Features
Europe: O2, Foo Fighters, UTA, Switzerland
Foo Fighters For O2 Anniversary Show
The O2 –
Squint and you may see the “10” balloons celebrating The O2 London’s 10th year in business.
The iconic
The band just came fresh off Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage, which it headlined on Saturday, June 24, and another iconic UK stage is within reach.
“Foo Fighters today announced they are set to play a special event celebrating The O2’s 10th Birthday,” according to an O2 statement.
As part of its celebrations, The O2 has just hosted “a week-long series of shows from alt-J, Céline Dion and Ed Sheeran,” June 16-22.
The Foo Fighters gig will follow the release of the band’s Concrete and Gold studio LP Sept. 15. They performed the first single, “Run,” at Glastonbury, a festival the band was supposed to play back in 2015.
However, frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg a few days prior to the show.
UTA Signs Social Media Magician
UTA’s London office has added to its roster of “digital influencers” by signing Julius Dein, a 23-year-old Londoner with more than 10 million followers across his socials. Dein mainly does magic tricks and pranks. He’s “currently the most viewed internet magician in the world,” according to UTA. His video series “How to Impress a Girl with Magic Tricks” has accumulated more than 200 million views to date.
The team of agents at UTA will find global opportunities for Dein, including endorsements, TV and touring. Mark Denby’s The Creator Group will manage him. Dein said: “I’m really excited to be working with Mark Denby and the team at UTA to support my business.
I look forward to developing more and more content and expanding the footprint of what I do to areas beyond the Internet.”
It’s not at all the first foray into the land of social media stars for UTA. The agency also signed comedian/actor Shane Dawson, makeup artist Kandee Johnson and YouTube personality Joey Graceffa.
Swiss Live Music Clubs To Receive Funding
The non-profit foundations of Swiss collecting society SUISA and culture organization Migros-Kulturproduzent have launched a new funding program for the country’s small and medium-sized live music venues.
The initiative is called Cheers! and comes with a grant of 50,000 Swiss Francs (about $51,000). Music clubs that put on live music themselves and are open at least nine months per year can apply until Aug. 21.
The winners will be announced in November.
Switzerland is densely covered in grassroots music clubs that are passionate about putting on new and yet unknown acts, thereby taking a huge risk. The bigger for-profit players operating in the market without any live program, restrictions by authorities or noise complaints make life difficult for club owners.
Cheers! is supposed to aid with the financial struggles and raise awareness for the venues. After all, live music is among the most beloved cultural offerings for the Swiss people, according to Philipp Schnyder von Wartensee, who heads Migros’ m4music festival.
The grant will be divided among two categories: medium to large clubs that can hold between 400 and 1,200 people, and small venues for fewer than 400 people.