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24.01.14 MusicWeek 15
down the spine of the country. But we haven’t really seen that in the Academies
as yet. If anything, the festivals have helped through the warm-up shows that we pick up. The lower level of the [live] music scene is still so healthy and buoyant and we have the right sized venues with the right capacities to make the most of that. But at arena level there has been an effec. It is a harder market out there.
How do you adapt to that? We have to look at non-traditional business. It’s utilising the spaces for anything, whether it’s family shows or comedy shows that have been very prevalent over the last few years, whether it’s indoor sports, conferences, exhibitions – it’s all that non-traditional business that has filled the gaps left by music.
Should the wider music industry be worried that those comedy and family shows are encroaching on their arena business? I don’t think they should be worried about it. Certainly through the research that’s done by the National Arenas Association it’s been shown that there’s been an increase in family and comedy shows – but at arena level there are enough dates for everyone so it isn’t too big a problem.
One of the concerns that seems to keep cropping up among live industry leaders is whether there are enough headline acts coming through the ranks. What’s your take on that? I think there are. We’re not really seeing a problem in terms of ticket sales so there’s enough bands that are regenerating themselves and coming through to fill the gaps as other bands go on to the next level to the arena and the festival circuit. I think it’s healthy at the moment in the UK.
Do you feel at AMG that you also contribute to that artist development? It’s a key part of our business, yes. We have the smaller rooms in all of the cities that we operate in, so we encourage local band nights, smaller artists and
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“There are a few new venue opportunities we’re looking at that will hopefully come to fruition in the next few months. Our club business is key as well - we’re going to launch new brands around the country” GRAHAM WALTERS, ACADEMY MUSIC GROUP
local support. So yes bringing through new artists is key to us. The live experience is what’s driven this
business for the last 50 years. Giving young bands a platform and an opportunity to play to their friends initially but then support more established artists and go across the country is [an important part of development].
The Leeds venue received a substantial investment from AMG at the end of last year in the form of a £100,000 LED screen.Will we be seeing similar money put into other Academy venues? The Leeds screen was groundbreaking. We will [see investment elsewhere], absolutely. Our club business is a very important part of what we do. You have to keep it fresh and deliver the wow factor just to keep the customers going week-on-week. It’s not enough just to have a DJ with some flashing lights these days, the competition is too fierce in every city. So far, the feedback on the screens has been
fabulous. We launched Pet Sounds in Leeds recently and the screens were heavily integrated into that.
Speaking of technology, Academy and O2 accomplished a YouTube first in 2012 by making a Professor Green gig available online with multi-cam and zoom functionality. How was that received? That was an O2 initiative and it was very well received. With our partnership with O2, technology is key to us moving forward in what we’re doing. We’re looking at investing in video production, image mapping and content creation through what we’ve got in-house.
Generation gap: Editors play to a packed Academy crowd in Birmingham (left) and Paul McCartney on stage at O2 Academy Liverpool (right)
O2 are a good partner in the sense that so much
is done through a handset. Moving forward, we’re looking at different drivers for gigs with them and what will make it interesting for
customers.They’re not just a name over the door, they’re integral to our business plans.
How have your relationships with other brands changed over the years? I think in general they ‘get it’ more. Five to ten years ago, it was really just about putting your name over the door and using it purely as a marketing tool to sell products. I think they understand now that if they do interact with us they can get more detailed information about the customers, which makes their marketing spend more intelligent and they get more benefit from being involved with people like us. Most realise now that music is a sexy industry to be in and it’s a key demographic for a lot of brands. But they have to get involved, and companies like O2 understand that. It’s very much a partnership, not just a one-sided financial transaction.
What advice would you give artists and managers coming to play an Academy gig in order to make the most of it? The best come in with an open mind, embrace the technology that we have available to us now, whether it’s the fan camp that we do with O2, our partnership with Poker Stars, the Academy TV YouTube channel, through to our ticketing partners and how they we can market to our customers – they can benefit from all of that.
What are the plans for 2014 and beyond? We’re investing more in social media and our website to bring them up to date and develop what we can offer further. There are also a few new venue opportunities that we’re currently looking at that will hopefully come to fruition in the next few months. The club business is key as well – we’re looking at
new products and new brands that we’re going to launch around the country. With the clubs, when you’re trying to bring people back again and again 52 weeks a year it needs to be high quality and fresh.
Photo: Sakura
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