Leading live event and venue company, Live Nation, which owns 27 festivals around the world, is producing Download in the UK, United States and for the first time this year in Dublin, Ireland.

Following the successful Download Festival in Boston which was recently held on August 20th at The Tweeter Center with an artist lineup that included 311, Dropkick Murphys, G. Love & Special Sauce, Jurassic 5, The Wailers, Pepper, Black 47, State Radio, and Parker House & Theory, Download 2006 is proving to take the fan experience to another level with increased fan and artist interaction, digital media and exciting technology features.

Download Festival is enhanced through the participation of select sponsors. Volkswagen, the official automotive sponsor, will have a major presence at Download with several vehicles taking center stage as artist shuttle service and product displays, a VW Roadside Assistance Team that will provide special benefits to its loyal owners such as convenient parking and spontaneous rewards including VIP access, seat upgrades, and backstage meet and greets, the VW Garage — a garage style lounge where VW will digitally record budding musicians who choose to jam together and spotlight their riffs on vw.com, and an artist interaction stage where fans can connect with featured talent up close and personal through Q&A programming. Additionally, Volkswagen is helping bring the Download experience to more music fans through the Volkswagen Road to Download club events, featuring Golden Smog, Tim O’Reagan and Holly Marilyn at the Avalon in Los Angeles on September 12 and Kasabian, Mew, and One Thousand Pictures at the TLA in Philadelphia on September 21.

SanDisk, the official MP3 Audio Player and digital storage device of the Download Festival, will be offering guests a chance to take home their newest flash-based MP3 player, the e-series Sansa, that provides everything you need for music, photo, and video clip playback in a very sleek and attractive design. Returning as the official digital music provider for Download Festival, Napster will provide free access to an exclusive Download Festival playlist, powered by NapsterLink, on the official festival website and on Napster.com. Champs Sports and adidas, exclusive sports footwear and apparel sponsor of Download 2006, will be hosting special guests in the adidas Access Lounge and will be showcasing cool product throughout the event. Wells Fargo will entertain Download fans with the Fun of Money experience, including foosball, karaoke, an online game and a chance to grab for prizes in their money vaults. Gameloft(R), a leading developer and publisher of mobile games, will be demonstrating their highly anticipated action game, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell(R) Double Agent, on Verizon Wireless phones. MySpace.com, the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering popular culture, will have a meeting place for all friends to connect, log on to MySpace.com, experience a digital photo booth, receive giveaways and autograph signings.

Tickets for Download Festival in San Francisco are available at www.livenation.com and all Ticketmaster outlets including Tower Records, Wherehouse Music, Ritmo Latino, select Rite Aid, Save Mart locations and Tix Bay Area in Union Square. Tickets with no service charge are available at the Shoreline Amphitheatre Box Office on Sundays from 10am to 2pm. Call (415) 421-TIXS, (510) 625-TIXS, (408) 998-TIXS, (925) 685-TIXS, (707) 528-TIXS or (209) 551-TIXS to charge by phone. Advance tickets are $49.50 for reserved seating and $29.50 for general admission plus applicable service charges.

About Live Nation

Live Nation is a leading live event and venue management company focused on creating superior experiences for artists, performers, corporations and fans. Live Nation owns, operates and/or has booking rights for more than 150 venues worldwide and produced more than 29,500 events in 2005. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.” For more information regarding Live Nation and its businesses, please visit the company’s website at www.livenation.com.

SOURCE: Live Nation