Electric Factory Concerts

Electric Factory Concerts
Private
Industry Music
Founded 1968
Headquarters Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Key people
 Larry Magid
Products Concerts

Electric Factory Concerts is the name of a longtime Philadelphia-based concert promotion firm, affiliated with the Electric Factory venue in that city. It was originally founded by Herbert Spivak, who ultimately ran the business with his brothers Jerry Spivak and Allen Spivak. They later hired Larry Magid to become General Manager, and he also became a co-owner of the company.

Its first concert staging was on February 2, 1968, at the old Electric Factory and featured The Chambers Brothers.[1] It survived the closing of the original Electric Factory venue and went on to prosper.[2] It became prominent in promoting concerts at all venues in the Philadelphia area,[3] including many at the Philadelphia Spectrum.[4]

In late 1975, Electric Factory Concerts bought the Tower Theater from its owner Midnight Sun. About a year later, Midnight Sun commenced an anti-trust action against Electric Factory and its secret concert partner, Spectrum Corporation, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The suit dragged on for several years and was eventually settled for approximately $1 million, as reported in Rolling Stone and the Philadelphia newspapers. A later anti-trust suit by rock promoter Stephen Starr against Electric Factory Concerts was also settled for the same amount in 1990, which then financed Starr's rise as a star in the restaurant industry.

The firm gained national renown.[1] It played a role in staging 1985's Live Aid[1] and 2005's Live 8 concert, Philadelphia.

Electric Factory Concerts remains the dominant Philadelphia concert promoter, though the brand is now owned by Live Nation Entertainment.[5]

The International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 8 has called for a boycott of all Electric Factory Concert events, stating that the promoter "(undermines) the area standard."[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "40 Years Of Rockin' Philly | AllAccess.com". allaccess.com. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Biography News, Volume 2. Gale Research Company, 1975, p. 153.
  3. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 1–67. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Curson, Julie P. (1991). A Guide's Guide to Philadelphia (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA, US: Curson House. p. 256. ISBN 0913694061. OCLC 894776363.
  5. ↑ "Larry Magid Out At Live Nation, But Does That Mean He's Out Of The Concert Biz?". philebrity.com. 2010-02-18. Archived from the original on 2010-02-21.
  6. ↑ Fiorillo, Victor. "Stagehand Union Declares "War" On Electric Factory Concerts". The Philly Post. Retrieved 24 March 2013.


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