Live Nation launches Women Nation Fund to invest in female-founded live music businesses
Live Nation Entertainment has launched the Women Nation Fund to provide early investment funds and resources to help new female-fronted businesses in the live sector “on a worldwide basis”.
Female entrepreneurs fronting concert promotions, events and festival spaces will also be provided with advice and networking contacts.
Live Nation’s president and CEO Michael Rapino said, “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.”
“Women are underrepresented across the entertainment ecosystem, but we see this particularly in the music industry,” said Dr. Stacy Smith, founder and director of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California.
“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.”
The Women Nation evaluating team is comprised of Live Nation female executives with diverse domain expertise.
They include 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, Touring), Maura Gibson (president, Front Gate Tickets), Kelly Chappel (VP, Touring) and Carrie Davis (chief communications officer).
Women Nation Fund comes in the wake of moves by 80 global festivals and booking agencies to have 50:50 gender equal bills in a few years.
For more information and to apply to the Women Nation Fund, visit: https://womennationfund.