Live Nation launches ‘Women Nation’ fund to invest in female-founded live music ventures

May 16, 2018

Live Nation Entertainment has announced the creation of the Women Nation Fund, an early-stage investment fund focused on female-led live music businesses.

Live Nation is setting up the fund and will provide access to the company's resources and capital for underrepresented female entrepreneurs in the concert promotions, events and festival spaces.

Introducing the fund, Live Nation's President and Chief Executive Michael Rapino stated “as the leader in live entertainment, we want to meaningfully address this issue, change the dynamic and widen the playing field. The Women Nation Fund is a first step towards empowering new entrepreneurs and creating more opportunity for women in this sector of the live music business."

Dr Stacy Smith, founder and Director of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California, added "women are underrepresented across the entertainment ecosystem, but we see this particularly in the music industry.

"One crucial way to kick-start the effort towards gender parity is to fund female entrepreneurs. I applaud Live Nation for their leadership and for committing its resources in a way that can affect real change."

The Women Nation Fund will identify, fund and grow the pool of female-led festivals, events and promotion companies available on a worldwide basis. Entrant businesses must be female-founded and oriented around concert promotion, festivals or live venue management.

The Women Nation evaluating team is comprised of Live Nation female executives with diverse domain expertise including Anna Sjolund (Co-Managing Director/Head Promoter, Live Nation Sweden), Amy Corbin (Promoter, C3), Virginia Davis (Founder, G Major Management), Amy Howe (Chief Operating Officer, Ticketmaster), Lesley Olenik (Vice President, Touring), Maura Gibson (President, Front Gate Tickets), Kelly Chappel (Vice President, Touring) and Carrie Davis (Chief Communications Officer).

Businesses selected by the fund will be given access to Live Nation resources such as strategic advisory, industry contacts and mentorship across lines of business and functional areas.

For more information and to apply to the Women Nation Fund go to womennationfund.livenation.com

23rd April 2018 - LIVE NATION EXPANDS FESTIVAL PORTFOLIO WITH ACQUISITION OF RHYTHM AND VINES FESTIVAL

12th March 2018 - NEW GROUP TO BACK WOMEN IN MALE DOMINATED AV INDUSTRY

2nd March 2018 - LIVE NATION REGISTERS RECORD REVENUES THROUGH 2017

26th January 2018 - RECORD BREAKING YEAR FOR GLOBAL CONCERT BUSINESS

23rd November 2017 - AUCKLAND VENUES PREPARE FOR RECORD-BREAKING SUMMER

12th June 2017 - ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FIGURES ACKNOWLEDGED IN QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS

20th April 2017 - NAMING RIGHTS CHANGE SEES AUCKLAND’S VECTOR ARENA BECOME THE SPARK ARENA

15th March 2017 - MICHAEL COPPEL NAMED CHAIRMAN OF LIVE NATION AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

24th February 2017 - TICKETMASTER’S MARIA O’CONNOR NAMED FEMALE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

5th December 2016 - LIVE NATION EXPANDS FESTIVAL PORTFOLIO WITH SECRET SOUNDS ACQUISITION

21st November 2016 - AUSTRALASIAN VENUES STRONG PERFORMERS IN POLLSTAR GLOBAL TICKET SALES RANKINGS