Steve Ballmer & Gary Kurfirst To Be Honored At Pollstar Live!, iHeartRadio’s Valentine To Host Awards Show 

The Pollstar Awards will present LA Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer with The Visionary Award, as well as posthumously honoring legendary artist manager Gary Kurfirst with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The 36th annual awards show, which takes place April 16 during the Pollstar Live! conference at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, will be hosted by iHeartRadio personality Valentine.

Today’s announcement notes that iHeartRadio is partnering with the Pollstar Awards for the first time, bringing its vast reach and deep connection to music fans to the prestigious event.

“I am so honored to be a part of this year’s ceremony,” Valentine said in a statement. “Hosting a live morning show at iHeartRadio Los Angeles has given me — and our listeners —access to some of the most unforgettable moments in live music. It’s a privilege to celebrate and recognize our inductees, whose contributions continue to keep the unifying power of live music thriving.”

The Visionary Award recognizes individuals whose innovation, inspiration, and vision have made a lasting impact on the live entertainment industry. Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft and current Chairman of the LA Clippers, Intuit Dome and Kia Forum, has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to transformative projects that elevate both sports and entertainment. His leadership in bringing the Intuit Dome to life, dedication to community-driven initiatives, and instrumental role in FireAid — a groundbreaking benefit concert raising over $100M for wildfire relief, with two sold-out venues, 50M viewers across 28 streaming platforms, and over 50 sponsors — underscore his visionary impact. Donations to FireAid remain open, with Connie and Steve Ballmer matching every contribution for the next year, ensuring an even greater impact to the L.A. community.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have shaped the live entertainment industry through decades of influence and leadership. This year, Pollstar proudly presents this award posthumously to Gary Kurfirst, who died in 2009. Kurfirst was a music business pioneer, legendary artist manager, promoter, and label executive whose 40-year career started in the mid-60’s and helped launch and sustain the careers of genre defining artists like Talking Heads, The Ramones, Mountain, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Deborah Harry, The B-52s, Jane’s Addiction, and Shirley Manson. His visionary work continues to inspire music executives and artists, and shape modern day touring and festivals, solidifying his place among the most impactful figures in live entertainment history. The inaugural Pollstar Honors Award for lifetime achievement was presented in 2015 to Barbara “Mother” Hubbard.

In March it was announced that iconic artist Stevie Nicks, acclaimed international promoter Barrie Marshall, legendary promoter Louis Messina, and historic Nashville venue Ryman Auditorium will be inducted into the Pollstar Live! Music Hall of Fame during the Pollstar Awards.

The Pollstar Awards recognize and celebrate the most innovative and successful artists, tours, companies, venues, and executives.

Pollstar Awards to be presented include Major Tour of the Year, with nominees including Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres World Tour,” Morgan Wallen’s “One Night At A Time 2024,” Noah Kahan’s “We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts World Tour,” Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” and Zach Bryan’s “The Quittin Time Tour.” Additional tour, event, and artist categories include Rock, Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, Country, Latin, and Comedy tours of the year; Support/Special Guest Act of the Year; Residency of the Year; Family, Event or Non-Music Tour of the Year; and New Headliner of the Year. Venue and festival awards include Music Festival of The Year, International Music Festival of The Year, Nightclub of the Year, Theatre of the Year, Arena of the Year, Red Rocks Award for Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year, Stadium of the Year, and more. The awards also honor venue executives, talent buyers, promoters, agents, agencies, talent managers, tour managers and more.

Award recipients are chosen by Pollstar’s editorial team based on touring and live event hosting success as quantified by Pollstar data, as well as qualitative factors such as historical impact, cultural significance, critical acclaim, and multiple Pollstar Award wins voted upon by the live industry.

Pollstar Live!, the world’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals, will take place April 15-17 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. As previously announced, the conference was pushed back to April from its original dates in February to ensure that the conference does not distract critical resources in Los Angeles following the devastating wildfires so that the focus can remain on rebuilding efforts. The three-day conference is the flagship event for Pollstar and offers engaging discussions and keynote conversations led by the top visionaries and executives in the live business along with plenty of networking opportunities.

The event kicks off April 15 with Production Live!, the one-day companion conference to Pollstar Live! that features insightful panels and discussions from industry professionals on all topics related to putting on live events including lighting, video, concert production and more.

Previously confirmed speakers include Warped Tour’s Kevin Lyman, WME’s Josh Kurfirst and Brett Schaffer, CAA’s Ryan Harlacher and Matt Schultz, Danny Wimmer Presents’ Chamie McCurry and Del Williams, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ Sheri Sternberg, Paladin Artists’ Bruce Solar, AEG Presents’ Rich Schaefer, Annie Flook of Propeller, Mollie Lehman of Chorus, Meredith Peters of Laylo, Aaron Summer of Mick Management, MusiCares’ Wade Johnson, Backline’s Hilary Gleason, Recovery Unplugged’s Jason Cabello, Life’s Jam’s Rachael Bronstein, C3 Presents’ Bryan Benson, Dreamliner’s Rich Thomson, Oak View Group’s Ray Waddell, Pioneer Coach’s Wayne Linder, Life Jam’s Rachael Bronstein, Messina Touring Group’s Meesha Kosciolek and Kara Smoak, Houston Productions’ Kell Houston, Arrival Artists’ Erik Selz, MGM Resorts International’s Paul Davis, 313 Presents’ Sarah Zawalski, Harris Blitzer Sports And Entertainment’s Sean Saadeh, Wayne Forte of Entourage Talent Associates, LTD, Randy Nichols of Fly South Music / Force Media Management, Steve Schenck of TKO, Stephen Parker of National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), Megan Stoll of Duck Club Entertainment, Julie Black of Premier Aviation, David Kiely of Roadshow Services, Mark Larson of Beat The Street, Wayne Linder of Pioneer Coach, Inc., Rich Thomson of Dreamliner Luxury Coaches, Mark DiDia of Red Light Management, Amanda Phelan of Insomniac, Keith Cunningham of KLOS-FM Los Angeles / Meruelo Media, Allison Hagendorf of A-Game Productions, Wasserman Music’s Lee Anderson, Kiely Mosiman and Lenore Kinder, and UTA’s Mike G and Eddie Clemens and Ken Fermaglich.

Pollstar Live! 2025 is presented by Lockton and Ticketmaster.

Visit https://www.pollstar.live/ for more information and to register for Pollstar Live!