Lieberbergs: ‘We Focus On Us’

Some eight months later, the German live market is flourishing, with no apparent signs of major disruptions caused by the entertainment giant. This should come as no surprise, as CEO Marek Lieberberg had been Live Nation’s de facto touring arm for more than a decade. The promoter organized up to 1,000 concerts per year, everything from grassroots concerts to stadium tours.

“That remains our benchmark,” he told Pollstar. His son and president of Live Nation GSA, André Lieberberg, adds that “nothing has changed for our existing clients. The volume has been enormous from the start, with all the club, mid-size, arena and stadium tours, most of which boasted sensational content and fantastic sales.”

Both men are joined by Matt Schwarz, who took on the role as COO/managing director. It’s a triumvirate that is all set to continue what Marek Lieberberg has built over the past 40 years.

“We did not set out to conquer entire countries or take over businesses,” he said. “We set out to deliver professional expertise in three countries, grow organically and focus on us. We want to promote Live Nation’s genuine tours in the most professional way people have come to know Live Nation for. That’s our primary task.

“In a second step, we’ll be looking into how to enhance that. Of course we have always been and are interested in adding relevant local acts, but the company needs to grow organically and continuously. Brick by brick.”

Lieberberg plans to maintain his relationships with local promoters, which play an important role in the historically fragmented German market. There is no city stealing all the spotlight.

“You have London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels in Europe. In Germany you have many equal-ranking epicenters, a decentralized concert landscape. You cannot operate it centrally. Most federal states have their own media institutions as well. You need the right recipe for each market and artist,” the promoter explains. R

ock am Ring/Rock im Park will continue to be promoted in cooperation with Eventim, at least until 2017. Marek Lieberberg would like to see that agreement extended, as the relationship has been a most successful and amicable one over the years.

“We’ve achieved some astounding results. For almost two decades, we were the undisputed market leaders,” he said. “We did not separate in disagreement, not at all. What was crucial for making the decision in the end was the fact that we did not want to part with many artists that we built a close relationship with. Around 60 to 70 percent of our ties would have been in jeopardy otherwise. It was a strategic decision.”

While at least on the outside everything seems to continue as usual, Live Nation’s global network does come with a few perks that could be of potential benefit to Lieberberg’s existing client roster.

André Lieberberg: “We’re living in times when the origin of an artist isn’t relevant anymore. It’s about the music. And if the music has international appeal, we can now offer them opportunities worldwide.”