
to Facebook, and Nokia gave way to
Apple, markets are seldom predictable.
37