The European audience is rapidly changing yet a lot of existing music venues struggle to bring in a new crowd. Audience development is deliberate work, not something that happens automatically. But how do you start? And what can you learn from other venues? After studying a series of best practices during the 2017 and 2018 […]
In the time between meetings I sometimes managed to get my own work done. I was using my calendar all wrong. First it was wide open and then it filled up with other people’s meetings. All of which were obviously important. Time Blocking changed that. The principle is simple: instead of starting with an open […]
Instead of setting overly ambitious goals for the new year, let us focus on the way we approach things in our professional lives. Here are five attitudes I am cultivating in 2022. I would love to hear yours. 1. Finding the fun in uncertainty The pandemic has been disrupting everything for nearly two years now. […]
For too long the music industry had been built on the premise that albums couldn’t be copied. And just like that one sloppy exhaust port on the Death Star, all it takes for an impenetrable fortress to fall, is a single tiny weakness. The rise of peer-to-peer technology at the end of the nineties exploited […]
The best bands in every country should have the chance to tour Europe. That’s why many countries have set up export policies to help promote the best local bands. There’s a whole network of European showcase festivals set up for that reason. Showcase festivals are basically a live catalogue of bands so international bookers can […]
The smaller the band, the more they rely on live music venues. While successful acts have an easier time mobilising a fanbase it can be very hard for an up and coming band to fill a venue. Ideally, a small venue can find at least 30 people for an unknown great band at any time. […]
The music speaks for itself, right? Live music venues do not have a tradition of audience development. Deep down we believe that if you put on great shows, the crowds will come. It doesn’t work that way. Precisely because we are so passionate about the music we put on, live music venues can get stuck […]
It took a virus to teach the music industry how to do video calls. In Europe restrictions are slowly being lifted for live music venues. The future might not look as bright as we had hoped yet, but at least we are looking at a future. Not too long ago that wasn’t the case. Rebuilding […]
I have a saying. A conservative is someone who understands that things only have value if you are willing to defend them. A progressive on the other hand is someone who realises that in order to preserve traditions, you need to change them every day. If you are working with institutions or brands that have […]
The pandemic is a game-changer for cultural venues in Europe. After a year of uncertainty and turmoil, a path to a new future emerges in which building communities will take centre stage. Over a year ago, a day before Belgium went into its first lockdown, I spent my day in Brussels. I remember wondering if […]
