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Rick Mueller, President – North America, AEG Presents
– Rick Mueller
– Rick Mueller
The Caretakers
Executives making the right moves to keep careers, companies, shows, the business, rolling. Operators as opposed to architects.
Rick Mueller
President – North America, AEG Presents
Since becoming North American president of AEG Presents earlier this decade, Rick Mueller has overseen the promoter’s continued expansion, from clubs and theaters to massive festivals including Coachella and nostalgic one-off Desert Trip.
AEG Presents also has major tours with affiliates like Concerts West (The Rolling Stones) and The Messina Group, which last year had Taylor Swift’s massive stadium tour and Ed Sheeran’s record-breaker.
This year, along with the Stones, more heavy-hitting North American AEG and AEG partner tours include Kelly Clarkson and Eric Church, who is playing mostly doubles at arenas grossing between $2 million and $3 million on each pair.
For Mueller and AEG, 2019 has continued apace – which is to say, impressively. AEG’s 2016 acquisition of regional promoter and venue operator The Bowery Presents yielded its high-profile fruit yet when, in April, the two entities reopened a renovated Webster Hall in Manhattan’s East Village in conjunction with BSE Global; the historic venue has already hosted Jay-Z, Halsey and Vampire Weekend, with other marquee artists on the horizon.
And while AEG’s presence in New York is stronger than ever, Mueller has also overseen its expansion in other North American markets. In March, the company announced plans to exclusively book and operate Detroit’s Masonic Temple Theatre and Cathedral Theatre; last fall, AEG reached an exclusive booking agreement with Dallas venues The Bomb Factory and Canton Hall. In February, AEG partnered with Georgia promoter Zero Mile Presents, strengthening its presence throughout the Southeastern U.S., particularly at popular Atlanta venues such as Variety Playhouse and Terminal West.
Going forward, several new AEG-affiliated venues are in the works, including 2,200-capacity Atlanta room The Eastern and a still-unnamed, 3,500-capacity room in Boston, which are collaborations with Zero Mile and Bowery, respectively. Come August, new AEG venue Mission Ballroom will open in Denver, with shows by The Lumineers and Trey Anastasio Band.