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Marc Geiger
Marc Geiger
from Wikipedia

Marc Geiger is an American music executive and entrepreneur. He is the CEO and co-founder of Gate 52, formerly known as SAVELIVE, a platform created in 2020 to help live music venues recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Information

Geiger co-founded Lollapalooza and ARTISTdirect. He was the global head of the William Morris Endeavor Music Division from 2003 until 2020.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Geiger was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. He moved with his family to Palo Alto, California after his father, a Budapest, Hungary-born Holocaust survivor, accepted a job as a satellite communication engineer in Silicon Valley.[3][4]

Geiger attended the University of California, San Diego; while a student, he started a co-operative record store called "Assorted Vinyl", selling 12-inch dance remixes from bands like Echo & the Bunnymen and Japan, while also running the Student Events Committee. After promoting a series of concerts on campus, Geiger started his own concert promotion company, That Kid Presents.[4][5]

After booking King Crimson, B.B. King and Ian Hunter, amongst others, at UCSD, Geiger began working for San Diego promoter Mark Berman Attractions/Avalon Attractions. While there, Geiger promoted hundreds of shows in San Diego, and founded and launched Humphrey's By The Bay, a popular local venue.[6] Additionally, Geiger dj'd at 91X, a groundbreaking alternative radio station.[7]

Career

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Triad Artists, William Morris Agency, Lollapalooza

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With a degree in management science and biology, Geiger moved to Los Angeles after college and began working as a booking agent for Regency Artists, developing their alternative music division. (Regency merged with Triad Artists Agency, and was later folded into the William Morris Agency.)[8][9] Geiger spent 7 years at Triad, booking such artists as the Pixies, the Smiths, the Cocteau Twins, New Order, and Jane's Addiction. He would go on to create the Lollapalooza Festival with Jane's Perry Farrell and veteran agent Don Muller.[10][11] In its inaugural year, 1991, USA Today wrote that Lollapalooza "revolutionized the concert industry, ushered in the alternative rock format, and galvanized a previously marginalized generation of outsiders."[12]

American Recordings, ARTISTdirect

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In 1991, Geiger left Triad to join Rick Rubin's American Recordings as Executive Vice President of A&R, Marketing and New Media.[13] During his tenure at American, Rubin and Geiger bought UBL.com, one of the first online music directories, from a Caltech student. Geiger left American Recordings in 1996 to create ARTISTdirect with Muller; the company launched in January 1997 with the premise that "the Internet was going to radically reshape the music business, both from a distribution perspective as well as create new revenue streams that hadn't existed before."[14][15]

Geiger served as CEO and Vice Chairman of ARTISTdirect until 2003. During his tenure, ARTISTdirect signed more than 130 recording artists to e-commerce agreements,[16] and became one of the most highly trafficked music sites on the Web. ARTISTdirect also included a booking agency and two record labels.[17][18][19][20]

ARTISTdirect is credited as the first internet company designed to create a direct connection between musicians and fans.[14][15] The company went public in March 2000, one week prior to the stock market crash of 2000.[21]

William Morris Agency, WME

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Geiger left ARTISTdirect in 2003 to join The William Morris Agency as a Senior Vice President in the music division. After William Morris merged with Endeavor to become WME, Geiger was named the head of the music division, overseeing the agency's worldwide music business,[22] and representing artists including David Byrne, Neil Diamond, Jane's Addiction, LCD Soundsystem, Steve Martin, Nine Inch Nails, The The and Tom Petty. During his tenure, the WME music division became a "global powerhouse", with Geiger playing a significant role in expanding the international festival business into a multi-billion dollar industry.[23] Geiger left WME in June 2020; it was rumored that he would take on a senior role at Spotify.[24]

SAVELIVE/Gate 52

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In 2020, Geiger founded SAVELIVE, an initiative to offset the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on live music venues. SAVELIVE secured $75 million in investment capital to acquire at least 51% equity in the venues, helping them to expand after the pandemic, and bringing them together to create an independent touring network.[25][26] During a keynote speech at the Interactive Festival Forum in September 2020, Geiger said he did not expect the live music sector to recover until 2022, but that it would then “give way to a second Roaring Twenties, 100 years later.”[27] Geiger founded SAVELIVE with John Fogelman, who worked with Geiger for more than a decade as a partner at William Morris.[28] SAVELIVE was rebranded as Gate 52 in March 2025. [29]

In 2023, the original owners of the Alibi, a 200-capacity live music venue in Palm Springs, California, sued Geiger and SAVELIVE for breach of contract, interference, and fraud.[30]

Selected awards and acknowledgements

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Marc Geiger is an American music industry executive, entrepreneur, and futurist renowned for co-creating the iconic music festival in the early 1990s, serving as co-head of global music at the talent agency Endeavor (WME) where he oversaw booking for over 35,000 shows annually, and founding the venue support platform Gate 52 (formerly SaveLive) to aid independent live music operators in recovering from the and beyond. Born to Hungarian immigrant parents in the United States, Geiger developed a passion for music from a young age, purchasing his first albums including ' Abbey Road and Elton John's Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. He attended the from 1980 to 1984, majoring in and with a minor in , though he left 12 units short of graduation to pursue opportunities in the music business. During his time as a student, Geiger immersed himself in the local scene by running the campus record co-op Assorted Vinyl, hosting a radio show on 91X, and founding the promotion company That Kid Presents, through which he managed the Australian band The Church and helped secure their U.S. record deal. Geiger's professional career began in earnest after moving to Los Angeles, where he joined Regency Artists as a booking agent, representing influential acts such as and New Order. He played a pivotal role in launching as a traveling festival that revolutionized live music touring by blending acts with social . By the mid-1990s, he had transitioned into executive roles, including a stint at American Recordings where he contributed to artist development. In 1996, he co-founded ARTISTdirect, an early online platform for music distribution and promotion that positioned him as a pioneer in leveraging the for the industry, before joining WME in the early . At WME, Geiger rose to co-head of the global music department, managing a staff of 200 and driving major deals that secured 60% of headliners for top U.S. music festivals while representing high-profile artists like , , and . His tenure emphasized innovative strategies, such as expanding WME's festival portfolio to include international editions of , like the 2019 launch in . In June 2020, amid the economic fallout from the shutdown of live events, Geiger departed WME to co-found SaveLive with John Fogelman, raising over $135 million to acquire equity stakes in struggling independent venues and provide operational support. In early 2025, SaveLive rebranded as Gate 52, drawing its name from the system's "Gate of Stillness" to symbolize focused growth; the platform now directly manages 13 venues across the U.S. as of mid-2025, including Chicago's and Oklahoma City's Tower Theatre, while supporting a network of 70 additional sites in 55 markets spanning 40 states, with services encompassing talent booking, marketing, and ticketing to foster sustainable live music ecosystems. In 2023, Gate 52 and Geiger faced a from the owners of in Palm Springs alleging , , and interference in their , leading to the venue's closure; the case remains ongoing as of 2025. Throughout his career, Geiger has been recognized for his visionary approach, earning spots on Variety's 500 list in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and continues to advocate for the resilience of grassroots music venues as essential cultural infrastructure.

Early life and education

Childhood and upbringing

Marc Geiger was born on October 11, 1962, in . The son of Hungarian immigrant parents, he spent much of his early years in the United States, initially growing up in . His father, Steven Thomas Geiger, later resided in , for many years. In Stamford, he developed an early passion for music, describing himself as a lifelong "music freak." His first album purchases as a child included ' Abbey Road, Elton John's Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, Jethro Tull's Aqualung, and the comedy album Good Evening by and . These acquisitions marked his initial deep engagement with diverse sounds, blending rock, pop, and even humor-infused recordings that reflected his broad tastes. During his high school years in Stamford, Geiger showed entrepreneurial inclinations by managing local bands, an activity that sparked his interest in the entertainment industry. This hands-on involvement in the local music scene laid the groundwork for his future pursuits in promotions and talent representation, fostering a "" approach to that he later credited for his career success.

College years and early ventures

Geiger attended the (UCSD), arriving in 1980, where he majored in biology with a minor in . While at UCSD, Geiger immersed himself in the campus music scene by joining the school's record store co-op, Assorted Vinyl, which he soon founded and managed as a student-run operation specializing in indie-rock, new wave imports, and 12-inch dance remixes. He also hosted a radio show on 91X as the station's first alternative music DJ. This venture allowed him to engage directly with emerging music trends and build connections within the local community. Geiger's entrepreneurial spirit extended to event promotion during his college years; he served on UCSD's Student Events Committee, organizing small-scale concerts and helping execute early shows for the Humphrey's-by-the-Bay Concert Series in the early 1980s alongside local promoter Louis Procaccino. These experiences led him to launch his own concert promotion company, That Kid Presents, while still a student, through which he managed the Australian band The Church and helped secure their U.S. record deal. Geiger left UCSD in 1984, 12 units short of graduation, to pursue opportunities in the music business.

Career

Early roles in promotions and talent agencies

After leaving the , in the early 1980s, Marc Geiger entered the music promotion industry in , initially working for Mark Burman Attractions. There, he gained hands-on experience promoting concerts, building on his college-era efforts where he had already booked 120 shows annually. Geiger soon transitioned to Avalon Attractions, a larger firm that partnered with Burman, where he promoted hundreds of events in the region and honed his skills in venue management and artist booking. During this period, Geiger co-founded Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay, a waterfront venue in that opened in 1981 and became a staple for mid-sized performances. Funded through his connections, the venue hosted early shows by artists such as David Lindley, The Crusaders, and multiple sold-out nights by , establishing Geiger's reputation for spotting untapped potential in local spaces. The project exemplified his entrepreneurial approach, transforming a shuffleboard area into a thriving concert spot that drew diverse audiences. Concurrently, Geiger served as a nighttime DJ at San Diego's 91X radio station, specializing in emerging English indie and alternative music from import singles. This role, which began during his university years and continued into his early professional life, amplified his industry network by exposing him to labels, managers, and acts, facilitating smoother transitions into promotion and agency work. By the mid-1980s, Geiger joined Regency Artists, which merged into Triad Artists, where he spent seven years as a booking agent representing alternative and indie bands. Among his early clients were the Pixies, for whom he handled touring amid frustrations with their label's promotional choices, and during their brief U.S. presence. He also booked acts like New Order and , leveraging his radio and promotion background to secure key gigs that boosted their American visibility.

Founding Lollapalooza and mid-career shifts

As a talent agent at Triad Artists in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Marc Geiger built a reputation for booking alternative and emerging rock acts, which positioned him to collaborate on innovative live music projects. In 1991, Geiger co-founded Lollapalooza alongside Perry Farrell, the lead singer of Jane's Addiction, and fellow Triad agent Don Muller, transforming Farrell's idea for a farewell tour into a groundbreaking touring festival model that combined multiple alternative rock bands with cultural side attractions like art installations and vendor booths. The inaugural Lollapalooza tour launched on July 18, 1991, in Tempe, Arizona, featuring headliners Jane's Addiction alongside acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Ice Cube, and it toured 21 cities across North America that summer. Geiger's involvement extended to booking the diverse lineup and overseeing production logistics through Triad's resources, marking a shift from traditional single-act tours to a multi-stage, mobile format that emphasized community and countercultural vibes. The tour's success, grossing over $10 million and becoming the highest-grossing concert event of 1991, immediately disrupted the concert industry by demonstrating the viability of large-scale, genre-blending summer tours that drew younger audiences to amphitheaters and boosted visibility for underground acts. This model influenced subsequent and expanded the economic scale of live music promotions, challenging the dominance of shows by established artists. Following the tour's conclusion in August 1991, Geiger departed Triad Artists to join Rick Rubin's Def American Recordings (later renamed American Recordings) as Executive Vice President of A&R, , and New Media, pivoting from agency representation to label executive responsibilities amid the burgeoning scene. During his early tenure at the label in the mid-1990s, Geiger spearheaded digital initiatives, including the 1994 acquisition of UBL.com, an early directory founded by a Caltech , which American Recordings purchased to integrate tools for promotion and fan at a time when the industry was beginning to explore platforms. This move reflected Geiger's forward-thinking approach to blending traditional A&R with emerging , setting the stage for broader mid-career explorations in business innovation.

Leadership at American Recordings and ARTISTdirect

In 1991, Marc Geiger joined American Recordings, founded by producer , as Executive Vice President of A&R, , and . During his five-year tenure through 1996, Geiger oversaw a diverse roster that included artists such as , , , and , while signing acts like and Love & Rockets. His leadership emphasized innovative strategies, particularly in , where he spearheaded the acquisition of UBL.com (Ultimate Band List), an early online music database that connected fans with artist information and merchandise. This move positioned American Recordings as a pioneer in integrating the music industry with the emerging , bridging Geiger's prior experience in live event promotion to label operations. In 1996, Geiger co-founded ARTISTdirect with Don Muller and others, serving as CEO and later Vice Chairman, with the company officially launching in January 1997. ARTISTdirect integrated the acquired UBL.com platform to create a comprehensive online ecosystem, enabling direct artist-to-fan interactions through , merchandise sales, and content channels. The company represented over 30 acts, including , , and , and established subsidiaries like a booking agency and the Kneeling Elephant , distributed by RCA/BMG, aiming to sign three new artists annually. Under Geiger's guidance, ARTISTdirect experienced rapid expansion in the late , becoming one of the earliest platforms to empower artists with control over their presence and revenue streams, including direct sales of and products. The company went public in March 2000, raising $60 million in its just before the dot-com market downturn. This milestone highlighted its innovative approach to , though it faced challenges amid the broader bubble burst.

Executive tenure at William Morris Agency and WME

In 2003, Marc Geiger joined the as Senior Vice President in the music division, marking his return to talent representation after earlier ventures in promotions and . His role focused on expanding the agency's music operations, leveraging his prior experience in artist booking from the and . By 2005, Geiger was promoted to head of at , overseeing a growing roster and global strategy. Following the 2009 merger that formed Endeavor (WME), he ascended to partner and global head of the music department, directing a team that managed artist tours, brand partnerships, and international expansions. Under his leadership, the division grew to approximately 200 agents, emphasizing innovative booking and market development. Geiger spearheaded key expansions, including the creation of dedicated festivals and electronic dance music (EDM) divisions to capitalize on emerging trends in live events. He also built out international offices, notably strengthening music teams in and to enhance WME's global footprint in touring and promotions. These initiatives positioned WME as a leader in the live music sector, booking high-profile acts across genres and regions. Notable achievements during his tenure included overseeing the booking of over 35,000 shows in alone, demonstrating the scale of WME's operations. The department also secured more than 60% of headliners for major U.S. that year, solidifying its dominance in the competitive festival market. Geiger continued in his leadership role through the merger's integration and subsequent industry shifts, guiding WME's music strategy until his departure in June 2020 amid agency restructuring prompted by the . His exit was part of broader changes, including workforce reductions at parent company Endeavor, though he highlighted the department's enduring innovations in his farewell statement.

Establishment of Gate 52

Following his departure from WME in 2020, Marc Geiger co-founded SAVELIVE in 2020 alongside John Fogelman, a longtime colleague from the agency, to provide financial and operational support to independent live music venues devastated by the shutdowns. The initiative focused on offering capital infusions, talent booking assistance, and to help smaller operators in secondary and tertiary markets survive and rebuild, emphasizing collaborative partnerships rather than outright acquisitions. In its first funding round, SAVELIVE raised $135 million from investors including Shamrock Capital, Breyer Capital, and Raptor Group, enabling it to partner with over a dozen indie venues and promoters by 2022. In March 2025, SAVELIVE rebranded as Gate 52, reflecting an evolution toward a more comprehensive platform that facilitates venue partnerships, equity investments, and scalable resources for independent operators amid ongoing industry recovery. Under the new name, Gate 52 expanded its model to include partial ownership stakes in select properties, aiming to stabilize cash flow and enhance booking capabilities for mid-sized and grassroots spaces. By mid-2025, the company managed or held stakes in 13 music venues nationwide, including Electric City in Buffalo and the Eagles Ballroom in . Key milestones under Gate 52 included a 2023 with Eagles Entertainment Inc. for the Eagles Ballroom and Rave/Eagles complex in , as well as the historic Fremont Theater in , which bolstered operations through shared marketing and talent access. In November 2024, Geiger joined the inaugural Concord Advisory Board, where he advises on strategic growth for the independent music company's content and live events divisions, leveraging his expertise in venue ecosystems. These alliances underscored Gate 52's role in bridging indie venues with major industry players to foster sustainable live music programming. The venture has faced recent setbacks, notably an ongoing filed in 2023 by the original owners of , a 200-capacity venue in , accuses Geiger, Fogelman, and Gate 52 (formerly SAVELIVE) of , , and in a pandemic-era investment deal that allegedly forced them out and shuttered the club. The suit, seeking compensatory and , proceeded to trial in August 2025 at the Santa Monica Superior Courthouse, highlighting tensions in post-COVID venue rescue efforts. Despite these challenges, Gate 52 has contributed to broader industry recovery by injecting capital and expertise into indie venues, which generated $86 billion for the U.S. economy in through live events and related spending, though smaller operators continue to grapple with rising costs and uneven touring demand. By prioritizing secondary markets and collaborative models, the platform has helped sustain grassroots spaces that serve as incubators for emerging artists, preventing further closures in an sector where 90% of independents risked permanent shutdown during the .

Awards and recognition

Industry accolades

Geiger received the Bobby Brooks Award for Agent of the Year in 2006, 2007, and 2010, recognizing his leadership in booking at the and later WME. From 2012 to 2020, Geiger was annually included in Billboard's Power 100 list, which ranks the most influential executives in the music industry; notable placements included No. 21 in 2012, No. 9 in 2013, No. 13 in 2014, and No. 16 in 2016. He was named to Variety's Entertainment Power 100 list in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Geiger was included in Pollstar's Impact 50 list in 2022, acknowledging his contributions to the live music industry, including founding SaveLive (now Gate 52). In 2024, he was recognized in Billboard's Touring Power Players list. Under Geiger's oversight as head of music at WME, the agency's department booked approximately 36,000 shows worldwide in 2018, demonstrating the scale of his contributions to global live music logistics. Geiger is widely recognized for co-founding in 1991, a pioneering touring that revolutionized the format by combining acts across multiple cities and inspiring subsequent events like the and in the 1990s.

Professional honors and influence

Marc Geiger's leadership at Endeavor (WME) significantly shaped the global landscape, particularly through his establishment of specialized divisions that advanced key genres and formats. He created WME's festivals and (EDM) divisions, fostering growth in live event programming and artist representation in these areas, while also expanding the agency's international presence with dedicated teams in and . Under his oversight as global head of from 2003 to 2020, WME's hip-hop division flourished, representing influential artists like Drake, , and Childish Gambino, which helped elevate the genre's prominence in major festivals and touring circuits. Colleagues have praised his visionary approach, with , co-chair of Endeavor Content, noting, “Under Marc’s leadership, WME’s division has become a global powerhouse.” Similarly, Bill Silva of Bill Silva Entertainment described Geiger as “a visionary who has shaped the live landscape... His passion for artists and innovation is unmatched,” while of highlighted his “profound” influence on festivals and live events, calling him “a pioneer who elevated the industry.” Geiger's foresight extended to the of access, where he advocated for technology's role in democratizing content and driving live event demand. In reflections on industry evolution, he emphasized how digital platforms liberated from traditional gatekeepers, unlocking global audiences and boosting festival attendance, as seen in WME's early investments in South American markets like Estéreo Picnic. This perspective, drawn from his decades of experience, positioned him as a in integrating online discovery with live experiences, influencing broader shifts toward hybrid models in the sector. Post-WME, Geiger's commitment to live music's sustainability was spotlighted in a 2020 New York Times profile of his initiative SAVELIVE, a venture aimed at rescuing independent venues by acquiring majority equity stakes to ensure their survival amid the . The effort, which raised over $75 million initially, sought long-term partnerships rather than short-term fixes, with Geiger stating, “I’m going to raise a bunch of money and I’m going to backstop all these clubs… I’m going to call the company SaveLive.” Industry figures like Frank Riley of High Road Touring endorsed the approach, observing, “He is going to buy distressed properties… It does save the platforms on which things grow.” Geiger's ongoing influence is evident in his appointment to Concord's Inaugural in 2024, where he provides strategic guidance on innovation and direction for the independent music company. Drawing from his history of anticipating trends—such as co-founding ARTISTdirect in to leverage the for music distribution—this role underscores his continued thought leadership in navigating the intersection of technology, artistry, and commerce.

References

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