Fred Rosen, the former Ticketmaster CEO and industry godfather, has left venue ticketing company AudienceView Ticketing, but the exact date of his departure remains a mystery.
With a lot of fanfare, Rosen joined the Canadian-based company as Chairman a little over a year ago, and within a few months he was also named its CEO.
Yet by at least by July of this year, Rosen was no longer CEO as evidenced by a press release the company issued announcing its mobile ticketing deal with Impact Mobile. Kevin Kimsa, AudienceView’s president, was also referred to as the CEO. Pollstar has reported that Rosen has not been involved with the company since the summer, but the end of his involvement date back to the winter or spring of this year, according to industry insiders familiar with the company.
Attempts to reach Rosen were unsuccessful. Jeff Koets, spokesperson for AudienceView Ticketing, confirmed Rosen’s departure took place in the “first quarter of the year,” but added that he could not comment further. The company did not make an official announcement about Rosen’s departure, and his name is absent from the company’s Web site under both the management and Board of Directors sections.
Considered one of the true innovators of the ticketing industry, Rosen also has a bit of a controversial reputation among brokers for his long tenure at Ticketmaster in the 1980s and 1990s, a period during which that company grew into the dominant player in the marketplace.
When he was named AudienceView’s CEO, Rosen said the six-year-old company’s future looked very bright. “AudienceView is perfectly poised in today’s dynamic ticketing industry to provide the white label solution the industry is looking for,” Rosen said in prepared statement. “We have a dedicated team of ticketing professionals who are committed to our clients and who are focused on making AudienceView an even bigger and more successful organization.”
And for his part, Kimsa, who at the time assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in addition to president, said, “AudienceView is in an excellent position with Mr. Rosen as CEO. His experience, knowledge and leadership in this industry leave no doubt that he is the right person for this role. I am looking forward to my continued involvement as we move forward into an exciting new phase for this organization.”
