Live Nation was a former American events promoter and venue operator based in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. Founded in 1996 by

Robert F. X. Sillerman Robert Francis Xavier Sillerman (April 12, 1948 – November 24, 2019) was an American businessman and media entrepreneur. Sillerman was the owner of a range of television and radio stations during the 1970s and 1980s, In 1993 he formed SFX Broa ...

as SFX Entertainment, the company's business was built around consolidating concert promoters into a national entity to counter the oversized influence of ticket behemoth

Ticketmaster Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Enter ...

. In 2000, the company was sold to

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

for $4.4 billion and operated as Clear Channel Entertainment until 2005, when it was spun off as Live Nation. In 2010, Live Nation merged with the ticketing firm

to form a larger conglomerate named

Live Nation Entertainment Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertain ...

History

Early years

The company was originally established in 1996 as SFX Entertainment, a subsidiary of media executive

's SFX Broadcasting. During the late 1990s, SFX acquired a number of concert promoters, including Sunshine Promotions, The Entertainment Group, and Avalon Entertainment Partners. In 2000, Sillerman sold SFX to

for $4.4 billion. In 2005, Clear Channel spun off its entertainment division and named the new company Live Nation.

Michael Rapino Michael Rapino is a Canadian-American business executive and the Chief Executive Officer and President of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc, which was formed in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. In the late 1990s, Rapino co ...

was appointed as the company's CEO.

2006 to 2009

After spinning off from Clear Channel, Live Nation acquired companies in the music industry while selling off other lines of business. The company acquired the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at Ha ...

chain in 2006. Live Nation also made several international acquisitions between 2006 and 2009, including Gamerco, a concert promoter based in Spain. In January 2008, Live Nation sold its North American theatrical business (including the Broadway Across America business) to

Key Brand Entertainment The John Gore Organization (JGO), formerly known as Key Brand Entertainment (KBE), is a producer and distributor of live theater in North America, as well as an e-commerce company, focused on theater. KBE was founded in the UK in 2004 by 14-time ...

for $90.4 million. Also in September 2008,

Feld Entertainment Feld Entertainment Inc. is an American live show production company which owns a number of traveling shows. The company began with the now-defunct Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus then expanded into additional live events, including Dis ...

acquired its

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...

s division.

Merger with Ticketmaster

In February 2009, Live Nation announced that it had reached an agreement to merge with the ticket broker

in a $2.5 billion, all-stock deal. The proposal initially received regulatory approval in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. In October 2009, the United Kingdom's

Competition Commission The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator under t ...

provisionally ruled against the merger with Ticketmaster. The Competition Commission later cleared the merger on December 22, 2009. The

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

approved the merger in 2010. A condition of the approval, Ticketmaster agreed to license its software to rival

Anschutz Entertainment Group The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports even ...

, and to sell its subsidiary Paciolan to

Comcast Spectacor Comcast Spectacor is a Philadelphia-based American sports and entertainment company. It owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League, the P ...

, Comcast's sporting events subsidiary. The company also agreed not to interfere with competition for the ten-year life of the agreement. In response to the merger, music artist

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

wrote in a post on his website, "the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing." Additionally, Ticketdisaster.org, a coalition of consumer rights and anti-trust groups, released a statement opposing the merger.

2011 to present

Live Nation made acquisitions following the merger with Ticketmaster. In 2011, it acquired the remaining 25% of Front Line Management Group Inc., an artist management firm that was majority owned by Ticketmaster. Also in 2011, Live Nation acquired online measurement company Big Champagne. In June 2013,

Insomniac Events Insomniac (formerly Insomniac Events) is an American electronic music event promoter and music distributor. Founded by Pasquale Rotella, it is the organizer of various music festivals, including its flagship electronic music festival Electric ...

, a promoter focused on electronic dance music, announced a major "creative partnership" with Live Nation, giving the promoter access to Live Nation's resources while remaining an independent company. Live Nation did not take any ownership stake in Insomniac. In December 2015, Live Nation launched Live Nation Productions, a film and television division. In 2018, Live Nation Productions produced “A Star is Born,” which starred

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

and

Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for nine Academy Awards, si ...

. Live Nation has acquired a stake in a number of festivals and festival management companies, including Voodoo Music & Arts Experience and

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...

. In 2016, Live Nation partnered with Jägermeister to sponsor six electronic dance music festivals. The company has also sponsored

Music Midtown Music Midtown is a large music festival that was held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, annually from 1994 to 2005, and—after a six-year hiatus—returned in 2011. During its original run, the festival ran for one weekend each year. The even ...

, a music festival based in Atlanta. In 2017, Live Nation acquired

BottleRock Napa Valley BottleRock Napa Valley is an annual music festival held at the Napa Valley Expo in Napa, California. The initial BottleRock was a five-day event that took place May 8–12, 2013. The event featured three stages with 60 bands, including Jackson ...

music festival. In late 2019, Live Nation announced "Lawn Pass", a one-time fee program for concertgoers to attend all 2020 events in the lawn section at 29 outdoor amphitheaters in the United States. The company has agreed to match a $500,000 donation by singer

Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After college she ...

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

in response to the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Controversies

According to a ''Houston Chronicle'' investigative report, Live Nation had been linked to at least 750 injuries and around 200 deaths at its events in seven countries since 2006. The company has been under scrutiny by federal regulators for work safety and antitrust violations.

Artists and venues

Live Nation has an artist management division called Artist Nation. In October 2007, Live Nation reached a 10-year deal with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, under which the company would collaborate on several facets of her career, including touring and merchandising. In March 2008, it was confirmed that Live Nation signed a 12-year deal with U2 worth an estimated $100 million (£70 million).The parties agreed that the band would receive $25 million for 1.6 million shares of the company; as of 17 December 2008, those shares were worth only just over $6 million. It was reported on 18 December 2008 that Live Nation, honoring their financial commitment, bought back the shares at a loss of $19 million. In July 2008,

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular ...

signed an estimated $70–100 million contract with Live Nation. The same year, Live Nation signed a 3-tour deal with Canadian rock band,

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...

. Also in 2008, a deal between

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

and Live Nation for $152 million was confirmed. The deal covered financing of Jay-Z's own entertainment venture, live shows, tours and future recordings.Jay-Z to sign deal with Live Nation
Rosie Swash, ''The Guardian'', April 3, 2008. Accessed July 2008 Jay-Z signed a second 10-year deal with Live Nation in 2017. Live Nation owns several venues and venue chains, including the House of Blues chain of clubs. The company also owns amphitheaters and operates several venues that it does not own.

International

Live Nation owns and manages several international venues, including the

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a sporting complex and public park in Stratford, Hackney Wick, Leyton and Bow, in east London. It was purpose-built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, situated adjacent to the Stratford City developm ...

in London and

3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008. It was built on the site of the former Point Theatre, a smaller musi ...

in Ireland. The company also owns a stake in several international artist and venue management firms, including Welldone Agency & Promotions in Finland, EMA Telstar Group in Sweden, Gunnar Eide Concerts in Norway, Mojo Concerts in the Netherlands, and Swedish EDM promoter Stureplansgruppen Live. Between 2011 and 2013, Live Nation acquired companies in Dubai, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The company acquired several international festivals and festival management firms in 2016, including the Sweden Rock Festival, Australia's Secret Sounds Group, and Union Events, an Alberta-owned festival and concert promotion company. In 2017, Live Nation acquired a majority stake in Israeli promoter Bluestone Entertainment. Live Nation has owned a stake in several international festivals, including the

Download Festival Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 2 ...

in Melbourne, Australia, the Rhythm and Vines Festival in New Zealand, and the

Wireless Festival The Wireless Festival is a rap and urban music festival that takes place every year in London, England. It is owned and managed by Live Nation. While it started as primarily a rock and pop festival, in recent years it has focused on hip hop and ...

in London.

LN-Gaiety

Live Nation has a 50/50 joint venture with Gaiety Investments, called LN-Gaiety. LN-Gaiety has made a number of acquisitions including the Academy Group and MAMA & Co. In March 2007 Live Nation/Gaiety bought a majority share in a further 10 music venues from the Academy Music Group including the

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

and Shepherds Bush Empire. The company also owns a majority stake in Festival Republic, a UK concert promoter, that organizes festivals such as the

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fes ...

and

Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north ...

References

* Paul Sloan, ''Fortune Magazine'', November 30, 2007. Accessed July 2008 * CCE Spinco, Inc. Common Stock Issue. At Us Government Archives. Accessed July 2008 * Live Nation Entertainment * Seeking Alpha * Variety * Live Nation Takes Over * History of SFX Entertainment

External links

LiveNation.com
{{Authority control Live Nation Entertainment Entertainment companies based in California Record label distributors Sports management companies Companies based in Beverly Hills, California Entertainment companies established in 1996 Entertainment companies established in 2005 2005 establishments in California Corporate spin-offs