The Basement East in 2015
Live Nation Entertainment has announced a multi-year exclusive booking deal with The Basement East. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in a release.
As part of the agreement, The Basement East’s Richard Sloven has joined the Nashville office of Beverly Hills-based Live Nation as a talent buyer and promoter. The move follows Live Nation's July hiring of venue industry veteran and ex-Grand Ole Opry general manager Sally Williams as president of its Nashville music and business strategy efforts.
Dave Brown and Mike Grimes own The Basement East, which is located at 917 Woodland St. in East Nashville and ranks among the city’s most popular small live music venues.
"For decades, co-owners Dave Brown and Mike Grimes have fueled the Nashville live music scene, not only by giving Nashvillians the chance to see great touring acts, but also by thoughtfully nurturing local artists,” Brian Traeger, president of Live Nation’s Tennessee operation, said in the release.
Citing The Basement Easts’s general manager Tara Charles and the aforementioned Sloven, Traeger’s statement continues that the venue’s team has “successfully raised the bar in all areas, from programming and customer service to aesthetics and acoustics."
The Basement East began operations in 2015. Known alternatively as The Beast, the venue serves as a sister club to the original The Basement, which is located at 1604 Eighth Ave. S. (Brown and Grimes are also partners in The Basement. Grimes is also a co-owner of Grimey’s New and Preloved Music.)
Locally, Live Nation Entertainment operates its office in Edgehill Village in Edgehill. The company handles booking for downtown's Bridgestone Arena, Ascend Ampitheater and Municipal Auditorium. Founded in 1996, Live Nation Entertainment recorded revenues of $10.8 billion in 2019.
A version of this post originally appeared at our sister publication Nashville Post.
