LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Live Nation has named Michael Abrams as President of Live Nation Studios, where he will continue to report to Live Nation President and CEO of Global Venues and Alliances, Bruce Eskowitz.
Live Nation is a leader in live concert recording with its Instant Live division, where more than 250,000 CDs and digital downloads have been sold by over 150 artists performing at 500 shows since its inception in 2003. Over the past 14 months, Abrams has pioneered the delivery of concert programming to cell phones in the U.S., producing nearly 400 shows for 3G mobile phones.
In his new role, Abrams will oversee the previously announced initiative to transform 120 Live nation venues and festival sites into next generation “wired” studios. He will also be responsible for developing additional distribution opportunities to deliver live entertainment content and programs for 3G Mobile, Broadband, IPTV, Television, HDTV, CD and DVD.
“The appointment of Michael to this position formalizes Live Nation Studios as a new division at Live Nation, building upon the strong live content initiatives he has so successfully built from the ground up since he joined our organization,” said Eskowitz in a statement. “Michael is particularly well qualified to lead this new initiative. He brings a rare blend of creative energy and a proven track record building cutting edge technology-based businesses for Live Nation. Live Nation Studios is integral to our strategy of extending our relationship with the music fan beyond the live concert itself and will provide a new revenue stream and an important new service division for the artist to deliver his show to the fan in brand new ways.”
“We are in the midst of a live entertainment revolution, and this revolution will be televised – on your TV, computer, game console and mobile phone.” said Abrams. “Live Nation Studios will be equipped to capture the essence of the live concert experience on a large scale worldwide, putting us in a position to re-imagine the live concert experience for millions of avid fans around the world.”
Over the past three years, in his role as EVP, Product Development at Live Nation, Abrams worked to establish a nationwide in-venue interactive live entertainment network within Live Nation venues. This television network delivers targeted programming, focused advertising, and interactive entertainment including text and picture messaging from mobile telephones to millions of fans at Live Nation shows. Prior to joining Live Nation, Mr. Abrams served as Managing Director of Lollapalooza in 2003, and served as COO of Clear Channel Interactive. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
