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Live Nation Makes Two Leadership Appointments To Bolster Growth in Western Canada

Patti-Anne Tarlton joins Live Nation as Vice-Chair, coming from the leadership team at Ticketmaster, and Ryan Balaski moves up within the company from a festivals role to Senior Vice President — Music.

Live Nation Makes Two Leadership Appointments To Bolster Growth in Western Canada

BC Place in Vancouver

Live Nation Canada is boosting its Western Canadian footprint with two new leadership team members.

Patti-Anne Tarlton, a live music veteran, is the company's new Vice-Chair. She comes from 12 years at Ticketmaster, where she liaised with Live Nation as EVP, Live Nation Global Lead — a role that saw her named to Billboard Canada's inaugural Power Players list in 2024 for her work in expanding Ticketmaster's international markets.


Patti-Anne TarltonPatti-Anne TarltonCourtesy Photo

Based in Vancouver, Tarlton will take a major role in growing the company's western Canadian business.

"My live industry road trip began at Perryscope Concerts in Vancouver, and after many memorable tour stops, I am thrilled to return home and join the expanding team at Live Nation Canada," says Tarlton. "The company’s impressive growth in recent years inspires me, and I am eager to contribute to the next chapter of Live Nation’s growth and opportunities in the Canadian market."

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Ryan BalaskiRyan BalaskiCourtesy Photo

The western Canada team is also getting a new leader in Ryan Balaski as Senior Vice President — Music (Canada). Also based in Vancouver, Balaski moves up within the company, transitioning from the festivals team to a more general position crafting Canadian concerts strategy. Balaski helped launch Coast City Country this year, bringing the first large-scale country festival to Vancouver.

"The live music industry is thriving," says Balaski. "I’m excited to contribute to its growth by bringing new content to fans and creating opportunities for both developing and established artists."

Balaski's statement echoes a recent sentiment from Tim Leiweke of Oak View Group, who is working with Live Nation on the planned Hamilton arena. "It’s a healthy industry," Leiweke said. "It's what people have been talking about forever in our industry, which the transfer of power from recording to touring – because that's where the money is."

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With Western Canadian expansion as well as a new stadium set for Toronto and the Hamilton arena, Live Nation Canada is only growing its impact.

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From left: Gracie Abrams and Aaron Dessner photographed by Wesley Mann on September 1, 2023 at Long Pond Studio near Hudson, NY.
Wesley Mann

From left: Gracie Abrams and Aaron Dessner photographed by Wesley Mann on September 1, 2023 at Long Pond Studio near Hudson, NY.

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Aaron Dessner Sets the Record Straight on Gracie Abrams’ ‘Death Wish’: It’s ‘Definitely Not’ About Taylor Swift

The producer also shared how he ended up performing with Noah Kahan over the weekend.

Aaron Dessner and Gracie Abrams have now made three albums together, with the pop star’s third studio effort, Daughter From Hell, arriving July 17. But one song in particular has stirred up a few misconceptions, and in a recent conversation with Billboard, the producer cleared them up.

Hopping on a Zoom call on Tuesday (July 21) — just days after joining Noah Kahan on stage in New York to perform one of The Great Divide songs he produced, a cameo that severe weather almost ruined — Dessner addressed confusion over the production and subject of “Death Wish,” one of the most talked-about tracks on Daughter From Hell. Some listeners have expressed surprise that the spritely album version sounds so different from the somber live piano version Abrams initially recorded and released amid her Secret of Us Tour, questioning why the duo would “change” the “original.” (Spoiler alert: They didn’t.)

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