2026 Impact 50 Honoree: Michael Rapino

MICHAEL RAPINO
President & CEO
Live Nation

LIFE-CHANGING CONCERT:  Jeff Healey
BY THE NUMBER: 159 million. Record-setting amount of fans Live Nation hosted in 2025 with a majority coming from international markets.

What a year for Live Nation and its longtime head Michael Rapino. The company once again boasted record revenue — $25.2 billion with nearly $21 billion from concerts — but also faced its biggest challenge yet: a finding by a federal jury that the company and its ticketing arm operated as an illegal monopoly. Seemingly unfazed, Rapino continues to follow his philosophy: play the long game.

Pollstar: How are you and your business handling 2026’s uneven economic conditions, including market volatility, inflation and flattening growth in the live business?

Michael Rapino: Even in volatile economic environments, we are seeing around the world that fans will consistently choose to invest in real-life, shared experiences over material goods. This demand keeps the live industry remarkably insulated and reinforces our confidence in sustained, long-term global growth.

What innovative, out-of-the-box initiatives have inspired you and why?

The Sphere in Las Vegas. What James Dolan has done there is pure genius. It completely redefines the structural and visual boundaries of what a live venue can be, and it pushes the entire industry to think bigger about the consumer experience.

What’s your take on “blue dot fever?”

It’s a catchy phrase manufactured for clickbait, but the underlying narrative completely collapses when you look at the actual data. This is a standard, healthy touring year. Less than 1% of our global shows face cancellations, which is in line with historical averages. Global demand is climbing, aggregate ticket sales are up, and 2026 is tracking to be another record-breaking year for the business.

What’s ahead for you and your business for the rest of 2026/’27? 

Our core focus remains aggressive global expansion: building out infrastructure in emerging territories to connect global artists with untapped audiences.