Company Town

* Olympics: Having lost in the race for the huge ticketing contract for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ticketmaster will not go home empty-handed: The Los Angeles-based ticketing industry giant has hooked up with an Encino-based concert promoter to produce and sell exclusive Olympic merchandise. Ticketmaster has agreed to provide financing to Eric/Chandler Ltd. for a venture that will create original artwork for specific Olympic events and will put it on a variety of merchandise and souvenirs available at the Olympic venues. Ticketmaster will also serve as consultant on ways to distribute the merchandise outside of the Olympic sites, said Ticketmaster Corp. President Fredric Rosen and Eric/Chandler President Robert Geddes. “The networks and systems that Fred has developed over the years we feel are going to be crucial to us to maximize this event,” said Geddes, who also is co-owner of Irvine Meadows Amphitheater and Avalon Attractions, one of the country’s largest concert promoters. Ticketmaster has been looking to get into new, non-ticketing businesses, Rosen said.