LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — During a recent media event to discuss their new book, "The Business Playground: Where Creativity and Commerce Collide", musician and producer Dave Stewart and marketing specialist Mark Simmons sat down with Live Nation chairman Michael Rapino to discuss how creativity can be used in the business world.
While CelebrityAccess was not able to attend, Randall Roberts, the music blogger from the LA Times was able to and reported on some interesting quotes from Mr. Rapino.
When asked by Stewart how Live Nation employs creativity to put butts in seats, Rapino admitted that at times it can be a challenge.
"The irony in our business is, we're kind of considered a sexy business because we're in the music business, but what we've really struggled with is that the band is really the creative front, and they're on the stage." Rapino said. Live Nation, Rapino added, is the conduit that brings live artist creativity to their audience.
Rapino went on to talk about the struggles that artists face to keep their 'business models' current as the live industry evolves. "The band has been reinventing itself for 20 years. I was at the Rihanna show last night at the Staples Center, and it's a spectacular show. The band has done their job. The band has elevated the show, the song, the performance, and us handlers kind of got lazy along the way, and whether it was the record guy or the ticket guy." Rapino said.
Rapino also gave a nod to the European units of Live Nation, which he described as some of the most creative parts of the company.
"I find my Europeans at an absolutely other level of creativity. One, because they're smaller units. My Italian division versus the German versus the Belgian — they're creative in a different way in our business. They're not trying to hit the home run that gets them rich [and] solves world peace."
Rapino then proceeded to offer an anecdote to support this claim of European creative supremacy.
"We have a division that makes great festivals, and I was walking through the festival, and in a corner were a bunch of women standing up peeing. And I couldn't believe it. And I looked for a second, and they were so proud that they'd created a way for a woman at a festival — and going to the washroom is always the hardest part — to pee, and move people through, and quicker. Now, that might sound horrible, but they take such pride with the small creativity along the way that's spectacular. I find in America we spend a lot of time thinking how someone will be Facebook [and] make a billion that we miss a lot of the creativity in the middle." Rapino said. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
