Live Nation acquires Canadian promoter Embrace Presents

Live Nation Entertainment has acquired a majority stake in Embrace Presents, a Canadian venue operator and promoter of concerts, festivals and events in the Toronto area.

The announcement follows the acquisition of Singaporean promoter One Production at the end of January, and an acquisition-heavy 2018 in which Live Nation acquired 16 companies, including Argentine promoter DF Entertainment, Swiss promoter Mainland Music and UK festivals Bestival and Camp Bestival.

The companies plan to combine Embrace’s experience developing emerging talent, boutique festivals and mid-size venue operations with Live Nation’s resources to bring more live events to Canada.

“Embrace has grown to become one of Toronto’s most influential leaders in live events,” says Riley O’Connor, chairman of Live Nation Canada. “We are excited to collaborate with them on new events and utilise their ingenuity and promotion tactics to further strengthen our presence in the marketplace.”

“We are looking forward to growing Embrace in concert with Live Nation to present bigger and more exciting live events”

Embrace continues to oversee all operations in its portfolio, including management of local festivals and the booking and running of Toronto venues Danforth Music Hall (1,425-cap.) and Velvet Underground (400-cap.).

Launched in 2001 by founder and president Adam Gill, Embrace began as an electronic music promoter. The company now presents a more diverse range of live music events including Toronto’s Electric Island (7,000-cap.) festival. Embrace has promoted shows for acts including Leon Bridges, Skrillex, Vance Joy and LCD Soundsystem.

Gill comments: “We are very excited to join Riley [O’Connor] and the entire Live Nation team as we embark on Embrace’s newest chapter. We are looking forward to growing Embrace in concert with Live Nation to present bigger and more exciting live events.”

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