Ticketmaster Entertainment has recruited Roger Ames, a former senior executive at both Warner Music and EMI, to oversee the expansion of its fragmented international business on the eve of its proposed merger with Live Nation.

The move for Mr Ames, whose 34-year career in the record industry included five years as Warner’s chief executive, underscores the shifting economics of the music business, which has seen the concert business expand even as revenues from recorded music halved.