MUSIC FORWARD FOUNDATION NAMES TICKETMASTER’S PATTI-ANNE TARLTON PRESIDENT AND ELECTS LIVE NATION’S LORI LILLY TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Industry Powerhouses to Support Nonprofit’s Mission of Access and Equity in Music Industry
(LOS ANGELES – March 16, 2021) — The Music Forward Foundation today announced Patti-Anne Tarlton, EVP, Live Nation global lead at Ticketmaster has been named president of the nonprofit’s board of directors. Additionally, Lori Lilly, Live Nation senior vice president of legal affairs has been newly elected to the board.
Tarlton succeeds Eric Lassen, former deputy general counsel, Live Nation as board president and Lilly joins current Music Forward Foundation board members; Michael Grozier, executive vice president, Venues, Live Nation; Heather Lowery, president and CEO, Femme It Forward; Emily Simonitsch, senior vice president talent, Live Touring and Talent, Live Nation; Kathy Willard, chief financial officer, Live Nation; and Nurit Siegel Smith, executive director, Music Forward.
Music Forward’s next gen programs provide information, tools, access, and opportunity to high-school and college-aged young people in order to break the barriers of gender, poverty, and race to enter the music industry. Music Forward is unyielding in its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The organization is focused on addressing gender and racial parities in the industry through its free community programs and through incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences across the institution. In just under two years, the charity has altered its board representation from 25% women and no people of color to a current representation of 86% women and 43% POC.
Additionally, by offering financial and administrative services, the charity is enabling industry initiatives like Diversify the Stage, a community of industry professionals collectively working to build a culture of accountability to establish more inclusive hiring practices and greater access to equitable opportunities in live music, events, and touring industries. The charity also administers and manages Crew Nation, the global relief fund for live music crews, that has raised over $16 million to support over 16,000 crew members who have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Newly elected board member Lori Lilly is a graduate of University of Southern California and has over 20 years of experience in legal affairs. She has served as legal counsel for Live Nation for over twelve years where she serves as an employment attorney for the company providing the business with a wide range of labor and employment advice, counsel and training, policies and more. Lori is currently a member of multiple professional associations including Corporate Counsel Women of Color, Association for Corporate Counsel, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Employment Law Section.
“I am so pleased to join Music Forward’s board of directors,” said Lilly. “I have been inspired by Music Forward’s work for many years. Being able to be a part of its leadership is a natural extension of my relationship and a way for me to better empower the communities we serve.”
Patti-Anne, now serving as board president, is an executive within the Live Nation Entertainment family of companies and as part of Ticketmaster’s global executive team, she oversees Live Nation’s ticketing strategy and portfolio of businesses across platforms and partners globally.
Patti-Anne is an active advocate for the live entertainment industry, persistently serving on a wide variety of boards and advisories. She is a member of the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame, has been recognized as one of Billboard Magazine’s Women in Music, Pollstar’s Women of Live!, VenuesToday’s Woman of Influence and participates in industry associations, conferences, and publications in North America and abroad.
“I want to continue to motivate young people to reach for their full potential and seek influential positions across the music industry,” said Tarlton. “I am honored to step into the president role and look forward to leading this board and staff in our mission to make the industry accessible, equitable, and inclusive to all.”
“The addition of Lori and the advancement of Patti-Anne is reflective of the evolution of the industry and the recognition that a diverse, inclusive industry is critical to ensuring its vitality,” said Smith, executive director. “We look forward to their leadership and impact in expanding the influence of our transformative programs.”
As part of the House of Blues and Live Nation Entertainment family, the Music Forward Foundation is focused on providing young people from diverse, underrepresented communities interested in music industry careers with artist development, educational, and mentoring programs. It has impacted over one million lives and invested $25 million in transformational music programs during the last 25 years.
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About Music Forward Foundation
Music Forward transforms young lives, inspires careers, and champions a more inclusive music industry. Music Forward bridges our communities to the music industry, empowers ambition, and creates momentum to redefine what is possible for the youth and industry we serve. Music Forward invites everyone to play a part in moving culture forward; join the movement by following @MusicForward, and learn more at www.musicforwardfoundation.org.