Live Nation Entertainment

240px
Type	Public company
Traded as	NYSE: LYV
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2010
Headquarters	Beverly Hills, California
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Michael Rapino (CEO, director, president)
Products	Ticketmaster Live Nation Concerts Front Line Management Group Live Nation Network
Revenue	US$ 5.06 billion (2010)
Operating income	US$ 82.14 million (2007)
Net income	US$ -11.94 million (2007)
Total assets	US$ 2.752 billion (2007)
Total equity	US$ 907 million (2007)
Employees	Full-time: 4,700 Part-time: 15,900
Website	livenationentertainment.com

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is an American entertainment company, formed from the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The leadership consists of John C. Malone, Chairman of Liberty Media as Chairman and Michael Rapino, (currently Chief-Executive-Officer of Live Nation) as President and CEO of the new company. On January 24, 2011, media executive Barry Diller resigned from the board of directors after a reported internal boardroom struggle.^[1]

In order to complete the merge, Live Nation and Ticketmaster will need approval from their shareholders, California State Regulators (as both companies are based in California), and Federal regulator approval. At this time, the Federal regulator response is the only outstanding approval.

The proposal has received regulatory approval in Norway and Turkey.^[2] The United States Justice Department approved the merger on January 25, 2010 with some conditions to which both parties agreed.^[3]

In October 2009, the United Kingdom's Competition Commission provisionally ruled against the merger^[4] but on December 22, 2009, the Competition Commission reversed itself and decided to clear the proposed merger.^[2]

Clearance & Divestment of Assets to Merge[link]

Separate regulatory reviews of the proposal were continuing in the United States and Canada.^[2] On January 25, 2010, the United States and Canadian governments cleared the way for Live Nation and TicketMaster to merge.^[5] Irving Azoff is chairman and founder of Azoff Music Management Group, Inc. In late 2008, he became chairman and CEO of Ticketmaster Entertainment. He is now Executive Chairman of Live Nation Entertainment

As part of the agreement with Governments to merge, Ticketmaster has to sell its ownership in its self ticketing company, Paciolan (which they have a deal to sell to Comcast-Spectacor). According to the Associated Press, Live Nation Entertainment will be under a 10-year court order prohibiting it from retaliating against venues that choose to accept competitors' ticket-selling contracts, and it "must allow venues that sign deals elsewhere to take consumer ticketing data with them".^[6][7]

Also the new company will have to license a copy of its ticketing software to two companies — Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and either Comcast Spectacor or another “suitable” company — so that both companies can compete “head-to-head” with Ticketmaster for venues’ business. After five years, AEG will have the option of buying the software, replacing it with something else or partnering with another ticketing company.^[8]

Opposition to merger[link]

A group including members of the United States Congress and business rivals of Ticketmaster and Live Nation had urged the US Department of Justice to stop the merger. The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), whose members include Google, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, Yahoo, Intuit and eBay, also opposed the merger.^[9][10]

Venues[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Corporate Website

A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, or history.^[1] In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government (for example the inhabitants of a sovereign state) irrespective of their ethnic make-up.^[2][3] In international relations, nation can refer to a country or sovereign state.^[1] The word nation can more specifically refer to people of North American Indians, such as the Cherokee Nation that prefer this term over the contested term tribe.^[1]

According to Joseph Stalin writing in 1913 in Marxism and the National Question: "a nation is not a racial or tribal, but a historically constituted community of people;" "a nation is not a casual or ephemeral conglomeration, but a stable community of people;" "a common language is one of the characteristic features of a nation;" "a nation is formed only as a result of lengthy and systematic intercourse, as a result of people living together generation after generation;" "a common territory is one of the characteristic features of a nation;" "a common economic life, economic cohesion, is one of the characteristic features of a nation;" "a common psychological make-up, which manifests itself in a common culture, is one of the characteristic features of a nation;" "A nation is a historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, and psychological make-up manifested in a common culture." According to Stalin, this would exclude Jews as they have no common territory.^[4]

An alternative view, expressed by Otto Bauer, author of Social Democracy and the Nationalities Question (1907), that "A nation is an aggregate of people bound into a community of character by a common destiny." would include Jews. R. Springer, author of The National Problem (1909), also cited by Stalin in his discussion of this matter, held similar views.^[4]

Etymology[link]

The word nation came to English from the Old French word nacion, which in turn originates from the Latin word natio (nātĭō) literally meaning "that which has been born".^[5]

As an example of how the word natio was employed in classical Latin, the following quote from Cicero's Philippics Against Mark Antony in 44 BC contrasts the external, inferior nationes ("races of people") with the Roman civitas ("community"):

"Omnes nationes servitutem ferre possunt: nostra civitas non potest."
("All races are able to bear enslavement, but our community cannot.")

— Cicero, Orationes: Pro Milone, Pro Marcello, Pro Ligario, Pro rege Deiotaro, Philippicae I-XIV^[6]

An early example of the use of the word "nation" (in conjunction with language and territory) was provided in 968 by Liutprand (the bishop of Cremona) who, while confronting the Byzantine emperor, Nicephorus II, on behalf of his patron Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, declared:

"The land...which you say belongs to your empire belongs, as the nationality and language of the people proves, to the kingdom of Italy.'"

— Liutprand, Relatio de legatione Constantinopolitana ad Nicephorum Phocam ^[7]

[edit] Medieval nationes

A significant early use of the term nation, as natio, occurred at mediaeval universities^[8] to describe the colleagues in a college or students, above all at the University of Paris, who were all born within a pays, spoke the same language and expected to be ruled by their own familiar law. In 1383 and 1384, while studying theology at Paris, Jean Gerson was elected twice as a procurator for the French natio. The University of Prague adopted the division of students into nationes: from its opening in 1349 the studium generale which consisted of Bohemian, Bavarian, Saxon and Polish nations.

In a similar way, the nationes were segregated by the Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, who maintained at Rhodes the hostels from which they took their name "where foreigners eat and have their places of meeting, each nation apart from the others, and a Knight has charge of each one of these hostels, and provides for the necessities of the inmates according to their religion", as the Spanish traveller Pedro Tafur noted in 1436.^[9]

See also[link]

References[link]

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Casey James
Casey James in July 2010
Background information
Birth name	Casey Everett James
Born	(1982-05-31) May 31, 1982 (age 30) Plano, Texas
Origin	Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Genres	Pop, country, rock, blues[1]
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, mandolin
Years active	2008–present
Labels	BNA Records/19 Recordings
Website	www.caseyejames.com

Casey Everett James (born May 31, 1982)^[2] is an American singer and guitarist from Fort Worth, Texas, who was the third-place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol.

Early life[link]

Born in Plano and raised in Cool, Texas,^[3] James had a bad reaction to his pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine when he was an infant, and his family feared brain damage.^[1][4][5] According to his mother, however, she realized that he would be all right and was going to be musical when he started humming before he talked.^[4]

James performing on the American Idol Live! tour in Denver, Colorado, on August 23, 2010

James started playing the guitar at 13 and within a year was playing on stage. James has played acoustic sets with his mother, Debra "Bybee" James, and blues with his older brother, Billy Cole. He has also played with country and rock bands.^[6][7] At the age of 21, he was in a serious motorcycle accident that nearly ended his life. He was told by his doctor that he would no longer be able to play guitar, a medical prediction that proved untrue.^[8] During the American Idol hometown visits, James returned to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries and presented an autographed guitar to his surgeon, Dr. Cory Collinge.^[9]

Before American Idol, he played with his band, The Casey James Band, consisting of James, his brother, Billy Cole (bass), and Jacy McCann (drums). They recorded four songs, including the first song that James ever wrote, "Freezing," back in 2002.

Casey also married in early 2005 but later divorced after two year.

Musical influences[link]

James cites blues guitarist Doyle Bramhall II as a major musical influence and whom he would most like to perform with in his Idol Q&A.^[1] Another major influence is Stevie Ray Vaughan; James named Vaughan's In the Beginning (1992) as a formative album in his early years.

I got an album called “In the Beginning” and I learned every note on it, which was easier to do because it was early on in his career [it was recorded in 1980]. I learned all those notes and it opened me up to the blues. When you look what he was doing, a lot of it was covers, and then you go back and start listening to those guys -- the originals Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins -- those influences changed me, too.

Other influences cited in the article are southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pearl Jam.^[10]

[edit] American Idol

James was a contestant on American Idol during its ninth season. He made it to the Top 3 before being eliminated on May 19, 2010. James had tried out for and been selected to compete in the ninth season of Idol in 2009 in spite of the fact that he had never seen the show.^[11] He was the oldest contestant to be selected for the Top 24 of the ninth season at the age of 27. James was voted off of the competition on May 19, 2010, and finished in third place. During the finale of American Idol, he performed a duet of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with Bret Michaels.^[12]

USA Today music critic Brian Mansfield suggested that James was "the best guitar player the show [American Idol] has seen."^[13]

Performances[link]

• ^Note 1 Due to the judges using their one save to save Michael Lynche, the Top 9 remained intact for another week.
• ^Note 2 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, James was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as Tim Urban was eliminated.
• ^Note 3 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, James was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as Siobhan Magnus was eliminated.
• ^Note 4 Song selected by Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.

[edit] Post-Idol

James joined the rest of the Top 10 on the American Idols LIVE! tour. His four-song set included "I Got Mine" by The Black Keys, "Don't" by Shania Twain, "It's All Over Now" by Bobby Womack, and "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams alongside fellow contestant Michael Lynche.

On August 17, 2010, it was announced that James had signed with Sony Music Nashville and his debut album will be released on 19 Recordings/BNA Records in 2011.^[14] Sony Music Nashville Chairman and CEO Gary Overton said: "We at Sony Music Nashville are incredibly excited about signing CASEY JAMES. I flew to NEW YORK to see him 'live' with the American Idol Tour and I was blown away with his voice, guitar playing and stage presence...and so were the thousands of fans in the amphitheatre. He has honed his skills as a showman with his years of performing live on stage! I can't wait to get him into the studio to begin recording his debut album."^[15] James is currently set to work with country songwriter Tom Douglas. Douglas has said of James that "he's the real deal. He's a great singer and great guitar player, so I'm looking forward to writing with him."^[16]

James has collaborated with some of country music's notable songwriters including Aimee Mayo,^[17] Alabama's Randy Owen, Sugarland's Kristian Bush, Delbert McClinton,^[18] and Grammy-winner Tom Douglas. He's also appeared before live audiences around the U.S.; in March 2011 he opened for Sugarland on their The Incredible Machine Tour^[19] and has been playing other solo and opening gigs including performing at the ACM Awards fan party^[20] and 2011 CMA Fest.^[21]

James first single, "Let's Don't Call It a Night", was released on August 15, 2011, and sold 5,000 copies in its debut week.^[22] James' self-titled debut CD was released on March 20, 2012 on 19 Recordings/BNA Records. James co-wrote nine of the CD's eleven tracks and co-produced the CD with Chris Lindsey. ^[23] James co-wrote "Let's Don't Call It a Night" with Brice Long and Terry McBride.^[24]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

• ^ATo be released June 18.^[29]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Casey James on Twitter
• Casey James at American Idol
• Casey James Shares His 'Idol' Experience at The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• Casey James at the Internet Movie Database
• Casey James Band Official Website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2009)

This section requires expansion with: More info on musical career.

Charles Fitzgerald "Charlie" Robison (born September 1, 1964 in Houston, Texas) is an Texas Country singer/songwriter, who was raised in Bandera, Texas. His brother, Bruce Robison, and his sister, Robyn Ludwick, are also singer/songwriters.

Career[link]

After an injury in college ended a potential football career, Charlie Robison came to Austin, TX in the late 80's and had stints in the bands Chaparral, Millionaire Playboys, and Two Hoots and a Holler.^[1] He went solo with his album "Bandera" in 1996. He subsequently signed with Sony and released "Life of the Party" on Sony's subsidiary Lucky Dog Records. The album gave him three of his biggest hits including "My Hometown." His next release was a live disc called "Unleashed Live," which is credited to Charlie, brother Bruce, and Jack Ingram. He then signed with Columbia Records for "Step Right Up" and another live album.

In 2003, Robison was a judge on the first season of the TV singing competition Nashville Star.^[2]

Unhappy with the expectations & limitations of being a Nashville country artist, he moved to a smaller independent label, Dualtone, for "Good Times" in 2004, followed by extensive touring and newfound control over his career. Accordingly, his sound began to evolve away from mainstream/Nashville country and toward more Southern & hard rock influences.

Five years after the release of Good Times, Robison released Beautiful Day on June 23, 2009 on Dualtone. This is the first CD he has self-produced. Both albums feature several songs written by Nashville singer/songwriter Keith Gattis.

His song "Good Times" was featured in the credits of HBO's original series True Blood in the first season's third episode.

In 2009 he embarked on an East Coast tour with stops in Little Rock, Nashville, Atlanta, Raleigh, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Iowa City, and Memphis to promote "Beautiful Day." Since then he has played primarily in Texas, with occasional shows in Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

He is known for playing classic rock covers during his live shows. Some of these include: "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Highway to Hell" (AC/DC), "Call me the Breeze" (Lynyrd Skynyrd), "Rocket Man" (Elton John), and several Rolling Stones songs, including "Dead Flowers" and "Honky Tonk Women." He also plays several songs associated with Willie Nelson, including "Whiskey River" and "Stay all Night."

His live band includes: Mark Tokach (lead guitar), Abe Combest (drums), Louis Landry (keyboards/accordion), and Chris Grady (bass). Most of his recordings feature The Enablers: Keith Robinson (drums) and Scott Esbeck (bass). Other notable ex-band members include Kim Deschamps (pedal steel, lep steel, mandolin, guitar from 2000–2009), Kevin Carroll (guitar), Jens Pinkernell (guitar), and Kris Brown (bass). His recordings have also featured special guests Lloyd Maines (who produced Step Right Up and Good Times), Rich Brotherton, Charlie Sexton, and Natalie Maines (harmony vocals on El Cerrito Place).

Family[link]

He married Emily Erwin of The Dixie Chicks in 1999. They have three children together: Charles Augustus, called "Gus", born November 11, 2002^[3] and twins Julianna Tex (9:19 pm, 6 lb 10 oz) and Henry Benjamin (9:29 pm, 6 lb 14 oz), born on April 14, 2005.^[4] Charlie and Emily divorced on August 6, 2008 after nine years of marriage.^[5]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Music videos[link]

Tributes[link]

He appeared on Kindred Spirits: A tribute to Johnny Cash, singing "Don't Take Your Guns to Town".

In 2006, Charlie Robison performed "Wildman from Borneo" on the Kinky Friedman tribute "Why the hell not..." The songs of Kinky Friedman.

See also[link]

• Music of Austin

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Andy Grammer
Background information
Born	(1983-12-03) December 3, 1983 (age 28)
Origin	Los Angeles, California , United States
Genres	R&B, reggae, acoustic, pop rock, soft rock

Andy Grammer (born December 3, 1983) is an American producer-singer-songwriter signed to Steve Greenberg's S-Curve Records.^[1] His debut album, Andy Grammer, was officially released on June 14, 2011.^[2]

Biography[link]

Andy was born in Los Angeles, but grew up in Chester, New York, graduating from Monroe-Woodbury High School. At 20, he left Binghamton University, and returned to the Los Angeles area,^[3] where he currently resides.^[4] His father is Singer-songwriter, Red Grammer.^[5] In 2007 he graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a B.A.^[6]

Musical career[link]

Grammer started as a busker on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.^[1][7] and later performed in the Viper Room, the Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood) and the House of Blues.^[8] He has many popular songs such as Keep Your Head Up, Fine By Me, Lunatic, Ladies, Biggest Man in L.A., Numbers, Stepping Stone, Couple More Sleeves, Fireflies, and The Pocket.

His debut video "Keep Your Head Up" (featuring Rainn Wilson^[1])^[9] was an iTunes Video of the Week in 2010,^[10] and the version on the artist's site uses an interactive interface that allows the viewer to "send the singer into goofy scenarios".^[11] He performed the song on The Rachael Ray Show on November 17, 2010.^[12] It has since debuted at No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100^[13] and peaked at #53.^[14] Andy Grammer's debut album sales for the first week earned him the No. 1 spot on the Billboard New Artist Chart.^[15]

He opened for Plain White T's for the second leg of their "Wonders of the Younger" tour in Spring of 2011.^[16][17]

In January 2011, he was named an "Artist to Watch" by Billboard magazine.^[18]

He performed at SXSW 2011, playing BMI's Acoustic Brunch,^[19] where he was one of the artists contributing to a recording produced by Hanson to benefit the victims of the 2011 Japan earthquake.^[20]

He won MTV's "O Music Awards" for most innovative video for his "Keep Your Head Up" video on April 25, 2011.^[21][22]

Grammer joined Natasha Bedingfield on her Less is More Tour, starting June 2011. He will also be going on tour with singer Colbie Caillat starting August, 21 2011. Grammer will open shows with Kate Voegele and Kevin Hammond.^[23]

The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles will feature Andy Grammer for the museum's first installment of its homegrown local artist series starting May 2011.^[24]

[edit] 2011–present: Andy Grammer

Andy Grammer's debut album, Andy Grammer, was released June 14, 2011 on iTunes.^[25] The self titled album was produced by Matt Wallace (Maroon 5), Matt Radosevich, Dave Katz, and Sam Hollander (Gym Class Heroes).

On the new album, Grammer says...

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Artist's site