LN Licenses HoB to Harrah’s

Harrah’s Entertainment and Live Nation have entered into a licensing agreement that turns day-to-day operation, including booking, of the House of Blues club at Atlantic City’s Showboat over to the casino/hotel.

Most of the HoB employees will be retained and continue to run the venue, which is expected to run more seamlessly with the casino in control of the guest experience, according to the city’s Courier-Post.

Live Nation spokesman John Vlautin told Pollstar that the company wouldn’t disclose a dollar value on the licensing deal, but that it made sense to make it.

"We’re licensing the House of Blues name to them and they’re running the club at that location now. The majority of the staff will remain.

"We made the business decision that it was better to do the licensing agreement with Harrah’s than to continue to operate it ourselves."

Showboat’s Senior VP and GM Jay Snowden told the Courier-Post that the resort could better cater to its clientele, which trends more toward baby boomers than the younger set.

"This gives us control over what happens from a calendar perspective," Snowden told the paper. "It allows us to do a lot more of what works well, and less of what hasn’t worked so well."

HoB Atlantic City GM Michael Grozier is no longer on-site at the venue under the new agreement. Previously, HoB operated independently within the resort, giving consideration to the gaming company’s needs when making bookings. Now, Showboat controls all booking.

Despite the deal, the House of Blues brand is in Atlantic City for the foreseeable future, according to all parties. The agreement includes operation of The Foundation Room and House of Blues restaurant, and those are expected to operate unchanged from Live Nation’s oversight.

"No way we’ll dismantle the House of Blues," Snowden told the Post-Courier. "We’re very happy with it. Now, we’ll have a better integrated guest experience."