2022 Impact 50: David Marcus

EVP Music
Ticketmaster

For Ticketmaster EVP David Marcus, returning value to artists is a major goal in the post-pandemic world, “ensuring that concert tickets are priced properly so that artists, their crews and partners can realize the value of the experiences they create.” He adds, “We’re also really digging into building out tools to help emerging artists better engage with their fans. There are huge opportunities in the artist-to-fan and creator tools space; we are excited about our opportunity to offer emerging artists fan engagement platforms that are integrated with our ticketing around the world.”

International is critical in Ticketmaster’s strategy. Marcus says, “We’re also focused on building out a truly global footprint for our artist- driven ticketing capabilities – taking our technology and expertise on tour with the world’s biggest artists so they can engage their fans consistently across their global tours.”

 In spite of challenges, Marcus marvels at the power of demand: “We’re seeing record demand for concert tickets with no signs of it slowing down. The pandemic really brought home the power of coming together, and the fact that there is no substitute for the live experience. … From Bad Bunny to Morgan Wallen to The Weeknd and Coldplay, we’ve had to rebuild the teams and capabilities that much of the industry had taken for granted, and in doing so, we posted one of the best years on record. And we’re headed into an even more remarkable concert year.”

For Ticketmaster, as with so many industry leaders, diversity remains a priority. Marcus explains, “We have committed to increasing diversity at every level of our company, increasing our spend with Black and minority-owned vendors and amplifying social justice causes.

“In particular, “he continues, “the explosion of Latin touring over the last few years has driven the Ticketmaster Music to focus on these artists and their fans. We have added Dyann Lesnever to lead our efforts in this area, and her industry expertise and knowledge of the genre has helped Ticketmaster support record-breaking tours for artists like Bad Bunny, Grupo Firme, Daddy Yankee and Los Bukis.”