Live Nation and AEG have been in an ongoing turf war over the past few years, with both of the giant entertainment companies continuing to snap up music venues across the country and consolidate their presence in major markets. Today, the AEG-owned concert promotion company, Bowery Presents, announced that it has acquired a new music venue: Philadelphia’s iconic Electric Factory, the standing-room-only concert hall with a capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 people that has been operating at its current location since 1995.
Bowery Presents’ acquisition of the Electric Factory serves as an example of yet another East Coast music venue to fall under the control of AEG or Live Nation in recent years. In fact, the concert promotion company Bowery Presents was itself acquired by AEG in 2016, bringing with it a number of venues in New York as well as the ability to promote a number of venues in Philly, Boston, Portland (Maine), Albany, New Orleans, and Atlanta—a move that solidified AEG as the number one concert promoter in New York City and increasingly stronger concert-promoting presence across the East Coast.
Per a press release, Bowery Presents has temporarily renamed the Electric Factory the “North Seventh,” after seemingly encountering trademark issues with Live Nation, who owns the venue’s trademark and logos. Bowery Presents hopes to reach out to fans to crowdsource a permanent, new name for their recently acquired venue via a venue-naming contest. Per a press release,
The Bowery Presents, the leading concert promotion and venue management company in the Northeast, announced today the acquisition of Electric Factory in Northern Liberties, further expanding its venue presence in Philadelphia. The Bowery Presents aims to honor the history and preserve the soul of the venue by maintaining its current aesthetic and continuing to book top-tier acts, with no disruptions in existing programming.
Use of the legendary Electric Factory name has been refused by Live Nation, the owners of the venue’s trademark and logos. As such, The Bowery Presents has temporarily named the venue “North Seventh” and turns to Philadelphia’s robust music community to crowdsource a permanent new moniker. A public naming contest will accept submissions now through September 30, 2018. The winner will receive two complimentary tickets to every show at the venue through 2020. For more information and to submit an entry to the naming contest, visit NorthSeventhPhilly.com.
The Bowery Presents first entered Philadelphia through a valued partnership with R5 Productions, together opening Union Transfer in 2011 and Boot & Saddle in 2013. Following a 2016 merger with AEG Presents, The Bowery Presents expanded its reach to the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Keswick Theatre and Underground Arts, among other area venues through a mix of ownership and booking agreements. Through this recent acquisition, the 2,700 capacity “North Seventh” joins The Bowery Presents’ family of venues in Philadelphia ranging from 150 to 14,000 capacity.
Currently, the “North Seventh” has shows by Social Distortion, Thrice/The Bronx, Slash, Ja Rule/Method Man & Redman, CHVRCHES, Minus the Bear, Clutch, Kamasi Washington, H.E.R., Thom Yorke, Ministry, and more on its upcoming calendar. For a full schedule and for ticketing information, head to the venue’s website here.