Billboard Live Music Summit
This article was created in partnership with Live Nation
Billboard’s highly anticipated Live Music Summit made its grand return after a 5-year hiatus. This year marked the return of the Live Music Summit, which had been on hiatus since 2019, in response to high demand to refocus on the thriving touring industry.
Attendees experienced a dynamic mix of panel discussions, live performances, workshops, and industry mixers, all culminating in the Touring Awards Ceremony. Among the star-studded panel lineups were Olivia Rodrigo, John Summit and top industry executives. It was an invaluable opportunity for those in the music business to gain insights from industry leaders while celebrating the milestones many touring artists have achieved this year.
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Olivia Rodrigo closed out the eventful day with her Superstar Q&A, during which she discussed the GUTS Tour, her most recent Billboard cover and received the award for 2024 Touring Artist of the Year. See highlights from the panel, presented by Live Nation and moderated by Billboard Deputy Editor Lyndsey Havens, below.
Olivia Rodrigo Takes Center Stage at the Live Music SummitRodrigo captivated the audience as she reflected on her successful 2024 GUTS World Tour. The “Vampire” singer’s GUTS Tour, launched in 2024 in support of her critically acclaimed sophomore album SOUR, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of modern touring and the music industry. The tour showcased her ability to seamlessly blend introspective storytelling with electrifying live performances, resonating with audiences of all ages.
Spanning 95 dates across multiple continents, Rodrigo became a global phenomenon in 2024. Tickets for the sophomore tour sold out almost instantly across all markets, underscoring the immense demand for her live performances. She kicked off her performances in the United States and Canada during the Spring before touring Europe and the UK this summer and making her debut in Asia, and Australia this fall. The response was overwhelming, particularly in Asia and Australia, where the demand exceeded expectations, leading to multiple sold-out shows in every city – especially in Australia where she performed four sold-out nights in both Sydney and Melbourne, a testament to her skyrocketing popularity.
The GUTS Tour was not only a commercial triumph but also a cultural event, as it brought Rodrigo’s blend of heartfelt lyrics and powerful performances to new corners of the world, further establishing her as a defining voice of her generation.
Olivia Rodrigo speaks onstage at the Billboard Live Music Summit at 1 Hotel West Hollywood on November 14, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.
Christopher Polk
Connection to Her Fans
Rodrigo’s career trajectory has been anything but conventional. Her debut album SOUR was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, and from the outset, she knew exactly what she wanted for her second album and accompanying tour.
Reflecting on her first experience on the road, the singer-songwriter shares, “After going on the first SOUR Tour, I learned so much about touring and learned how playing songs like ‘Brutal’ and ‘Good 4 U’ were so much fun on stage and with that information in my back pocket, I went on to make GUTS.”
For her second tour, Rodrigo sought to create a deeper connection with her audience. “Connecting with the audience and bringing them into your world was something that I wanted to achieve on this tour,” she shared, aiming to reach not only fans in the front row but also those in the back and higher up in the arenas. As part of her vision, she incorporated an innovative element into her live show: Rodrigo would be suspended in a purple crescent moon, flying above the crowd during her performances. This unique moment allowed her to wave to fans, particularly those moved to tears, offering a sense of intimacy and shared experience throughout the sold-out tour.
To make each show feel unique for her fans, Olivia and her team collaborated to create a new, city-specific phrase for her final outfit of every tour stop. Rodrigo reflects, “My team bought a machine where we should screenprint tank tops…and it became a fun creative outlet in itself.” Fans would eagerly anticipate the new phrase on her shirt each night, making it a special way to highlight each city on the tour.
A main takeaway from the GUTS Tour was the growing necessity of fan engagement in live shows. Many venues incorporated immersive experiences, digital interactivity and intimate moments that made each concert feel personalized specifically to them. Additionally, GUTS represented a new wave of tour strategies, emphasizing sustainability and creative, genre-blending setlists.
Olivia Rodrigo at the Billboard Live Music Summit at 1 Hotel West Hollywood on November 14, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.
Christopher Polk
Olivia Rodrigo’s Commitment to Social ChangeIn addition to her musical success, Rodrigo launched her global initiative, Fund 4 Good, which is dedicated to building a more equitable future for women and girls. Through Fund 4 Good, she directly supports community-based nonprofits that focus on girls’ education, reproductive rights and the prevention of gender-based violence. “It was really meaningful to me to learn more about these organizations and support them,” she shared, “and I’m excited to do more in the future.” The Grammy Winning Artist recounted her experience on the Phillipines leg of her world tour – “I’m part Filipino and that was the first time I’ve been in the country. I wanted to give back to the community who supported me throughout my career”. Her show in the Philippines was her largest show on the tour – with 55,000 seats at the Philippine Arena in Manila, all priced at $27 USD/1,500 Philippine pesos to ensure affordability for the half-Filipino singer’s fans.
Rodrigo also introduced the Silver Star Ticket program, offering a limited number of affordable $20 USD tickets (or local equivalent) to make her concerts accessible to more of her fans. Inspired by Coldplay’s Infinity Tickets, this initiative allowed fans to attend her shows at an affordable price, reinforcing Olivia’s and Live Nation’s commitment to inclusivity and fan engagement. This approach influenced the touring industry, encouraging other artists to offer similar exclusive packages. The Silver Star tickets demonstrated how fan loyalty and personalized experiences could drive both engagement and revenue in the modern live music landscape.
With a careful balance of commercial success and artistic integrity, Rodrigo’s latest tour reshaped how artists approach live performance in an era where streaming, viral moments with special guests, and social media heavily influence an artist’s connection with their audience.
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The information-packed day concluded with a Superstar Q&A with Billboard cover star Olivia Rodrigo.
11/15/2024
Olivia Rodrigo is ready to take a well-deserved break at the conclusion of her Guts World Tour in 2025. When asked what she plans to do after the tour — which continues next year in Brazil, Mexico, Ireland and the U.K. — Rodrigo told Billboard’s deputy editor Lyndsey Havens: “I’m so excited to just rot on the couch and eat so much food.”
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Rodrigo was presented with the touring artist of the year honor at Billboard’s 2024 Live Music Summit in Los Angeles on Thursday (Nov. 14) after her Guts World Tour grossed $184.6 million from over 1.4 million tickets sold, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
After shows on the tour, Rodrigo says she immediately gets offstage and ices her feet, which she joked is “really sexy.”
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“I jump around a lot, like my calves get sore. So, yeah, that’s what I do. Take a shower, take off my makeup, and head back to the hotel,” Rodrigo said. “It’s really not that exciting. It’s a really interesting shift to go from like being in front of 1000s of people to like being alone in your hotel rooms.”
While on tour, Rodrigo said one of her favorite songs to perform for catharsis is “All-American Bitch,” which features the young star floating over the audience on a crescent moon.
“There’s a part of the song where I make the whole audience scream and think of something that you hate or something that really ticks you off, and just let it all out and scream. I think that’s so powerful,” Rodrigo said. “It’s very cathartic. It feels like a rage room or something. There’s something so cool about being able to be in a room with 1000s of people and to be anonymous and get all your emotions out. I just love that aspect of music.”
Her energy onstage matches that of some of her all-time favorite live performers, which she said includes Beyoncé and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
In October, Rodrigo released her tour documentary Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour on Netflix, and watching it back in film format, the singer said it was hard not to be critical of herself.
“I was trying not to be too critical the whole time. I’m just like, ‘Be nice to yourself.’ It’s really weird because I know that show like the back of my hand. I’ve done it so many times,” she said. “Watching it I was like, ‘Why are you so nervous? You got it, girl. You got it.’”
When asked if anything surprised her from seeing herself perform for the first time, Rodrigo said, “I was working out so much on tour and I watched things back, I was like, ‘Yeah, I got muscles in my arms for the first time in my life.’ That was surprising.”
When the music world was shutting down for most artists in 2020, it was just gearing up for John Summit.
At Thursday’s Billboard Live Music Summit, Summit and his manager, Metatone’s Holt Harmon, joined a panel discussion titled “Inside the Rise of John Summit,” moderated by Billboard‘s Katie Bain, to detail how they managed to take the dance world by storm over the past four years.
Summit’s Billboard-charting career began in 2020 with “Deep End,” which peaked at No. 26 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs that year. Since then, he’s racked up his first two top 10 hits on the chart — “Where You Are” and “Shiver” (both peaking at No. 8 and both with singer Hayla) — and crisscrossed the globe to play the biggest festivals, set up shop in dance havens like Ibiza and Las Vegas, and wow crowds around the world.
Below, find highlights from Summit and Harmon’s conversation, starting from the beginning of their journey through the release of his first full-length album Comfort in Chaos over the summer.
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No Rules
Holt Harmon: “Part of the beauty of working with young people and being young ourselves is, nobody had put a title on what we were already. So honestly, it was like the beauty of the unknown and the beauty of being able to tackle anything — not living by rules that we didn’t know about.”
John Summit: “If you don’t know the rules, you can’t break them.”
Picking Up During Shutdown
Summit: “I just knew that the whole world was online because everyone was stuck at home. So I was doing streams every single day, posting every single day, sharing my music, sharing the process. … I think a lot of artists took it as a time to relax and see their families for once. But because I was living in my mom’s basement at the time — shout-out Tamara in the crowd! — she kept me fed while I cooked the beats.” [Laughs]
Harmon: “COVID was kind of like the great reset. It’s like, anybody who was leaning or — I hate to put it like this — but anybody who was being lazy and leaning on touring, and that was their entire career, not putting out great music, not putting out great art, but just leaning on that they could tour, didn’t have that to lean on anymore. Didn’t have that crutch. So it more or less reset the industry.”
Changing It Up
Harmon: “You come to a John Summit show, expect the unexpected. He’s gonna play whatever he wants stylistically. He might throw dubstep in. He’s gonna throw drum and bass in. He’s gonna do his thing. … For me, it’s so cool to watch him be able to be like a chameleon. But it allows him to do different things and not get pigeonholed.”
Summit: “That’s where I think songwriting really comes into play, that I can change the productions for a song. … I think kind of changing around the production for songs and adapting, but then also, you know, staying true to yourself.”
His Second Home…To a Point
Summit: “What makes Vegas so nice is that I do 20 days a year, and it’s a different crowd every single weekend. You can’t do like 20 weekends in Chicago, because it would just be the same. Because [Vegas is] a tourist destination, much like Ibiza. That’s what keeps it really fun and entertaining, that keeps things fresh, and the hospitality is so great there that I feel like it’s a second home for me. … But it would my hell if all I did was a residency and it was the same thing every weekend, so that does freak me out.”
Billboard, in partnership with AEG Presents and Live Nation, has announced the second round of industry leaders participating in this year’s Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards, taking place on Thursday, Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. Bringing together the brightest stars and leaders in music, the day will be an unparalleled celebration of creativity and achievement in the live space through exclusive panels and conversations.
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The second-round lineup includes:
Inside Global Touring Today: A Conversation with Arthur Fogel & Bobby Campbell: Join Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel as he sits down with artist manager Bobby Campbell to explore the evolution of global touring. From the growing demand for live experiences to advancements in large-scale production, Fogel and Campbell will share insights into how the industry continues to push boundaries and create unforgettable moments for fans around the world.
Trends In Ticketing: The Latest In Innovation and Tools: Sponsored by AXS, this panel will take a deep dive into how artists and their managers are improving the live experience at the point of purchase. Moderated by Greg Schmale from AXS, this panel will include Amanda Gray from Goldenvoice, Katie Nowak from TBA Agency, Thomas Cussins of Ineffable Music and Fielding Logan from Q Prime.
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The Life And Times of Disco Donnie: Veteran dance and EDM promoter James “Disco Donnie” Estopinal sits with Billboard Live Senior Director Dave Brooks to talk about his long career in live music and the future of the fan and artist relationship.
Previously announced talent and industry leaders include:
Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo will be a part of the Superstar Q&A and will receive Billboard’s editorially selected Touring Artist of the Year award.
Louis Messina will be honored with the prestigious Touring Titan Award and recognized as the Executive of the Year in honor of his work producing Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour, as well as tours for Eric Church, George Strait, Kenny Chesney and many more top grossing artists. Following the award presentation, he will sit with Billboard’s Melinda Newman for The Power Players Conversation. Together, they will delve into Messina’s remarkable career, covering his time with Pace Concerts, his work with artists like Tim McGraw, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes, as well as his plans to build the next generation of touring superstars. This fast-paced, insiders-only conversation will offer attendees a rare glimpse into the business mindset of the 21st century’s most successful concert promoter and showman.
John Summit and his longtime manager Holt Harmon will take part in an exclusive conversation, Inside the Rise of John Summit. Moderated by Billboard’s Katie Bain, the duo will discuss Summit’s explosive rise and the strategy behind it, exploring how the producer went from playing small bars and clubs to becoming one of the leading artists in the global dance scene. They’ll share insights into the creative process behind Summit’s chart-topping hits, the evolving relationship between artists and audiences and the challenges and opportunities DJ’s face in an ever-changing market.
A powerhouse lineup of agents are set to share their insights and expertise during the Agents Power Panel: A New Era of Uncertainty, moderated by Billboard’s Jason Lipshutz, and featuring industry heavyweights like Avery McTaggart of TBA Agency, Brent Smith from Wasserman, David Zedeck of UTA, Jarred Arfa from IAG, as well as Kirk Sommer from WME and Rick Roskin representing CAA. This panel is sponsored by Allegiant Stadium and a must-attend session for anyone involved in talent booking. The Agency Power panel will cover all things related to artist development and representation with a focus on building superstar talent for a growing global audience.
L-Acoustics, the leader in professional audio technologies, is sponsoring the The Immersive Experience: The Future of Sound, Visual and Interactive Programming at Festivals panel. A distinguished group of executives will take center stage to discuss how innovations in sound, video and immersive media are transforming the festival experience. Moderated by Amber Mundinger (L-Acoustics Global Director of Artistic Engagement), the panel features Dave Rat, President of Rat Sound Systems, Polygon’s David Lopez de Arenosa, and WME’s Josh Kurfirst. They will explore the critical role of sound design and technology, including deploying large-scale spatial audio, immersive sound and projection mapping. From deep diving into Electric Forest’s sellout success to new initiatives for developing artists, the Festivals of the Future panel will serve as a roadmap for the next generation of experienced creators.
The Live Music Awards, which will honor touring acts as well as some of the visionary executives behind them, are based on a number of criteria ranging from revenue to tour demand, production, technical ambition, fan engagement, momentum and cultural impact.
Programmed by Brooks, who has worked at Billboard since 2017, the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards will bring an unforgettable experience, spotlighting some of the biggest names in music and emerging artists who are shaping the future of the industry. The event will feature a series of keynote panels as well as the Billboard Live Music Awards, honoring artists and industry professionals who have made significant contributions to the world of live music.
In addition to exclusive panels and conversations with the brightest stars and industry leaders, the summit will feature insightful panels with leading figures from AEG Presents and Live Nation, exploring trends, challenges, and innovations in the live music sector. The summit aims to foster dialogue and inspire future developments in the industry.
Additional information will be distributed in the coming weeks. For more information on this year’s Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards, visit billboardlivemusicsummit.com.
Olivia Rodrigo and John Summit easily had two of the biggest tours in 2024. They will both appear on November 14 at the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards in partnership with AEG Presents to talk about their experiences on the road and how they’ve grown as touring artists. AEG Presents is a world leader in the music and entertainment industry. From the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to global tour promotion for superstars like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and many more, they are a part of every step of creating a live music experience, which will all be covered at the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards. There will be panels featuring top agents, leaders in sound design, and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour producer, Louis Messina.
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Olivia Rodrigo will take part in a superstar Q&A where she will talk about upgrading from theaters to arenas for her GUTS World Tour, selecting opening acts like Gracie Abrams and Chappell Roan, and integrating her Fund 4 Good initiative into her massively successful shows. She will also receive the Touring Artist of the Year award.
John Summit will sit down with his longtime manager Holt Harmon for a conversation moderated by Billboard’s Katie Bain. Inside the Rise of John Summit will explore how he went from playing small bars and clubs to selling out Madison Square Garden. They’ll share insights into his creative process and how he created his chart-topping hits.
Louis Messina will receive the Touring Titan Award and be recognized as the Executive of the Year for his work on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour. He will also sit down with Billboard’s Melinda Newman for The Power Players Conversation to talk about his past experiences working with artists like Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, and Tim McGraw, and plans for the future, shaping the next generation of touring superstars.
This year’s Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards will also feature the Festival of the Future panel where top executives will discuss how innovations in sound, video, and immersive media are transforming the festival experience. The Agents Power panel will bring together top agents from WME, CAA, UTA, AGI, and Arrival Artists to cover all things related to artist development and representation.
Billboard Live Music Summit 2024 returns on November 14 in Los Angeles. Click here for more information, the programming schedule, and to buy tickets.
Billboard, in partnership with AEG Presents and Live Nation, has announced the first round of talent and industry leaders for this year’s Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards. The event, taking place Nov. 14 in Los Angeles, will celebrate creativity and achievement in the live music industry through exclusive panels and conversations, featuring some of […]
Billboard is now accepting nominations for the Chip Hooper Award, named in honor of the legendary talent agent, father and photographer who played a key role in building the Paradigm talent agency, which was purchased by Wasserman Music in 2021. Hooper passed away after a battle with cancer in 2016; the award was created in […]
Multiplatinum-selling and three-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo will appear at this year’s Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards, in partnership with AEG Presents and Live Nation, for a Superstar Q&A and to receive Billboard’s Touring Artist of the Year award on Thursday, Nov. 14, in Los Angeles. In a keynote interview, Rodrigo will speak about […]
Billboard is bringing back its highly anticipated Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards, taking place on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles.
After a four-year break, the event returns in collaboration with AEG Presents and Live Nation, marking its first occurrence since 2019.
The one-day event will feature a series of panels and thought leadership discussions, followed by the prestigious Billboard Live Music Awards, all programmed by Billboard’s Dave Brooks, Senior Director of Live Music and Touring.
“We’re excited to bring this program back to the epicenter of the concert business,” said Brooks. “This summit is a marketplace for ideas and brings together some of the biggest names in the business. This year, we will explore the industry’s challenges and opportunities, as well as celebrate how far we have come since 2019.”
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The event is expected to attract executives across artist representation, management, concert promotion, and the experiential sector, providing a unique platform for collaboration with top-charting artists. Topics will include the current landscape of the live music industry, strategies for navigating its evolving challenges, and insights into future opportunities.
Further details on the summit, including panelists and award categories, will be revealed in the coming weeks. For additional information, visit billboardlivemusicsummit.com.
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Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards follow in the footsteps of other notable events such as the Billboard Music Awards, Billboard Women in Music, and Billboard Latin Music Week, which connect the industry’s top talent and key players with music fans worldwide.
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