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Banks, Fogel, The O2 among Pollstar Awards winners

CAA’s Emma Banks, Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel and London’s The O2 were among the winners at the 35th annual Pollstar Awards, held last night (7 February) at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.

Banks and Fogel took the honours for International Booking Agent and International Promoter, respectively, while The O2 was named International Venue of the Year.

Taylor Swift’s Eras was crowned Major Tour of the Year and U2’s groundbreaking run at the Sphere in Las Vegas claimed Residency of the Year, with the Sphere also winning the prize for New Concert Venue of the Year (Over 5,000 Capacity).

In addition, Wasserman Music was awarded Booking Agency of the Year, Austin City Limits won Music Festival of the Year and the UK’s Glastonbury Festival emerged triumphant in the International Music Festival category.

North American victors included Louis Messina of Messina Touring Group (Promoter of the Year), Adam Kornfeld of Independent Artist Group (Agent), Austin’s Moody Center (Arena), the Hollywood Bowl (Outdoor Concert Venue) and LA’s SoFi Stadium (Stadium). Legendary agent Howard Rose, who worked with major artists including Elton John, also received the inaugural Pollstar Lifetime Achievement Award.

Plus, Jon Bon Jovi was presented with a Milestone Award during his keynote Q&A earlier in the day, while Sphere Entertainment executive chair and CEO James Dolan was recognised with the Visionary Award.

A full list of Pollstar Awards 2024 winners is below:

Major Tour of the Year
Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour

Rock Tour of the Year
Metallica, M72 World Tour

Hip-Hop Tour of the Year
Post Malone, If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying Tour

R&B Tour of the Year
Beyoncé, Renaissance World Tour

Pop Tour of the Year
P!nk, Summer Carnival Tour

Country Tour of the Year
Morgan Wallen, One Night At A Time Tour

Latin Tour of the Year
Karol G, Mañana Será Bonito Tour

Comedy Tour of the Year
Dave Chappelle, It’s a Celebration Tour

Support/Special Guest of the Year
Brandi Carlile, P!nk

Residency of the Year
U2, Sphere

Family, Event or Non-Music Tour of the Year
Cirque du Soleil – Corteo

New Headliner of the Year
Jelly Roll

Music Festival of the Year (Global; over 30,000 attendance)
Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, TX

Music Festival of the Year (Global; under 30,000 attendance)
The Ohana Festival, Dana Point, CA

International Music Festival of the Year
Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, UK

Nightclub of the Year
9:30 Club, Washington, DC

Theatre of the Year
Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

Arena of the Year
Moody Center, Austin, TX

Red Rocks Award – Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA

Stadium of the Year
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA

Casino/Resort Venue of the Year
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

New Concert Venue of the Year (Over 5,000 Capacity)
Sphere, Las Vegas, NV

New Concert Venue of the Year (Under 5,000 Capacity)
The Salt Shed, Chicago, IL

International Venue of the Year
The O2 Arena, London, UK

Venue Executive of the Year
Jeff Nickler, Moody Center, Austin, TX

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
Louis Messina, Messina Touring Group

International Promoter of the Year
Arthur Fogel, Live Nation Global Touring

Bobby Brooks Award – Agent of the Year
Adam Kornfeld, Independent Artist Group

International Booking Agent of the Year
Emma Banks, Creative Artists Agency

Booking Agency of the Year
Wasserman Music

Independent Booking Agency of the Year (Global)
High Road Touring

Rising Star Award
Molly Warren, Live Nation

Personal Manager of the Year
John Silva, Silva Artist Management

Road Warrior of the Year
Jerome Crooks, Tool, Duran Duran, Billie Eilish

Transportation Company of the Year
Rock-It Cargo

Concert Visuals Company of the Year
Bandit Lites

Concert Sound Company of the Year
Clair Global

Tour Services Company of the Year
Dega Catering

Brand Partnership/Live Campaign of the Year
AMC, Taylor Swift Eras Tour Theatrical Exhibition

Marketing/PR Executive of the Year
Allison McGregor, Creative Artists Agency

 


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Music industry heavyweights star at Pollstar Live!

Nearly 2,000 music industry professionals descended upon Los Angeles for the 2023 edition of Pollstar Live!

The three-day conference, which climaxes today at the Beverly Hilton, was hailed as the biggest in the event’s history by Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Pollstar‘s parent company Oak View Group (OVG).

In his opening address, Leiweke spoke of his pride at OVG’s multi-billion dollar investment in new venues, and noted it is opening its seventh building in the middle of a pandemic.

“Music is the future of our company, music is the future of this industry,” he said.

Ahead of the gathering’s standout Ticketing Real Talk panel, Leiweke also alluded to the US Senate’s investigation into the market, sparked by the controversy around the onsale for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

“I think it is amazing to me that the politicians can take an issue like this and jump on it with such a lack of understanding about our business,” he said. “What they truly don’t get is that if you look at what the major issue we’re facing today with these big tours is demand, which is a wonderful thing that this many people want to go to your concerts, want to go to your venues, want to come join our industry to be a part of it.”

“The biggest issue now is that demand exceeds supply for many artists”

The subsequent panel was moderated by another business titan, Irving Azoff, and featured Madison Square Garden’s James Dolan, former attorney general for the US DoJ’s antitrust division Makan Delrahim, and best-selling artist Garth Brooks.

“The biggest issue now is that demand exceeds supply for many artists,” said Azoff. “Simple economics. More people want to see Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Adele, than there are tickets for sale. Unfortunately, that means they satisfy every fan that wants to see them.

“For instance, when Adele played Madison Square Garden, four million Adele fans logged on to buy 100,000 or so tickets. With some pretty simple math there, you arrive at over three million disappointed people. There’s not a congressional hearing in the world that fixes that reality. Demand exceeds supply. There is nothing that Ticketmaster, the building or the promoter can do to fix that.”

Meanwhile, winners at last night’s Pollstar Awards included Harry Styles (Major Tour of the Year), Austin City Limits (Festival of the Year: over 30k), Glastonbury (International Music Festival of the Year), Bridgestone Arena, Nashville (Arena of the Year), The O2, London (International Venue of the Year) and Josephine Vaccarello, Madison Square Garden (Venue Executive of the Year).

The victors also included Amy Corbin, C3 Presents (Talent Buyer of the Year), Louis Messina, Messina Touring Group (Bill Graham Award — Promoter of the Year), Arthur Fogel, Live Nation (International Promoter of the Year), Adam Kornfeld, Artist Group International (Bobby Brooks Award — Agent of the Year), Emma Banks, CAA (International Booking Agent of the Year) and CAA (Booking Agency of the Year).

 


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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

 


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International live biz recognised in Pollstar Awards 2018

Some of the biggest names in live music were honoured at last night’s Pollstar Awards in Los Angeles, bringing the curtain down on the 2018 edition of the annual Pollstar Live! conference.

The awards, hosted by America’s Got Talent-winning illusionist Mat Franco, wrapped up the three-day event, whose highlights included appearances by Garth Brooks, Jon Bon Jovi and Mark Cuban along with a host of high-profile industry figures.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were presented with the major tour of the year award, with manager Tony Dimitriades picking up the gong alongside the late Petty’s band members. Petty also won rock tour of the year, while Dimitriades was named personal manager of the year.

Elsewhere, Gregg Perloff of California’s Another Planet Entertainment won the Bill Graham award for promoter of the year, with Paradigm scooping the prize for booking agency of the year. CAA’s Emma Banks was named best UK booking agent, while The O2 took home the award for international venue of the year.

Goldenvoice’s Stacy Vee, who won talent buyer of the year, thanked thank AEG, Goldenvoice, their partners at WME, CAA’s Rod Essig, the whole team at Paradigm, agent Marsha Vlasic and her husband Brian, all of whom she said “have been my champions, and especially Paul Tollett for the opportunity and kindness shown to me for a lot of years.”

Cara Lewis, meanwhile, became the first woman to win agent of the year.

A full list of Pollstar Awards 2018 winners is below:

Major Tour of the Year: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Comedy Tour of the Year: Dave Chappelle

Country Tour of the Year: Chris Stapleton

Rock Tour of the Year: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Urban / R&B Tour of the Year: Bruno Mars

Latin Tour of the Year: Enrique Iglesias

Pop Tour of the Year: Bruno Mars

Best New Headliner: Portugal. The Man

Music Festival of the Year: Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival | Indio, CA

International Music Festival of the Year: Glastonbury Festival | Pilton, UK

Nightclub of the Year: 9:30 Club | Washington, DC

Theatre of the Year: Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN

Arena of the Year: Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN

Red Rocks Award / Best Small Outdoor Venue: Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA

Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue: Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA

Best New Concert Venue: Brooklyn Steel | Brooklyn, NY

International Venue of the Year: The O2 | London, UK

Venue Executive of the Year: David Kells | Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year: Melanie Cantwell | 9:30 Club, The Anthem, Lincoln Theatre, Washington, DC

Talent Buyer of the Year: Stacy Vee | Goldenvoice

Bill Graham Award / Promoter of the Year: Gregg Perloff | Another Planet Entertainment

International Promoter of the Year: Barrie Marshall | Marshall Arts

Bobby Brooks Award / Agent of the Year: Cara Lewis | CLG – Cara Lewis Group

Third Coast Booking Agent of the Year: Joe Atamian | Paradigm Talent Agency

UK Booking Agent of the Year: Emma Banks | Creative Artists Agency UK

Independent Booking Agency of the Year: High Road Touring

Booking Agency of the Year: Paradigm Talent Agency

Rising Star: Lenore Kinder, AEG Presents

Personal Manager of the Year: Tony Dimitriades | Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Road Warrior of the Year: Dale “Opie” Skjerseth | The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses

Lighting Company of the Year: Upstaging

Sound Company of the Year: Clair Global

Staging / Equipment: Company of the Year: Stageco

Transportation Company of the Year: Rock-It Cargo

Video Company of the Year: Moo TV

Tech Enhancement of the Year: 3D Live, Flying Lotus

 


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Dio hologram gearing up for world tour

Eyellusion’s hologram of the late Ronnie James Dio – last seen at Wacken Open Air in August – made his US debut on Friday, at the Pollstar Awards in Los Angeles, ahead of a world tour planned for later this year.

As at W:O:A, ‘Ronnie’ was backed by his former band, now known as Dio’s Disciples, and performed ‘We Rock’, from 1984’s The Last in Line.

“We were thrilled to give this audience just a taste of the experience that we will start to tour globally later this year,” says Jeff Pezzuti, CEO of Eyellusion, an LA-based developer of holograms for the live music business. “This ‘We Rock’ performance is now being retired and production is underway on a full show.

“We are pulling out all the stops to create a live experience that is unlike anything Ronnie’s fans have seen before.”

 


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