Former HOB exec takes reins Jan. 19.

Former House Of Blues executive VP Adam Friedman has been named CEO of Nederlander Concerts, effective Jan. 19. Friedman will report to James M. Nederlander, chairman of the Nederlander Organization, and will be based at Nederlander's headquarters in Los Angeles.

In this newly created position, he will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the company, including the booking and promotion of concerts and special events, and management of all concert venues and third party facilities exclusively managed and promoted by Nederlander nationwide.

A 14-year veteran at HOB Concerts, Friedman was responsible for management and strategic development for the company, in partnership with HOB executive VP Alex Hodges. Friedman began his career as a corporate attorney and moved to the business side of the entertainment industry when joining MCA Concerts in 1992 (later becoming Universal Concerts and sold to House of Blues Entertainment in 1999.)

"Working with such a great group of people for 14 years, this isn’t an easy decision," Friedman tells Billboard.biz. "I have had the benefit of being Alex Hodges partner in the running of this company. Not only is he a friend, but he’s also been a mentor. Having said that, this is an opportunity to manage a very strong-based business with the opportunity to grow it."

The Nederlander Organization is a privately owned and operated business, established in 1912, that owns and/or operates more than 26 live theatres and music venues in the United States and England, including the Marquis, Gershwin and Nederlander Theaters on Broadway; the LaSalle Bank Theater in Chicago (formerly the Shubert under renovation); and the Dominion in London.

Nederlander Concerts books, promotes and produces live entertainment at such California venues as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Rabobank Arena, Theatre & Convention Center in Bakersfield, the Save Mart Center in Fresno, and the San Diego Civic Theatre, and exclusively books and promotes events at the Santa Barbara Bowl and the Grove of Anaheim.

For the past 30 years, Nederlander has also managed, operated and promoted the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles (now in partnership with HOB). Nederlander Concerts also co-manages the Target Center in Minneapolis with the NBA's Timberwolves.

Nederlander Concerts was the seventh ranked promoter in the world in 2005, according to Billboard Boxscore, reporting grosses totaling $48.5 million from 201 shows. "Nederlander perhaps has been flying under the radar when you consider how many tickets this company is selling and what kind of revenues it’s earning," says Friedman. "That’s gonna change and there are a couple of things that can get us there. Number one, I’m going to leverage all my relationships, and I’ve got a lot of them. And I’m into partnering. I want to be a partner to the artists, the other promotion firms, and the content providers."

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