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Marek Lieberberg

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Marek Lieberberg
Marek Lieberberg in 2016
Lieberberg at Rock am Ring in 2016
Born
Marek Lieberberg

(1946-05-07) 7 May 1946 (age 78)
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Occupations
  • Concert promoter
  • concert organiser
  • CEO of Live Nation Germany, Switzerland, Austria
  • AP journalist (early)
Years active1969–present
Known forFounding of Rock am Ring

Marek Lieberberg (born 7 May 1946)[1] is a German concert promoter, best known for founding and organising the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals. He founded Marek Lieberberg Concert Agency (MLK) in 1987, Germany's leading live music promoter. In 2014, the European Festivals Awards granted him the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lieberberg is the chief executive officer of Live Nation Concerts Germany and holds the same position for Switzerland and Austria.

Early life and career

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Marek Lieberberg, the child of Jewish Shoah survivors, was born in 1946 in the Zeilsheim displaced persons (DP) camp.[2][3][4] His parents were from Poland. After obtaining the appropriate license from the American occupation authorities, his father produced chocolate and also ran a coffee roasting business. His mother, however, squandered away money earned by gambling. Lieberberg who described his parents as "broken", grew up in post-war Frankfurt.[4]

His parents' ethnic identity was intentionally indistinguishable in their lives, so they enrolled him in a boarding school in England to learn more about Jewish history.[4] His early musical interests emerged at the age of 16, and he formed a rock band.[5] Lieberberg studied sociology at the University of Frankfurt for a year, where he became involved in left-wing political circles, a characteristic trait of young Jews in the 1960s and 1970s.[4]

He trained as a news journalist.[1] Lieberberg then became a journalist for the Associated Press.[6] He was current affairs editor for the Associated Press in Berlin and Bonn. As a reporter, he had the opportunity to write occasionally about the music scene.[5]

By the late 1960s, Lieberberg found himself without "one penny" in his pocket. An individual asked him for help promoting artists such as Eric Clapton and Wilson Pickett, putting up posters for concerts in town, managing tickets and setting up the equipment.[5] In 1969, Lieberberg organised the first open-air event at the velodrome stadium in Frankfurt, two years after the Summer of Love.[2]

Lieberberg and his partner Marcel Avram founded their concert agency Mama Concerts in 1970.[5][7] Lieberberg shifted from journalism to concert promoter. He began his promoter activities by driving his old Volkswagen (VW) car in front of the Who's bus to secure the band's arrival times in each city.[5] Lieberberg and Avram then organised the first British Rock Meeting festival in September 1971 in Speyer, Germany. It was inspired by the model of the American festival and featured Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart.[7]

In 1972, the two men organised the second edition of the British Rock Meeting on an island near Germersheim, which attracted a larger audience. It featured, among others, the Doors, Faces and Pink Floyd.[7] His work in the early 1970s was recognised for bringing international bands and leading rock acts to German stages.[4]

It had been almost a decade since a major open-air festival had taken place in Germany, despite some failed attempts at amateur events. The press and politicians denigrated this type of event.[8] Lieberberg attempted to organise a festival on the Nordschleife [de] portion of the Nürburgring in 1980. However, the project ultimately failed due to protests from nearby residents and a lack of parking spaces.[2]

In 1985, Lieberberg wanted to bring to the German region of the Palatinate (Pfalz) the atmosphere that reigned in the American town of Bethel during the first Woodstock festival.[9] He decided to launch a festival, and the 1972 British Rock Meeting would serve as a model. Lieberberg and his collaborators had learned lessons from Woodstock's "chaotic conditions" and the "serious errors" of the Monterey Festival. Rainer Mertel, the first managing director of the new-fashioned Nürburgring complex, placed his trust in him.[8] Thus, Lieberberg founded the Rock am Ring festival in 1985.[7][9][10]

For 16 years, he headed the Frankfurt office of Mama Concerts.[5] In 1987, he founded Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK; Marek Lieberberg Concert Agency).[6]

Lieberberg, opposed to the Rostock-Lichtenhagen riots, organised the Heute die! Morgen Du!  [de] festival in 1992.[3] In the late 1990s, he wanted to expand his business in Hawaii, saying, "I am looking at being the No. 1 promoter in this market". In 1997, he was responsible for Bush's concerts in Oahu and Maui. In February 1998, he brought Céline Dion to the Blaisdell Arena for two sold-out performances.[5] In 1998, his oldest son, Daniel, began working as a booker and talent buyer for his company, MLK.[11][12]

He was the ticketing partner working in collaboration with CTS Eventim.[13]

His son Daniel left MLK in 2002 to work as a marketing director at Universal Music.[11] Bryan Adams, Michael Bublé, Dion, Sting, Depeche Mode, as well as R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, were among Lieberberg's clients who showed their appreciation on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday on 7 May 2006.[11]

Lieberberg won Tour Promoter of the Year 2007 at the annual Live Entertainment Award (LEA) [de], held at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg. Some artists whose concerts he promoted that year included Bruce Springsteen, Nelly Furtado, the Police and Shakira.[14]

In 2009, he was awarded two Live Entertainment Awards in Hamburg: Concert Promoter of the Year and Festival of the Year for his two open-air festivals, Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park.[15]

In 2010, he won a Live Entertainment Award again as Tour Promoter of the Year. The previous year, he presented artists such as Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Green Day, Linkin Park, U2, and Xavier Naidoo through his agency, MLK.[16]

In 2011, Lieberberg received a Live Entertainment Award in Frankfurt "in recognition of his safety record over the last 25 years of promoting the Rock am Ring concert".[17]

In 2014, the European Festivals Awards gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.[10]

In mid-2015, Lieberberg was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of the newly created Live Nation Concerts Germany.[13][18] It was the conclusion of a series of unsuccessful attempts by Live Nation "to gain a foothold in the German market".[6] The same month, Lieberberg left his own company, MLK, after 15 years of collaboration with CTS Eventim. MLK was still part of CTS Eventim, which continued to organise the Rock Am Ring and Rock im Park festivals. With his son André, he began working for the Live Nation German arm.[19] Elsa Keslassy of Variety described MLK as Germany's "leading concert promoter".[12]

He remained the head of the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals organisers in 2016.[20]

Lieberberg in 2017

On 23 June 2017, Lieberberg received the Badge of Honour from Frankfurt Mayor Peter Feldmann. According to Feldmann, this distinction was awarded to him for his "commitment to rock and pop music", emphasising that he advocated philanthropy and took a stand against xenophobia and racism.[21]

Besides Germany, Lieberberg is also CEO of Live Nation Switzerland and Austria.[22] He is referred to as the CEO of Live Nation GSA. "GSA" is an abbreviation for Germany, Switzerland and Austria.[23] He and his son André run Goodlive, an acquisition of Live Nation presenting ten festivals in these three countries.[22]

In 2024, Lieberberg was the promoter of Adele's 10-date concert residency in Munich.[24][25] Also, in April 2024, he was included in Billboard's International Power Players list in the Live category for "executives who are driving success outside the United States" and have "contributed to a ninth consecutive year of growth for the global recorded-music business".[22]

He is a concert promoter based in Frankfurt.[17]

Personal life

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He has been married to Ingrid. In 1998, it was reported that the couple lived on Maui for four months a year and had long visited the island in the Hawaiian archipelago. They have two children.[5]

As a musician

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From 1964 to 1967, he played in the Rangers band alongside Ludwig Ickert, Robert Wolf, Jürgen Kessner, and Axel Schürmann. They also named themselves the Trembles and the Sad Sack Set.[26][27] On 21 October 1966, they were guests on the German television show Beat Beat Beat.[28] The band is also featured in the book "Die Beat Bible". In 1967, the newspaper Bild wrote articles about them. CBS sued them on 24 February 1967 because the name of a band under CBS's contract sounded very similar. They lost the case and gave the money they made by selling their music to CBS. They renamed it "New Rangers" but split up shortly after.[29]

Discography

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  • Lovers Of The World Unite (1966)
  • The Trembles − Here Comes My Baby / Baby Stop That Playin' Around (7" Single, 1967)
  • The Rangers − Black Is Black (7" Single 1966)
  • The Rangers − I Found a Love (7" Single, 1967)
  • Sad Sack Set − Number One / The World For Us (7" Single, 1967)
  • The Rangers − The Rangers (LP)
  • The Rangers − These Boots Are Made For Walking (1967)
  • The Rangers − Very Last Day (1967)
  • The Rangers − Look Through Any Window (1967)
  • The Rangers − Long Valley Road (1993)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Klotz, Jörg-Peter (24 August 2015). "'Wir arbeiten schon an Rock am Ring 2016'" ['We are already working on Rock am Ring 2016']. Mannheimer Morgen [de] (in German). OCLC 866836886. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Paragraph 1: Wie ist Rock am Ring entstanden? − Paragraph 2: Wer veranstaltet Rock am Ring?" [How did Rock am Ring emerged? − Who organises Rock am Ring?]. Rheinische Post (in German). n.d. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024. See middle of page
  3. ^ a b Krauss, Martin (7 December 2015). "'Mich befremdet das'" ['That alienates me']. Jüdische Allgemeine [de] (in German). ISSN 1618-9698. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Howard Geller, Jay; Meng, Michael (2020). Rebuilding Jewish Life in Germany. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-1-9788-0071-7. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Ryan, Tim (2 February 1998). "Music man". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Chapple, Jon (15 January 2016). "Marek Lieberberg talks moving to Live Nation". IQ. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Badenhop, Peter (30 May 2014). "Campino klettert, Pelham prügelt, Axl trödelt" [Campino climbs, Pelham brawls, Axl dawdles]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Rock am Ring vor 25 Jahren: Marek Lieberberg erinnert sich" [Rock am Ring 25 years ago: Marek Lieberberg remembers]. Rolling Stone Germany (in German). 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  9. ^ a b Becker, Torben (6 June 2022). "'90.000 Menschen, das war mir dann doch zu viel'" ['90,000 people, that was too much for me']. Die Zeit (in German). Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2024. see paragraph 2
  10. ^ a b Renshaw, David (16 January 2014). "Arctic Monkeys and Daft Punk pick up European Festival Awards". NME. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Zum Geburtstag Lieber Marek" [For your birthday dear Marek]. Pollstar. 15 May 2006. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b Keslassy, Elsa (12 January 2018). "Sony Music Entertainment Appoints Daniel Lieberberg President of Continental Europe, Africa". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  13. ^ a b Waddell, Ray (3 August 2015). "Live Nation Launches German Arm, Appoints Respected Promoter Marek Lieberberg to Lead". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  14. ^ Wolfgang, Spahr (12 March 2008). "Lieberberg Wins Big At Germany's LEA Event". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  15. ^ Spahr, Wolfgang (3 March 2009). "Double Win For Lieberberg At Germany's LEAs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  16. ^ Wolfgang, Spahr. "Marek Lieberberg Honored In Hamburg". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  17. ^ a b Spahr, Wolfgang (21 March 2011). "Love Parade Follow-Up: Why Little Has Changed in German Concert Industry". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Marek Lieberberg fordert komplette Auslastung der Clubs und Hallen" [Marek Lieberberg demands complete utilisation of the clubs and halls]. Rolling Stone Germany (in German). 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Marek Lieberberg verlässt Eventim und geht zu Live Nation" [Marek Lieberberg leaves Eventim and joins Live Nation]. Rolling Stone Germany (in German). 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  20. ^ Dearden, Lizzie (4 June 2016). "More than 70 people injured after lightning strikes at Germany's Rock am Ring festival for second year in a row". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  21. ^ Gottfried, Gideon (26 June 2017). "Frankfurt Honors Lieberberg". Pollstar. Archived from the original on 3 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Duffy, Thom (29 April 2024). "Billboard's 2024 International Power Players Revealed". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  23. ^ "Hype um Stadionkonzerte: Warum spielen Taylor Swift und Coldplay so oft in Wien?" [Hype about stadium concerts: Why do Taylor Swift and Coldplay play so often in Vienna?]. Die Presse (in German). 22 August 2023. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  24. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (17 July 2024). "Adele announces 'big break' from music". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Adele gibt im Sommer zehn Konzerte in München − 2,2 Millionen Ticketregistrierungen" [Adele gives ten concerts in Munich this summer − 2.2 million ticket registrations]. Der Spiegel (in German). 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  26. ^ "The Rangers (5)". Discogs.
  27. ^ "Discogs-Gruppen - Hallo, bin neu hier und habe viele Fragen". Discogs.
  28. ^ "The Rangers".
  29. ^ "Interview". rocknroll-schallplatten-forum.de.
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