Live Nation Entertainment has announced the establishment of Women Nation Fund, an initiative aimed at securing early-stage investment in live music businesses led by women. Specifically, the concert giant will provide access to the company’s resources and capital for females working in concert promotions, events, and festival spaces.
Said Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino: “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.”
The fund has the endorsement of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California, whose founder and director Dr. Stacy Smith commented: “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.”
Serving on the Women Nation evaluating team are: Anna Sjolund (co-managing director/head promoter, Live Nation Sweden), Amy Corbin (promoter, C3), Virginia Davis (founder, G Major Management), Amy Howe (COO, Ticketmaster), Lesley Olenik (VP of touring, Live Nation), Maura Gibson (president, Frontgate Ticketing), Kelly Chappel (VP of European Touring, Live Nation), and Carrie Davis (chief communications officer, Live Nation).
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