Features
2023 Women of Live: Brittanie Delava
Vice-President, Global Touring | AEG Presents
Brittanie Delava’s 2022 was a year to remember.
In February, she was named vice president of global touring at AEG Presents, where she’s worked since 2016.
In June, she had a baby.
In between, she hit the Cruel World festival, the “honorable mention” for her favorite show of the year.
“Jenn Yacoubian did such a great job curating the lineup that I attended it eight months pregnant. I couldn’t miss my chance to see Bauhaus!” she tells Pollstar.
She says she’s been “slowly figuring out how to balance work and life all over again” and managed to see some great shows.
“Charley Crockett at The Fonda this past December was my favorite show I’ve seen in a really long time. Charley is just so talented, so authentic, and a nice human to boot. He sold out two nights at The Fonda – so it was twice as nice,” she says.
Delava was particularly proud of promoting Swedish rock band Ghost on a fall arena tour.
“I feel like it was a real marker in the band’s career,” she says.
Looking into 2023, Delava wonders if there’s a tipping point for fans on the cost of going to a show.
“I feel like we are teetering on the edge of ticket prices just being too high,” she says. “Expenses for both promoters and artists continue to increase. The solution thus far has been to raise ticket prices but I think consumers are growing tired of it. I don’t know… for now ticket sales have remained steady but I just have a feeling a wall is going to be hit.”
Like many of her cohorts on the list, Delava said it’s important to perceive progress for women in the industry as a journey that’s continuing rather than one that’s reached its destination.
“I think the industry is becoming more inclusive but still has a long way to go,” she says. “Until nearly every executive suite is 50/50 men and women, we haven’t made it.”
And for those just getting started, she offers this: “The way to move forward is to just put one foot in front of the other. You can’t leap to the next step so just enjoy the journey and do your best right now.”