US promoter to manage Crosbie's venues

US entertainment giant Live Nation will manage the four Dublin entertainment venues owned by property developer Harry Crosbie when they are opened to the public.

Mr Crosbie has agreed a management deal with the US company to run the new 15,000-seater Point when it opens this time next year as part of his €850 million redevelopment of the land around the venue.

Live Nation will also take over the running of Vicar Street, the venue he owns on Thomas Street in the Liberties in Dublin.

The US company will manage Vicar Street 2, a smaller music venue that Crosbie is building next to the redeveloped Point, and the Daniel Libeskind-designed 2,000-seat theatre that is being built near Mr Crosbie's home at Grand Canal Square in the south docklands.

Vicar Street 2 will open in 18 months' time, while the Libeskind theatre will open at the end of next year. Mr Crosbie said it would not be possible to run the venues without the support of an international concert and events promoter such as Live Nation.

"The real marriage is between a really good venue and the product," said Mr Crosbie. "There is no point in having the product without the venue. I need them and they need me. That is why I have the management contract across all the venues."

Crosbie said that Aiken Promotions, the concert organiser run by Peter Aiken, would continue to promote gigs at Vicar Street with Live Nation. He said the enlarged Point, which is almost doubling in size to a 15,000-seater venue, would mean that more big-name acts could include Dublin on their international tours.

"There will be more choice for the public. It will be easier for us to bid for product because before we were always curtailed by the fact that they could earn more money elsewhere," he said. "Rock'n'roll is very much about money. When we are at 15,000 venue, we can compete with the world."

He said the Libeskind theatre would attract international opera, ballet and theatre tours that could not be held in Dublin previously because there was no indoor venue large enough. "It is all about capacity," said Mr Crosbie. "When you are above 2,000 seats, you can bring in any product."

Live Nation is one of the largest concert and tour promoters in the world. It owns a large number of British venues and music festivals with Irish promoter MCD.