With co-headline runs increasingly emerging as a viable alternative for touring acts, leading agents have broken down the key factors driving the trend.
While the concept is long-established in the live business, the post-pandemic years have seen a noticeable uptick in the number of acts heading out on the road together.
Successful pairings have included Def Leppard & Mötley Crüe, who notched up more than one million ticket sales for their 2022 co-headlining tour of the US and Canada, and Charli XCX & Troye Sivan, who drew nearly 300,000 fans to their sold out 22-city North American run last year.
Other acts to have shared the spotlight include Lynyrd Skynyrd & ZZ Top, Beyoncé & Jay-Z, Death Cab for Cutie & Postal Service, Johnny Marr & The Charlatans, Kesha & Macklemore, Lamb of God & Mastodon, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill and Garbage & Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, to name but a few.
Independent Artist Group (IAG) EVP, head of global music, Jarred Arfa tells IQ that co-headline outings can be an effective way of helping artists stand out from the pack.
“We have always tried to intelligently package artists to not only create more entertainment value for the consumer’s dollars, but also to create special events that get fans really excited about,” he says. “I think this trend will only continue to help artists to try to distinguish themselves even on the arena and stadium level.”
“If a fan can see two or more of their favourite acts on the same bill it’s a compelling reason to go to that show”
Arfa says the most successful joint headline tours involve artists that either come from a similar era or genre.
“I think people want to get super-served in the type of music they like,” he suggests. “A perfect example of this was our sold out stadium tour in 2023 with Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Poison. It was really like a travelling rock festival.”
ATC Live’s Alex Bruford sees obvious positives in the technique.
“The combination of the high volume of artists touring and increasing ticket prices, plus the associated costs of going to a show mean that adding value to the ticket is more important than ever,” he says. “If a fan can see two or more of their favourite acts on the same bill it’s a compelling reason to go to that show.”
UTA agent Olly Ward notes that co-headlining gives two artists the chance to play to bigger audiences, in bigger venues, than they might have done on their own headline tour.
“Artists and their teams are looking for ways to make touring affordable and impactful,” Ward tells IQ. “With such fierce competition for fans’ attention, a strong co-headline bill – if done right – can be create a really exciting proposition for fans: a chance to catch two of your favourite artists together in a unique pairing. It also means the two acts, with similar fanbases, are not headlining the same market at the same time and competing for same audience to buy a ticket.
“If the bill is genuinely standout, the pairing could ignite wider conversation among music fans. In so doing, there is the chance for the ticket sales to outperform what each artist may have sold on their own, respectively. Each artist in such a package would hope to win over the fans of the other co-headliner; so both acts ultimately grow their fanbases.”
“If the fanbases align and there is strong crossover; then the co-headline tour has the chance of doing very well”
Ward adds that other benefits include sharing costs and the show production.
“Playing in bigger venues can enable artists to present a larger scale of show production than they might have done when playing their own headline shows in smaller rooms, and there might be an opportunity to share some of the costs of that production and the wider touring between both artists,” he continues.
Upcoming joint-headlining runs include Kendrick Lamar & SZA, whose Grand National Tour hits stadiums worldwide from next month, and Busted vs McFly, who will share top billing across multiple UK arena dates this autumn, including five nights at The O2 in London. Collective Soul and +LIVE+ also announced their 2025 co-headlining US Summer Unity Tour this week.
“A good joint headline should ultimately feel unique to fans; a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see two great acts together,” adds Ward. “It is not necessary for the artists to be of the same musical genre, but thought should be applied to the fanbases of each artist in the co-headline package. If the fanbases align and there is strong crossover; then the co-headline tour has the chance of doing very well. That is more important than similarity of music between the artists.
“However, for a co-headline tour to truly work for both artists involved, there has to be an acceptance from both sides that the acts are of similar stature and prestige. If there is an imbalance – or perceived imbalance – then the tour will not work.”
That is not the only potential downside, advises Ward.
“Long term, a co-headline tour might have implications for each artist’s value with festivals,” he says. “Conversations with buyers need to be carefully navigated; post co-headlining it may be difficult to prove to a festival buyer your artist’s exact ticket worth; this could have ramifications for your artist’s slots and/or fees.”
“I think you have to have bands with a certain standing – a certain air about them and a certain attitude”
Iconic British bands Suede & Manic Street Preachers, who both rose to prominence in the early 1990s, first teamed up in 2022 to tour North America. They repeated the trick to visit Asia together in 2023, followed by a lengthy UK run last year when they performed at outdoor venues such as Cardiff Castle, Manchester Castlefield Bowl, Leeds’ Millennium Square and London’s Alexandra Palace Park.
The Manics’ agent Scott Thomas of X-ray Touring tells IQ the combination “just felt right”.
“There’s an alchemy to finding something like that,” says Thomas. “I think you have to have bands with a certain standing – a certain air about them and a certain attitude – and certainly with the Manics and Suede, it went together perfectly and they pushed each other on quite a lot live.
“It was tried and tested by the time we got to the UK, and we wanted that to happen before we took it to the biggest market and went outdoors. In general, we alternated [the closing act], so that kept everything fresh. Brett [Anderson, Suede singer] is such an amazing performer, and going out and following him always pushed us, and I’m sure Suede would say the same about the Manics on the nights they were closing. I think it is a rarity that you’re going to get a combination that works that well.”
Simplifying matters was the fact that Suede’s agent – Charlie Myatt of 13 Artists – was a former colleague of Thomas.
“It was very easy,” admits Thomas. “We work with the same promoters, we cooperate and bizarrely, I shared an office with Charlie back in the 90s at ITB when we were both junior agents, so I know Charlie very well and the crews and the artists, crew and management all know each other.
“Generally, it was a collaborative approach and we just split the work between us. As I said, it was a rarity that one could have that happen without someone wanting or needing to dominate, but it dovetailed together very smoothly.”
“We all know it’s an ego business. But I think some people need to step down from their throne in order to be able to play better venues”
Speaking at last year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC) in London, Independent Artist Group vice-chair Marsha Vlasic suggested the acts do not necessarily have to be a perfect fit.
“As bigger acts are getting off the festivals and going into stadiums, the only way to do it is to piggyback and share the cost of the production,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be completely compatible, it’s just entertainment. When you think of packaging an act… it’s [about], how does this package look in terms of bringing in additional people and different audiences?”
Jan Digneffe of FKP Scorpio Belgium also weighed in, cautioning that convincing all parties of its merits was easier said than done.
“We all know it’s an ego business,” he said. “But I think that some people need to step down from their throne in order to be able to play better venues, and that will make the costs go down. It’s a more fun night for the punter anyway, so I see nothing but advantages. But to get it done, you need everybody on board.”
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