Live Nation Entertainment And Vice Media Form Joint Venture To Launch A Revolutionary New Digital Content Platform

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Nov 12, 2014, 03:30 ET

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV), the world's greatest live music company, and VICE, the world's leading youth media company, have joined forces to develop and launch a revolutionary new digital content platform delivering the voice of live music to millions of online and mobile audiences. The joint venture will marry Live Nation's massive live music base and access to thousands of artists globally, with the creative and expert editorial powerhouse of VICE to bring the platform to all major markets across the world in nine different languages.

The announcement was made today by Michael Rapino, Live Nation CEO and president, and Shane Smith, founder and CEO, VICE.

As the voice of live music in digital form, the platform will look to fill an unmatched need in the market: delivering original and compelling, artist-driven live content from the stage to the studio. The platform will bring these live experiences to life across multiple platforms and connect audiences with the same emotional experiences of a live show whenever they want.

The platform will also eventually feature hundreds of hours of originally produced content, including: brand new long and short form video series, premium editorial franchises, new full-blown live digital music experiences created collaboratively with artists, in depth documentaries, as well as daily editorial content, and ecommerce and ticketing offerings.

The platform will roll out across multiple screens including mobile, web and TV in 2015.

"Shane and the VICE organization have proven to be the voice of this generation. Together with Live Nation's platform, we are positioned to become the voice of live music by developing an artist-centric, 24/7 global music destination that enables artists to bring their creative vision to life in a new and rich online and mobile music ecosystem," said Rapino.

Smith added, "This partnership rethinks the live music experience, offering unprecedented access to the world's biggest stars and emerging artists, and groundbreaking content that will be distributed across the holy trinity of mobile, online and TV. Today the content world is in upheaval, with new brands being created in real time, and mainstream media seeing its audience migrate in record numbers. It's this de-stratification of the status quo that we find so exciting because that, combined with the lack of any real quality music programming out there, equals one hell of an opportunity. We think that this partnership will give VICE and Live Nation the unique ability to totally re-imagine music content on a global scale, and if that doesn't get your rocks off I don't know what will!"

Live Nation and VICE will each contribute infrastructure and resources to the platform. VICE, which has a rich history of collaborating with the best artists across the globe, will focus on content and programming, while each entity will contribute marketing, sales and sponsorship capabilities. The platform will be an autonomous revenue generator by marketing to a global audience, and offering unique brand partnerships and the most innovative digital assets.

About Vice Media, Inc.
VICE is a global youth media company and the industry leader in producing and distributing the best online video content in the world. Launched in 1994 as a punk magazine, VICE now operates out of 36 offices globally, and has expanded into a multimedia network, including the world's premier source for original online video, VICE.COM; an international network of digital channels; a television & feature film production studio; a magazine; a record label; and a book-publishing division.

About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world's leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com. Follow us @twitter.com/LiveNationInc

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SOURCE Live Nation Entertainment