Pollstar’s 2024 Impact 50 dropped their annual list recognizing the leaders having the greatest impact on today’s live industry. This list is made up of individuals who have shown a commitment to excellence, creative problem solving, strategic management, financial success, top negotiating skills, artist development and a vision for the future. More often than not, these accomplishments are reflected in Pollstar Box Office data, but true leadership transcends numbers. In these times, it’s imperative our industry leaders fulfill a shared commitment to greater social justice, advocacy and allyship, fairness in ticketing as well as fan engagement, technological innovation and the elevation of fan experiences.

 

2024 Impact 50 Cover Honoree: Shawn Gee, President & Co-Founder, Live Nation Urban

 

Live Nation Urban’s Shawn Gee has steadily built a music promotion juggernaut that by itself is on par with some of the most successful promoters in the business. With massive ticket sales, top festivals in major markets and tours that regularly appear on Pollstar’s top tours charts, Gee’s vision for his promotion company, supporting Black culture and community, is scaling and rising to a level few if any promoters in this business ever attain.

 

When Pollstar spoke with Gee in late May, Gee was in full-on festival mode: He was in Dallas where he had two running concurrently — Kirk Franklin’s Exodus Music & Arts Festival at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas; and TwoGether Land, an inaugural fest he’s promoting with his partner Jason “J” Carter with headliners Lil Wayne and Summer Walker at Dallas’ Fair Park.

The following weekend he was off to his native Philadelphia to work on his anchor fest since 2008 — The Roots Picnic — the city’s largest ticketed festival with some 60,000 attendees (75K last year if you count the comedy fest the night before). It is not Live Nation Urban’s only market-leading festival. There’s also Atlanta’s ONE Music Fest that brought in 100,000 last year and is now ATL’s biggest fest; and Broccoli City Festival, which was Washington, D.C.’s biggest ticketed festival in 2023 with 45K in attendance and this year moved from RFK Stadium to Audi Field.

“We sold north of a million tickets last year and 85-90% of them were to Black consumers,” Gee says. “The idea is for Live Nation Urban to be Intel, the chip that powers all these computers, but you rarely see Intel out in front. You see the computer brands. My goal with Live Nation Urban is to be the chip that powers Black culture from a live music perspective. I want to give my individual partners and individual brands the autonomy to build their own equity right within the communities in which they serve because that’s how they’re going to—excuse the pun—lay roots and grow.”

If it’s a business model that sounds familiar, it’s because it is and it has to do with one of Gee’s mentors. “The brilliance of Michael Rapino (president and CEO of Live Nation) is that he invests in ideas and in curious people,” says Gee, who clearly has learned from, and is a beneficiary of, the Live Nation business model, which since its formation has continuously acquired and empowered live industry businesses and entrepreneurs.

Using a similar flywheel model, Live Nation Urban has created its own slate of live, which beyond the aforementioned fests, also includes the Summer Block Party tour, Lil Weezyana Festival, Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman Festival, Honeyland Festival (“It’s like the Black Bottlerock”) and The Reunion Tour. The latter is Kirk Franklin’s tour which LNU took to arenas and partnered on with Gospel music entrepreneur Norman Gyamfi. LNU’s touring division, which in addition to Kirk Franklin, includes runs by LL Cool J, Ari Lennox, DVSN, Jill Scott, and Tony Toni Toné. Mari Davis runs LNU’s touring division, which Gee says makes up 30% of its revenues.

Live Nation Urban is clearly invested in Black culture with its broad, non-denominational programming of Black music and culture, which includes the biggest names in hip-hop, R&B, gospel, jazz, country, Americana, blues, comedy, podcasters, food and far more. “We are a mosaic, not a monolith,” Gee says.

When asked what his next six years might look like, the 52-year-old exec says, “In the next six, we’re going to continue to build our purpose. We’re going to continue to build our portfolio. We’re going to continue to provide access. We’re going to continue to invest in entrepreneurs and continue to grow this. … We’re starting to achieve some scale, the next step is figuring out what are the other things? What are the other businesses? What are the other ideas that can come from the scale that we’ve been able to achieve?”

2024 Impact 50 Honoree: Gary Guidry (CEO)

 

The Black Promoters Collective may promote tours by such marquee acts as Frankie Beverly & Maze, Keith Sweat, and “The Love Hard Tour” with Keyshia Cole, Trey Songz, Jaheim, and K. Michelle, but for CEO Gary Guidry, it’s a Florida festival that most excite him for 2024.

“I’m very proud of the launch of our Jazz in the Gardens (JITG) festival … It was a huge success, evident in the remarkable increase in year-over-year sales and the enhanced production quality and overall patron experience,” Guidry says. “This achievement was significant as it fulfilled the city’s objectives of revitalizing the brand, fostering community engagement, and reinstating a culture of excellence where attendees could truly revel in the experience.”

 

The fest, in its second year, ran March 9-10 in Miami Gardens, Florida, and welcomed more than 35,000 music fans. This year’s expanded artist bill included Babyface, Omarion, Summer Walker, Kirk Franklin, October London, Tink, Eric Bellinger, Fantasia, Jaheim, Jazmine Sullivan, Tamia, Marsha Ambrosius, and Maxwell.

BPC brought in younger talent that still appealed to older audiences, Guidry says. “Our event brought families together, providing entertainment for aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, mothers, fathers and children, creating a multi-generational celebration around exceptional music.”

Guidry cites post-pandemic realities as BPC’s biggest challenge.

“As everyone rushes back into the scene, the competition is fierce, but it’s poised to balance out soon,” Guidry says. “This leveling will allow production companies to focus on creating larger, more tailored shows that cater directly to consumers’ preferences. In turn, audiences will have the opportunity to experience meticulously curated events that meet their expectations.”

Guidry says his guiding business philosophy is to value listening over speaking, and it pays off. “Patrons will reveal their consumption desires, while artists and partners will express their preferred audience and desired communication channels,” he adds, with JITG being just one example. He says BPC expects to launch two more festival experiences in 2025.

The Black Promoters Collective (BPC) is a coalition of six of the nation’s top independent concert promotion and event production companies.

Collectively, we produce 200 – 250 concerts and events across the country.

We have given platforms to some of entertainment’s biggest artists including Charlie Wilson, H.E.R., Cardi B, Travis Scott, Stevie Wonder, Chris Brown, Usher, Ne-Yo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Earth Wind and Fire, Martin Lawrence, Steve Harvey, Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton and more!

Here’s the complete list of Honorees:

 

2024 Impact 50 Cover Honoree:
Shawn Gee, President & Co-Owner
Live Nation Urban

2024 Impact 50 Honorees:

OMAR AL-JOULANI
President, Touring, Live Nation Concerts
Live Nation

LEE ANDERSON
President
Wasserman Music

DENNIS ARFA
Chairman, Music
Independent Artist Group

NOAH ASSAD
CEO
Rimas Entertainment

CHARLES ATTAL & CHARLIE WALKER
Co-Founders & Partners
C3 Presents

JEFFREY AZOFF
COO, The Azoff Company
CEO, Full Stop Management

IRVING AZOFF
Chairman & CEO, The Azoff Company

CORAN CAPSHAW
Founder and CEO
Red Light Management

HENRY CÁRDENAS
Founder & CEO
Cárdenas Marketing Network

BECKY COLWELL
GM, Kia Forum
VP of Music & Events; Intuit Dome

AMY CORBIN
Promoter
C3 Presents

MARTY DIAMOND
EVP & Managing Executive
Wasserman Music

LUCY DICKINS
Global Head of Contemporary Music and Touring
WME

MARTHA EARLS
Owner
Neon Coast

DARRYL EATON
Co-Head Of Global Touring
CAA

ARI EMANUEL
CEO
Endeavor & TKO

SHANNON FITZGERALD
Tour Marketing Agent
CAA

ARTHUR FOGEL
President, Global Touring & Chairman, Concerts
Live Nation

BECKY GARDENHIRE
Co-Head & Partner
WME

ROB GIBBS
Partner & Co-Head Of UTA Atlanta
United Talent Agency

GARY GUIDRY
CEO
Black Promoters Collective

RON LAFFITTE
Founder
Laffitte Management Group

JON LANDAU
Manager for Bruce Springsteen
Jon Landau Management

JOEY LEE
Co-Head & Partner
WME Nashville

TIM LEIWEKE
Chairman & CEO
Oak View Group

CARA LEWIS
Founder & CEO
Cara Lewis Group (CLG)

JAY MARCIANO
Chairman & CEO
AEG Presents

JUDI MARMEL
Founding Partner
Levity Live

LOUIS MESSINA
CEO & Founder
Messina Touring Group

LESLEY OLENIK
SVP, Global Touring
Live Nation

MELISSA ORMOND
COO, Goldenvoice
COO Festivals, AEG Presents

MARLA OSTROFF
Managing Director, North America
Ticketmaster

CHERYL PAGLIERANI
Partner & Agent
United Talent Agency

TREE PAINE
Founder
Premium PR

GEORGE PRAJIN
CEO
Prajin Music Group

MICHAEL RAPINO
President & CEO
Live Nation

DEBRA RATHWELL
EVP of Global Touring and Talent
AEG Presents

RICK ROSKIN
Co-Head Of Global Touring
CAA

BOB ROUX
President – US Concerts
Live Nation

RICH SCHAEFER
President, Global Touring
AEG Presents

HANS SCHAFER
SVP, Global Touring
Live Nation

SETH SHOMES
Founder & CEO
Day After Day Productions

JOHN SILVA
President
Silva Artist Management

MICHAEL SMARDAK
President
Outback Presents

PAUL TOLLETT
President & CEO
Goldenvoice

TARA TRAUB
SVP, Global Touring
Live Nation

JOSEPHINE VACCARELLO
EVP, Live
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.

STACY VEE
EVP
Goldenvoice

DANNY WIMMER
Founder
Danny Wimmer Presents