Live Nation creates its own awards show to air in October

Of all the things plaguing the music business today, a lack of opportunities to appear on a televised awards show to accept amorphous honors is not too high on the list.

So naturally, we now have another music awards show.

The concert promotion behemoth Live Nation has announced the Live Nation Music Awards, a new show set to air Oct. 1 on TNT and TBS. The special, produced by Live Nation and Dick Clark productions, is Live Nation’s first branded and televised American awards show, and was announced at Turner Broadcasting’s presentation at the television upfronts in New York.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement that “Live Nation is dedicated to bringing artists and fans together for life-long memories and we are honored to take part in recognizing the talent who bring those experiences to life.”

The special will hand out awards in concert-centric categories like Road Warrior of the Year and Best On-Stage Collaboration, with live performances accompanying them.

The emphasis on lauding live success is a bit of a new twist on the awards show format. It’s one that acknowledges the centrality of touring to contemporary music careers, but not coincidentally, it’s also one that neatly dovetails with Live Nation’s main business.

The show will enter an increasingly crowded music awards show field, and will likely draw comparisons to the iHeartRadio Music Awards, a special sponsored by the radio and streaming giant. That telecast just aired its second installment in March to 5.2 million viewers.

For all the difficulty that artists are having in getting paid, say, a fair streaming rate, it’s maybe a bit surprising that so many firms see profit potential in lauding them on television. Perhaps landlords will start accepting American Music Awards statuettes in lieu of rent.

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