Michael Rapino was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, [1] to a Catholic-Italian family[2] and earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Lakehead University in 1989.

[4] While at Lakehead, Rapino landed a job as a beer rep for Labatt Breweries and started promoting bands at local bars,[5] arranging a weekly ad in The Argus called "The Blue Zone" that featured live music events happening in Thunder Bay that upcoming weekend.

[11] As the CEO of Live Nation, Rapino initially focused on expanding the business outside of tour management, including artists’ recording and marketing.

[17] Prior to the merger's approval by the U.S. Justice Department, Rapino and then-Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff testified in front of a Senate antitrust panel.

'” [26] In 2022, Rapino's total compensation from Live Nation was $139 million, making him the fifth highest paid CEO in the US that year.

[27] In 2023, Rapino's total compensation was $23.4 million, or 831 times the median employee pay at Live Nation for that year.

[31] Rapino met his wife, American model and actress Jolene Blalock, when he cast her in a commercial he was shooting.