LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ticketmaster, a Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq:TKTM) company, has appointed music industry veteran Roger Ames to the post of Chief Executive Officer, International. Based in Ticketmaster's London offices, Ames will oversee the company's operations in 19 global markets outside of the United States. The announcement was made today by Irving Azoff, Chief Executive Officer, Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc.
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"Roger is a widely respected industry leader and a superb addition to this company," said Irving Azoff. "His vast experience and acumen will play an instrumental role in strengthening our core international business and helping to identify and drive future growth."
Ames said of his appointment to Ticketmaster Entertainment, "The opportunities at Ticketmaster are as exciting as they are challenging. The competitive nature of the entertainment industry means that we need to innovate and stay focused on serving our clients and customers with the best the artist has to offer. I am looking forward to working with the teams outside of the U.S. in order to achieve this."
Previous to his position at Ticketmaster, Ames was the head of EMI Group, North America overseeing the company's music operations in the U.S. and Canada including their Capitol, Virgin and Blue Note labels and an artist roster which included Coldplay, Beastie Boys, 30 Seconds To Mars, Keith Urban, the Rolling Stones, and more. Previous to his post at EMI, he served as chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group. Ames began his career in the music industry with EMI, UK in 1975 and in 1991 was appointed chairman and CEO of PolyGram UK, responsible for the company's UK and Ireland operation, including its record labels, film distribution, music publishing and music clubs.
About Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc.
Ticketmaster Entertainment consists of Ticketmaster and Front Line Management Group. As the world's leading live entertainment ticketing and marketing company, Ticketmaster connects the world to live entertainment. Ticketmaster operates in 20 global markets, providing ticket sales, ticket resale services, marketing and distribution through www.ticketmaster.com, one of the largest e-commerce sites on the Internet; approximately 7,100 retail outlets; and 17 worldwide call centers. Established in 1976, Ticketmaster serves more than 10,000 clients worldwide across multiple event categories, providing exclusive ticketing services for leading arenas, stadiums, professional sports franchises and leagues, college sports teams, performing arts venues, museums, and theaters. In 2008, the Company sold more than 141 million tickets valued at over $8.9 billion on behalf of its clients. Ticketmaster Entertainment acquired a controlling interest in Front Line Management Group in October 2008. Founded by Irving Azoff and Howard Kaufman in 2004, Front Line Management Group is the world's leading artist management company. Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is headquartered in West Hollywood, California (Nasdaq:TKTM).
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