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Brian Murphy, the former chairman of Southern California music for Live Nation, will become the West Coast president of his ex-company's biggest competitor, AEG Live. Could this be the final piece for AEG securing a NFL arena downtown?
The potential impact of this move on the local live music scene cannot be overstated. In addition Murphy's industry connections with everyone from program directors to real estate developers (he helped oversee the rehab of The Wiltern and The Hollywood Palladium), the veteran promoter's longstanding relationships with top tier talent, agents, and managers is arguably the crucial edge in an ongoing fight for arena-performance domination.
"It was the toughest decision I've ever had to make in business," Murphy said in an exclusive interview with the L.A. Times. "There are employees I'm leaving who have been with me for 20 years. But it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I'm an L.A. guy, and AEG Live is an L.A.-centric company."
