PromoWest, which owns Newport Music Hall, was recently acquired by AEG Presents. Credit: Mackenzie Gignac | Former Lantern Reporter
AEG Presents, a Los Angeles-based company that promotes concerts and manages music venues, announced on Thursday that it had acquired PromoWest Productions to expand its presence in the Midwest.
PromoWest, a prominent live music promoter in Central Ohio, owns and operates Express Live, Newport Music Hall, The Basement and A&R Music Bar, as well as Stage AE in Pittsburgh.
PromoWest Productions is also the largest independently owned and operated entertainment company in the Midwest. The company will celebrate its 34th anniversary this year and states on its website that it takes pride in booking some of the biggest names in music featured in an intimate setting, while also showcasing up-and-coming artists.
In a statement to Business Wire, Scott Stienecker, founder and CEO of PromoWest Productions, said he will continue to oversee the growth of the company as it operates under AEG Presents.
“After getting to know AEG Presents and their senior management, it became more and more clear to me that both of our organizations were built from a common entrepreneurial spirit and culture,” Stienecker said. “I believe our partnership with AEG Presents will provide us an additional collection of resources and assets that will allow us to continue to build on our achievements and take our company to an even higher level.”
Stienecker will continue to run the venues and the name PromoWest Productions will remain.
Marissa Luther, marketing director for PromoWest Productions, said there will be only minor changes in its internal operations.
She said this new development will positively affect Columbus’ ability to bring more frequent, high-profile concerts to the city — something local concertgoers will appreciate.
“I think that our partnership with AEG Presents will offer us tours and booking opportunities that would have possibly passed Columbus up before the acquisition,” Luther said. “We will have many more resources available to us now.”
Ultimately, this acquisition is a sign of the ever-expanding music scene in the city of Columbus. As one of the busiest live music hubs in Ohio, it is a given that there is a concert going on somewhere in the city on a daily basis.
“I think it’s an exciting time for both companies and for Columbus,” Luther said. “Columbus is a music city and the fact that one of the nation’s largest concert promoters is backing one of the largest independent promoters in the Midwest can only mean great things.”
