Live Nation and AEG Live bosses speaking at ILMC 2015

Live Nation and AEG Live bosses speaking at ILMC 2015

Arthur Fogel, chairman of global music/president of global touring at concert promotion giant Live Nation is the keynote interview at this year’s ILMC (International Live Music Conference).

At the Breakfast Meeting session on Sunday (8 March), he is expected to disclose the adventures and trials that go hand-in-hand with promoting some of the world’s greatest live-music acts during an on-stage chat with raconteur Ed Bicknell (Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler’s manager).

The conference, which is in its 27th year and takes place 5-8 March at London’s Royal Garden Hotel, is considered to be the highlight of the international live-concerts business calendar.

Also participating are leading promoters, such as AEG Live president/co-CEO John Meglen, UK-based Solo’s John Giddings, Folkert Koopmans from FKP Scorpio in Germany and DEAG’s Peter Schwenkow. They will take part in the session called The Open Forum: The Directors’ Report, an open discussion about industry developments.

Another popular theme is expected to be Corporatisation: The Masters of the Universe, which examines the role of conglomerates in the international live music sector. During The Joined Up Industry: Artist Development Matters, panellists will review the challenges of nurturing artists in the 21st century.

This year, the ILMC organisers are tripling the amount of festival-related content during Festival Forum: The Indestructibles? Once considered the saviour of an industry that has seen recorded music decimated during the past decade, this session will ask whether the market has peaked.

Additionally, Festival Income: Fields of Green will look at new revenue streams for festival promoters, from cashless payment systems to live streaming. And the workshop schedule for Festivalisation: Giving Your Event a Soul includes experts offering tips on creating a unique identity for your festival.

For more details about where the Latin American market is heading and why tech giants YouTube and Facebook are participating this year, visit the ILMC hub.

[Juliana Koranteng]