I return to Pollstar Live next week. It will be my first in 3 years but perhaps my 15th total. It was the first “grown up” conference I attended. My college used to send me (and pay for) SXSW and CMJ used to pay for panelists to attend. Both had a heavy focus on “alternative music” but Pollstar was for stadium acts and the men attending mostly wore suits! I learned so much from attending years one and two, I volunteered for the next several just to learn even more. To this day, I often feel, I have been able to stay afloat in the crazy waters of this industry but learning the feeding order.. I love to swim and I have an enormous capacity for finding unexplored islands. That has become my specialty over the years. This year I will show off the one-of-a-kind Bike Zoo.
The highlight of the conference is the awards ceremony and it always falls in perfect timing for me, just ahead of my beloved Austin Music Awards. I would love to share the nominees with you and hear your thoughts on who should win this year. Let me know at roggie@rajiworld.com
Pollstar Awards Categories and Nominees
Congratulation to all Pollstar Award Nominees!
Below are the Categories and Nominees for the 29th Annual Pollstar Awards. One ticket to the Pollstar Awards & Party is included with each Pollstar Live! 2018 registration.
Major Tour of the Year
- Bruno Mars
- Coldplay
- Garth Brooks
- Guns N’ Roses
- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
- U2
Most Creative Stage Production
- Coldplay
- Ed Sheeran
- Katy Perry
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Roger Waters
- U2
Comedy Tour of the Year
- Amy Schumer
- Chris Rock
- Dave Chappelle
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Jim Gaffigan
- Kevin Hart
Country Tour of the Year
- Chris Stapleton
- Eric Church
- Garth Brooks
- Jason Aldean
- Luke Bryan
- Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Rock Tour of the Year
- Foo Fighters
- Guns N’ Roses
- Metallica
- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
- Roger Waters
- U2
Urban / R&B Tour of the Year
- Bruno Mars
- Chance The Rapper
- Drake
- J. Cole
- Kendrick Lamar
- The Weeknd
Latin Tour of the Year
- Enrique Iglesias & Pitbull
- Gloria Trevi vs Alejandra Guzman
- Juanes
- Luis Fonsi
- Marc Anthony
- Marco Antonio Solis
Pop Tour of the Year
- Ariana Grande
- Bruno Mars
- Harry Styles
- Justin Bieber
- Katy Perry
- Lady Gaga
Best New Headliner
- Halsey
- Harry Styles
- Khalid
- Portugal. The Man
- Shawn Mendes
- The xx
Music Festival of the Year
- Austin City Limits Music Festival | Austin, TX
- Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival | Manchester, TN
- Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival | Indio, CA
- KAABOO Del Mar | Del Mar, CA
- Lollapalooza Festival | Chicago, IL
- Stagecoach: California’s Country Music Festival | Indio, CA
International Music Festival of the Year
- Barclaycard British Summer Time | London, UK
- Bluesfest | Byron Bay, Australia
- C2C: Country to Country | London & Glasgow, UK; Dublin, Ireland
- Glastonbury Festival | Pilton, UK
- Lollapalooza Brazil | Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Primavera Sound | Barcelona, Spain
Nightclub of the Year
- 9:30 Club | Washington, DC
- Brooklyn Steel | Brooklyn, NY
- The Fillmore Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA
- House of Blues Boston | Boston, MA
- Joe’s Bar | Chicago, IL
- Thalia Hall | Chicago, IL
Theatre of the Year
- Beacon Theatre | New York, NY
- Bellco Theatre | Denver, CO
- Fox Theatre | Atlanta, GA
- Radio City Music Hall | New York, NY
- Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN
- The Wiltern | Los Angeles, CA
Arena of the Year
- Barclays Center | Brooklyn, NY
- BOK Center | Tulsa, OK
- Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN
- Forum | Inglewood, CA
- Madison Square Garden | New York, NY
- Staples Center | Los Angeles, CA
- T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, NV
Red Rocks Award / Best Small Outdoor Venue
- Ascend Amphitheater | Nashville, TN
- Filene Center At Wolf Trap | Vienna, VA
- Greek Theatre At UC Berkeley | Berkeley, CA
- Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA
- Santa Barbara Bowl | Santa Barbara, CA
- Vina Robles Amphitheatre | Paso Robles, CA
Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue
- Forest Hills Stadium | Forest Hills, NY
- Gorge Amphitheatre | Quincy, WA
- Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA
- Lakeview Amphitheater | Syracuse, NY
- Merriweather Post Pavilion | Columbia, MD
- Shoreline Amphitheatre | Mountain View, CA
Best New Concert Venue
- The Anthem | Washington, DC
- Brooklyn Steel | Brooklyn, NY
- Levitt Pavilion Denver | Denver, CO
- Little Caesars Arena | Detroit, MI
- Wintrust Arena | Chicago, IL
- U Arena Paris | Nanterre, France
International Venue of the Year
- Manchester Arena | Manchester, UK
- The O2 | London, UK
- O2 Arena | Prague, Czech Republic
- Royal Albert Hall | London, UK
- Ziggo Dome | Amsterdam, Netherlands
Venue Executive of the Year
- Becky Colwell | Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
- David Kells | Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
- Keith Sheldon | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
- Ken Kuhl | American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- Kim Bedier | Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
- Nick Spampanato | Forum, Inglewood, CA
Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year
- Donna Busch | The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
- Ed Warm | Joe’s Bar, Chicago, IL; Joe’s Live, Rosemont, IL; The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
- Jake Samuels | Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL & SPACE, Evanston, IL
- Josh Moore | Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY & Terminal 5, New York, NY
- Melanie Cantwell | 9:30 Club, The Anthem, Lincoln Theatre, Washington, DC
- Stacie George | Irving Plaza, New York, NY; Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY & The Paramount, Huntington, NY
Talent Buyer of the Year
- Ali Harnell | AEG Presents / MTG
- Amy Corbin | C3 Presents
- Brian O’Connell | Live Nation
- Don Strasburg | AEG Presents
- Rich Best | Live Nation
- Stacy Vee | Goldenvoice
Bill Graham Award / Promoter of the Year
- Darin Lashinsky | NS2
- Don Fox | Beaver Productions
- Gregg Perloff | Another Planet Entertainment
- Larry & Fred Frank | Frank Productions Concerts
- Michael Smardak | Outback Concerts
- Seth Hurwitz | I.M.P.
International Promoter of the Year
- Andy Copping | Live Nation – UK
- Barrie Marshall | Marshall Arts
- Denis Desmond | MCD Productions
- Folkert Koopmans | FKP Scorpio Konzertproduktionen
- Michael Chugg | Chugg Entertainment
- Simon Moran | SJM
Bobby Brooks Award / Agent of the Year
- Cara Lewis | CLG – Cara Lewis Group
- Dennis Arfa | Artist Group International
- Jay Williams | WME
- Kirk Sommer | WME
- Marlene Tsuchii | Creative Artists Agency
- Marty Diamond | Paradigm Talent Agency
- Scott Clayton | Creative Artists Agency
Third Coast Booking Agent of the Year
- Abby Wells Baas | WME
- Curt Motley | United Talent Agency
- Jay Williams | WME
- Joe Atamian | Paradigm Talent Agency
- John Huie | Creative Artists Agency
- Matthew Morgan | Creative Artists Agency
UK Booking Agent of the Year
- Emma Banks | Creative Artists Agency UK
- Ian Huffam | X-ray Touring
- James Alderman | Free Trade Agency
- Mike Greek | Creative Artists Agency UK
- Rod MacSween | International Talent Booking
- Steve Strange | X-ray Touring
Independent Booking Agency of the Year
- Artist Group International
- The Billions Corporation
- High Road Touring
- Madison House
Booking Agency of the Year
- APA
- Creative Artists Agency
- Paradigm Talent Agency
- United Talent Agency
- WME
Rising Star
- Aaron Tannenbaum, Creative Artists Agency
- James Rasmussen, Golden 1 Center
- Joe Giordano, BOK Center
- Keith Sheldon, Barclays Center
- Lenore Kinder, AEG Presents
- Tommy Bruce, Full Stop Management
Personal Manager of the Year
- Clarence Spalding | Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean
- Coran Capshaw | Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Chris Stapleton
- Irving Azoff | Eagles, Journey
- John Silva | Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age
- Jonathan Kessler | Depeche Mode
- Tony Dimitriades | Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Road Warrior of the Year
- Dale “Opie” Skjerseth | The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses
- Gus Brandt | Foo Fighters, Pharrell Williams
- Jerome Crooks | Soundgarden, Tool, NIN
- Keith Keller | Drake, Metallica, Jay-Z
- Mark “Springo” Spring | Paul McCartney
- Narci Martinez | Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence and the Machine
Lighting Company of the Year
- Bandit Lites
- Premier Global Production
- PRG
- Solotech
- Upstaging
- VER
Sound Company of the Year
- Clair Global
- Clearwing Productions
- Eighth Day Sound Systems
- Rat Sound Systems
- Sound Image
- VER Tour Sound
Staging / Equipment Company of the Year
- All Access Staging and Productions
- G2 Structures
- Gallagher Staging
- Mountain Productions
- Stageco
- Tait
Transportation Company of the Year
- All Access Transportation
- Pioneer Coach
- Rock-It Cargo
- Senators Coaches
- Sound Moves
- Upstaging
Video Company of the Year
- Colonel Tom Touring
- Moo TV
- PRG Nocturne
- RD Touring
- Screenworks
- Solotech
- VER
Tech Enhancement of the Year
- 3D Live, Flying Lotus
- Eyellusion, Dio
- Hurdl
- Xylobands, Coldplay
- Yondr