Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s largest concert promoter and ticket seller, has added BottleRock Napa Valley to its portfolio.
The entertainment company, which also runs Ticketmaster, announced Friday that it has acquired a majority interest in the festival. Financial terms were not disclosed.
It’s a sign of how far the festival has gone in a very short time – from nearly going out of business under original ownership after Year One (2013) to thriving under the leadership of Napa-based Latitude 38 Entertainment group.
The event sold out in advance in 2016 and capacity crowds are expected once again for this year’s festival, which will bring Foo Fighters, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Maroon 5 and dozens of other acts to downtown Napa May 26-28. Three-day tickets for event have sold and single-day tickets went on sale this week.
“Latitude 38 team has created an amazing festival unique to the Napa Valley with widespread appeal,” says Jordan Zachary, Live Nation Entertainment’s chief strategy officer. “BottleRock Napa Valley adds another leading North American festival to our growing and diverse portfolio.”
Live Nation has more than 80 festivals worldwide in its portfolio, including such huge events as Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza.
Although Live Nation owns the majority interest in BottleRock, the festival “will operate independently under the continued leadership of Latitude 38 Entertainment founders Dave Graham, Justin Dragoo and Jason Scoggins,” according to the news release.
That means that fans shouldn’t expect a major change in artistic direction or overall vision of the festival, says Graham. Rather, he sees the deal as a way to better ensure that BottleRock is around for the long haul and that it continues to offer solid lineups for music lovers.
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“We couldn’t be happier to partner with Live Nation Entertainment,” says Graham, CEO of Latitude 38. “This move provides an opportunity to tap into Live Nation’s scale and artist talent resources, which will allow us to continue to develop and improve upon the BottleRock experience – combining great music, food and wine, with the best that the Napa Valley has to offer.”
For more information on the festival, visit www.BottleRockNapaValley.com.
Follow Jim Harrington at twitter.com/jimthecritic and www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews.
