ting Ticketing - Marcel Avram

Issue 47LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCEAn ILMC Publication. May 2013TicketingREPORT 2013ILMC 25: The ReportFull review of the anniversary conferenceThe Last EmperorHow Marcel Avram transformed live musicIn Love With ErosEros Ramazzotti’s spectacular ‘Noi’ tourBIG MOTHERThe growth of Russia’s tour circuitTicketingREPORT 2013TicketingREPORT 2013ORGANISING ABU DHABI DO’S MARIA GEDEONTEACH THE CHILDREN WELL LUCY NOBLEDEVELOPING GRASS-ROOTS TALENT ALEX KERR-WILSONDON’T TAKE RIGHTS FOR GRANTED RUTH BARLOW

Marcel Avram30 | IQ Magazine May 2013

Marcel Avram at ILMC 25 © Guido KarpMarcel AvramThe Last EmperorAs a true pioneer of global tour promotion, Marcel Avram is an industry legend. What makeshis story all the more remarkable is a battle against oppression and an inherited entrepreneurialspirit that thankfully led him to live music. Gordon Masson learns what keeps him motivatedbeyond his 75 th birthday.Speaking to some of Europe’s most influentialpromoters and agents about Marcel Avram, thereare two themes that continually emerge: loyalty, andthat the man who is affectionately known to manyas ‘The Emperor’ will put everything on the line to fight forwhat he believes in. The latter quality is, perhaps, a familytrait because, with his parents being of Greek and Romanian-Jewish descent, Avram’s formative years in Romania wereset against a background of war, religious persecution and thebattle to simply survive.When the state of Israel was created in the post-war years,the Avram family immigrated to Haifa, before moving toJaffa where his father set-up an import/export business. In1952, that developing operation took the family to Frankfurt,Germany where fate intervened and saw the teenage Marcelquickly develop a love for the emerging new musical genre –rock & roll. That love saw him entering – and often winning– dance competitions. But the teenage Marcel would wait afurther 15 years, gaining experience in other walks of life,before he finally took the plunge into a career that changedthe face of the music industry.Avram’s first real contact with live music was at aFrankfurt concert by Bill Haley & the Comets and he admitsto being instantly captivated. Indeed, he was soon earningextra money by working on the crew for visiting acts andrecalls one of his first shows was for the biggest act on theplanet at the time. “I worked on an Elvis show when he wasin the army, schlepping boxes around at a gig in Frankfurt,”he reveals. “But for me, my favourite music was Bill Haley oreven more so, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino.”Working alongside his father in businesses that involvedselling carpets or vending fruit, among other ventures, Avramhoned his entrepreneurial skills to the extent that when hischance came along to become involved in music, he wasready to pounce. But he believes he was always predestinedto work in entertainment. “My mother was a dance teacher,so there was always music at home, while my father wasin the oriental rug business, so I was used to flying all overthe world – it was a good background for going into theinternational music business,” Avram tells IQ.His ambition to get involved in showbiz was finallyrealised in 1968, when, at the age of 30, he came acrossconcert organiser Peter Hauke and upon learning thatthe promoter was short of cash, Avram stepped in andquickly found himself bankrolling shows by the likesof Steppenwolf and the Beach Boys. However, he soonlearned about the risks involved in promoting and wheneven sell-out shows failed to deliver a profit, he calledtime on the partnership.“Peter Hauke needed money and I had it, but it wasn’t forme – I wanted to do it myself,” he says. Already a scholar ofthe industry, Avram knew the direction he wanted to take hisbusiness in. “My hero was Bill Graham, as he had the samevision as I did,” he continues. “But in those early days, theonly venues that new acts could play were the Philmore Eastand Philmore West and every act had to play two sets a night.Then Woodstock came along and that was the real beginningof the business as we know it today.”May 2013 IQ Magazine | 31

Marcel AvramTestimonialsAvram with Tina TurnerAstrid Messerschmitt, United PromotersWhat makes Marcel so special is that he never loses sight ofthe most important people in this business: the artists and thepeople who attend their concerts. I have been working with himfor 32 years now and we went through a lot together. Marcelis a passionate man, very intelligent, energetic, willing to takerisks and always aiming for the best. His speed is amazing, henever spends more than two days in one place. I also admirehis modern way of thinking and being future-oriented. I havean immense respect for his achievements in life and it has beena privilege working for him.The Birth of MamaInspired by such figures as Graham and New York-basedpromoter Ron Delsener – “He was someone else I lookedup to and wanted to emulate” – Avram persevered andin 1970, Mama Concerts was founded in conjunction withpartner Marek Lieberberg, who had been the press officer forthe Hauke-Avram company.Committing themselves completely to Mama, Avram andLieberberg set about building an empire and, determinedto avoid the kind of mistakes made by their peers, the duovirtually rewrote the way in which the live industry operates.“The first show we promoted was by The Who, the secondby Pink Floyd, the third by Deep Purple, and I can stillremember everything about those gigs,” Avram says. And theway the Mama partners treated their talent also rewrote thebook. Rather than try to squeeze every penny from a contract,the promoters looked after their artists, thus ensuring thatlasting relationships could be built.“I was involved with Pink Floyd a lot, then David Gilmourlater on. I probably did more concerts with Floyd than anyoneelse around the world,” Avram notes. “Together with Marek,I quickly got into organising festivals, but looking back atthe start, there were only about 50-100 bands touring. Tenyears ago, it had probably grown to 5,000 and now, in 2013,it’s probably closer to 10,000. Nearly every American andEuropean act is on the road this summer and the kids justdon’t have the money to go to see them all.”Modest about the loyalty he enjoys from some of theworld’s biggest acts, Avram says, “I’ve never sold mysoul for money. There’s always got to be something in themusic that I love and that’s why I’ve had such long-termrelationships with artists. I’ve worked with AC/DC for 40years now, as well as artists like Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton,Bruce Springsteen and Deep Purple.”Through Avram and Lieberberg’s tireless efforts, Mamaspent most of the 70s bringing world-class artists to Germanyand Europe, thanks in no small part to an initiative totransform sport halls and football arenas into concert hallsand open-air venues. At the same time, Avram offeredGünther A. Färber, Tax AdvisorI know Marcel loves working more than – nearly – anythingelse, and I think he will never stop doing so. He is a travelleraround the world every day. Any time he calls and any timeI try to reach him he is in another country. He can be proudof everything he has achieved and I believe his career willcontinue unchanged. I wish him all the best for the upcomingyears and that he laughs as loud as he grumbles in the future.Pino Sagliocco, Live Nation BarcelonaMarcel has been one of my personal mentors and one of thetrue originals in the live business. He has been a constantforce in fighting for the rights of promoters in the internationalarena. Most of all, he has always known which hat he shouldbe wearing at any given time. He was, and is, a great agentwhen he represents an artist and he was, and continues to be,one of the greatest promoters that this business has seen. Ihave never seen him crestfallen even at the hardest points inhis life. He never caves in under pressure and above all he isalways a great friend to his friends, and this is illustrated by thetremendous loyalty he shows to those people he works with.Marcel continues to be a real reference point in the live musicindustry. He is more than a friend to me, he’s family, and it is agreat honour to say he’s a part of my life.Rod MacSween, ITBI’ve worked happily with Marcel for many years. He has becomea good friend as well as a pioneer in our business. He always hasa good sense of humour and is a man of his word. One of the best.Barry Dickins, ITBMarcel is a real character and there aren’t that many of themaround any more. At 75-years-old he is unbelievable – he stillhas so much energy, he puts the rest of us to shame.Jackie Lombard, Inter ConcertsI like everything about Marcel – when he talks he makeseverything sound so easy. But he is a big fighter: when hebelieves in something he will put everything behind it and hedid a lot of things that others would not touch – he took a lot ofrisks and he should be applauded for that. Marcel is very loyalso it’s difficult that some people have not been loyal to him. Heis an amazing man – a bon vivant, as we would say in France.It’s good that he takes advantage of life because life has notalways been fair to him. But a lot of acts still appreciate Marceland have remained loyal to him, which is great to see.Continued on page 3532 | IQ Magazine May 2013

Marcel Avramachievement prize at Germany’s Live Entertainment Awardsin 2006. In 1991, German president Weizsäcker presented himwith the Order of Merit, while a year later the governmentof his native Romania made him Romanian Ambassadorat Large for Special Projects. In 1994, he became the firsteverEuropean promoter to become Pollstar’s InternationalPromoter of the Year – a feat matched 12 months later when hecollected Promoter of the Year in the USA.Wizard Promotions chief Ossy Hoppe believes thereis something missing from the collection, however. “Heshould get this award for his undying support to the airlineindustry, as I don’t know any single person who flies asmany miles as he does,” says Hoppe. He used to tell us thathe was flying “with de Rainer”. We puzzled over ‘Rainer’for weeks; who was this guy that Marcel was always flyingwith? When we finally confronted him, he answered: ‘Notde Rainer, but de Ryan Air!”Elton John with AvramThe Emperor and The KingLooking at the artists Avram has worked with over theyears is like pouring over the history of contemporarymusic – Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston,Prince, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, BruceSpringsteen, AC/DC, Liza Minnelli, Michael Bolton, ErosRamazzotti, the Rolling Stones, José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli,Chris de Burgh, Joe Cocker, Duran Duran, OMD, Jon Secada,Foreigner, Peter Maffay, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Yes,Uriah Heep, Neil Diamond and many, many more.But quizzed about his favourite memories from his longcareer, one artist comes up time and time again: MichaelJackson. Avram first met the King of Pop in 1972 when hepromoted a Jackson 5 tour in Germany, but that relationshipwould span a further four decades as the two became greatfriends and confidantes.Once The Jacksons split, the working relationship betweenJackson and Avram started to develop, and in 1988, theEuropean part of Jackson’s Bad world tour was directed byAvram in conjunction with London-based BCC.“Michael Jackson was a genius,” says Avram. “I wasfortunate enough to work on five world tours with him andnot just as his promoter, but also as his producer and agent – Isurvived four of his managers.”Those tours saw Avram breaking concert recordsvirtually everywhere, as Jackson’s superstar status involvednumerous firsts. Avram organised more than 100 stadiumshows across six continents; Jackson became the first truemegastar to perform in India, and proving that music hasno boundaries, shows in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, thePhilippines, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel,Tunisia, Algeria, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. In Mexico City,Avram tore up the record books with Jackson selling out the110,000-capacity Aztec stadium five times in a row.Avram’s relationship with Jackson prompts some ofthe promoter’s happiest memories. “Every promoter in theworld wanted to work with Michael, but it was this little Jewfrom Germany with broken English who managed to gethim,” he says. “I remember one show in Bangkok when wewere trying to get away from the stadium after the gig and Icouldn’t figure how we were going to get Michael back to thehotel. But then I hit on the idea of using an ambulance, whichactually turned out to be quicker than a police escort anyway.Michael loved being able to peek out through the ambulancecurtains as we made our way through the streets.”Getting to stadiums could also prove problematic. “Wewere staying at the Swiss Hotel in Istanbul, which is abouthalf a mile from the stadium. I was trying to figure out howto get Michael to the stadium and I persuaded him to dress uplike an Arab, which he agreed with. So we bought the robesfrom the souk and Michael and I simply walked through thecrowds to the stadium – he thought it was great fun.”Former Sony Music Entertainment Europe vice-presidentJonathan Morrish worked with Jackson for over 25 years andtravelled with him on a number of world tours. “Marcel wasalways fun to be with, sharp as a knife and fiercely loyal,”says Morrish. “I always remember a moment right at thebeginning of the 92 tour in Munich. There was to be a hugecivic presentation to Michael in the town hall. Everyoneinvolved was due to meet in the reception of the hotel at adesignated time but Michael arrived early and everyone in hisentourage set off. Except for Marcel and I. The problem wasthat not only was it impossible, for security reasons, to followMichael into a venue because everything was always closedoff by the police behind him – but also Marcel had the awardthat was to be presented to him.“Whatever, with Marcel there was always a solution.Marcel had his car in the hotel car park – a white Ferrari if Irecall. Ignoring speed limits and a few one-way street signs,we made a terrifying dash for it and arrived in the nick oftime for the presentation. The greater the challenge, the moreMarcel rose to the occasion – the tougher the moment, thegreater his fortitude.”Working with the world’s biggest act also made Avram theman to know, and the people who benefitted from his hardwork remain grateful to this day.May 2013 IQ Magazine | 39

Marcel AvramJonathan Morrish and Avram in Seoul“Marcel gave me Michael Jackson to promote – at the timeMarcel had all the biggest acts; he was the biggest promoterin Europe and I was always amazed at how he handled thenumber of big tours that he had,” says Jackie Lombard ofInter Concerts in France. And recounting one of Avram’smore generous moments, she says, “When Michael Jacksoncancelled the Hawaii show that he was supposed to do at themillennium, Marcel had already booked the hotels for him,so he invited everyone to go to Hawaii on vacation so that thehotels would not be wasted.”That generosity is legendary and Live Nation Barcelona’sPino Sagliocco notes that it even extends to being sensitiveto the problems promoters face. “On the Prince tour in 1993,I had contracted more shows than I could realistically stageand my losses were edging up towards the $800,000 mark– a lot of money now, but a fortune in those days,” saysSagliocco. “Marcel told me he’d solve the problem by across-collaterisation, which I could see was impossible forSpain, but which he somehow managed to do with the othershows in Europe. This is one of the greatest gestures I haveever seen towards a promoter in difficulties.”However, perhaps the chief benefactors of Avram’sgenerous nature are his artists. Recounting one of his manyRod Stewart stories, Avram says, “Rod had a white Ferrari– absolutely the worst colour for a Ferrari possible – andwhen we had our traditional UK versus the Rest of the Worldfootball match when he was on tour, I bet him that if we lost,I’d buy his Ferrari from him; if we won, he’d have to play anextra five dates for me. We lost and I still ended up paying forthe extra five dates, so in effect I paid for the Ferrari twice,”he laughs.One person who owes more than most to Avram is Germanpromoter Ossy Hoppe, of Wizard Promotions. “I first met Marcelin 1971 when I was playing football in Frankfurt and Marcel wasin the second team and we became friends. I heard that Marceland Marek had started the Mama agency and when I got injuredI started working as Marcel’s driver. We got on so well that heoffered me a job, so that was my break getting into the business.”Hoppe remains close to Avram, who is a shareholder inWizard Promotions. “There are so many funny stories aboutMarcel because he’s such a funny person,” Hoppe continues. “Iremember him being in the car with a famous German producerwho was playing a track by Stravinsky on the stereo. Marcelloved it and said that he should sign him up and take him onthe road, only to be told that he’d died about 20 years earlier,to which Marcel said ‘That’s a shame, I would have made himvery successful.’”Industry ForesightInternationally renowned for developing the globaltouring format, Avram has always been a deep thinkerabout the live music business and has suffered both thehighs and lows of fighting for what he believes is right forthe industry and its artists.One of his, perhaps lesser-known initiatives, was increating a ticketing company to try to resolve a multitude ofissues he was encountering at his shows. That company, CTS,has since developed into the giant CTS Eventim corporation.“I had problems with ticketing,” he explains. “At that time,tickets all looked the same and people would even turn up forthe wrong shows. Also, with so many places selling tickets itwas difficult to keep track of the number of tickets that hadbeen sold. If there were 300 tickets sold over the capacityof the show, then it was me as the promoter who would getthe blame, so I thought if we could computerise the ticketingsystem we could solve that. That’s why I launched CTS, sothat day and night we knew how much inventory had beensold and how many tickets were left for sale.”On a low note, Avram was convicted of tax evasion in 1997as part of a contentious scheme he had set-up to pay artist feesthrough a Netherlands-based ‘letter box’ company. Despiteimmediately paying the disputed sums when authoritiesinformed Mama of the investigation, Avram spent more thana year in prison.Nonetheless, he says he would not do anything differentif he was given his time over again. “My hobby and passionis my job. I still enjoy it and if I had to start all over again,then I’d do the same thing. There are some things I’d liketo change, such as a horse show I did a couple of yearsago which lost me a lot of money. But overall, I wouldn’tdo anything different. The advice I always followed is thatnobody is perfect, but then I used to say ‘I am nobody.’”But his selfless crusade did not go unnoticed. Whilein prison, he received visits from the likes of Joe Cocker,while Michael Jackson visited his friend on more thanone occasion. “Marcel is a true entrepreneur. He lovesLionel Richie wishes Avram ‘Happy Birthday’40 | IQ Magazine May 2013

ting Ticketing - Marcel Avram

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