2024 Impact 50 Honoree: Hans Schafer

SVP, GLOBAL TOURING
Live Nation

FORMER GIG: Manager, talent and artists relations at MUN2.
MONEY QUOTE: “Yes, there’s been a Latin explosion. There was an explosion in 2017, another in 2018, 2019…”

Live Nation executives aren’t shy in sharing their bullishness on global expansion and the continued growth of live entertainment, and for good reason: The promoter set yet another revenue record with $3.8 billion reported in their Q1 2024 earnings, besting last year’s mark of $3.1 billion.

A good chunk of that continued success can be attributed to the success of the Latin artists Live Nation works with globally. According to the company’s recent earnings report, ticket sales per concert for Latin shows in the U.S. are up double digits compared with the previous year.

Latin music is growing at a faster rate than just about any other genre, and Hans Schafer, Live Nation’s senior vice president of global touring, has his finger on the pulse, bringing out established and up-and-coming artists at the right place and at the right time.

“The state is very healthy. We’re continuing to see more growth with artists going bigger but also more developing artists coming onto the scene faster, selling tickets,” Schafer tells Pollstar.

The success comes on the heels of Karol G’s groundbreaking North American stadium tour and Bad Bunny’s continued touring dominance, which, when taken together, have grossed close to $300 million and moved over 1.6 million tickets in 2024’s first half. Live Nation has plenty more coming in 2024 with Karol G’s European summer leg and arena tours from Feid, Peso Pluma and global star Shakira, who’s touring for the first time in five years.

Schafer, who spearheads Live Nation’s efforts in Latin music, said Karol G’s ticket sales in Europe are an indicator that música Latina is ready to break into markets that previously weren’t considered. “I see an opportunity to continue tapping into markets that are not Spanish-speaking or Latin,” he said. “Asia and Australia are just two markets where we see significant opportunities. We want to continue developing and strengthening Latin acts’ touring presence in Canada, Latin America and Europe. “We have a lot of great projects that have kicked off and a lot more in the works that we can’t discuss in detail yet,” Schafer says, “but 2024 will be a year full of surprises for fans.”