Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by one of the UK's most highly respected booking agents, Rob Challice, Senior Vice-President of the Wasserman Music Group.

Rob has over 40 years of experience in the live music industry as an agent, promoter and festival organiser. Starting in the early 1980s, Rob co-founded a series of music companies one after the other - from FAB to Concert Clinic to CODA - and evolved from gigging, wide-eyed, around the country with anarcho-punk outfits, to overseeing sold out world tours for a roster of artists that includes Beirut, Billy Bragg, Bon Iver, Charlotte Cardin, Christopher, Cory Wong, HAEVN, Kings of Convenience, Novo Amor, Sturgill Simpson, Toro Y Moi and Warpaint.

Our conversation with Rob is like a who's who of the live music industry and takes us on his inspirational and remarkable journey from creating fanzines and promoting shows in London's gritty 80s scene to booking legendary bands like Nirvana and going on to help operate mammoth global enterprises.

We talk about the hiring and firing, the network building, the need for innovation, the challenges and concerns of a post-pandemic world, and the inevitable need for consolidation and change in order to stay alive and competitive.

The episode also highlights the critical role of grassroots music venues in the UK, the efforts to sustain them, and how the pandemic has shifted the dynamics of the music ecosystem.

There's also time to remember colleagues who have sadly been lost - but not forgotten - and the growing need to reflect on his own legacy.

We recorded this episode during the Tallinn Music Week conference on Friday 5th April, 2024.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode.
We made it just.....for......you!

Links:
Wasserman Music: https://www.teamwass.com/
Paradigm acquires CODA: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/paradigm-acquires-50-stake-in-coda-music-agency-5877120/#!
The Subhumans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subhumans_(British_band)
Warchild RideLondon: https://www.warchild.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise/find-an-event/ride-london


The SuperSwell intro/outro music: "Music Machine" - TV OFF

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Contact: podcast@thesuperswell.com

Join us as we listen to Bertis Downs, the legal mastermind behind R.E.M., and take a rare peek behind the curtains of rock 'n' roll history.

Imagine being at the heart of R.E.M.'s rise from Athens' indie scene to the zenith of global stardom. Bertis reveals the nuts and bolts of their journey and - in his immensely humble way - his own crucial supporting role, offering personal insights into the band's ethos that resonated with fans worldwide, including our host, Alex Maiolo—a Southern kid whose life was forever altered by their music.

This episode is a treasure trove of memories, from the complexities of touring to the magical moments that define a band's career. Bertis takes us on a tour of his own, from a history-loving student to the man who helped navigate R.E.M. through the thrills and spills of the music industry before pioneering their own path for others to follow . We dissect how R.E.M.'s strategic decisions inspired a generation of artists like Radiohead, The National, and Coldplay to forge ahead with their own ambitious plans towards worldwide success.

Central to the lasting impact of R.E.M.'s journey is the importance of preserving artistic integrity and band unity. We delve into the critical choices that safeguarded the band's legacy and their eventual amicable split that stands as a testament to their friendship and creative spirit. It's more than just a conversation—it's an exploration of the indelible mark R.E.M. has left on music and culture, and a chance to listen to the heartbeat of one of the most iconic bands of all time.

This conversation was recorded on stage at the Tallinn Music Week conference in Tallinn, Estonia on Friday 5th April, 2024.

The original audio recording has been edited and modified for an enhanced podcast experience.

This podcast is published with the approval and kind cooperation of Bertis Downs and Alex Maiolo and in association with Tallinn Music Week.

Thank you for listening. Enjoy the episode.
We made this just.....for......you.

Links:

All things R.E.M.: https://remhq.com

Bertis Downs Homepage: https://bertisdowns.com
Causes & Campaigns: https://bertisdowns.com/affiliations

R.E.M. by MTV (clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=099QC_mzfbU

Athens, Georgia Inside/Out documentary (clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJCoik8NsZ4&t=11s

Alex Maiolo Homepage: http://alexmaiolo.com
Alex's 40th Anniversary of "Murmur" article for Louder Than War: https://louderthanwar.com/r-e-m-s-generation-defining-murmur-at-40

Tallinn Music Week: https://tmw.ee


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Contact: podcast@thesuperswell.com

This is the seventh edition of The Delicates' Lounge - a podcast for all us music event tourists who love to be where the action is and occasionally like to grumble about having to queue for our passes or a beer or to get into a venue. You know, all things that we missed for so long during the pandemic (remember that?).

Now and again we’ll get together with a handful of delicate delegates at one of the many events we love to go to.

This time we're joined by PR legend & author Jane Savidge; journalist & musician Alex Maiolo; Tamsin Embleton of the Music Industry Therapists Collective (MITC); booking agent Rob McGee from One Fiinix Live; Jess Partridge of the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) & the European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE); and founder of Tallinn Music Week itself Helen Sildna to find out how they are managing themselves, their projects, and the events they are now attending.

We talked about our experiences at this year's Tallinn Music Week as well as all the projects we are working on.

We recorded this conversation during Tallinn Music Week in Tallinn, Estonia on Friday 5th & Saturday 6th April, 2024.

A huge thank you to the very helpful Tallinn Music Week conference & media teams - especially Indrek Migur & Ingrid Kohtla - for bringing us to their event, and to the management and staff of the Nordic Hotel Forum for providing us with the lovely space to set up our little studio.

For further information about some of the things & people mentioned in this episode:

Jane
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jane_savidge
"This Is Hardcore": https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pulps-This-Hardcore-Jane-Savidge/dp/B0C5W1MXVC
"Here They Come With Their Make-Up On": https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/artist/jane-savidge

Alex
Home: http://alexmaiolo.com
"Themes For Great Cities" - TMW Opening Gala performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjr6EEdPNzA

Tamsin
Music Industry Therapists Collective (MITC): https://musicindustrytherapists.com
"Touring And Mental Health - The Music Industry Manual": https://www.touringmanual.com
MITC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareMITC
MITC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearemitc

Rob
One Fiinix Live: https://onefiinix.com

Jess
EMMA: https://emma.community/events
EMEE: https://www.europeanmusic.eu
EMEE/SEWEM: https://www.europeanmusic.eu/sewem

Helen
Tallinn Music Week: https://tmw.ee
Station Narva: https://stationnarva.ee
Shiftworks: https://shiftworks.ee

The Delicates' Lounge Podcast is a SuperSwell production.

For more info and news about our podcasts and events please sign up to our mailing list

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Contact: podcast@thesuperswell.com