The live-entertainment division of downtown-based sports and music presenter Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc. is deepening its push into Japan.
AEG Presents has struck a partnership with Tokyo-based Creativeman Productions Co., a major Japanese concert promotion and live events company that puts on one of Asia’s largest music festivals, Summer Sonic. The annual festival draws hundreds of thousands of fans, and this year hosted The Strokes, Jennie and L’Arc-en-Ciel, among other artists.
“(Creativeman’s) vision and business strategy align perfectly with ours, and we’re thrilled to be entering into this partnership together,” said Shawn Trell, AEG Presents’ chief operating officer, in a news release. “Beyond Creativeman’s thriving concert and festival business, Summer Sonic has become a globally recognized brand on its own. We can’t wait to see what the future brings.”
The deal will help artists reach Japanese audiences and smooth the path for AEG Presents to expand its ticketing platform, AXS, across the country, where it has operated since 2018.
Last October, the platform joined forces with Tokyo-based Lawson Entertainment, which runs a ticketing service available at thousands of convenience stores, to scale that presence. It also took a majority stake in Singaporean ticketing platform SISTIC the same month.
Asia: Priority market
More than a decade ago, Creativeman teamed up with Live Nation Entertainment Inc., AEG’s main competitor, to form Live Nation Japan. Live Nation now collaborates with a different Japanese promoter, H.I.P., which it acquired in April 2025.
Asia is a priority market for AEG, whose international arm hired company veteran
John Langford as president in February. Langford relocated to Singapore, where he’s tasked with building out AEG’s expanding Asia portfolio.
“Asia-Pacific is a dynamic and strategically important market for AEG, with significant long-term potential,” said Alex Hill, president and chief executive of AEG International, in a news release announcing Langford’s hiring.
