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Cover and table of contents

10-K 1 lyv-20141231x10k.htm 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


Form 10-K

xANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014,

or

¨TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number 001-32601


LIVE NATION ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware20-3247759
(State of Incorporation)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

9348 Civic Center Drive

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(310) 867-7000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)


Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each ClassName of Each Exchange on which Registered
Common Stock, $.01 Par Value per Share; Preferred Stock Purchase RightsNew York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None


Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. x Yes ¨ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ¨ Yes x No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. x Yes ¨ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filerxAccelerated filer¨
Non-accelerated filer¨(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)Smaller reporting company¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ¨ Yes x No

On June 30, 2014, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the Common Stock beneficially held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $3,565,000,000. (For purposes hereof, directors, executive officers and 10% or greater stockholders have been deemed affiliates).

On February 20, 2015, there were 201,500,637 outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share, including 1,385,134 shares of unvested restricted stock awards and excluding 408,024 shares held in treasury.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of our Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, expected to be filed within 120 days of our fiscal year end, are incorporated by reference into Part III.

LIVE NATION ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

INDEX TO FORM 10-K

Page
PART I
ITEM 1.BUSINESS2
ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS12
ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS25
ITEM 2.PROPERTIES25
ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS25
PART II
ITEM 5.MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES26
ITEM 6.SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA27
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS27
ITEM 7A.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK52
ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA53
ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE99
ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES99
ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION101
PART III
ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE101
ITEM 11.EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION101
ITEM 12.SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS101
ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE101
ITEM 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES101
PART IV
ITEM 15.EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES102

LIVE NATION ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990
AOCIAccumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
AOIAdjusted operating income (loss)
Clear ChannelClear Channel Communications, Inc.
CompanyLive Nation Entertainment, Inc. and subsidiaries
DDAUnited Kingdom's Disability Discrimination Act of 1995
FASBFinancial Accounting Standards Board
FTCFederal Trade Commission
GAAPUnited States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
Liberty MediaLiberty Media Corporation
Live NationLive Nation Entertainment, Inc., formerly known as Live Nation, Inc., and subsidiaries
SECUnited States Securities and Exchange Commission
SeparationThe contribution and transfer by Clear Channel of substantially all of its entertainment assets and liabilities to Live Nation
TrustThe family trust of a former executive, of which the former executive is co-Trustee
Trust NoteA note issued to the Trust as part of a prior acquisition. This note had been issued in exchange for shares of Ticketmaster’s series A convertible redeemable preferred stock held by this trust
VIEVariable interest entity
TicketmasterFor periods prior to May 6, 2010, Ticketmaster means Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC and its predecessor companies (including without limitation Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc.); for periods on and after May 6, 2010, Ticketmaster means the Ticketmaster ticketing business of the Company

PART I

“Live Nation” (which may be referred to as the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) means Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, or one of our segments or subsidiaries, as the context requires.

Special Note About Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this Form 10-K (or otherwise made by us or on our behalf from time to time in other reports, filings with the SEC, news releases, conferences, internet postings or otherwise) that are not statements of historical fact constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, notwithstanding that such statements are not specifically identified. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our financial position, business strategy, competitive position, potential growth opportunities, potential operating performance improvements, the effects of competition, the effects of future legislation or regulations and plans and objectives of our management for future operations. We have based our forward-looking statements on our beliefs and assumptions based on information available to us at the time the statements are made. Use of the words “may,” “should,” “continue,” “plan,” “potential,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “outlook,” “could,” “target,” “project,” “seek,” “predict,” or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those set forth under Item 1A.—Risk Factors as well as other factors described herein or in our quarterly and other reports we file with the SEC (collectively, “cautionary statements”). Based upon changing conditions, should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the applicable cautionary statements. We do not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law.

Next: Item 1. BUSINESS