– Tara Traub

Tara Traub

SVP, Touring, Live Nation

Live Nation has been mostly a sleeping giant since 2020. As a true touring force, the company’s prime function wasn’t allowed to happen for the vast majority of the year, and it’ll take a while to figure out 2021 and beyond. But that doesn’t mean the company’s most talented execs haven’t been busy.

“When Live Nation launched the Crew Nation fund in 2020, I wanted to help in any way,” says Tara Traub, known for instrumental roles in tours such as Michelle Obama’s recent arena book tour for her successful memoir “Becoming.” “Crew are the backbone of our

industry and allow us to accomplish everything we do on the road. I worked closely with our merch division to create the Crew Nation merch apparel and products, with all proceeds benefiting the fund. We thought it was a fun way to help raise awareness and donations for the fund in order to help our crew family hit so hard by the pandemic.”

As many have said, it’s only a matter of when for the concert business, and Live Nation’s vertical integration means the company is poised to pick up where it left off.

“It’s no secret we’re all anxious and excited to bring back live,” Traub says. “This past year has taught us how resilient this industry is as a whole, and there is no doubt we will come back stronger and more dynamic. We know both fans and artists are excited to connect again at shows, and we look forward to helping create the magic of live again soon.”

Traub adds, “Music has always been the best form of therapy. So many artists put out such incredible music during the last year. Listening to their new music and anticipating seeing the songs live helped me stay focused.” And, when the time comes to go back to shows, “If it’s live and someone’s on a stage, I’ll be there.”