LA’s Crypto.com Arena appoints new booking VP
Jeff Olson has been hired as VP of booking for Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE.
Olson will be primarily focused on sourcing talent, negotiating, and securing deals with high-priority clients and promoters for shows for all three venues.
“We are incredibly excited to have Jeff Olson joining our team,” says Lee Zeidman, president, Crypto.com Arena, Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE. “He brings over 23 years of experience and knowledge of booking and event production to our venues and to the market, along with strong industry relationships. We are looking forward to having Jeff joining us here in Los Angeles and booking a variety of content for our venues in this competitive market.”
“It has always been a dream of mine to be a part of such premier and iconic venues that are continually active and busy”
“I am elated to have Jeff join the booking team and delighted to welcome him back to Los Angeles,” adds Hallie Yavitch, SVP, booking & marketing. “His impressive resume, experience and relationships will help our venues continue to grow and succeed in a competitive landscape.”
Olson started his career in the live entertainment industry with Meridian Entertainment in Holt, Michigan in 1998 as Talent Buyer and Event Producer. Moving to Los Angeles in 2002, he worked for Arena Network as talent buyer and marketing director for 12 years. He then moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 2014 to become director of booking, events & marketing for the Memphis Grizzlies and FedEx Forum.
Most recently, Olson was director of booking & special events for Snapdragon Stadium/OVG360. He was also responsible for booking Kaiser Permanente Thrive Park for major music and food festivals as well as scheduling various other events throughout the Snapdragon Stadium complex.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Crypto.com Arena, Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE team,” adds Olson. “It has always been a dream of mine to be a part of such premier and iconic venues that are continually active and busy. I am also grateful to be back in the Los Angeles market and I look forward to working with some of the best people in the business.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Grammys features raft of blockbuster performances
Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Lizzo, Kim Petras and Sam Smith were among a raft of artists that performed at the annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last night (5 February).
The 65th edition took place at the Crypto.com Arena in LA, with additional performances from Brandi Carlile, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Chris Stapleton, Steve Lacy, DJ Khaled and Luke Combs.
Topping Billboard’s rankings of Grammy performances was a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop, curated by Questlove and featuring an all-star cast.
Missy Elliott, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Lil Wayne, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Run-D.M.C. and Salt-N-Pepa were among 29 iconic artists that performed during the tribute to the genre.
Beyoncé has now won 32 Grammys, securing her place as the most-awarded artist in the history of the ceremony
Elsewhere, the in-memoriam segment of the ceremony saw Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and Migos’ Quavo perform songs popularised by Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie, and Takeoff.
The top four awards of the 65th ceremony went to Harry Styles (Album of The Year for Harry’s House), Lizzo (Record of The Year for About Damn Time), Bonnie Rait (Song of The Year for Just Like That) and Beyoncé (Best Dance/Electronic Album for Renaissance).
Beyoncé also won best R&B song, best dance/electronic recording and best traditional R&B performance at last night’s ceremony. She has now won 32 Grammys and is the most-awarded artist in the history of the ceremony.
In doing so, she overtook Hungarian-British conductor George Solti, whose record of 31 Grammys had stood for more than 20 years.
See a complete list of winners and nominees for the 2023 Grammys here.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
AEG plans nine-figure revamp for Crypto arena
AEG has announced plans for a major revamp of its Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in Los Angeles, US.
The nine-figure upgrade will reimagine nearly all aspects of the venue, entry and LA Live’s Xbox Plaza, according to a release.
The revamp involves a series of innovative new suite designs, event-level premium spaces and major changes to the exterior of the building.
The latter includes a redesign of Xbox Plaza, creating a seamless cityscape between the Crypto.com Arena and LA Live (the sports and entertainment district that surrounds the arena).
Renovations launched earlier this summer and are scheduled for completion in autumn 2024, with the arena remaining open throughout.
“Since its opening, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure that the venue remains state-of-the-art”
“Crypto.com Arena is part of the fabric of Los Angeles, and we are incredibly proud of the role it continues to play in creating some of the most memorable moments in sports and entertainment,” says Dan Beckerman, president and CEO, AEG.
“Since its opening, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure that the venue remains state-of-the-art, while consistently creating a world-class event and fan experience. The investment in these renovations demonstrates the ongoing commitment of AEG, the Lakers and the Kings to deliver the best experiences for all of our fans, partners, artists and teams.”
The renovations are funded in part by a $700 million naming rights deal announced with Crypto.com late last year.
“We’re just at the beginning of our long-term partnership and we’re excited to support AEG’s investment in this renovation, demonstrating our joint commitment to ensure Crypto.com Arena maintains its status as a global icon,” says Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com.
PCL Construction will serve as general contractor for the project, reprising its role as general contractor for the arena when it was first built in 1999.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
AEG’s Goldenvoice announces new LA festival
Goldenvoice, one of the largest promoters in the world, has announced a brand new alt-country festival for Los Angeles.
Palomino Festival will debut on 9 July at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, featuring some of the biggest names in country, folk, bluegrass, and pop.
Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson & Family, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and the Old Crow Medicine Show are among the acts slated to perform at the one-day event.
Other artists announced for the inaugural event include Orville Peck, Valerie June, Paul Cauthen, Charley Crockett, Nikki Lane, Morgan Wade, Sierra Ferrell, Low Cut Connie, Langhorne Slim, Sierra Hull, Jamnie Wyatt, Ian Noe Loga Ledger, Amythyst Kiah, and special guests The Compton Cowboys.
AEG-backed Goldenvoice has already built a dedicated audience of US-based country music fans via its Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
“It has been a dream to do a festival taking a modern, fresh approach to today’s alt-country music”
“It has been a dream for as long as I can remember to do a festival taking a modern, fresh approach to today’s alt-country music. Artists in the space have been pushing boundaries, creating sounds that are brand new,” says Goldenvoice talent buyer Stacy Vee, who also oversees the bookings for the company’s Stagecoach festival.
“I wanted to fan these flames and celebrate this changing culture. We at Goldenvoice love doing things ‘our own way,’ and there are a lot of artists out there right now doing the same thing. We came together to celebrate carving your own path: this is Palomino.”
Palomino is the latest new festival Goldenvoice has announced after This Ain’t No Picnic and California Vibes.
In the US, Goldenvoice produces several festivals, most notably Coachella, as well as operating 14 mid-sized venues and promoting over 1,800 shows per year.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Primavera Sound 2023 to be held in Barca and Madrid
The 2023 instalment of Primavera Sound will be held in two different Spanish cities across two weekends.
Next year’s festival will take place at its usual location of Parc Del Fòrum, Barcelona, on the first weekend (1–3 June).
On the second weekend (8–10 June), the festival will take place in the Ciudad de Rock (City of Rock) in Arganda del Rey, Madrid, for the first time ever.
The site, which has the capacity to hold up to 96,000 people, has hosted all three editions (2008, 2010, 2012) of the Rock in Rio Festival Madrid.
“Double site – double excitement”
Primavera has a longstanding affinity with Madrid, having hosted autumn festival Primavera Club – as well as countless international tours – in the city.
“The landing in Madrid is just the latest chapter in our long and close relationship with the city, and also the first for everything to come: for communication and connections, for the history of a Primavera Sound that in 2023 will start in Barcelona and end in Madrid that can only benefit our audience. Double site – double excitement,” said the festival organisers.
Primavera Sound has taken place in Barcelona for 20 years and has recently expanded internationally with sister events in Los Angeles, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
The 20th-anniversary edition of the Barcelona event will take place this year in a special expanded format.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Steve Strange wins posthumous honour at Pollstar Awards
The late Steve Strange was honoured at last night’s annual Pollstar Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom in Los Angeles.
The legendary booking agent and X-ray Touring co-founder, who passed away in September 2021, posthumously won International Booking Agent of the Year.
In what Pollstar dubbed the most emotional moment of the night, manager Andy Gould paid tribute to the late agent, bringing a cardboard cutout of Strange onstage with him.
“This guy wasn’t just my friend, he was all of our friends; he wasn’t my agent, he was kind of all of our agent,” Gould said. “I miss him so fucking much, I really do. And I think I speak for everyone in the room: We need more Steve Stranges.”
A number of other international execs and venues also scooped awards at the 33rd annual ceremony, including Barrie Marshall (Marshall Arts) who took home International Promoter of the Year – not for the first time.
“I think I speak for everyone in the room: We need more Steve Stranges”
London’s Royal Albert Hall, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2021, was honoured not once but twice with the Milestone Award and International Venue of the Year.
Elsewhere, Harry Styles was presented with the Major Tour of the Year award for his ‘Love on Tour’ arena run. Styles’ manager Jeffrey Azoff of Full Stop Management also received recognition in the Personal Manager of the Year category.
Other award-winning executives include Amy Corbin of C3 Presents (Talent Buyer of the Year), Bob Roux of Live Nation (Bill Graham Award/Promoter of the Year) and Dave Rowan of High Road Touring (Bobby Brooks Award/Agent of the Year).
CAA, meanwhile, won Booking Agency of the Year.
A full list of Pollstar Awards 2022 winners is below:
Major Tour of the Year: Harry Styles, Love on Tour
Best Rock Tour: Foo Fighters
Best Hip-Hop Tour: J. Cole, The Off-Season Tour
Best R&B Tour: Earth, Wind & Fire, Miraculous Supernatural Tour
Best Pop Tour: Maroon 5
Best Country Tour: Chris Stapleton, Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour
Best Latin Tour: Enrique Iglesias / Ricky Martin, Live in Concert
Comedy Tour of the Year: Sebastian Maniscalco, Nobody Does This Tour
Best Support/Special Guest Act and Tour: Garbage (Alanis Morissette)
Best Residency: Lady Gaga, Jazz & Piano, The Las Vegas Residency, Park Theatre, Las Vegas
Best Family, Event or Non-Music Tour of the Year: Disney on Ice
Best New Headliner/Artist Development Story: Billy Strings
Music Festival of The Year (Global; over 30K attendance): Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas
Music Festival of The Year (Global; under 30K attendance): Ohana Festival, Dana Point, Calif.
Nightclub of the Year: Troubadour, West Hollywood, Calif.
Theatre of the Year: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn.
Arena of the Year: The Forum, Inglewood, Calif.
Red Rocks Award – Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year: Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, Tenn.
Best New Concert Venue – Small Venue: Brooklyn Bowl, Nashville, Tenn.
Best New Concert Venue – Arena: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Wa.
Best New Concert Venue – Outdoors: Sofi Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
International Venue of the Year: Royal Albert Hall, United Kingdom
Venue Executive of the Year: David Kells, Bridgestone Arena
Talent Buyer of the Year: Amy Corbin, C3 Presents
Small Venue Talent Buyer of the Year (Under 10,000 Capacity): Donna Busch, Goldenvoice
Bill Graham Award/Promoter of the Year: Bob Roux, Live Nation
International Promoter of the Year: Barrie Marshall, Marshall Arts
Bobby Brooks Award – Agent of the Year: Dave Rowan, High Road Touring
International Booking Agent of the Year: Steve Strange, X-ray Touring
Booking Agency of the Year: CAA
Independent Booking Agency of the Year (Global): High Road Touring
Rising Star Award: Molly Warren, Live Nation
Personal Manager of the Year: Jeffrey Azoff, Full Stop Management
Road Warrior of the Year: Ken Helie (Dead & Company)
Transportation Company of the Year: Rock-it Cargo
Best Concert Visuals: Bandit Lites
Best Concert Sound: Clair Global
Marketing/PR Executive of the Year: Allison McGregor, CAA
Best Brand Partnership/Live Campaign: Amazon/Climate Pledge Arena Naming Rights
Best Hang: Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas
Best Person to Score a Dinner With: Irving Azoff, The Azoff Company (TIE), Michael Rapino, Live Nation (TIE)
Life of the Party: Ron Delsener, Live Nation
Damn The Torpedoes: 2021 Touring Artist, Dave Chappelle
Milestone Award: Royal Albert Hall, United Kingdom
Music Unites Award: D-Nice
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Wasserman Music hires agent Adam Brill
Veteran agent Adam Brill has joined Wasserman Music as VP, fairs & festivals.
Previously an agent at CAA for six years, Brill also worked at UTA and APA earlier in his career and has represented and developed artists including Conan Gray, Tate McRae, Zara Larsson and Imagine Dragons.
Los Angeles-based Brill, who has also consulted for Atlantic Records on prospective young talent, started out in the live business by leading the concert committee at the University of Iowa, where he oversaw a team of more than 20 students and promoted arena shows by John Mayer and Bob Dylan, among others.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Wasserman family,” he says. “Their success as a company is reinforced by their entrepreneurial and innovative mindset. I am excited to help build a division that will further benefit all Wasserman clients.”
His extensive artist development track record fits perfectly with our ethos
Marty Diamond, EVP & managing executive at Wasserman Music, adds: “We’re very excited to have Adam join our team at Wasserman. His extensive artist development track record fits perfectly with our ethos, and he brings valuable perspective and experience to the important space of fair and festival bookings.”
He joins a growing department that recently added Shannon Casey as SVP, and has also promoted agent Mike Sosin as a newly promoted agent.
Sosin joins Wasserman’s fairs & festivals department following five years as coordinator for Wasserman SVP, Trey Many. He previously worked in radio promotion at Bloodshot Records and as an artist manager.
“Mike is a close friend, a valuable colleague, and an amazing human being,” says Many. “I’m thrilled that he’s now growing into this new role, and his extensive knowledge and bright spirit will continue to enhance our agency.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Crypto.com currency ‘up 70%’ after LA arena deal
Crypto.com’s currency, CRO token, surged almost 70% in the wake of the platform’s naming rights deal for AEG’s Staples Center, according to a new report.
The 20-year deal with the Singapore-based cryptocurrency company is reportedly worth US$700 million (€622m), with all of the 20,000-cap venue’s external signage to be replaced by June 2022.
However, Forbes reports the coin’s value has risen 69.9% since last week’s announcement that the 20,000-cap Los Angeles venue is to be renamed the Crypto.com Arena from 25 December following an agreement brokered by AEG Global Partnerships. The news prompted Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer at CoinShares International, to say the deal had already paid for itself more than a dozen times.
The deal paid for itself – 13x over
“Crypto.com put $700M into a 20 year sponsorship, and the resulting PR doubled its token price and led to a $9B run-up in market cap the deal paid for itself –13x over,” she tweeted, “difficult to untangle token distribution and who benefited, but smart token marketing strategy!”
The new relationship will result in the first name change in the venue’s 22-year history and will also see Crypto.com featured prominently across the venue with large-scale, premium branding and signage.
“We’re very excited about partnering with AEG and investing long term in this city, starting with Crypto.com Arena in the heart of downtown, and using our platform in new and creative ways so that cryptocurrency can power the future of world class sports, entertainment and technology for fans in LA and around the world,” said Crypto.com co-founder and CEO, Kris Marszalek.
Opening its doors in 1999, the downtown Los Angeles arena is home to the NBA’s LA Lakers and LA Clippers and the NHL’s LA Kings and LA Sparks and hosts over 240 major high-profile events a year, including 19 of the last 21 Grammy Awards shows. Upcoming concerts include Enrique Iglesias & Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Imagine Dragons and the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest series.
Earlier this year, Crypto.com became the first crypto platform to partner with an F1 team (Aston Martin), the first to partner with an NHL team (Montreal Canadiens), and the first to partner with a professional sports league (Lega Serie A).
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest line-up revealed
Halsey, Miley Cyrus and Green Day are among the headliners revealed for the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest.
The three-night festival will run from 10-12 February 2022 at the 20,000-cap Staples Center (soon to be the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles, kicking off with performances from both Halsey and Machine Gun Kelly on night one.
Night two will feature Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani with Mickey Guyton, while the final night Super Bowl Eve concert line-up is topped by Green Day and Miley Cyrus.
Now in its third year, the event serves as a precursor to the Super Bowl and its coveted Halftime Show, which in 2022 will star Dr Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige and Snoop Dogg at the 100,000-cap SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday, 13 February.
The Bruno Mars and Cardi B concert in 2019 was the highest-grossing event in State Farm Arena’s 20-year history
“Staples Center and LA Live are incredibly excited and honoured to host three amazing nights of music as part of Super Bowl Music Fest,” says Lee Zeidman, president of Staples Center, Microsoft Theater and LA Live. “We look forward to welcoming music and football fans to downtown as part of Super Bowl week in Los Angeles.”
The Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest has previously featured unique and never-before-paired line-ups with artists including Bruno Mars and Cardi B, Post Malone and Aerosmith, Maroon 5 and Dan + Shay with a surprise performance from Demi Lovato, and a night with Guns N’ Roses and special guest Snoop Dogg.
The 2019 and 2020 festivals were held at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, respectively. The Bruno Mars and Cardi B concert in 2019 was reportedly the highest-grossing event in State Farm Arena’s 20-year history, generating $6.473 million.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
LA’s Staples Center to be renamed Crypto.com Arena
AEG’s Staples Center in Los Angeles is to be renamed the Crypto.com Arena as part of a new 20-year naming rights deal.
The deal with the Singapore-based cryptocurrency platform, reportedly worth US$700 million (€618m), according to the FT, was brokered by AEG Global Partnerships and comes into effect from 25 December, with all of the 20,000-cap venue’s external signage to be replaced by June 2022.
“This partnership represents the fastest-growing cryptocurrency platform and the biggest sports and live entertainment company in the world converging to drive the future of sports and live entertainment as well as the incredible legacy of this arena for decades to come,” says Todd Goldstein, chief revenue officer of AEG.
“It marks an exciting new chapter in the history of our company and our respective industries, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have such a visionary partner like Crypto.com supporting our global fan base and local community.”
As exclusive naming rights partner, Crypto.com plans to engage fans through premium branded areas of the arena including a 3,300 sq. ft activation space at the building’s entrance, as well as dedicated activation areas on the main concourse and throughout the adjacent LA Live campus.
The new relationship, which will result in the first name change in the venue’s 22-year history, will also see Crypto.com featured prominently across the venue with large-scale, premium branding and signage throughout the interior and exterior.
This partnership is about the future
“This partnership is about the future,” adds Dan Beckerman, AEG president and CEO. “AEG and Crypto.com not only share a vision about innovation and the future of sports and entertainment, but we also have a shared commitment to our communities where we work and live. We look forward to partnering with Crypto.com to create meaningful initiatives to bring that vision to life in the years to come.”
Crypto.com has committed to becoming carbon negative by the end of 2022 by offsetting more carbon than is generated by all activities across the organisation. Earlier this year, the company became the first crypto platform to partner with an F1 team (Aston Martin), the first to partner with an NHL team (Montreal Canadiens), and the first to partner with a professional sports league (Lega Serie A).
Opening its doors in 1999, the downtown Los Angeles arena is home to the NBA’s LA Lakers and LA Clippers and the NHL’s LA Kings and LA Sparks and hosts over 240 major high-profile events a year, including 19 of the last 21 Grammy Awards shows. Upcoming concerts include Enrique Iglesias & Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Imagine Dragons and the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest series.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.