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American company buys majority stake in South Africa's Big Concerts

Mariah Carey Picture Credit: Supplied
Mariah Carey Picture Credit: Supplied

Live Nation Entertainment on Monday announced that it has acquired a controlling interest in Big Concerts International Proprietary Limited‚ a leading concert promoter in South Africa.

Big Concerts will continue to be led by Attie van Wyk as Chairman and Justin van Wyk as Chief Executive Officer‚ the company said in a statement.

Attie van Wyk said the deal would see more international artists visiting South Africa‚ and the continent.

“Over the past five years the growth in the South African live entertainment industry has been exceptional‚ driven by investment in local infrastructure and strong consumer demand‚ all of which will continue to enable us to bring global superstars to the African continent in the future‚” he said.

His son Justin van Wyk added: “With world class stadiums and new arenas in the pipeline‚ South Africa is the most advanced economy in Africa and offers significant growth opportunities for the global live entertainment industry. We look forward to expanding the African live touring circuit and its attractiveness for global tours”.

 Alan Ridgeway‚ Live Nation president of international and emerging markets‚ said: “Since South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010‚ there has been a noticeable increase in the number of artists visiting the country with many acts now playing three or four cities. We look forward to working with Attie and Justin to further develop the South African market‚ as well as the broader African market as demand for live entertainment grows across the continent.”

Michael Rapino‚ Live Nation Entertainment president and CEO‚ said: “Our entry into the South African market through the acquisition of Big Concerts expands Live Nation’s global footprint to 38 countries and brings live entertainment at scale to a new continent”.

 Big Concerts was founded by Attie Van Wyk in 1989 and since then has produced more than 1‚800 shows with over 400 international artists. Big Concerts conducts business in the promotion of live entertainment events‚ merchandising‚ sponsorships‚ corporate and private events‚ concessions‚ hospitality‚ and venue management.

 Upcoming Big Concert tours for 2016 include Lionel Richie‚ Chris de Burgh‚ Josh Groban‚ Mariah Carey‚ Iron Maiden and George Benson.

 

 

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