With the Decreasing Revenues from Recorded Music the Importance of Touring Grows Evermore

UK – US – Certainly one of the more glamorous sectors within the logistics industry has been largely dominated by one name. Formed at a time when US rock music was at an undisputed high spot, Rock-It Cargo, now Rock-it Global first surfaced in 1978, an era which saw the dominance of musicians such as Kiss and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

As the increasing importance of global tours, and the associated leap in revenues came to the fore, the intervening forty plus years have seen the company grow from its California roots to a truly global outfit. Now, with streaming of music hitting the artists’ pockets, the need to tour, even throughout the web of Covid difficulties, remains paramount for many.

Rock-It has grown from its Los Angeles headquarters comprising now a company with 19 owned offices in 12 countries and a network of long-standing partner agents providing services to more than 190 countries. More than this the company is now part of the Global Critical Logistics (GCL), encompassing far more eclectic services than those early days.

Rock-It Global has just completed an extensive rebrand, launching a new logo and website, and bringing together over four decades of expertise in live event logistics from Rock-It Cargo, Sound Moves, Waiver, Cargo Live, and Rogers Customs Broker. Now, in London, Rock-it Global, has opened a dedicated 15,000 square foot facility at Heathrow Airport, which offers 377m³ of caged secure storage space, as well as rack space for 300 pallet positions for long-term storage and tour merchandise.

In addition Rock-It has invested in an X-ray machine for onsite screening and installed an Explosive Trace Detector (ETD) machine for cargo too dense to X-ray, avoiding the need to rely on a third-party off-site provider. Chris Palmer, co-Managing Director for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Rock-It Global, explained:

“We will be screening cargo in-house with our own equipment operated by our own trained team so that we can offer 24-hour support with no pre-booking required. A combination of huge volumes of e-commerce cargo, a reduced number of scheduled flights, and staff shortages at handlers and hauliers has meant screening bottlenecks at Heathrow and in the live entertainment industry, which is so time critical, that sort of hold up just can’t happen.

“By bringing everything in-house, we can avoid delays and cancellations and by offering a secondary screening system using our ETD machine, we can keep costs down and avoid the risk of damage that can come with extra handling when moving cargo to a third-party facility.”

As well as Rock-It Global GCL includes as Dietl International and Cosdel, which serve the fine arts and classic and high-end automobile sectors respectively, and has recently acquired Dynamic International, international logistics providers for film and television productions. GCL itself is a portfolio company of ATL Partners private equity capital, and operates in 14 countries with a portfolio of over 200 international partners. Paul J. Martins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rock-It Global and GCL observed:

“The Rock-It Global team brings together experienced specialists from across the world to support the live entertainment industry. We are looking to the future with a new look, new facilities, and continued expansion of Rock-it/GCL offices throughout the world and we are ready to put our unique insight and our energy to work for customers all over the world.”

Photo: Left to right, Chris Palmer, co-Managing Director, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Rock-It Global, Martin Corr, co-Managing Director EMEA, Rock-It Global.