Festivals
John Giddings
Founder, Solo Agency
Founder of Solo Agency and promoter of the Isle of Wight Festival, which he revived in 2002.
Last updated 2026-09-16
In short
John Giddings is Founder at Solo Agency. Combines a major international booking agency with sole promotion of one of the UK's flagship annual festivals. John Giddings founded the booking and promotion company Solo and has run the revived Isle of Wight Festival every year since he relaunched it in 2002, following the original festival's run between 1968 and 1970.
Quick facts
- Current role
- Founder
- Organisation
- Solo Agency
- Primary category
- Festivals
- Known for
- Reviving the Isle of Wight Festival in 2002; Founding Solo Agency; Booking and touring artists including the Rolling Stones, Madonna and David Bowie
Executive summary
John Giddings founded the booking and promotion company Solo and has run the revived Isle of Wight Festival every year since he relaunched it in 2002, following the original festival's run between 1968 and 1970. Solo Agency's own festival page and Wikipedia's biography both confirm this continuous role.
Trade coverage across 2025 and 2026 continues to describe him in this dual capacity: as Solo's founder and long-standing agent for artists including the Rolling Stones, Madonna, U2 and Céline Dion, and as the promoter who books and curates the Isle of Wight Festival each year with his wife and festival director, Caroline Giddings.
Live Nation acquired a majority stake in the Isle of Wight Festival in 2017, and Giddings has separately worked as an international touring consultant to Live Nation since around that time, according to Pollstar; Live Index records that consulting relationship as distinct from his ownership and promotion of Solo.
Why John Giddings matters in live music
The Isle of Wight Festival is the first major festival of the UK summer calendar each year, and Giddings's continuous run of bookings since 2002 has made the event a fixture that other UK festivals are scheduled and marketed around.
His parallel role as an agent for stadium-scale touring artists gives him visibility into both the booking and promotion sides of the live business, a combination trade press has repeatedly cited when describing his standing in UK live music.
Career record
- 1970s-1980sBuilt a career as a music agent, eventually forming Solo.
- 1990Began representing the Rolling Stones as European promoter, according to Wikipedia's sourced biography.
- 2002Revived the Isle of Wight Festival after the 1971 Isle of Wight Act restricting large events on the island was overturned.
- 2017Live Nation acquired a majority stake in the Isle of Wight Festival; Giddings began consulting for Live Nation on international touring.
- 2025Named Festival Promoter of the Year at the FestForums Awards.
Sphere of influence
Levels are categorical — Core, Major, Significant, Limited — and each is stated with the evidence it rests on. No numeric score is published, because none would be defensible.
- UK festival promotion Core
- He has promoted the Isle of Wight Festival continuously since reviving it in 2002.
- International touring and booking Major
- Solo has booked stadium-scale tours for artists including the Rolling Stones, Madonna and U2, according to Wikipedia's sourced account.
- Live Nation touring consultancy Significant
- He serves as an international touring consultant to Live Nation, a relationship distinct from his ownership of Solo.
Entity relationships
Current
John Giddings founded and leads Solo Agency.
John Giddings promotes Isle of Wight Festival.
John Giddings consults on international touring for Live Nation Entertainment.
Timeline
- 2002Relaunched the Isle of Wight Festival.
- 2017Live Nation took a majority stake in the festival.
- 2025Named Festival Promoter of the Year at the FestForums Awards.
- 2026Continued to curate and promote the festival's line-up.
Related Live Index research and records
References and sources
- Isle of Wight Festival — Solo Agency Limited. Company source. Retrieved 2026-09-16.Cited for: States Giddings revived the festival in 2002 and continues to curate it with Caroline Giddings.
- John Giddings Named 'Festival Promoter Of The Year' At FestForums Awards — Pollstar. Trade press. Retrieved 2026-09-16.Cited for: His Live Nation touring-consultant role and 2025 award.
- John Giddings — Wikipedia. Verified profile. Retrieved 2026-09-16.Cited for: Career chronology including founding Solo, Rolling Stones representation and the festival's 2002 revival.