Concert promoter giant Live Nation Entertainment is furthering its global reach with the appointment of an industry veteran in Japan.
The promoter appointed Kei Ikuta as the Senior Vice President of Live Nation Japan. Ikuta will be based in Tokyo and report to Live Nation Japan President John Boyle, focusing on both touring and international acts throughout the country. Previously, Ikuta was the Vice President of UDO Artists and worked on several international tours for big-name acts like The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Maroon 5. With 17 years of experience, he has a lot to bring to the table.
“Japan’s live entertainment market continues to thrive, and Live Nation has fast become a serious player in its growth and success,” Ikuta said in a press release. “I’m extremely proud to be joining a talented team here at Live Nation and will work with them to bring more world-class acts to the region and connect the biggest and best acts both locally and globally to even more fans in Japan.”
Boyle said in the release that the company has made progress throughout Japan by bringing in a number of artists to the country, whether they’re playing smaller club shows or larger 50,000-capacity gigs.
“By welcoming Ikuta, an esteemed industry veteran into the team, we are furthering our commitment to the Japanese touring market while enabling us to really move our business forward to meet the ever-growing demand for international concerts.”
Previously, Live Nation has hosted concerts in Japan like Bon Iver, U2, Dave Chappelle, Cheap Trick, and Carly Rae Jepsen. This year, Live Nation will present shows like Green Day, Billie Eilish, and Halsey, as well as Download Festival, which will return with a headlining performance from the emo-rock icons My Chemical Romance.
Japan strengthen’s Live Nation’s global catalog, adding to its offices in Bangkok, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Seoul. Last year, Live Nation acquired the promoter One Production in Singapore and Malaysia’s PR Worldwide, while also launching Live Nation Connects in Asia.