On Friday, sources at Live Nation officially announced the company will be taking over booking duties at Observatory venues in Santa Ana (including the Constellation Room) and San Diego. In an email sent to one of our sources this morning, a rep from Live Nation says the change is effective immediately. Former talent buyer Jeffrey Shuman who booked acts like Kendrick Lamar, Morrissey, and Snoop Dogg is no longer working at the venue.

The venue, once believed to be under the control of Golden Voice, will continue under its current ownership, and the current calendar of shows will continue to run as scheduled while the transition gets underway.

Combined with Live Nation’s operation of the new House of Blues Anaheim at the Garden Walk and in San Diego, as well as The Wiltern, Fox Riverside, Riverside Municipal Auditorium and the Hollywood Palladium, they recently announced and exclusive booking deal with Majestic Ventura.

“As we continue to grow our venue portfolio throughout Southern California, we’re able to provide artists with even more stages to connect with their fans; and both Observatory venues have a lot to offer,” said Ben Weeden, COO of Live Nation Clubs & Theatres division in a statement. “With long histories of hosting intimate shows with top talent, and positioning in vibrant music markets with very large population bases, we look forward to growing each Observatory as must-play venues in their respective markets.”

The Observatory Santa Ana produced a combined 540 shows in its two rooms last year while San Diego staged 200 performances.

Live Nation plans to attract an increasingly robust roster of performers to both Observatory locations and is now gearing up for the winter schedule according to a statement.

“Live Nation brings the equity and experience to continue growing these venues,” said Courtney Dubar, managing member of the Observatory entities. “This agreement is a win-win for concertgoers in both markets and all the artists coming to town.”

No one from The Observatory or Live Nation could be reached for comment.

More on this story as it develops…