Women of Live Hall Of Fame: Melissa Ormond

Melissa Ormond
COO, Festivals | AEG Presents
COO | Goldenvoice

“Can’t tell you how proud I am of Melissa. We first met years ago when she worked with Ron Delsener … and look where she is now! The growth of her career has been amazing. She’s a wife, she’s a mother and look at how successful her career is! She’s a winner all around and I couldn’t be prouder! She has proven that women can do it all!” — Marsha Vlasic, Vice-Chair Of The Music Division, IAG

If there ever was a title of “Queen of Live,” it might very well go to Melissa Ormond, whose trajectory in the live music business is unmatched having served in leadership roles at Madison Square Garden Entertainment and House of Blues Entertainment/Universal Concerts/MCA Concerts in Los Angeles before becoming chief operating officer of Goldenvoice.

She’s impacted the industry time and time again from clubs to amphitheaters to the festival circuit, making Ormond a shoo-in for Pollstar’s Women of Live Hall of Fame.

But in true Ormond fashion, she didn’t want to discuss her impact or stacked resume. She’d rather recognize the people who have paved the road for women like her to succeed in the industry and helped her ascend the corporate ladder after graduating with a political science degree and interning for Sen. Bob Dole.

“Our industry has had amazing trailblazers, including AEG Presents’ own Debra Rathwell and Susan Rosenbluth,” Ormond, who also serves as COO of festivals at Goldenvoice, told Pollstar.

“Others I admire for their careers and impact on the live business include Barbara Skydel, Marsha Vlasic, Carole Kinzel and Cara Lewis.”

Every name she mentioned has been is being recognized in Pollstar’s Women of Live Hall of Fame, and plenty more will be added over the years as long as women continue to support one another and companies make the effort to promote inclusivity.

She’s happy to report that AEG Presents and Goldenvoice are doing just this.

“Women have been making amazing music for decades!” Ormond said. “Certainly, female performers are breaking through on a larger scale. Female headliners like Taylor Swift giving more up-and-coming female artists support slots are a huge boost. Similarly, festival bookers and producers have similar platforms to foster female talent. … DE&I initiatives continue to be a big priority at AEG Presents and Goldenvoice so that we create the most welcoming and supportive work environment for all our employees. I’m excited to note that 55% of all Goldenvoice employees are women and 50% of AEG Presents employees are women!”

It’s an encouraging note from Ormond, who has seen it all having worked at various levels in live music. Her first gig in the business was working at 9:30 Club, and she quickly ascended to general manager. She eventually found her way to L.A.’s Universal Amphitheatre, an iconic venue that was demolished in 2013, working for Jay Marciano at MCA Concerts before taking over as president of MSGE.

She left the live business to raise her children and worked as a consultant for about three years. Then her old friend Jay Marciano gave her a call, and Ormond returned to the industry in 2017, overseeing major festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach as well as AEG’s major tours. That track record made Ormond a factotum in the live business, and she credits her jack-of-all trades skill as the secret to her success.

“Learn as much as you can about every aspect of our business — don’t let yourself get siloed in a singular function,” Ormond says to young women working in live music. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. Women bring different qualities and capabilities to the workplace than men and need to feel confident in their unique contributions.” Spoken like a true female trailblazer.