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Bowery Presents Parts Ways With Namesake Bowery Ballroom And Mercury Lounge
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Aug 2, 2017
Modified Aug 2, 2017
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Courtesy Bowery Ballroom
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Aug 2, 2017
Modified Aug 2, 2017
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Bowery Presents, the longtime promoters behind several popular New York venues, will part ways with Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom, the company's first two spaces, BP Co-Founder John Moore confirmed to Gothamist on Wednesday. A "very good source," meanwhile, tells Brooklyn Vegan that entertainment behemoth Live Nation will likely be taking over booking for the two venues.
(Bowery Presents declined to comment on the Live Nation rumor, and a representative for Live Nation did not return a request for comment.)
The move is the latest in a busy year for indie(ish) promotors Bowery Presents, which runs Terminal 5, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Rough Trade and new venue Brooklyn Steel. In December, half of the company was acquired by entertainment conglomerate AEG, the world's second biggest concert promoting company, behind Live Nation. The deal was expected to ramp up a "rivalry [that] has quickly heightened in New York" between the two concert giants, according to the Times. Previously, the two companies engaged in an unusually public clash over the city's two major music festivals, after Live Nation bought the company behind Governors Ball, and AEG backed the newer Panorama.
More recently, AEG also purchased Webster Hall, and plans on shuttering the venue this weekend to begin major renovations. It's unknown when the venue will reopen, but once it does, Bowery Presents will return to booking shows in all three rooms (as it did before 2014).
What all this means for you, the concert-goer, remains to be seen, though as Brooklyn Vegan points out, there's a pretty good chance you'll be buying more tickets from Ticketmaster (owned by Live Nation), rather than Ticketfly (formerly used by Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom).
Here's the statement we got from Bowery Presents Co-Founder John Moore:
“After careful thought and consideration, The Bowery Presents is parting ways with The Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge. We have a long history with the venues as the exclusive booking and marketing arm and wish them well in the future. On the heels of our recently opened Brooklyn Steel, the largest GA room in Brooklyn, and taking over booking duties for Webster Hall, we are constantly exploring new opportunities for music-lovers in New York City. Stay tuned for more announcements from The Bowery Presents very soon!”
Tagged
AEG
bowery ballroom
bowery presents
brooklyn steel
live nation
mercury lounge
music hall of williamsburg
rought trade
terminal 5
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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