Power 50 - #4: Michael Coppel

The past five years have offered huge change for Michael Coppel – and 2017 proved no different. Another shift, as always, upwards.

Coppel took on the role of CEO and President of Live Nation Australia when his company, the Melbourne-based Michael Coppel Presents was acquired by the touring giant in 2012. In Coppel’s time as CEO and President, he led the company’s expansion in the region, including winner the bid for the management of St Kilda’s Palais Theatre and the successful acquisition of the Secret Sounds group.

In March 2017, Coppel announced that he would be moving into the role of Chairman for Live Nation Australasia, which would see him focus on serving his long-term industry relationships, mentor the company’s growing team and look for new opportunities to grow Live Nation’s business in the region.

“We have built a great team over the last five years, and I am excited to be able to continue to work with them to deliver unforgettable live experiences to music fans across Australia and New Zealand,” said Coppel in accepting the new role.

At the same time, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Roger Field, stepped into the CEO role and was made responsible for the day-to-day management of the company. With the announcement of the dual promotions Alan Ridgeway (President, International and Emerging Markets) said, “I am delighted that they are going to be continuing to work together in their new roles and am sure they will take the company to new heights.”

Coppel also earned another new title in the past year, being made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia in recognition of his contributions to the entertainment industry over the years. He used the nod to highlight what he sees as a shift in local attitudes towards the arts saying, “It can always be better, we can always see more success, but I think Australian audiences embrace their own talent and that’s a big change to what it was 30 or 40 years ago.”

It would be impossible to talk about Live Nation Australia and Coppel’s 2017 without acknowledging the power of Adele. It was a long time coming but Adele’s debut Australian performances became a record-breaking monolith that has now secured her, and Live Nation, a place alongside famous enormo-runs like the AC/DC 2010 Black Ice and Dire Straits 1986 Brothers In Arms tours. The award-winning Brit played to 600,000 people in just eight Aussie shows which means somewhere near 2.5 percent of the Australian population attended.

Coppel’s 2018 is already shaping up to be a big one, with the likes of Taylor Swift, Mastodon, Prophets Of Rage and Pink already locked in for tours. Another exciting development will also come to fruition after years of speculation as the UK’s popular heavy music festival Download comes Down Under thanks to Live Nation, set to fill the void created by the dissolution of Soundwave back in 2015. Coppel is elevated from fifth position to fourth.