Dell Music Center

What Dell Music Center does

Dell Music Center is a municipal outdoor amphitheater located in East Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, owned and operated by the City of Philadelphia through Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. The venue—the fourth largest performance venue in Philadelphia—offers 5,284 reserved seats and 600 lawn seats (5,884 total), and is positioned as the city's premier outdoor entertainment venue. It was rebranded from Dell East to Dell Music Center in 2019 and is the recipient of a $1.5 million City of Philadelphia modernization investment announced in 2024.

The venue's core offering is the physical amphitheater, programmed around three revenue streams: ticket sales for concerts (sold via on-site box office and TicketMaster online), venue rentals that include full event equipment and personnel (ushers, ticket-takers, security, stagehands, cleaning, operations, and technical support), and food and beverage concessions (catering by Mario's, Rita's water ice, and beverage sales). Concerts are marketed under the "Essence of Entertainment" series, with a 2026 season featuring R&B, gospel, soul, and broader contemporary music acts including KEM, Tamia, Anthony Hamilton, Dru Hill, The Isley Brothers, Gregory Porter, and Keyshia Cole. Community events and graduation ceremonies are secondary use cases.

Customer segments are predominantly B2C concert-goers and families, with B2B/B2G event rental activity from schools, universities, and community organizations. Marketing is conducted through organic social (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr), email, press coverage (Philadelphia Tribune, Philly Voice, Rolling Out), and TicketMaster discovery. Partnerships include the City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation as core government partners, TicketMaster as the core ticketing platform, and media partners WDAS, Radio One, WURD, and Tribune Media Group. The Dell Music Center winner of Philadelphia Magazine's Best of Philly award (2017).

Name

Dell Music Center

Legal name

Dell Music Center

Website

https://mydelleast.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dell Music Center is Philadelphia's premier municipal outdoor amphitheater in East Fairmount Park, hosting R&B, gospel, soul concerts, community events, and graduations for the general public. It is owned by the City of Philadelphia and operates with ~10 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor Amphitheater & Open-Air Venue Operations (MPAGALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Outdoor entertainment venue
• Live concert amphitheater
• Event venue rentals
• Live music performances
• Community event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: One-time ticket purchases for concerts, community events, and graduations. Tickets sold via box office and TicketMaster online.
2. Venue Rentals: Full-range event equipment and personnel including ushers, ticket-takers, security, stagehands, cleaning, operation and technical support available for private rentals.
3. Food and Beverage Concessions: Catering by Mario's featuring hot food items, Rita's water ice, custards, pretzels, sodas, water, beer and wine beverages.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dell Music Center operates an outdoor amphitheater in East Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, with 5,884 seats hosting live concerts, community events, and graduation ceremonies. The venue generates revenue from ticket sales via TicketMaster and box office, private venue rentals with full event production support, and food and beverage concessions. Its signature offering is the Essence of Entertainment summer concert series featuring R&B, gospel, and soul artists.

Product overview

The Dell Music Center is a single-venue entertainment facility serving as Philadelphia's premier outdoor amphitheater. The venue operates as an integrated entertainment platform offering live concert events (featuring R&B, gospel, and soul performers), community programming, graduation ceremony rentals, and venue rental services. The core offering is the physical amphitheater venue with 5,884 total seats (5,284 reserved + 600 lawn), complemented by ticketing services through TicketMaster, concession offerings via third-party vendors (Catering by Mario's and Rita's), and seasonal subscription packages. The venue's flagship brand is the Essence of Entertainment Series, a curated summer concert program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dell Music Center Venue (Amphitheater) Philadelphia's premier outdoor amphitheater located in East Fairmount Park, offering 5,284 reserved seats and 600 lawn seats. The fourth largest performance venue in Philadelphia, hosting live concerts, community events, graduations, and private rentals.
• Concert Events Live music performances featuring top R&B, gospel, soul, and contemporary artists throughout the season, with tickets sold through TicketMaster and the on-site box office.
• Community Events Family-oriented activities and community programming including festivals and neighborhood celebrations held at the venue.
• Graduation Ceremonies Venue rental services for graduation ceremonies and academic ceremonies hosted by schools and universities.
• Venue Rentals Full-range event equipment and personnel including ushers, ticket-takers, security, stagehands, cleaning, operation, and technical support for private event rentals.
• Season Ticket Packages Subscription packages offering discounted access to multiple events throughout the season.
• Essence of Entertainment Series Signature summer concert series featuring top R&B, gospel, and soul artists, presented as a Philadelphia counterpart to the Essence Festival.

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary governmental partner and owner/stakeholder. The city is investing $1.5 million to modernize The Dell Music Center and supports venue operations through Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.
• Philadelphia Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernmental partner responsible for park operations and recreation programming at the venue located in East Fairmount Park.
• WDAS (Radio Station)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio partner for event promotion and community outreach, listed as a community partner.
• Tribune Media GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing press coverage and promotional support for events and the Essence of Entertainment series.
• Radio OneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio broadcasting partner for event promotion and audience engagement.
• ABC (WURD Radio/ABC Communications)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia and broadcasting partner listed as community partner.
• WURDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio station partner for event promotion and community engagement.
• TicketMastercoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary ticketing platform integration for online ticket sales. All events feature TicketMaster purchase links.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AEG Presents: Global live entertainment promoter and venue operator. Comparable as a competitor promoter that books the same touring artists and operates comparable amphitheaters in major U.S. markets.
• The Anthem: Indoor live music venue in Washington, D.C. Comparable as a purpose-built concert venue presenting touring R&B, soul, gospel, and rock acts similar to Dell's programming.
• Merriweather Post Pavilion: Iconic outdoor music venue in Columbia, MD operated by a nonprofit. Comparable as a large-capacity summer amphitheater with a similar community-focused, curated concert programming model.
• Live Nation Entertainment: Largest live entertainment company and venue operator globally. Operates many competing amphitheaters and concert venues, and books most of the touring acts that Dell Music Center hosts.
• Forest Hills Stadium: Outdoor concert venue in New York with comparable seasonal amphitheater programming and similar capacity profile. Competes for the same regional touring artists.

Regional players

• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts: Federally operated outdoor performing arts venue near Washington, D.C. Comparable as a public-sector-affiliated outdoor amphitheater with a summer concert season and mixed concert/community programming model.

Direct peers

• The Fillmore Philadelphia: Indoor music venue in Philadelphia presenting touring concerts year-round. Comparable in programming (R&B, hip-hop, rock) and acts as a substitute destination when Dell's outdoor season ends.
• TD Pavilion at the Mann: Covered outdoor pavilion operated alongside The Mann Center. Comparable as a mid-sized outdoor concert venue in the Philadelphia market with similar programming focus.
• Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (Camden): Large-capacity outdoor amphitheater across the river in Camden, NJ. Competes for the same touring acts and Greater Philadelphia live music spend during the summer season.
• The Mann Center (Fairmount Park): Philadelphia's other major outdoor performing arts venue, also located in Fairmount Park. Directly comparable as a summer amphitheater competing for the same touring acts, concert-goers, and municipal sponsorship in the same metro.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DellMusicCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/DellMusicCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/dellmusiccenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dell-music-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dell Music Center