Live Nation Credits Growing Concert Ticket And Ad Sales For 2Q Results Above Expectations

Live Nation's increase in ticket prices didn't deter many people from going to see concerts in 2Q. The company reported net earnings of $13.3M, up from a $32.8M loss in the same period last year, on revenues of $1.56B, up 23.1%. Profits at 7 cents a share beat the 2 cents expected by analysts who follow the company. The Street also fell short in forecasting just $1.32B in revenues. The company says that 13.1M people attended 5,834 events sponsored by Live Nation; last year it had 12.3M people at 5,558 events. Although concert revenues were up, this year's events were less profitable: Live Nation made up for that with big increases in earnings from its Artist Nation talent management unit and tour sponsorships. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster sold $2.1B worth of tickets, up 15.7%. "We are seeing the global ticketing business stabilize and concert business grow year-over-year, and we remain optimistic about continue growth opportunities in the industry long term," says CEO Michael Rapino. Live Nation shares are up 5.4% in after hours trading after falling 6.4% during the day.