2025 Impact 50 Honoree: Arthur Fogel

ARTHUR FOGEL
President of Global Touring & Chairman, Concerts
Live Nation

AT THE COPA: Organized Gaga’s Brazil beach record-breaker.
ROAD NOTABLES: Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Oasis, Sting, Justin Timberlake.

Arthur Fogel is one of those carve-it-in-stone no-doubter entries on Pollstar’s annual list of live’s most powerful and impactful figures. He is, after all, the man Bono – who might know something about it – once called “clearly the most important person in the live music world.”

But Impact 50 isn’t a lifetime achievement award and to that end, Fogel has had yet another stellar year, which is maybe predictable given his track record, but nonetheless still impressive.

“This has been an incredibly busy and rewarding year. In addition to playing a key role in overall global touring management, I’ve been directly involved with major tours for many of my clients, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Oasis, Sting and Justin Timberlake,” he says. “I’ve also supported high-profile tours for other artists such as Usher and Nine Inch Nails. The scale and diversity of these projects made this year particularly impactful.”

Beyoncé continues to set the bar for the live industry, this year having multiple five-show runs at NFL venues like SoFi Stadium, which was 2025’s highest-grossing concert engagement reported to Pollstar at the time of publication at $55.7 million. 

Lady Gaga’s free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, drew 2.5 million, making it the highest-attended standalone concert ever. Gargantuan shows at the famous beach seem to be a new Fogel calling card: last year, Madonna drew a staggering 1.6 million there.

Given his enviable run of success, it’s easy to see why Fogel sees the live business cutting through any economic, political and social headwinds.

“Challenges like these have always been part of the touring business,” he says. “We take a strategic and adaptive approach to managing these changes. Growth continues to take many forms – the development of new artists, expanding global markets, and increased fan engagement are driving a live business that is thriving, not flattening.”