Entertainment giant Live Nation has pole position to retain control of Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville’s 6,800-capacity outdoor riverfront entertainment venue. In addition to Live Nation’s renewal pitch, the city is considering at least three rival bids, with a final decision anticipated in early 2025 as Live Nation’s current 10-year contract expires.
A short bidding window and little information from the city about Ascend’s current operations give Live Nation a strong hand as the city deliberates. The Scene has confirmed additional Ascend bids from Opry Entertainment Group, Mammoth Live and AEG Presents — the latter widely considered Live Nation’s biggest competitor. Venue giant ASM Global did not submit a bid. A pre-offer meeting with the city included at least six potential operators.
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Ascend’s size offers a sweet spot for artists who can’t fill stadiums but are too big for the city’s small- and medium-cap venues. The amphitheater has maintained a full calendar of events in recent years, including Hozier, Jack White, Noah Kahan, Maggie Rogers and Orville Peck’s Sixth Annual Rodeo. Its downtown location allows accessibility for tourists and multiple seating options across a pit, seated bowl and lawn space.
Some point to The Greek Theatre, a 5,900-capacity venue in Los Angeles, as an appropriate comparison. That venue went through an extensive and controversial bidding contest in 2014, awarding an operating contract to Live Nation that was later rejected by city officials. Today the venue is booked and run based on agreements between several operators, including Live Nation.Â
Metro Nashville initially opened bidding in early August with a Sept. 9 submission deadline. The city later extended this window twice — once to Oct. 16, then to Oct. 23 — following requests from potential operators. One bidder, which requested anonymity as the contract has not yet been awarded, tells the Scene that it would not have been able to produce its proposal but for this extension.Â
Live Nation won a 10-year contract to operate the venue in 2014. The original deal required $400,000 per year from Live Nation plus a $2 ticket fee, which generated about $700,000 for the city in annual revenue. New proposals offer as much as $1 million per year for the city, according to individuals familiar with top bids.Â
The Metro Department of Parks and Recreation plans to ink an agreement in the first half of 2025. Similar to the way the Metro Sports Authority oversees Bridgestone Arena and Nissan Stadium, Metro Parks technically oversees Ascend, which is nestled inside Riverfront Park and the downtown greenway system. Metro Parks assistant director Jim Hester, listed as the bidders’ Metro contact on the city’s contract solicitation, did not return the Scene’s request for comment in time for publication.
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Live Nation, which also owns Ticketmaster, raked in $22.7 billion in revenue last year. Live Nation also promotes the majority of concerts at Bridgestone Arena. The corporation has faced intense scrutiny from artists and consumers over its wide-ranging control of concert bookings and pricing. The new contract comes as Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sits opposite Live Nation and Ticketmaster in an ongoing federal antitrust suit.
During the bid window, the city did not share certain operating information requested by prospective bidders, including existing security plans and required fees and permitting. Bidders are blind to Live Nation’s naming rights contract with Ascend Federal Credit Union, for example, which can be considered proprietary and confidential information. On Oct. 7, just before the bid deadline, Live Nation hosted Mayor Freddie O’Connell for an office happy hour.Â
“This is an active solicitation, so [we] are limited in what information we can provide,” Zak Kelley, a procurement adviser in the Metro Finance Department, tells the Scene in an email. “Proposal(s) received for this solicitation are currently in evaluation. We do not have a timeline for award.”
The city has not yet indicated when reviewers will make a final decision.
Live Nation is also the preferred booker and promoter for Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. The city will review that contract at a special-called meeting on Dec. 12.
