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Dave Grohl, Michael Rapino Announced For Pollstar Live! Conversation
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Dave Grohl and Michael Rapino will appear in conversation at this year’s Pollstar Live! conference.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl will appear in conversation with Live Nation Entertainment President and CEO Michael Rapino at this year’s Pollstar Live! conference, which takes place Feb. 11-13 in Los Angeles.
The two leading industry figures will discuss their experiences in the music business at the Beverly Hilton on Feb. 12.
Rapino, who has served as Live Nation president and CEO since 2005, is among the industry’s most influential figures. Comprised of three prominent divisions — Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Sponsorship — Live Nation operates in more than 40 countries and generates annual revenue exceeding $10 billion. The company annuals sells more than 500 million tickets, promotes more than 30,000 events, partners with more than 1,000 sponsors and manages the careers of more than 500 artists.
And Live Nation’s business only continues to grow. In 2018, the company’s profit margins and share prices increased. Last October, Live Nation acquired a majority stake in concert promotion company Emporium Presents.
In December 2017, Live Nation extended Rapino’s contract through the end of 2022. The executive also participated in a keynote Q&A at the 2018 Pollstar Live! conference.
Grohl and Foo Fighters, meanwhile, remain a formidable force well into their third decade as a band. The alt-rock mainstays appeared on Pollstar‘s Year End Top 100 Worldwide Tours three out of the last four years — the exception being 2016, when they played only one concert — and grossed $241 million along the way. Their last album, 2017’s Concrete and Gold, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s albums chart and featured “Run,” which won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
Grohl’s combined discography — dating back to his time as a drummer in Nirvana — has sold more than 75 million copies, and the beloved rocker has won 16 Grammy Awards. He has also collaborated with legends including Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Neil Young, Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.
Grohl joins an impressive slate of artists already booked to appear at Pollstar Live! that includes George Clinton, Khalid and Jim James.
Other Pollstar Live! speakers include The Messina Touring Group’s Louis Messina, Live Nation Entertainment’s Arthur Fogel, William Morris Endeavor’s Greg Oswald, Ticketmaster’s Kathryn Frederick, Artist Growth’s Matt Urmy, Paradigm’s Marty Diamond, Nederlander’s Alex Hodges, Live Nation’s Bob Roux, Kevin Lyman Group’s Kevin Lyman, CID Entertainment’s Dan Berkowitz, WME’s Tony Goldring, Live Nation’s John Reid and C3 Presents’ Leca Guimarães.
Pollstar Live!, the live industry’s premiere conference and awards, will take place Feb. 11-13 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The first day of the three-day conference is dedicated to Production Live!, which this year features programming led by production legend Jake Berry (who worked on tours by U2, Rolling Stones and Beyoncé to AC/DC, Madonna and Motley Crue among others).
For more information about this year’s Pollstar Live! conference and to register for the event, click here.