C3 Presents is an American producer and promoter of major, multi-day, music festivals and events held in multiple countries. The company is based in Austin, Texas[1] where they book, own, and operate multiple music venues.[2]
C3 Presents was founded in Austin in 2007 and has been owned by parent company Live Nation Entertainment since 2014.[3]
History
C3[4] was founded by Charles Attal, Charlie Jones and Charlie Walker in 2007(2)[5] and headquartered in Austin, TX. Before founding C3, Attal and Jones worked at Capital Sports & Entertainment, which produced the Austin City Limits Music Festival and, in 2005, licensed and revived the Lollapalooza Festival as a permanent event in Chicago’s Grant Park.[6] Walker joined them in 2007 after leaving Live Nation, and together the three established C3 Presents as a new company, distinct from Capital Sports & Entertainment, which then assumed production of both the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza.[7]
In the fall of 2014, Live Nation began talks to purchase a 51% stake in the Austin company’s events production and promotions businesses.[8][9] At the time, C3 was the largest independent concert promoter in the world. The deal was completed in December of that year.[10]
In 2018, C3 Presents and parent company Live Nation entered into a partnership with the Oak View Group to develop a 15,000 seat arena on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The Moody Center opened in May 2022 and is the home of UT basketball as well as music and entertainment events booked by C3.[11][12][13]
The company purchased the historic blues venue Stubb’s in 2022[14]
Festivals & Events
C3 Presents produces annual festivals that include Lollapalooza (globally),[15] Austin City Limits Music Festival,[16] Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival,[17] Governors Ball,[18] Two Step Inn,[19] Innings Festival,[20] Sea.Hear.Now,[21] Shaky Knees Festival,[22] Oceans Calling Festival,[23] Railbird Festival[24] and many more.
C3 also books and promotes over 1,000 shows nationwide in venues including Stubb’s BBQ (sole promoter) and the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Emo’s (C3 owned and operated) and Historic Scoot Inn (C3 owned and operated). The company partnered with the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy to book shows in the Moody Amphitheater in Austin’s Waterloo Park.[25]
Community Involvement
In 2023, C3 Presents became an official partner of the music business program at Huston–Tillotson University and provided scholarship funds as the program launched.[26] The company provides financial support for the SIMS Foundation, a non-profit that provides mental health and addiction recovery services to the Austin music community and directs surplus food supplies from events to local organizations fighting hunger.[27][28][29]
The company also contributes a portion of proceeds from the annual Austin City Limits Festival to the Austin Parks Foundation, a contribution that totaled $8.1 million in 2023.[30][31]
In 2021, the company created the Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund, creating a $2.2 million fund to support arts education in Chicago Public Schools. Funds are to be distributed to schools between 2021 and 2026,[32]
Artist management
In addition to promotion and production, C3 Presents also has an artist management division operating in New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, and Austin. The company also maintains its own freestanding radio promotion, film/TV, digital, and creative staffs.
References
- ^ C3 Presents
- ^ Borba, Ryan (October 7, 2022). “VNC Keynote With C3 Presents: ‘Best Year Ever’ – VenuesNow”. VenuesNow. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ “Live Nation Completes Deal for C3 Presents”. Billboard.
- ^ Whittaker, Richard (October 8, 2010). “Big Dogs, Young Rebels, and Aging Giants”. www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ “Lollapalooza and Its Promoters Rise on the Stage of Chicago (Published 2010)”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022.
- ^ mcorcoran (December 23, 2014). “Charlie Company: The Roots of C3 | MichaelCorcoran.net”. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Staff, Billboard (January 22, 2007). “Walker Exits Live Nation, Teams With Attal, Jones”. Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (December 22, 2014). “Live Nation Completes Deal for C3 Presents”. Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ “Charles Attal Discusses C3/Live Nation Deal”. www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ “Live Nation acquires controlling interest in Lollapalooza/ACL promoter C3 Presents”. Consequence. December 19, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ “Final beam on Moody Center to be placed during ceremony Tuesday”. KXAN Austin. July 27, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
- ^ Huang, Christina. “Moody Center makes debut”. The Daily Texan. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Breed, Eleanor (April 19, 2022). “Multi-Purpose Moody Center Opens”. UT News. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Willman, Chris (February 16, 2022). “Revered Austin Venue Stubb’s Acquired by Live Nation and C3 Presents”. Variety. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (August 6, 2010). “Lollapalooza and Its Promoters Rise on the Stage of Chicago”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Pullum, Tyler. “History of Austin City Limits Music Festival”. The Daily Texan. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (April 28, 2015). “Live Nation Takes Control of Bonnaroo Festival”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Daniels, Colin (July 16, 2024). “How Governors Ball Makes Magic for Fans and Brands”. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Freeman, Doug (April 17, 2023). “At Two Step Inn, a New Brand of Country Finds Its Central Texas Audience”. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ “The Arizona Republic Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts”. subscribe.azcentral.com. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Jordan, Chris. “10 possible headliners for Sea Hear Now 2025 in Asbury Park”. Asbury Park Press. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ “Shaky Knees Moves To Atlanta’s Piedmont Park Sept. 19-21 – Pollstar News”. news.pollstar.com. November 27, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ “Oceans Calling Festival | Sep 26 – 28, 2025 | Ocean City, MD”. www.oceanscallingfestival.com. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ “Chris Stapleton And Noah Kahan To Headline Railbird Music Festival 2024”. Digital Noise Magazine. December 5, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ “C3 Presents, Live Nation join Waterloo Greenway as partners in new downtown amphitheater”. February 4, 2020.
- ^ Parker, Bryan C. (January 3, 2024). “Industry Giants C3 Presents and SXSW Are Backing a Collegiate Music Business Program”. Austin Monthly Magazine. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Santos, Stacy Simons (February 21, 2024). “Musically Fed Partners With C3 Presents For The Innings And Extra Innings Festival”. celebrityaccess.com. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ insightmgt (September 10, 2024). “Musically Fed Partners with C3 Presents for Inaugural South Star Festival Food Rescue”. Musically Fed. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ “SIMS Foundation receives funding to go toward ‘Restore the Rhythm’ campaign”. KXAN Austin. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Staff, A. O. L. (May 14, 2024). “ACL Fest 2023 pumped nearly half a billion dollars into Austin economy, report says”. www.aol.com. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ AustinParksFoundation (September 9, 2008). “C3 Presents Gives APF $2.5M for Zilker Soccer Field Improvements”. Austin Parks Foundation. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ “Lollapalooza Organizers Donating $2.2M to Expand Arts Education in CPS”. WTTW News. Retrieved January 27, 2025.