Michael Rapino On Charlie Rose: 'I Wanted To Be Michael Cohl'

Michael Rapino recently sat down for a video interview with TV host Charlie Rose, where the Live Nation president and CEO discussed the rise of the stadium tour, evolving musical genres and the company’s commitment to artists.

Rose introduced Rapino by quoting U2 frontman Bono, who said of the former small-town Canadian kid: “See Michael at a show and it’s clear what drives him. You think every gig is his first.”

“I got real lucky when I was young,” Rapino told Rose, adding that the first concert he attended was by Robert Plant.

Rapino goes on to reminisce about reading about Michael Cohl taking over the Rolling Stones tour from Bill Graham Presents to become the first real global concert promoter, adding, “I wanted to be Michael Cohl.”

Rapino is set to speak at the Pollstar Live! conference, where he’ll be joined by Mark Cuban, Troy Carter and many other heavy-hitters in the concert and entertainment business Feb. 6-8 in Los Angeles.

Live Nation’s stock price recently hit new highs, closing at $46.16 Nov. 14. Shares are up more than 70 percent on the year, and 58 percent on the last 12 months. Rapino called the recent third fiscal quater the company’s best ever. The company on Nov. 2 reported earnings of $136.4 million, or 53 cents on a per-share basis compared with $111.03 million last year, while posting revenue of $3.56 billion in the quarter, up from $3.17 billion a year ago.

Also making news was Ticketmaster’s integration to YouTube, where fans can click links to buy tickets during videos. Unveiled Nov. 14, the collaboration gives YouTube viewers dates for upcoming shows and links to Ticketmaster to get them one step closer to purchase.