Frontier Touring, AEG Presents Strikes Partnership With Hordern Pavilion Operators Playbill Group

Playbill Group, the venue management specialist that operates Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, has forged an alliance with Frontier Touring and AEG Presents.

Announced today (Aug. 20), Playbill enters into a partnership with Frontier Touring, part of the Mushroom Group, and AEG Presents, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG.

It’s business as usual, reads a joint statement, with Michael Nebenzahl continuing as managing director of Playbill. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

Formed in 1958 by Brian and Jocelyn Nebenzahl, Playbill’s interests include management of the Hordern Pavilion, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary, and will once again host the ARIA Awards.

Playbill also merchandises for theatrical productions including musicals, national theatre and music companies in 12 countries worldwide, and partners with major sporting teams and operates venue concessions across the country and in Asia.

“I am delighted to be partnering with AEG Presents and Frontier Touring in this next phase of the Playbill journey,” comments Nebenzahl in a statement. “We have always prided ourselves on serving our customers, whether in musical theatre, sport or as a venue through the Hordern Pavilion. In AEG, we have found a like-minded partner to continue to honour the legacy my parents created when they founded the business.”

“Playbill and Frontier have a lot in common,” comments Dion Brant, CEO of Frontier Touring, winner of promoter of the year at the inaugural Variety Liz Biz Breakfast. “Australian-founded family companies proving competitive on the global stage. When we met Michael and his team it became obvious that the similarities didn’t stop there. We think very similarly, we have similar values and a similar culture.” 

Mushroom Group, the Melbourne-based independent music powerhouse, has merchandising reach through Frontier Touring sister company Love Police ATM.

“With LPATM and Playbill it is less about synergies and more that they complement each other. Playbill has built its global reputation in theatre, LPATM in music. Neither is really active in the same space as the other,” notes Brant. “There may be synergies at some point down the track but at the moment the best part of having a relationship with both is that they bring different expertise and specialties to the market.”

Mushroom Group has historically dabbled in venues, with Trak, Mercury Lounge and Ding Dong Lounge among its assets at various points in time.

When Frontier Touring and AEG Presents formed a strategic joint venture in 2019, cementing a successful decade-long arrangement on ANZ tours, the Australian concerts giant stepped into the world of a multi-national live entertainment juggernaut, whose portfolio includes festivals, tours and venues around the globe.

AEG has a long-established presence here through its then-named AEG Ogden joint venture, the largest venue management company in Asia Pacific. In 2019, AEG Facilities, the venue management subsidiary of AEG, announced a merger with SMG to create a new management empire called ASM Global, which would collect more than 300 facilities worldwide under a single banner.

In the high-stakes game of live entertainment, AEG Presents is second only to Live Nation.

“We’re excited to enter into this partnership with Michael and Playbill,” adds Brant in a statement.

Frontier “has always had a great affinity with the Hordern Pavilion and consider it, in its 100th year, to be one of the very best live music venues in the world today for both artists and fans. Playbill’s merchandise division has been a mainstay of the theatre scene in Australia for over 60 years and is now a major force on the world stage. Michael has a great team and we look forward to partnering with them in the next era of their iconic business.”