We’re moving in a vicious circle when it comes to live events. The situation now is fatally reminiscent of the situation in spring: What has remained the same and what is different compared to the previous pandemic years?
The infection dynamics, which increased in winter, are actually reminiscent of the past year and were expected accordingly by experts, even if the level of incidence has certainly reached a new level. The emergence of a new variant is also reminiscent of Delta and is nothing new per se, although its effects and influence still need to be clarified in more detail. One thing is certain: in contrast to last year, with the vaccination we have an effective tool at hand to break the vicious circle.
How many concerts and tours have you had to postpone since the pandemic began – and what does that do to you?
Several thousand events are affected here, which have either had to be postponed several times or canceled completely. Especially in the unclear initial phase of the pandemic. What that does to us is perfectly clear: instead of doing what we love, we manage shifts or eventually have to drop concerts entirely. This means a heavy workload for organization and communication, which of course does not offer the fulfillment that we normally get from our work.
It was very fulfilling to see our team, our guests and the artists enjoying each other at festivals like Rolling Stone Beach
Is the job still fun, what keeps you going, how do you motivate yourself?
Despite all the challenges and imponderables, my work still fulfills me, for a number of reasons. The most important of these is our team, which has proven once again that they can reliably do a good job even under the most difficult conditions. In addition, we have proven several times this year that we can organize safely and well even under Corona. It was very fulfilling to see our team, our guests and the artists enjoying each other at festivals like Rolling Stone Beach.
How dramatic is the drop in sales?
In 2020 we had no significant sales at all and 2021 was also challenging despite some big and successful presale launches. Economically, Corona is also a challenge for us, although the company has proven its stability. We have managed well in recent years and our reserves continue to help us get through this situation.
How badly are you affected by short-time work – and did you have to lay off employees?
Almost our entire team was on short-time work for varying lengths and intensity. By January 2022, we will have increased our capacities to 100 percent again. We are grateful and happy not to have given a single notice of termination. Right from the start, our primary goal was to keep our good team together.
How good or bad, bureaucratic or unbureaucratic was the state bridging aid? What are the regulations for the coming months?
Our industry certainly had to do some explaining work, especially at the beginning, because politicians didn’t know us very well and we had always helped ourselves up to now. Basically, Germany is in a good position when it comes to corona economic aid in an international comparison, even if it has often stuttered during implementation and payment. The continuation of the bridging aid naturally presupposes that culture and public life are largely possible again without restrictions – which is realistic if the new government strictly implements its current plans to combat the pandemic.
What are the criteria according to which you can “start up” tour dates with international bands for 2022 – incidence numbers, new regulations from the authorities?
That cannot be answered unequivocally. In any case, we follow the respective political guidelines and of course we need uniform regulations within Germany for tours. If concerts are not possible in some federal states, maybe in some and definitely in some, that understandably doesn’t help us. We need uniform rules and reliability for a functioning tour business, on a national and international level.
What regional differences are there within Germany?
In the course of the pandemic and in all federal states, we have experienced very different specifications for public events, which were characterized by 1 to 3G and different capacity limits. 2G is currently in force throughout Germany for retail, culture and leisure, coupled with capacity restrictions, further measures and closures depending on the incidence. Even if this can only be temporary, of course, we welcome the joint action by the federal and state governments.
We are looking forward to the coming festival summer with great confidence, since the current infection process is a clear side effect of winter
What preparations does a festival need? Do you think festivals in early summer are endangered?
For festivals of Hurricane or Southside caliber, one planning phase flows seamlessly into the next; in booking as well as in production we are already talking about the coming years. With a view to 2022, however, it can be said that most of our planned festivals are events that have to be made up for, for which large parts of the work are already behind us. Apart from that, we are extremely confident about the coming festival summer, since the current infection process is a clear side effect of winter.
Is there an oversupply of events in 2022/23 – and how dramatic is the backlog of appointments in the venues?
There will be a relative oversupply, which we will shoulder, however, since there is a correspondingly great thirst for culture among the population, which first has to be quenched. But it is true that the calendars of the venues are full and it is more difficult to find capacity.
How do you experience the fans, is there a noticeable reluctance to buy tickets? Or, on the contrary, a great demand?
Although there is a lot of catching up to do, the current situation is something special: understandably, many people are initially thinking about another pandemic winter, which is already bringing noticeable restrictions for all of us. However, events that are further in the future are correspondingly better – although we also have great shows in our portfolio with tours by artists like Ed Sheeran.
What must and can politicians do and do better?
The new government must deliver on its promise and show a clear path out of the almost two-year pandemic. All reputable voices from science and politics agree that a high vaccination rate is our most effective weapon against the virus. All the people who have shown consideration and, like us, have accepted high losses are now rightly waiting for the booster vaccinations to run smoothly, but also for the other first vaccinations.
How solidary do you experience the industry, how do you exchange ideas with each other?
As an industry, we worked closely and well together very early on, which was also necessary to make politicians aware of our special situation and receive effective help. We continue this trusting partnership to this day in various forums and committees.
#BackToLive
We started a digital space on January 26th, which we set up for bands, musicians, promoters, clubs and solo self-employed people in the live music business. Here everyone can communicate their concert announcements, postponements and cancellations and find out about projects, jobs and special releases. Statements can also be made and opinions discussed here.
Send your information and comments (maximum 700 characters) for (free) publication, preferably with a photo, to: [email protected]. You can find the BackToLive page at rollingstone.de/backtolive