Live Nation’s Ticketmaster In Search For New Tech Savvy President
Nathan Hubbard, the president of Live Nation's Ticketmaster division, is reportedly exiting the company. While an official announcement has not been made, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that Hubbard's exit resulted from a power struggle between Hubbard and Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino and the desire to find a leader with more background in technology to lead the company's increasing web-focused ticketing service.
The first hints of Hubbard's ouster came with the appointment in May of Jared Smith to the post of Ticketmaster North America, which saw Smith effectively taking over the day-to-day operations of Ticketmaster for Hubbard. According to the WSJ, a description of Hubbard's job, with much expanded global responsibilities has been quietly circulating among potential candidates for several months.
There have also been signs of friction between Rapino and Hubbard, particularly over Hubbard's relationships with sports teams, which, according to the WSJ, came to a head at a recent meeting of NBA teams where Hubbard's ties to league owners was on display.
Hubbard joined Live Nation in 2006, when the company bought Coran Capshaw's MusicToday, a fan club, merch and ticketing company where Hubbard was CEO. Since then, he has led the company's e-commerce operation, including the roll-out of Live Nation Ticketing in January, 2009.
Hubbard got his start in the industry as a singer-songwriter, touring as a part of the folk rock outfit Rockwell Church, with five albums to his credit.
Neither Mr. Hubbard nor Live Nation responded to a request for comment. – via Celebrity Access
