‘Any Increase In Ticket Prices Must Be Avoided’: Q’s With Prof. Jens Michow, President Of German Promoters Association BDKV

Prof. Jens Michow: Well, growing and tougher competition has definitely not made working in the German concert-business easier.

The overall turnover generated by the sector may have increased, but this is not due to a growing audience but simply due to increased ticket prices. That should be taken very seriously, in particular by artists and their management when calculating their revenues.

Festivals are still playing an important role in the concert business in Germany. However, festival promoters had to take note of the fact, that they cannot expect the market to grow constantly. A huge number of festivals is battling for customers and thus requires attractive and exclusive line ups. But negotiating regional exclusiveness with an artist requires higher offers. And higher fees naturally influence ticket price calculations.

Last but not least, German promoters as their colleagues in other European countries are most concerned of the growing secondary ticketing market. Our association started a visual campaign against secondary ticketing and keeps on fighting the touts wherever we can. But the one and only secure way to avoid third parties benefitting from the promoters’ work is to individualize tickets.

There won’t be a big change compared to 2018: any increase in ticket prices must be avoided, and the promoters must be the only ones controlling the ticket price.

However, all parties involved need to understand that the promoter must have a fair chance of earning a living from their work. Artists and managers need to understand, that the growth in concert income won’t be infinite.

Once the height of artist-fees is maxed out, the risk of losses rises, promoters will have to be economical in other fields or they are left with not choice but to increase ticket prices again. None of that can be in the interest of agents, managers and their artists.

The German promoters industries are speaking with one voice from now on. The Bundesverband der Konzert- und Veranstaltungswirtschaft (BDKV) – as the merged association is called now – represents almost 100 percent of the market, not just promoters in the fields of pop and rock music.

As opposed to the [former] bdv, the BDKV also represents the promoters and agents of classical artists and concerts. And, of course, the new association also represents promoters of comedy, cabaret, theatre, musicals, circus and also promoters of exhibitions like Tutanchamun, Magic City etc., just like the bdv used to.

Altogether, the BDKV is representing more than 500 companies, starting with the biggest like Live Nation, DEAG, Stage Entertainment or Semmel Concerts, right up to small one-man enterprises. We can now fall back on a bigger budget, even more impact and an even greater concentration of the live industry’s strengths.