Features
‘Providing Competence Across All Business Aspects’: Q’s With Dr. Frithjof Pils, Managing Director, Eventim Live
CTS Eventim, via its global promoting arm Eventim Live, has been making strides in the U.S. since 2020, when it announced a partnership with legendary U.S. promoter Michael Cohl, and named it EMC Presents. Then COVID hit, and the world of live stood still for some time. In March 2023, Eventim Live entered into a joint venture with Mammoth and AG Entertainment. The initial success stories these partnerships have produced may have gotten a bit lost in the industry’s great return, so here’s a reminder of some of the tours Eventim Live has already promoted Stateside.
Genesis’ comeback tour in 2021, which ended up being limited to the East Coast due to Phil Collins’ health, but would have spanned the West Coast if things had gone as planned. Highlights from the Pollstar Boxoffice in December that year include two sold-out shows at Boston’s TD Garden, selling 21,746 tickets at a $4,180,975 gross; two sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden in New York (23,160 tickets, $5,314,783); and two sold out Wells Fargo Centers in Philadelphia (28,846 tickets,
$5,208,680). That tour was promoted by EMC Presents.
In 2022, EMC Presents promoted Mary J. Bliges’ North American run alongside the Black Promoters Collective, selling out venues all over the place, including Little Caesars Arena Detroit, MI (14,280, $1,807,636), United Center Chicago, IL (14,207, $2,115,190), and Toyota Center Houston, TX (10,874, $1,533,864).
In 2023, Rod Wave sold out arenas across the country including State Farm Arena in Atlanta (13,715 tickets, $1,573,652) and Moody Center in Austin, Texas (11,939 tickets, $1,423,970), promoted by AG Entertainment and Mammoth.
Pollstar reached out to Dr. Frithjof Pils, managing director of Eventim Live, which comprised 39 promoters worldwide at the time of writing, to talk about ongoing plans for the U.S. and beyond, the importance of local repertoire, maintaining a boutique approach in a global industry, and much more.
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Pollstar: What are your plans for North America in 2024?
Dr. Frithjof Pils: America is simply the lead market. As far as both revenues and audience numbers are concerned, the U.S. sets the bar for the rest of the world. And that’s not even mentioning the importance of British and American artists. This means if you want to play a significant part in the global game of live entertainment, taking up a serious position in the world’s biggest market is a prerequisite. That might be a bit of a platitude, but it’s the simple, yet very important truth.
We want to continue our growth and keep developing the business. Naturally, the U.S. territory is top of the list. We’ve got partnerships in place with Michael Cohl, AG Entertainment, and Mammoth, and with Walter McDonald, with whom we founded The Touring Co. We’re looking to expand on these partnerships. We’ve only been
operational for about two years, but you can already see how much potential the market has, not just in music, but in other live entertainment genres, such as touring exhibitions, musicals, and many more.
This presence and visibility has set the wheels in motion, as many players are becoming aware of us, resulting in a growing number of potential partners getting in touch, inquiring about our plans, and suggesting collaborations. Some of the most successful projects have been the result of cooperation.
What do your partners get in return?
Our pitch is: Yes, we’re a big company, but we’re made up of self-made entrepreneurs who developed their businesses from scratch, grew them successfully, and are now ready to take the next step, for which they could use a partner that brings certain assets to the table. That’s where we come into play.
The word synergy gets thrown around a lot. Can you give a couple examples of how being part of the Eventim Live promoter and event network changes the game for promoters?
Take procurement, for instance. Two years ago, I brought a new merchandise partner on board on completely new commercial terms and based on almost real-time stock production — a deal we could emulate across several of our festivals, and an immediate win-win for all sides.
In terms of booking, it’s immensely important that festival bookers know at all times what’s happening where. We’ve got some 2,500 band slots to fill each festival
season, which is a big task, so cooperating just makes sense.
Can you break down what a typical partnership with Eventim Live entails?
When we speak of partnership, it usually involves us taking a majority stake in the form of equity in a promoting business, but that’s as far as it goes, because we really want it to be a living partnership. We’re working with promoters who’ve got skin in the game, as they say. We believe this creates the optimal amount of incentive for all parties involved to develop the business positively.
How do you ensure your partners don’t lose their entrepreneurial spirit once they join the group?
The first thing to notice is that wherever we establish new partnerships, the acquired companies don’t suddenly have “Eventim Live” tacked onto their name. We want to preserve the promoters’ identity as a signal to the outside world, but also to us, because these very capable promoters have proven time and time again that they know their stuff — that’s what makes them great partners in the first place. There’s not much for us to change, and we’re not here to curtail, but to enhance their existing business by providing our assets and resources.
A brilliant mid-sized promoter might decide not to take on a new project that has a lot of potential but also a high risk. With us by your side, it’s a different proposition: The risk is less and the financial side is more secure. So you’re able to seize many more opportunities.
What does it mean to have more than 40 promoters under one umbrella who can all exchange information freely?
It gives you a much more global outlook. By talking to the partners in our network, you stay up to speed on the market: What’s happening when, where, and how is it going down? We offer various platforms for our promoters to get together. It establishes a basis for trust, which in turn encourages the sharing of expertise and drives collaborations within the network. That’s how you come up with bundle-buys, and pan-European and cross-continental touring plans.
Several very successful small- to medium-sized promoters have said in the past that they cannot provide the kind of worldwide packages you’re outlining, and they’re losing acts, in many cases long-standing relationships, because of it.
A big part of it is about offering high-quality services across all territories. Because the network strengthens every promoter and allows them to make better offers, the artists ultimately benefit. Being able to offer competitive fees that are based on an artist’s international potential is also a big factor, and a key advantage of the network. If you’re providing a platform of exchange like ours, you’re providing competence across all business aspects, including marketing and sales, finance and treasury, and individual tools.
How do you maintain a boutique approach as a worldwide company?
Our key asset is the people, across all business areas. We have local promoters that offer local or regional services, and we combine this with access to global opportunities. The artist is at the center of everything we do. We also pay close attention to who we welcome into the group. And although we’re not just involved in music, at the end of the day, we’re looking for music lovers, people who understand and live for the product. If you go about it that way, your team ends up consisting of people who are intrinsically motivated to deliver a great, tailor-made service. You can’t get this off the shelf, especially not for these kinds of major projects. We’re talking about the growth of artists on a global scale, and the countless variables you need to factor in along the way.
You’ve also recently grown your presence in the UK by acquiring Vivendi’s live business, which has added six new festivals in the UK alone — as well as one in
France and one in Albania — to your overall portfolio, plus See Tickets, the exclusive ticketing outlet for Glastonbury. A massive deal.
And we’re happy about it. We now have more than 50 festivals in our portfolio, and an excellent market position in the UK. One of the new festivals is Nocturne, a concert series taking place in front of Blenheim Palace in Oxford. Another example from our network is Clam Live in Austria, which takes place at the impressive setting of Clam Castle. It’s the definition of a high-quality product: great artists performing against a spectacular backdrop. In everything we do, we’re always seeking to create next-level experiences. Another UK festival that’s now part of our group is The Long Road, a Country and Americana festival — the first one in our portfolio, and a genre that’s only growing in popularity.
Amidst all this talk about global business, it’s easy to forget that the local repertoire generates a lot of business, too, as you mentioned on your panel at Pollstar Live! this year.
That’s true. I’m a big fan of local repertoire. In most countries, local artists are responsible for the vast majority of live business. Most U.S. artists aren’t touring internationally. Japan is also very interesting in that regard, where I’d say 90% of business is local repertoire. It naturally follows that you need the right players on site to meet the needs of these artists. Global touring may be a focus, but it is not our only one, not by a long stretch. Local repertoire forms a central pillar of our future growth.
How about Germany, where it all began for CTS Eventim. Any opportunities you’re pursuing there?
Germany is another market where local repertoire plays a hugely important role. We’re very well positioned already, with promoters like Semmel Concerts, FKP Scorpio, Dream-Haus, and others. The number of projects we’re adding onto our plates each year in Germany shows that there’s still scope and that the market still has growth potential that all players can tap into.