AEG Presents appoints VP, international touring
AEG Presents has appointed prolific talent booker Jay Belin as VP, international touring.
Belin, who began his career at AEG subsidiary The Bowery Presents, brings more than 17 years of live music experience and will be tasked with executing major concerts across Europe with the company’s global touring division.
Directly reporting to SVPs of global touring Michael Harrison and Simon Jones, Belin will initially be based in AEG Presents’ New York office before relocating to AEG Europe’s London HQ. His roles and responsibilities will focus on European touring operations and projects for global touring clients.
“Jay has been a close friend for many years and I’m so excited for him to join our team as our focus on global growth continues,” says Rich Schaefer, AEG’s president of global touring. “His background in live music touches almost every single part of the ecosystem, which gives him invaluable insight into artist relations and where our business is headed. I expect Jay will quickly become an important asset to our touring artists and promoters around the globe.”
“Jay has been a close friend for many years and I’m so excited for him to join our team as our focus on global growth continues”
Belin cut his teeth booking shows at the Mercury Lounge in New York for The Bowery Presents before spending two years as senior talent buyer at Live Nation, booking venues across New York City, Long Island and New Jersey.
He then spent the next ten years at WME, where he booked domestic and international tours in the agency’s New York and London offices, respectively. He has worked with artists such as Vampire Weekend, Mac Miller, FKA twigs, Nines, Don Toliver, Pulp, Kali Uchis, Joey Bada$$, James Murphy and Zach Bryan.
“AEG Presents is an artist-first organisation and that is something you can’t fake,” adds Belin. “In a world where authenticity still counts for something, Rich’s vision and the team executing it embody that spirit. We all arrived at AEG through a shared love of live music and being a conduit to help artists bring that experience to their fans is an irreplaceable feeling.”
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AEG Presents ups Rich Schaefer to president, global touring
AEG Presents has promoted Rich Schaefer to president of global touring, following the departure of Gary Gersh.
Schaefer will oversee all aspects of the company’s worldwide touring deals, operations, and talent relations, and will report to Jay Marciano, chairman and CEO of AEG Presents and COO of AEG.
He will also be joining the company’s executive committee in conjunction with his promotion.
Schaefer previously held the title of senior vice president, global touring, and joined AEG Presents in 2018 to help build and develop the newly created division.
According to the company, he has played a key role in many of AEG Presents’ touring partnerships, having helped sign and promote artists such as Kane Brown, Kacey Musgraves, Zach Bryan, Leon Bridges, Carin Leon, Hugh Jackman, Tame Impala, and Maggie Rogers, among others.
“Rich has a wealth of experience across every level of the concert business”
“Rich has a wealth of experience across every level of the concert business,” says Marciano. “His rapport with artists, managers and agents, along with his attention to detail and follow-through, have made him a critical member of our team. I’m thrilled to elevate him to president of global touring.”
Schaefer adds: “I am very excited to step into this new role leading global touring, and I’m extremely grateful for the support from Jay and everyone at AEG Presents. Our priority is to continue executing at the highest level for our clients, their teams and fans.”
Schaefer was a co-founder of LoyalT Management before joining AEG Presents. A New York native, Schaefer will continue to work out of the company’s offices there.
AEG Presents’ Global Touring team has promoted tours for Elton John, Blackpink, Tyler, The Creator, Luke Combs, Journey, $uicideboy$, John Mellencamp and more.
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Gary Gersh steps down at AEG Presents
Gary Gersh, president of global touring at AEG Presents, plans to step down after eight years at the company.
His departure was announced by AEG Presents chairman Jay Marciano, who broke the news to AEG staff in a memo.
Gersh’s former role will be filled by Rich Schaefer, who is currently the company’s senior vice president of global touring.
In his own letter addressed to staff, Gersh said: “I have made the very difficult choice to step away from my position here at AEG Presents. This was not a decision I came to lightly, as working alongside everyone at this company these past eight years has been a career highlight for me, but I’m excited about the prospects ahead and look forward to us crossing paths again in the future… I couldn’t be more proud to place the global touring division in the very capable hands of my longtime friend and partner in business Rich Schaefer.”
“This was not a decision I came to lightly, as working alongside everyone at this company has been a career highlight for me”
Marciano added: “Gary played a vital role in the development and growth of global touring; his energy, passion and initiative helped nurture an embryonic idea into a powerhouse team that has made a substantial impact on both our business specifically and the industry as a whole.”
Commenting on Schaefer’s new role, Marciano said: “Rich, who has been SVP of the division since joining the company in 2018, has an extensive resume and years of experience beyond his current duties here. He started his career in artist development at a record label before moving into management, where he spent two decades working across all aspects of artists’ careers while also developing a speciality in touring. He brings a thorough understanding of our business to the job and is looking forward to hitting the ground running and executing at the highest level on behalf of both global touring and AEG Presents. Rich will continue to be based out of New York, but we should all expect to be seeing more of him in Los Angeles.”
Gersh joined AEG in 2015 but he began his career in the 1980s, serving as an A&R exec at Geffen Records, where he played a key role in signing artists such as Sonic Youth and Nirvana to the label.
During the 1990s, Gersh led Capitol Records and launched G.A.S Entertainment with John Silva. A veteran talent manager, Gersh also led The Artist Organization, representing artists such as Lenny Kravitz and John Legend.
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