Steve Machin Confirmed As Keynote
MusicTank: Saving The Golden Goose: Improving The Live Experience6.30pm September 23rd 2010 The Basement, PRS for Music, W1Full and final line up announced for next think tank event.15th September 2010:- Steve Machin, founder of the live music consultancy Stormcrowd, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for Saving the Golden Goose, the forthcoming event being hosted by the University of Westminster's music business network MusicTank.With this summer characterised, in the US in particular, by tickets flogged at knock-off prices, glaring spaces in the seating and nights cancelled wholesale, MusicTank asks what the live business can do to avoid repeating the troubles suffered by the recordings business over the last decade.In his keynote address Steve will be discussing the value of live music in both economic and cultural terms, and addressing the question of how the changing shape and face of the live industry affects the fan experience now and for future generations.Steve will be applying his media nous, built up through his years as a key innovator in the live industry and beyond, to questions of the fundamental structural of the live industry. By drawing parallels from across the music world, he will be addressing how we can better nurture live music.Also on the panel will be: Stuart Galbraith, CEO of AEG joint venture Kilimanjaro Live; Geoff Meall, director of powerhouse booking agency The Agency Group; Andy Mcleod, heading up the promotional team at soon to be relaunched live music institution The Bull and Gate and London-based artist manager Malcolm Mckenzie joining MusicTank Chairman Keith Harris, exploring how we can save the music business's Golden Goose.Conclusions from the session will be fed into the Live UK Summit's 7th October Mass Movement panel.About Steve MachinA pioneer of the European live entertainment space, Steve brings with him a wealth of experience in ticketing strategy and marketing. In particular Steve is an evangelist for the uniquely powerful role that the live experience plays throughout a fan's relationship with an artist and how that relationship can be nurtured and developed through technology.Steve recently founded Stormcrowd - global consulting and media for the live and digital entertainment sectors. Stormcrowd works to help brands and stakeholders develop meaningful strategies that will engage consumers where entertainment intersects with online and social media.Earlier in his career Steve was Head of Music Services for Ticketmaster Europe where he was responsible for developing new services and client strategies across Europe and before that ran UK National Operations for Channelfly (MAMA Group). While at Ticketmaster, Steve introduced the concept of dynamic pricing to European concert promoters and initiated the charity ticket auction program used by iTunes.Most recently Steve worked with Tixdaq, the UK ticket comparison and data service launched in 2007, to monitor the burgeoning ticket resale market. Before Tixdaq, Steve worked as VP of International Business Development for UltraStar Entertainment, the fan club management and marketing service owned by Live Nation where he developed marketing programs and oversaw the European fan ticketing strategy for artists including U2, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Celine Dion.Steve started his music industry career in Manchester in 1991 at NorthSouth Distribution, a part of So What Arts, where he cut his teeth importing and wholesaling dance music by day and sampling the Manchester clubbing scene by night. A brief time in artist management subsequently earned Steve and his charges, Geek, a record deal with Columbia.Steve also serves as an adviser to the following organisations:
- Global Cool - Celebrity climate change campaign (London)
- Sound Advice - Financial and legal services for the music industry (London)
- Connected Talent - Creative talent management (London)
Event DetailsDate: 23rd Septmeber 2010Time: 18:30 to 21:00Venue: The Basement, PRS for Music, Copyright House29-33 Berners Street, London, W1T 3ABTravel: Nearest Tube - Goodge St (Northern Line)PRS for Music is at Mortimer St end of Berners St.Cost: Standard - £35 / trade body members - £30 / members - £25Tickets must be purchased in advance from www.musictank.co.ukLine UpKEYNOTE:Steve Machin Founder, StormcrowdPANEL:Stuart Galbraith CEO, Kilimanjaro LiveAndy Mcleod Music Promoter & Director, Club FandangoMalcolm Mckenzie Artist ManagerGeoff Meall Director, The Agency GroupCHAIRMAN:Keith Harris Keith Harris Music Ltd / Musictank Chairman / Director Of Performer Affairs, PplFull Event CopyIn the first of our Year Zero series of think tanks, MusicTank asks how we can improve the general public's experience of live music, and in so doing protect an increasingly vital income stream?Over the past decade the well-documented collapse of the recordings business has been at least partially offset by the growth of the live industry. Whereas tours were once viewed as expensive promotional jaunts that rarely broke even, hitting the road has now become the main source of income for many leading artists. Indeed "live will solve our problems" has become a well worn catchphrase at many a music industry boondoggle, but in the rush to make money from our golden goose, are we about to turn her into foie gras?At present the UK boasts the most successful live market in the world, with six of the world's top ten earning venues. With combined tickets sales of £2.9million for the first half of 2010, at first glance it would appear that everything is rosy, look closer though and you'll soon start to notice things aren't all they seem.With digital music revenues still failing to make up the decrease in physical, concerts and related merchandise have made up some of this shortfall. As a result we've seen several major changes to the way the industry works - from 360 degree deals, to the likes of Live Nation signing acts like Madonna in place of a traditional label deal.Whilst the grassroots live business has, on the whole, continued to offer good value for money, at the top end, where the big money is made, we've witnessed a modern day gold rush, as companies look to live to fill the holes in their balance sheets.With more and more people looking to get in on the action and with artists' growing dependence on touring revenue, booking fees have risen, ticket prices have followed and just as night follows day, the past twelve months has seen a surge in the number of tours, concerts and festivals underperform or even be cancelled.Whilst the world limps out of the worst recession in recent history ticket prices for major tours have continued to rise. No wonder then that more and more people are baulking at paying these inflated prices, especially when many ticket buyers who have begrudgingly paid exorbitant prices have seen those same tickets drastically reduced in price as the event date gets closer. Canny ticket buyers have begun to realise that where tickets are concerned only fools rush in, which in turn has reinforced the impression of an embattled industry.Meanwhile after years of growth the festival market faces oversaturation, at one point in 2009 it seemed like anyone with access to a plot of land larger than an allotment was hosting a festival. The result has been an increasing number of festivals going under, from newcomers jumping on the bandwagon right through to established events such as The Big Chill.Despite these warning signs promoters continue to complain of rising artists fees, and PRS for music are undertaking a review their slice of the pie, with the smart money suggesting their review will conclude they deserve more.All this before even considering the age-old issue of often exorbitant booking fees, credit card charges and ticket delivery fees, all seemingly set to scalp Joe Public for every last remaining penny. If that weren't enough a recent study from the Office of Fair Trade reveals that one in 12 festival tickets sold are fakes, with the average loss to each fan being £80.The end result, ever higher ticket prices, even more underperforming shows, a continually disappointed public, and the slow death of the live business.But who's to blame? The artists and their agents? With live promotion one of the few reasonably secure artist income streams, it's natural for their agents to push for more and more. Talk to any promoter though and within minutes they'll be complaining about the increasing and sometimes unrealistic demands of booking agents.Should the promoters share some of the opprobrium? After all it seems that whilst the going was good they've been more than happy to pay whatever is demanded and just offload the cost onto the public.At the next MusicTank we'll ask what can be done to give the public a better experience. In one encouraging sign, promoting and ticketing powerhouse Live Nation/Ticketmaster recently announced they are working towards offering cheaper tickets. However the public need more protection from the glut of scam sites that regularly spring up promising tickets to see their favourite artists, just to rip them off.We'll hear from artist managers, booking agents and promoters, those working at the coal face of the live industry. We'll learn how healthy the business looks from their perspective, what the future holds for them and importantly how they believe we can continue to benefit from live without us ending up with a very deceased goose on our hands. -ends-ABOUT MUSICTANKMusicTank is the UK's music business network, an initiative of the University of Westminster, set up with the support of 14 UK music industry organisations.MusicTank aims to foster new collaborations and circulate innovative ideas, best practice and cutting-edge strategies to increase innovation and productivity across the business. Regular think tanks bring hot topics into sharp focus and help pinpoint the opportunities created by disruptive technologies.MusicTank conferences deal with everything from record production to copyright review while occasional social evenings blend the entertaining recollections of music business virtuosos with the opportunity to develop valuable industry contacts.MusicTank aims to override traditional partitions by providing improved access to expert knowledge via musictank.co.uk, the leading music business web-site, offering free industry discussion on new business techniques alongside useful reports and comments from leading lights.www.musictank.co.uk