WME’s Kirk Sommer talks touring’s top trends

Leading WME agent Kirk Sommer has given his verdict on the touring business in 2024 – and predicted his top trends for next year.

As senior partner and global co-head of music at the Beverly Hills-headquartered agency, Sommer – who is currently fundraising for music charity MusiCares – works with a host of superstar acts including Adele, The Killers, Billie Eilish, Arctic Monkeys and Hozier.

And with certain artists rising faster than ever on the live scene in the age of social media, he tells IQ how the sector is adapting its game.

“I have never felt more empowered as an agent,” Sommer tells IQ. “The largest metric for success is the box office. The rate at which some artists are making rapid ascensions at scale has required more focus on making the right strategic developmental decisions while being sure not to miss the moment.”

Sommer, who tips “the continued growth of globalisation, pricing and sustainability” to be the biggest issues for the industry next year, lists The Killers’ “incredible” six-night run at The O2 in London in July and their hometown Hot Fuss Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace among his highlights of the past 12 months. The band will play three more “encore” gigs in Vegas next month.

In addition, Sommer oversaw the two-year Weekends with Adele Vegas residency at the same venue on 23 November, as well as Hozier’s record-breaking four-night stint at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, in June, which marked the first time in the venue’s 101-year history that a single artist had sold out a run of that length.

Elsewhere, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour launched in North America in September.

Sommer is donating a meeting with himself for two people in order to raise funds for music charity MusiCares

“Adele completing her 100-show residency that I had worked on for four years was very special,” reflects Sommer. “Hozier’s historic, record breaking, four-night run at Forest Hills Stadiums was excellent. And the Billie Eilish arena show in the round is the best I have seen.”

Sommer also has high hopes for a number of emerging headliners on the WME roster.

“I am looking forward to the continued growth of Benson Boone, Teddy Swims and Lola Young,” he says. “I have some important and significant tours I’ll be announcing shortly. I’m tremendously proud of the hard work and teamwork my department demonstrated daily and could not be more excited for our collective future.”

Meanwhile, Sommer is donating a meeting with himself for two people in order to raise funds for MusiCares.

The auction, which is open until 3.02pm EST (9.02pm CET) on Wednesday 4 December, is running via the CharityBuzz platform, with the winning bidder to be given the opportunity to speak with Sommer for 45 minutes and explore the dynamics of the live music industry. The current highest bid stands at US$44,500 (€42,500).

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