Global entertainment company, Live Nation, breaks ground in the Philippines with its acquisition of Music Management International (MMI).
On April 25, Live Nation officially launched the Philippine chapter of their company. President of Live Nation Asia Pacific, Roger Field, announced that there is “a strong supply and there’s a huge demand” for concerts as people are itching to go back to live events across the world. Field believes that their acquisition of MMI and launch of Live Nation Philippines could not have come at a better time now that the world is slowly starting to reopen.
This acquisition also signals much potential for the future growth of the concert business not only in the Philippines but in the general Asia Pacific region as well. With such a big load on their hands, Roger Fields notes that there was no one else who could have handled such a grand undertaking than the formidable Rhiza Pascua.
Appointed as the Managing Director of Live Nation Philippines, Rhiza Pascua is no newcomer to the concert scene. Rhiza Pascua is every concert goer’s hero as she put the Philippines on the map of countless tours. Negotiating with artists, agents, and mangers, some of the names she was able to bring here are Madonna, Coldplay, U2, Harry Styles, One Direction, and so much more.
Playfully correcting the introduction said about her working in MMI for 3 decades—she lightly noted that it’s “only almost 27 years” since she started working on MMI. She adds to the joke by announcing that when she first started MMI in 1996, she was only about “8 or 9 years old.”
“I’ve always been a concert junkie,” she mentions, not wishing to reveal which artists she’s seen live as it might be easier to guess her age based on this. But still, she revealed having seen the likes of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, and Depeche Mode live in concert.
Four years after announcing MMI’s partnership with Live Nation in 2014, Pascua clearly remembers the call she got from Live Nation executives. “We’ve been dating for a long time,” she recalls, “and it’s about time we get married.” In other words, Live Nation was asking for MMI’s hand in acquisition marriage.
Now that their union is official, Pascua describes it as “an extremely exciting opportunity to be a part of this big company, in fact,” she adds, “the biggest live entertainment company and event promoter in the whole world.”
Roger Field also shared that Rhiza Pascua is a name “highly regarded overseas for what she has done,” adding that “there’s no better partner in the Philippines, or anywhere, for Live Nation than Rhiza and the MMI team.”
In his speech, Roger Field shared that “a live show does more than entertain.” He says it “can uplift, can inspire, and most importantly, live entertainment creates lifelong memories and lifelong friends.”
Field also brought out some statistics that, despite dubbing them as “boring,” the company is “really proud” of what they’ve accomplished. Live Nation boasts “juicy” numbers with 40,000 shows and 110 festivals organized each year, more than 270 venues that they own and operate, 5,000 touring artists, 98 million fans satisfied, and 500 million tickets sold. Field stresses that “artists are at the core of our business,” adding that “the shows we produce allow them to directly connect with their fans in the most powerful way.”
He explained that Live Nation always hopes to invest in local artists, with live music being “one of the most powerful ways to connect with new audiences,” also describing the experience of live music from a fan’s perspective as it helps them “connect with each other as well.”
Concerts, live entertainment/music, and Live Nation is coming back bigger than ever. From all the events they were able to plan so far, Fields states that “we’re seeing the fans are more eager than ever to get back to life.”
Fields and Pascua both teased that they wanted to drop some names in the launch party but decided to keep it to themselves for now. Part of Pascua’s closing words for her speech describes the situation perfectly: “from here on in, the sky’s the limit.”
We look forward to the further movements of Live Nation Philippines and the dropping of these mysterious names in the months to come.
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