Pollstar Live! Speakers Announced For ‘State Of Independents’ Panel 

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) and Megan Stoll of Duck Club Entertainment have been confirmed for the Pollstar Live! panel “State of Independents.”

While two major promoters and a half-dozen alphabet agencies have their hands on an estimated 70% of the overall global concert business, rumors of the demise of independent promoters and agencies 20 years ago turn out to be greatly exaggerated. That doesn’t mean independent agents and promoters, and the venues with whom they share a symbiotic relationship, don’t still face challenges; but they counter market forces through competing intelligently, managing risk, and focusing on over-delivering for artists, partners, and fans. This panel will take a look at the current state of affairs for independents, the challenges they face, and the opportunities on the horizon.

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.

Pollstar Live! starts with Production Live!, the one-day companion conference 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.

The Pollstar Live! schedule will include artist Q&As, interactive industry “Town Halls” and more industry topics and issue-related content than ever before, including genre-specific analyses and sector-oriented drill downs for talent buyers, festivals, venues, promoters, agents, marketers, ticketers, tech, casinos, merchandisers, branding specialists, safety/security professionals and international event producers. Among the topics addressed are Are We in a Market Correction?, ROCK IS BACK!, South Asian Artists & Markets: Is it a Niche or a Trend?, and State of Mid-Level & Boutique Festivals.

Production Live! will once again seek to facilitate engagement between the primary industry of tour planners, managers, agents and promoters, with the highly-skilled road teams tasked with executing the artist’s vision on the stage. Topics include National Tour Deals vs. Market-By-Market: What It Means for Production Teams, Best Laid Plans: Reconciling Touring Ambition with Reality, DAY-OF-SHOW: Who Has Their Sh*t Together (AND Who Doesn’t)?, and Staying Mentally, Physically and Financially Healthy on the Road, as well as the return of the popular Tour Managers Roundtable: Ask Us Anything!

Previously confirmed speakers include MusiCares’ Wade Johnson, Backline’s Hilary Gleason, Recovery Unplugged’s Jason Cabello, Life’s Jam’s Rachael Bronstein, C3 Presents’ Bryan Benson, WME’s Josh Kurfirst and Brett Schaffer, CAA’s Matt Schultz, Danny Wimmer Presents’ Chamie McCurry and Del Williams, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ Sheri Sternberg, Paladin Artists’ Bruce Solar, AEG Presents’ Rich Schaefer, Dreamliner’s Rich Thomson, Oak View Group’s Ray Waddell, Pioneer Coach’s Wayne Linder, Life Jam’s Rachael Bronstein, UTA’s Mike G and Eddie Clemens, Messina Touring Group’s Meesha Kosciolek, 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 and Wasserman Music’s Lee Anderson, Kiely Mosiman and Lenore Kinder.

Stay tuned for more announcements and 2025 speakers.

The 2024 edition of Pollstar Live! set a record in attendance with a lineup of speakers that included Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament, Los Angeles Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer; Jon Bon Jovi; Full Stop Management CEO Jeffrey Azoff; Executive Chairman and CEO of Sphere James L. Dolan; Live Nation President of U.S. Concerts Bob Roux; Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks; CEO of Oak View Group (Pollstar parent company) Tim Leiweke; CAA Head of Music, Partner and Managing Director Rob Light and many more.

Pollstar Live! also includes the 36th annual Pollstar Awards celebrating the live entertainment industry’s most innovative artists, venues, companies, tours and executives.

The most recent Pollstar Awards show was held at the iconic Wiltern in Los Angeles and was hosted by comedian, author and actor Tom Papa.

Pollstar Live! 2025 is presented by Lockton and Ticketmaster.

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