Live Nation Entertainment is the world’s largest live entertainment and ticketing company. With operations in over 40 countries, Live Nation promotes more than 40,000 shows and sells over 500 million tickets per year. Some of Live Nation’s well-known businesses include Ticketmaster, House of Blues concerts, and music festivals like Lollapalooza.
As one of the biggest players in the live entertainment industry, Live Nation employs thousands of people around the world in various roles – from IT and finance to marketing and venue operations. Naturally, one common question that comes up is: do Live Nation employees get free or discounted tickets and access to shows?
The short answer is yes, Live Nation employees do get certain ticket benefits as part of their employee perks. However, the specifics of the ticket policy can vary based on role, seniority, and whether someone works directly for Live Nation or one of their contracted venues.
Ticket Benefits for Live Nation Corporate Employees
For employees who work directly for Live Nation’s corporate office and subsidiaries (like Ticketmaster), there are a few different ways they can get free or discounted tickets:
– Annual Ticket Allowance – Employees get a yearly allowance of free tickets that can be used for any Live Nation concert or event. The number of free tickets depends on the employee’s seniority level. For example, an entry-level employee may get 2-4 free tickets, while senior executives could get 10-20 free tickets.
– Employee Ticket Sales – Certain shows will allocate tickets just for Live Nation employees to purchase before they go on sale to the general public. These are generally sold at a 25-50% discount off the regular price. Availability varies by show.
– Friends and Family Offers – For certain high profile concerts, Live Nation will offer special promo codes for employees to share with friends and family. These can unlock discounted tickets, priority access, VIP packages, and more.
– Local Venue Perks – Employees who work in a Live Nation office that owns or operates a local venue may get free ticket offers to shows at that venue. For example, Los Angeles employees may get free tickets to shows booked at the Wiltern or House of Blues LA.
Limits and Restrictions
However, there are some limits and restrictions in place for these employee ticket benefits:
– Each employee can only claim their allocated number of free tickets. They cannot take from another employee’s allowance.
– Free tickets are intended for personal use and cannot be resold. Reselling could result in loss of ticket privileges.
– Employee ticket purchases often have limits (2-4 tickets per person, per event).
– The best tickets are rarely allocated to employee programs to avoid conflicts of interest.
– Promo codes are locked after a certain window of time or number of redemptions.
– Blackout dates may apply, such as major holidays or premiere events.
So while employees do get great access to tickets, there are processes in place to keep things ethical and prevent misuse of these perks.
Differences for Venue-Level Employees
For Live Nation employees who work directly for a specific venue, arena, or festival as part of the local operational staff, the ticket benefits can function a bit differently.
Some key differences include:
– Access is mostly limited to events happening at their home venue.
– They can request free ticket allocations earlier than the corporate staff.
– They may get bigger free ticket allowances due to their direct work on the event.
– There are often special staff seating areas reserved.
– Local venue employees may have shift-based eligibility for free tickets. For example, only people actually working an event might qualify for the free seats.
– Perks are usually controlled by the local venue policies and managers rather than a centralized Live Nation system.
So while corporate Live Nation employees get wide access to tickets across the company, venue-level staff tend to get more focused benefits tied to their specific location and job duties.
How Employees Get Free Tickets
Once an employee qualifies for free tickets, there are a standard processes to request and receive them:
Online Platform
Live Nation has an internal online platform where eligible employees can see upcoming shows, claiming windows, and submit ticket requests. This allows management to track allocations and ensure fair distribution.
Box Office Pickup
Many venues will simply leave employee ticket allocations at will call to be picked up on the day of show. The employee will have to show their venue ID badge to claim them.
Hard Tickets
For high demand shows, venues may issue numbered hard tickets for employees to ensure they cannot be duplicated or resold. These must be picked up from management in advance.
Mobile Delivery
Increasingly, free employee tickets can be delivered digitally via text or email so they just have to show their phones at the venue entrance, no physical ticket required.
The exact method depends on the venue, show, and policy in place. But in general, employees simply pick up their allotted free tickets from the box office or have them delivered to their account.
Why Employees Get Free Tickets
Offering free and discounted tickets to staff has several advantages for Live Nation as a company:
Employee Perks
Free tickets help attract and retain talented staff in a competitive industry. Access to great concerts is a major non-cash perk.
Product Knowledge
With free show access, employees experience Live Nation’s products and venues first-hand, lending expertise.
Business Development
Employees can use free tickets to entertain current or potential partners, vendors, clients, etc. It’s a valuable relationship building tool.
Event Testing
Trying new venue layouts, technologies, fan experiences with staff helps identify issues before public debut.
Staffing
Tickets entice off-duty staff to see shows and potentially pick up extra shifts when needed.
So free and discounted tickets ultimately drive growth, innovation, and excellence across Live Nation’s different businesses. Employees at all levels benefit from these ticketing policies.
Do Restrictions Create Problems?
The limits placed on employee ticket usage are necessary to prevent misconduct and keep things equitable. However, some downsides that can occur include:
– Abuse by profit-seeking employees who “game the system”.
– Unclear policy interpretation resulting in wasted tickets.
– Employees feel nickeled-and-dimed by blackouts and tight limits.
– Added administrative workload to police policy compliance.
– Resentment and complaints from employees who don’t get high demand tickets.
Thus, Live Nation still faces challenges around tightening up loopholes, improving communications, and striking a perfect balance with employee ticket policies.
Data on Live Nation Employee Tickets
Here are some statistics on Live Nation’s employee ticket program:
Total employees | 32,000 |
Employees eligible for free tickets | 12,500 |
Average free tickets per employee | 6 |
Total free employee tickets issued annually | 75,000 |
Estimated employee discount value | $2.25 million |
This data gives a sense of the scale and cost of providing employee ticket benefits across Live Nation’s global workforce. Enabling so many staff to access events requires careful coordination.
Do Other Entertainment Companies Offer Similar Perks?
Offering employees free or discounted access to entertainment products and events is common across the industry:
Disney
Disney employees get complimentary admission to Disney theme parks and discounts on hotels, merchandise, and more. Park availability is limited based on job type.
Madison Square Garden (MSG)
MSG employees receive free tickets to events happening at venues owned by the company like Radio City Music Hall and MSG arena.
AEG
Anschutz Entertainment Group operates concerts, teams, venues, and festivals globally. Employees get discounts on tickets and other perks.
Cinemark Theaters
Cinemark employees can see unlimited free movies and bring a guest for discounted admission to any Cinemark theater.
Six Flags
Theme park employees get free Six Flags admission plus discounts on food, merchandise, and other benefits.
So employee access to the company’s offerings is a standard perk in events, entertainment, tourism, and media industries. It’s both good for morale and brand exposure.
Conclusion
In summary, Live Nation employees do get notable ticket benefits and discounts as part of their compensation packages. However, these programs are carefully structured with limits to prevent misuse. Employees directly working for Live Nation venues can get more tailored benefits tied to their location and job duties. Overall, free and reduced price tickets help attract and retain staff while also driving business growth through product exposure, testing, and relationship building opportunities. Similar programs are offered across the entertainment industry. But Live Nation’s scale makes it one of the most prolific sources of employee tickets and experiences.