Live Nation is officially entering the awards-season business. The top music promoter announced the “Live Nation Music Awards,” set to honor the year’s best live music performances and air on both TNT and TBS on October 1. The telecast will be produced by Live Nation Entertainment in collaboration with IMG and dick clark productions, and was announced as part of Turner’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday (May 12).
“Live Nation is dedicated to bringing artists and fans together for life-long memories and we are honored to take part in recognizing the talent who bring those experiences to life,” Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who will co-executive produce the awards, said in a statement.
Award categories will include “Live Performance of the Year,” “Best On-Stage Collaboration,” “Road Warrior of the Year,” and “Best Special Effects in a Festival,” while live performances will focus on first-of-their-kind collaborations and appearances. “With all the honors given to recorded music, it’s great to finally see awards created for live performances,” David Eilenberg, TBS and TNT’s senior VP of unscripted series, specials and late night, said in a statement.
In addition to Rapino, the “Live Nation Music Awards” will be exec-produced by Mark Shapiro, IMG’s Chief Content Officer; and dick clark productions’ CEO Allen Shapiro and president Michael Mahan. “Touring is by far one of the most powerful platforms for artists to connect with their fans,” Shapiro said in a statement.
Live Nation isn’t the only recent entrant into the increasingly popular music-awards show category. The “iHeartRadioMusic Awards,” in its second year on NBC, matched its debut rating with a 1.7 among adults 18 to 49, with total viewership of 5.2 million.
Billboard also recently celebrated the 11th anniversary of its own (non-televised) Touring Awards, which were held last November at New York’s Edison Ballroom. One Direction, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie took home the night’s biggest honors. [Billboard]