AEG Presents and MCT Agentur Announce Strategic Partnership 10 Dec 2024
Live Events Giant and German Concert Promoter Join Forces to Expand European Reach and Global Presence
AEG Presents, a global leader in live music and events, and MCT Agentur, the German-based concert promotion company founded by entrepreneur Scumeck Sabottka, announced today that AEG Presents would be assuming a partnership stake in MCT. The agreement expands the reach of both companies, forging a strategic alignment in Germany and beyond.
MCT was founded in 1984 in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia by Sabottka and two friends as an independent concert and tour promotion company, and moved offices to Berlin in 1999, growing in size and stature as it built a name for itself throughout Germany and across the continent. Through the decades, the company has nurtured both international and some domestic and artists through clubs and theatres all the way to the arena and stadium level. Since its inception, MCT’s client roster has included such artists as Rammstein, Lou Reed, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, New Order, Marilyn Manson, Kraftwerk, Robbie Williams, Florence and the Machine, LCD Soundystem, Gus Gus, Massive Attack, Björk, Four Tet, Katy Perry, Jack Johnson, Die Antwoord, Charlotte Day Wilson, Yasmine Hamdan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tamino, Sigur Ros, Janelle Monae, Blur, Moby, to name a few.
“Jay [Marciano, AEG Presents President and CEO] and I met in Berlin years ago and became friends,” commented Sabottka. “We would meet for coffee during my yearly trips to Los Angeles, and during one of those meetings we began talking about a way we could work together. I wanted a partner who shared my vision of how our business should run and could provide some extra muscle in my corner when needed. Concert promotion is still a gamble…that’s what makes it fun, but it’s a full-contact sport at times. You need a teammate you can trust and Jay and I trust each other. It’s as simple as that.”
Added Marciano, “Scumeck has built a business that’s an enviable one, and he built it from the ground up. AEG Presents has historically been a home for entrepreneurs who have a keen eye towards scaling their businesses while maintaining what’s unique and critical to their success. I’ve always loved working with Scumeck and MCT whenever our companies have the chance to do business together; I’m so excited that we will have the chance to do so in a more meaningful way on an ongoing basis. I’m thrilled to welcome MCT to the family.”
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THE HEADLINES
Majors in talks to license music to AI firms Udio, Suno (see News)
Taylor Swift has bought back rights to her master recordings, a win for her but also a potentially major win for the industry (see Features)
UK music business power players: 2025 list revealed (see Reports)
Music industry unites to call on the UK Government to bolster investment in music export and exchange (see News)
UK recorded music exports rose in value by 1.9% in 2024 (see Reports)
European artists earned a record-breaking €1.7bn in royalties on Spotify in 2024 (see Reports)
How Live Nation is devouring the live music industry (see Analysis)
Nick Clegg: Artists’ demands over copyright are unworkable (see News)
Beeban Kidron: We have a chance to prevent AI decimating Britain’s creative industries – but it’s slipping away (see Comment)
The Ivors Academy: "creating the global recognition that songwriters and composers deserve" (see News)
SoundCloud integrates into TikTok's Add to Music App (see Digital)
Why some artists are rethinking touring (see Analysis)
Spotify reveals its Songs Of Summer predictions (see Digital)
Government defeated for third time in Lords over copyright protection against AI (see News)
Young people are being excluded from live music (see Comment)
Lambeth council acted ‘irrationally’ over approval of summer festivals, High Court rules (see News)
UK Music and Elton John deliver warning about Government’s AI copyright plans (see News)