The New Bosses 2023: Chloé Abrahams-Duperry, Ticketmaster

The 16th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses was published in IQ 121 this month, revealing 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

To get to know this year’s cohort a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2023’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Catch up on the previous interview with Dani Lopez, promoter at Live Nation here. The series continues with Chloé Abrahams-Duperry, artist & promoter relations manager at Ticketmaster, UK.

Chloé works in Ticketmaster’s global music division as artist & promoter relations manager, across their portfolio of markets outside North America. She works with promoters and artist teams to develop and deliver on ticketing strategy – overseeing the process of international tours from conception to execution.

In the last year, Chloé has managed the launch of ticketing services for European tours for the likes of Harry Styles, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, BLACKPINK, Kendrick Lamar, and Sam Smith to name a few.

Starting in electronic as an agent assistant & booker at Coda Agency (now Wasserman), her most recent role before Ticketmaster was as a booking agent at Higher Ground Berlin. Chloé has a passion for new music and is highly active elsewhere in the industry, hosting a monthly radio show, ok. on danse, on Refuge Worldwide, and launching a Mental Health First Aid Initiative in 2020.

Your career path before Ticketmaster involved experience across a range of sectors. How has this experience helped you in your day-to-day work, through understanding the challenges faced by people working in other sectors of the music biz?
Working at labels, in management and bookings has given me a view from the other side – understanding the importance of the execution of tour announcements and the fan journey from the perspective of the artist team.

I have a lot of face-to-face time with artist teams in my current role, figuring out the best way to deliver ticketing for their tours. Having previously been in their shoes, I’m able to problem-solve and get creative with them. I bridge the gap between the promoter/agent/label and the operational teams at Ticketmaster to deliver seamless ticket on sales.

Are there any particular events or campaigns you are looking forward to this year or next?
I look forward to Youth Music Awards in October, celebrating young people and grassroots organisations representing a more diverse, more inclusive, and more creative music industry. Ticketmaster will be presenting an award, and I am on this year’s judging panel. Show-wise, I am very excited for Madonna in October, plus J Hus, 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes in November.

“It’s about understanding the importance of the execution of tour announcements and the fan journey”

You have a radio show that champions emerging talent. What platforms, forums or venues do you visit to help you discover new acts?
I always pay attention to the support acts on tours, as well as taking note of the smaller acts playing at festivals. There is an incredible Open Mic Jam Session every Tuesday close to my house, where vocalists, poets, rappers, and instrumentalists jam with the band and its magic. I also encourage surprise emails and messages from friends and peers with links to a tune I must listen to; music sharing is a love note in my eyes. To anyone reading this, my inbox is always open!

What has been the highlight of your career, so far?
This year’s highlight was attending Metallica’s Paris Stade de France concert. I spent time with Live Nation and Ticketmaster France teams, walking around the stadium pre-show, letting it sink in that the first stadium campaign I worked on at Ticketmaster was about to begin.

You’ve worked in the DJ world, booking international tours. Is there anything the larger live business can learn from the DJ sector, or vice versa, to improve the way we all do things?
From all corners of the business, being collaborative, and knowing that we all are working towards the same end goal will always improve the way we work.

“This is a very collaborative industry in which you can’t get very far without sharing and helping where possible”

Do you have a mentor, or people you can trust to bounce ideas off?
I have a handful of friends who have grown up with me in this industry over the past ten years that I know I can call at any moment. This is a very collaborative industry in which you can’t get very far without sharing and helping where possible. There is no way I would be where I am today without that support, and I enjoy paying that forward by supporting those on the rise both onstage and backstage.

You launched a mental health project in 2020. Was this something driven by the pandemic? Can you tell us a bit more about the initiative?
As an agent assistant for Electronic Roster, I became very conscious of the responsibility that was involved in terms of booking travel and so on. Electronic is a lot of fun, but it often includes a lot of late nights and travelling. I made sure to pay attention to how I routed shows, and my artists knew that I supported them if they felt any type of way. However, I wanted to be formally educated, which is how I found Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA England).

MHFA England is a qualification that teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue. I was introduced to Applause for Thought (AfT) through MHFA England to organise private group sessions for people in the music industry. We now have over 100 people trained, and it continues to grow.

As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
There has been a huge shift within the industry, and by the public on empathising more when it comes to workload and health, but I do think we have a lot more work to do.

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