UTA to close Toronto office

Booking agency United Talent Agency (UTA) is closing its Toronto office two years after acquiring The Agency Group (TAG), a memo seen by Billboard says.

The 23 people working at the Canadian office, including COO Jack Ross and CEO Ralph James, will lose their jobs.

The roster includes Nickelback, Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, City On Fire and Feist. UTA plans to move some artists to its offices in London and New York.

The memo from CEO Jeremy Zimmer says: “After considering where we see the strongest prospects for continued growth, we have made the decision to take additional steps to focus our global music practice in the US and UK.

“I certainly plan to continue as an agent and continue representing my clients”

“This will mainly impact our colleagues in Toronto, where we will be closing that office over the coming months. We’re taking this step after careful consideration, and we recognise it’s a tough one for our colleagues there. They are talented professionals who we’ve collaborated with for many years and who have contributed to our success. We are incredibly grateful to every one of them. But we believe this is the strongest and best strategic decision for UTA Music going forward, one that will allow us to put even greater focus on artist development and our full-service approach to our clients.”

Ross, who set up the Toronto office with TAG founder Neil Warnock, told Billboard: “I’ve been representing a core group of Canadian artists for a long time and many of our clients have been with us for decades.

“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can tell you that I certainly plan to continue as an agent and continue representing my clients, continue to grow and develop agents and music industry professionals. I’m looking at this as an opportunity to work with like-minded people who believe in artist development and agent development and who see Canada and Toronto as a great place to be in business.”

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