Transcript
A (0:14)
My career in the entertainment industry has enabled me to work with a diverse range of talent. Through my years of experience, I've recognized two essential aspects. Industry professionals, whether famous stars or behind the scenes staff, have fascinating stories. Secondly, audiences are eager to listen to these stories which offer a glimpse into their lives and the evolution of their life stories. This podcast aims to share these narratives providing information on how they evolve into their chosen career. We will delve into their journey to stardom, discuss their struggles and successes, and hear from people who help them achieve their goals. Get ready for intriguing behind the scenes stories and insights into the fascinating world of entertainment. Hi, I'm Tony Mantour. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville. Joining us today is Tommy D, New Jersey's fearless concert promoter and founder of Juice Entertainment and has waged a 15 year war against Live Nation. What started as a dream to launch the east coast biggest EDM festival at the Meadowlands turned into a brutal takedown. Artists forced to pull out, venues threatened and a smear campaign that nearly left him homeless. Refusing to break, Tommy fired back with an antitrust lawsuit exposing Live Nation's mafia like tactics, secret rebates, inflated costs and chokeholds that limit artists to perform at different venues. This is truly a David versus Goliath scenario. As Tommy D's case barrels towards a jury trial, it's more than a promoter's revenge plot. It's a clarion call for fairness in an industry where fans pay premium prices, artists get squeezed and independents like him fight to survive. He has a tremendous story. So before we dive into our episode, we'll be back with an uninterrupted show right after a word from our sponsors. Thanks for coming on.
B (2:18)
No, I appreciate you having me.
A (2:20)
Oh, it's my pleasure. If you would give us a little information on what you're doing.
B (2:24)
What I'm currently doing right now is I've been in a 15 year battle with Live Nation New Jersey federal court. They wiped me out of my career in the entertainment industry 15 years ago. So now I sell cable door to door to provide for my kids and continue that fight against Live Nation and pay for the cost to continue to do so.
A (2:42)
So what happened? I mean, we all hear stories about the music industry and all the shady parts of the business in the past. Give us a little information on what it was you were doing before you became entangled with Live Nation.
B (2:57)
Yeah, I started a nightclub business pretty young age. Lived on my own at 16 years old through house crazy house parties to survive, pay my rent. I moved on there to nightclubs But I wanted to build a club empire. And with a lot of hard work and my team's hard work over many years, I built myself up to. One of the pioneers of EDM music was called house music. Back in the day, wasn't it cool? Out of New Jersey and New York, over time ran almost every major nightclub through New York, New Jersey, Miami, won a lot of awards as the number one sound system in the world book. Pretty much every major celebrity artist out there had tons of success. I got to a point where I couldn't get any bigger as a promoter. Next step up was into the festival business. So I saw EDM back in the day in 2010 again. It wasn't mainstream yet, so I saw that it was going to break mainstream. So I signed an exclusive deal with the State Fair Meadowlands. It's the largest fair in the East Coast. It's at the home of the jets and Giants, MetLife Stadium. Anybody that's not familiar with a 10 year deal to produce all concerts, festivals, and I was on the brink of putting on the largest EDM festival in the East Coast. And then a company, Live Nation, found out about it, wiped me out. And that's where that 15 year battle began.
