Dan Steinberg: ‘Promoter 101’ Podcast To End In October At IEBA Conference

Jason Squires – Promoter 101
Luke Pierece, Entourage Talent’a Wayne Forte and Dan Steinberg.

Dan Steinberg announced today (May 24) that “Promoter 101,” the popular industry podcast that he founded with co-host Luke Pierce of Works Management, will end in October.

In a post to Facebook, Steinberg wrote, “Luke and Dan will take the next few months to close out this chapter of their lives with all our listeners with some amazing final interviews and one last special live podcasting Nashville at the Keynote at the IEBA Conference.”

Over more than 150 podcasts (and counting), Steinberg and Pierce turned what could have been a dry discussion of the concert industry into “can’t miss” listening, earning a legion of fans and bringing sometimes interview-shy industry execs to the show for freewheeling conversations.

Often, “Promoter 101” broadcast live from industry conferences and trade shows, including its most popular episode – an interview by Steinberg with Live Nation President/CEO Michael Rapino as a keynote presentation at Pollstar Live! in February 2018. Steinberg and Pierce first brought “Promoter 101” to Pollstar Live! one year earlier in Los Angeles.

Steinberg had recently cut back on his “Promoter 101” duties, after partnering his promotion company, Emporium Presents, with Live Nation, which acquired a majority stake in October.

“Promoter 101” was launched in October 2016 with CAA Music Department founder Tom Ross as its first guest (though AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano had been recorded earlier). The idea for the podcast had its roots on social media, where Steinberg was regularly posting humorous anecdotes about the life of a concert promoter with the hashtag #promoter101.

The program quickly went viral and made an industry star of Steinberg, who was already an in-demand speaker on conference panels and industry events. He tapped Pierce as his on-air foil and a the rest is history.

Over the years, “Promoter 101” has hosted such industry luminaries as Marc Geiger, Alex Hodges, Mark Campana, Marsha Vlasic, Tom Windish, Shep Gordon and Bob Roux, as well as scores of people who names may not be as well-known but who make the day-to-day business work.

In an interview with Pollstar last year, Steinberg reflected on “Promoter 101” and the responsibility he felt with it.

“I feel like there’s no one that won’t take my phone call at this point and for that I feel very lucky and blessed,” Steinberg said. “There’s a responsibility with the podcast not to destroy anyone’s relationships with the industry. They’re trusting me with their career. I can edit it in any which way to make them look like a total ass if I want. I could change the sound or the tone of how it comes out. But no one has ever complained about the way their interview came out and you don’t hear people say, ‘Don’t do that because Dan will screw you.’ I take great pride in that and take it very seriously.”