Joe GallopDesertscene has announced a partnership with fellow live heavy music independent promoter Old Empire.
The pair said the new partnership heralds a “monumental moment” for independent promotion and will showcase a “stronger united front” for delivering live music in the heavy sphere.
Desertscene, formed in 2009, book and promote Desertfest, with festivals in London, New York, Berlin, Antwerp and the recently added Oslo. The portfolio of events holds a global market of 20,000 tickets a year. It also promotes club shows outside of the festival space.
Desertscene has also announced Sarika Rice (pictured left) to her newly appointed role of creative director. Rice, who has been at Desertscene since 2016, will oversee the developing arms and direction of the agency.
Desertscene also last year announced its Heavy Mountain Booking arm, which consists of artists such as Green Lung, Conan, DVNE, Elephant Tree, Ahab and Naxatras.
Old Empire, founded in 2023, promotes artists such as Heilung, Chelsea Wolf, SUNN O))) and Electric Wizard.
Old Empire founder Josh Retallick (right) said, “This alliance is a thunderous declaration that the underground scene is alive and well and together we are ready to ignite the souls of music aficionados everywhere.”
Desertscene founder Reece Tee said, “It brings me immense pride to announce the well-deserved promotion of Sarika Rice to the position of creative director. Sarika’s relentless dedication and invaluable contributions to the music community have made her an integral part of Desertscene and this momentous venture with Old Empire. With the collective strength of our partnership, we are now poised to take live music events to new heights.”