Barclaycard has announced a new sponsorship strategy which will embrace music and strive to enhance consumers’ music experiences.

The unveiling of a major partnership deal with Live Nation presents Barclaycard with the opportunity to drive simple payments and innovative payment technology into the music arena, which will improve the customer experience. Customers will also benefit from exclusive tickets, music updates, competitions and intimate gigs.

The deal with Live Nation provides Barclaycard with an exclusive opportunity to introduce exciting and simple payment solutions such as cashless outlets to festivals such as Hard Rock Calling, Download and Wireless. By providing festival goers with a top-up contactless credit card, transactions at bars and food outlets will become quick and easy and the need for carrying cash will be reduced. In addition, the partnership will see Barclaycard offer its customers special ticket access, entry to VIP areas at events with free refreshments, regular competitions and updates

Paul Troy, head of advertising and sponsorship at Barclaycard, said: “This new direction in Barclaycard’s sponsorship strategy is about really engaging with consumers and finding ways to provide them with extra benefits. This deal will help them to enjoy their passion for music – whether that’s exclusive gigs or facilitating cashless outlets at festivals. We are very excited about the opportunities that Live Nation will present to us in terms of benefiting our customers and all music lovers.”

Neil Thomas, creative and strategic director for Live Nation UK, said: “Live Nation can offer unrivalled and unique opportunities to connect artists and fans through the powerful and exciting medium of live music. In seeking to always improve our customers’ experience, Barclaycard stood out as a superior partner in its sector to work with. We look forward to a growing relationship Barclaycard that will offer new, innovative and accessible benefits to their customers and also to artists and music fans across the UK.”

-Ends-

About Barclaycard
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global and Retail Commercial Banking division, is a leading global payment business which helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit when needed.

The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future. It also issues credit and charge cards to corporate customers and the UK Government. Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.

In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle and Far East.

About Live Nation:
Live Nation’s mission is to maximize the live concert experience. Our core business is producing, marketing and selling live concerts for artists via our global concert pipe. Live Nation is the largest producer of live concerts in the world, annually producing over 22,000 concerts for 1,600 artists in 33 countries. During 2008, the company sold over 50 million concert tickets and drove over 70 million unique visitors to LiveNation.com. Live Nation is transforming the concert business by expanding its concert platform into ticketing and building the industry’s first artist-to-fan vertically integrated concert platform. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol LYV. For additional information about the company, please visit www.livenation.com/investors.

Barclaycard PR contact:
Joel Davis
Barclaycard Press Office
Barclaycard
1234 Pavilion Drive
Northampton
NN4 7SG
01604 251229
www.barclaycard.co.uk