Harrison Drury advises on Cuffe and Taylor deal

Lancashire-based Cuffe and Taylor, the concert promotion company behind events like the Lytham Festival and Greenwich Music Time, is looking forward to an exciting future after US-based Live Nation Entertainment became a majority shareholder in the business.

Daniel Cuffe and Peter Taylor, who founded the company in St Annes in 2009, will continue to manage the business following the deal.

“After an incredible seven years operating as an independent promoter in the UK we are now looking forward to our new life as part of the Live Nation family and we are really excited,” said Peter Taylor.

“It’s business as usual as we continue to grow and develop our core brands of Lytham Festival, Greenwich Music Time and Scarborough Open Air Theatre while also developing our touring operation, taking established artists into new and exciting regional venues.

“Daniel and I are keen to bring the biggest names possible to venues such as Lytham and this will open a lot of doors for us in accessing even bigger stars. It’s very much a strategic takeover by Live Nation and will really help us grow.”

Harrison Drury advised Daniel Cuffe and Peter Taylor on the legal aspects of the deal, including their contracts with Live Nation, which is headquartered in Beverley Hills.

David Filmer, who led the deal team at Harrison Drury, said: “It’s a great feeling when a business you’ve seen grow rapidly through its sheer hard work and creativity achieves the success and recognition it deserves. This deal secures an excellent future for the Cuffe & Taylor brand under the global stewardship of Live Nation Entertainment.

“As two businesses that deal with major artists and music venues, Cuffe and Taylor and Live Nation have to be able to give their client certainty and so this deal needed to be completed within a very short timeframe. It was incredibly pleasing to be able to complete this deal in just a matter of weeks.”

Michael Rapino, Live Nation Entertainment president and CEO, said: “Our mission at Live Nation has never been clearer. We want to connect fans with the artists they love, and through this deal with Cuffe and Taylor we are able to offer fans in the UK more choices than ever before.”

Cuffe and Taylor currently employs 18 full-time staff at their offices at Bartle Court Business Centre, near Preston.

The deal team at Harrison Drury was led by corporate lawyers David Filmer and Brett Cooper with support from Isabel Macias-Rial, Sarah Astley and Jacob Walker.