Delsener / Slater Presents co-founder was a longtime associate of concert business consolidator Robert Sillerman.
Mitch Slater, an industry pioneer who helped shape the modern concert promotion business, died Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 59 years old.
“Our bond was as strong as possible,” Slater’s older brother, former CEO of Capitol Records Andrew SlaterHe says Billboard. “When he started playing music, I said, ‘If you could be half as good at business as a brother, you would be a great success.’ And it far exceeded that brand. “
In 1988 Slater was associated with Ron Delsener to form Delsener / Slater Presents, which became one of the most successful independent concert promotion companies in the United States “As brilliant as Ronnie was, Mitch brought some real business insight,” says CAA managing partner and head of music Rob Light, who knew Slater for over 30 years. “He was a guy you could call and just had a direct conversation, and he always found a way to come to an agreement.”
In 1996, the company was acquired by Robert SillermanSFX Entertainment, where Slater was promoted to Executive Vice President. Light calls Slater the “key architect” behind Sillerman’s consolidation of the concert industry.
“It really was the engine behind Sillerman in SFX, because if you really look back, Bob Sillerman had no idea what the music business was,” adds Light. “I really didn’t know any of the players … It was Mitch who stood by Bob and his other key business executives to say, ‘Here are the companies we should buy, here is the order we should buy them in and so on. is how we’re going to roll this up. “
After SFX was sold to Clear Channel Entertainment, the forerunner of Live Nation, Slater extended his association with Sillerman when he became a founding partner, senior executive vice president, and COO of CKX for Sillerman, who would later acquire Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali. properties, as well as 19 Entertainment, the company behind the highly successful TV franchises that include American idol and So you think you can dance. (Sillerman died last November at age 71.)
Early in his career, Slater worked as reservations director at Madison Square Garden. He also briefly owned the live events producer Metropolitan Entertainment.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Delsener paid tribute to his former colleague, writing: “Mitch: my partner, friend and brother forever.”
Slater’s initial foray into music was inspired by his brother Andrew, who started in music journalism before becoming a renowned record producer and music executive. “Someone asked him what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to work with his brother,” says Andrew. “This is how it started for him. And it took him to heights that very few people can reach. “
In addition to his executive job, Slater served on the board of LIFEbeat, a sexual health-focused entertainment and music industry nonprofit that was founded in response to the AIDS epidemic. He later established the Slater Family Scholarship at Muhlenberg College, awarded annually to a qualified student in financial need.
An avid Mets fan, Slater is remembered for his humor, creativity, mentoring, and friendship. He is survived by his wife Pamela; daughters Lana, Amelia and Julia; brother Andrew; and mother Rita. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Backyard Sports Cares non-profit youth sports.
