WWE inks deal with The Rolling Stones - Virgin Enterprises Limited - Virgin 'Live' and Dainty Group - 15th October 2012

Live music concert news and information; Rock N Roll Wrestling WWE connection; Richard Branson - Virgin Enterprises Limited tie in; KISS to tour Australia in January 2013...

WWE to produce, distribute the pay-per-view concert...

Pro wrestling and "sports entertainment" giant, the WWE, is going on tour with aging rock n rolling legends The Rolling Stones.

As part of the rock band's 50th anniversary, WWE will produce and distribute the live pay-per-view show "One More Shot" for the Stones' final show, performed at the Prudential Center, in Newark, N.J., on Dec. 15.

"WWE is ecstatic to bring the Rolling Stones into your living room," said WWE chairman-CEO (and part time wrestler) Vince McMahon.

This fits in the the WWE's plan to distance itself from being purely a pro wrestling company. WWE was formally known as World Wrestling Entertainment, and prior to that - World Wrestling Federation.

The tour, to take place at four arena shows in London and New York, is a partnership between Endemol, which co-manages the international digital rights to the Rolling Stones "50 and Counting" shows, and Dainty Group. The performances will see the band working once again with two longtime collaborators, set designer Mark Fisher and lighting director Patrick Woodroffe, who are designing an all-new, custom-built set, with a stage based on the band's loud and celebrated tongue and lips logo that reaches out into the crowd.

WWE was asked to participate after proving it can turn live events throughout the year, including its biggest show, "WrestleMania," into major moneymakers through PPV. "WrestleMania 28," held April 1 at Miami's Sun Life Stadium, generated a record 1.3 million buys, earning $67 million.

But WWE also has been looking to monetize its production biz further through concerts and other deals, with the Rolling Stones show one of the first high-profile and prestigious deals it's announced to date.

The Rolling Stones live shows will also mark the launch of new touring venture Virgin Live from the Dainty Group and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited.

"In the future Virgin Live plans to make a real difference to how fans experience, interact and enjoy live events," Branson said.

Anniversary also will be matched with the release of the Rolling Stones' "GRRR!" album on Nov. 13, a greatest hits collection that includes new songs "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot," recorded recently in Paris, marking the first new recordings from the band since their 2005 album "A Bigger Bang."

A new film, "Crossfire Hurricane," directed by Brett Morgen and chronicling the Stones' career, will receive its worldwide premiere Oct. 18 at the London Film Festival and bow on HBO on Nov. 15. It will air on BBC Two in the United Kingdom the same month.

In addition, from Nov. 15-Dec. 2, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City will host "The Rolling Stones: 50 Years on Film," a comprehensive film retrospective that chronicles the band from the mid-1960s until today.

Virgin announces live promotion venture with Dainty Group...

With the announcement of The Rolling Stones returning to London’s O2 Arena in November, comes the launch of new global promotion venture branded Virgin Live.

Bringing together live promoter Dainty Group and Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Virgin Live plans to "shake up live touring by putting the fan’s experience right at the heart of every show they promote."

"Today marks the beginning of Virgin Live and what a beginning," said Branson.

"In the future, Virgin Live plans to make a real difference to how fans experience, interact and enjoy live events - Virgin Live gigs will be truly people driven.

"It's great to join forces with Dainty Group to launch Virgin Live with the Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary shows,” he added. “Who would have believed, that a relationship with the band that started in the Sixties, would still be going strong five decades later with us working together again on these amazing shows."

Paul Dainty said "I’ve worked with the Rolling Stones for many years and I still get a buzz every time I see them live, these four shows are without doubt a must-see event. I am extremely excited about this collaboration with Virgin. There will be a lot more to say about Virgin Live soon but, for now, it’s all about the Stones…"

Also partnering up with Dainty Group is global production company Endemol who will co-manage the international digital rights to the Rolling Stones ‘50 and Counting’ shows.

Tim Hincks, president of Endemol Group said: "We are extremely proud to be partnering with the world’s greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll band and with the Dainty Group. "50 and Counting" is set to be a phenomenal global celebration of the Rolling Stones and we’ll soon be announcing further plans to make it an interactive experience for fans like no other."

This partnership between Endemol and Dainty Group will see the final Stones show, staged at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on December 15, telecast live via pay-per-view at 9pm ET. The pay-per-view entitled "One More Shot" will be distributed by WWE, the world’s pre-eminent provider of pay-per-view programming. Further details of the partnership will be released in the near future.

WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon said: "WWE is ecstatic to bring The Rolling Stones into your living room, live on Pay-Per-View for "One More Shot," the last date of their 50th anniversary shows."

New Worldwide Concert Promoter Virgin Live Launches With Rolling Stones Arena Shows...

Today's announcement of the Rolling Stones live '50 And Counting' concerts will also mark the launch of a brand new venture in global touring - Virgin Live.

Virgin Live sees the coming together of two global brands - Dainty Group and Virgin Group - and promises to shake up live touring by putting the fan's experience right at the heart of every show they promote. Richard Branson and Paul Dainty's history with the Rolling Stones spans five decades - so it is apt that these shows, which celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary - marks them joining forces for the first time as Virgin Live to promote The Stones.

Paul Dainty said: "I’ve worked with the Rolling Stones for many years and I still get a buzz every time I see them live, these four shows are without doubt a must-see event. I am extremely excited about this collaboration with Virgin. There will be a lot more to say about Virgin Live soon but, for now, it’s all about the Stones..."

Richard Branson added: "Today marks the beginning of Virgin Live and what a beginning! In the future Virgin Live plans to make a real difference to how fans experience, interact and enjoy live events - Virgin Live gigs will be truly people driven. It's great to join forces with Dainty Group to launch Virgin Live with the Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary shows. Who would have believed, that a relationship with the band that started in the Sixties, would still be going strong five decades later with us working together again on these amazing shows."

Also partnering with Dainty Group is global production company Endemol who will co-manage the international digital rights to the Rolling Stones “50 and Counting” shows.

Tim Hincks, President of Endemol Group said: "We are extremely proud to be partnering with the world’s greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll band and with the Dainty Group. "50 and Counting" is set to be a phenomenal global celebration of the Rolling Stones and we’ll soon be announcing further plans to make it an interactive experience for fans like no other."

This partnership between Endemol and Dainty Group will see the final Stones show, staged at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on December 15th, telecast live via pay-per-view at 9pm ET. The pay-per-view entitled "One More Shot" will be distributed by WWE, the world’s pre-eminent provider of pay-per-view programming. Further details of the partnership are to be revealed shortly.

WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon said: "WWE is ecstatic to bring The Rolling Stones into your living room, live on Pay-Per-View for "One More Shot," the last date of their 50th anniversary shows."

After months of speculation, veteran British rockers the Rolling Stones have confirmed they will be back on stage for TWO nights at London's O2 Arena and TWO nights at Newark's Prudential Center this November and December respectively.

Speaking about the shows, Mick Jagger said: "Everybody loves a celebration, and London and New York are two good places to do it in!"

Guitarist Keith Richards added: "Sorry to keep you all hanging around but the waiting is over. I've always said the best place for rock and roll is on the stage and the same is true for the Stones. I'm here with Mick, Charlie and Ronnie and everything is rocking. See you very soon!"

The Rolling Stones 2012 UK/US Live Dates are as follows:

Nov 25th - London O2 Arena
Nov 29th - London O2 Arena
Dec 13th - Newark, Prudential Center
Dec 15th - Newark, Prudential Center

The Rolling Stones Tickets for their UK shows are on sale from 9am on Friday 19th October, priced from £106.00 to £406.00 (including fees). Tickets for their US shows are on sale from 9am on Friday 26th October.

Endemol Teams with Dainty Group for Rolling Stones Tour...

LONDON/AMSTERDAM: Endemol UK and Endemol Netherlands have partnered with Dainty Group to co-manage the international digital rights to The Rolling Stones' "50 and Counting" tour.

This tour will be the first time the band has performed together in a half decade. The final gig is scheduled to take place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on December 15. Entitled One More Shot, it will be telecast live through pay per view at 9 p.m. and will be distributed by WWE.

Additional plans that will enable fans to interact with the tour experience are forthcoming.

Tim Hincks, the president of Endemol Group, commented: "We are extremely proud to be partnering with the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band and the Dainty Group. '50 and Counting' is set to be a phenomenal global celebration of The Rolling Stones and we'll soon be announcing further plans to make it an interactive experience for fans like no other."

Laurens Drillich, the managing director of Endemol Netherlands Media Group, added: "We are excited and honored to be playing a role in the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones. Expansion and innovation in the digital space continues to be a core part of Endemol's strategy and this collaboration is the latest example of that. We strongly believe it is representative of where the market is heading and we look forward to revealing more soon."

WrestleMania 29 could set records in New York/New Jersey area...

Besides being the biggest event in the history of sports-entertainment, next April’s WrestleMania 29 could also generate more than $100 million for the New York/New Jersey area, The New York Post reported Monday.

Such a performance could set a new record for the economic impact of an event in the region, the Post reported, citing the results of a study by Enigma Research Corp.

Separately on Monday, WWE and Enigma Research reported that this past April’s WrestleMania 28 generated approximately $102.7 million in economic impact for the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County — a $40 million increase over WrestleMania 27’s impact on its host city of Atlanta in 2010. The firm also estimated that WrestleMania 28 contributed $15.3 million in local, state and county taxes to the Miami area.

The economic impact derived from WrestleMania 28 was equal to the creation of 1,020 full-time jobs in the area, according to Enigma Research.

Now that WrestleMania 28 is in the books, WWE looks ahead to WrestleMania 29 at the MetLife Stadium on April 7, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The event will mark the return of The Grandest Stage of Them All to its birthplace in the Northeast.

“Miami was a gateway community, but New York and New Jersey are the world’s gateway,” John Saboor, WWE’s senior vice president of special events, told The Post. “We believe we will see a very sizeable number of fans visiting from outside the region. We think the two destinations are similar in that respect, but New York and New Jersey are even more profound in their destination status.”

Tickets for WrestleMania 29 go on sale Saturday, Nov. 10.

KISS Australian Tour Confirmed...

Paul Stanley ("The Starchild") has confirmed Kiss will tour down under Australia in January.

Last month Tommy Lee tweeted that KISS and rockers Motley Crue would be touring Australia in January, 2013 and recently Paul Stanley confirmed the tour on the David Letterman show.

Stanley said Kiss were about to do a tour of South America and will then head to Australia.

Kiss Army Australia fans immediately jumped on forums to discuss the upcoming tour.

Kiss ‘Monster’ was released in Australia last week and is set to debut on the ARIA chart. It is the 20th studio album for the band and their first album since ‘Sonic Boom’ in 2009.

"We can't wait to Rock N Roll all night and party every day with all of you fans. It's going to be a monster event", said a Media Man agency representative.

Virgin Live VS Live Nation!...

Media Man director and entertainment industry insider, Greg Tingle, reckons there could be a bit of a live concert war in the making. It's Live Nation (who bought out Michael Coppel Presents in Australia) VS Virgin Live (backed by the smartest guys in the room - Sir Richard Branson, Paul Dainty and Vince McMahon). Will the war escalate to Australian soil, or will it be limited to the U.S and United Kingdom? Don't change your dial from the Media Man network.