Council presses Arts & Venues on Red Rocks commission program as AEG and Live Nation earnings disclosed

Council members on Monday questioned Arts & Venues staff about commission payments to major promoters at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and other city-owned venues, seeking more transparency about how the special revenue fund supports event programming and community access.

Tad Bowman, venue director for Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Denver Coliseum, told council the amphitheater hosted roughly 238 events in 2025 and that promoters AEG and Live Nation earned commission payments under the city’s program. "In 2025 for AEG, they earned a commission of $4,180,000 on more than 1,186,000 tickets sold," Bowman said. "Live Nation has earned $1,260,000 — that's based on 329,348 tickets sold, about $3.84 a ticket." Bowman said the qualifying-event requirement in the current contract is 10 events with a minimum of 3,500 tickets sold to qualify for the commission program.

Councilmember Gonzales Gutierrez pressed for historical payout data and asked which events were counted as qualifying; she also asked whether and how Denver Public Schools might again hold high-school graduations at Red Rocks. Bowman and Ariana Navas Nieves, Deputy Executive Director for Denver Arts & Venues, said the city made graduation dates available in 2026 and is exploring expanded community access opportunities.

Bowman defended the commission program as a means to allow promoters to assume financial risk and drive ancillary revenue that supports the special revenue fund. He said the commission structure was revised to prevent commission calculations from driving the venue below a $20,000 minimum rent and to flatten a previous tiered commission scale.

Council members said they want a clearer accounting of commissions paid and how the program affects smaller local promoters and nonprofit events. Arts & Venues staff pointed to planned investments to expand cultural access, including the reopening of the historic theater at Loretto Heights as a 700-seat venue intended to increase affordability and local participation.

What happens next: Councilmembers asked Arts & Venues to provide more detailed payout history and to brief the committee on small-promoter access and the commission calculation methodology.